Carla Rosckes
Mission, I have come to discover, is not something that others can tell you how to do. It is a personal way of life. How you relate to others is your internal mission being put into action, and being a missionary is doing just that.
Orientation helped to prepare me in the true spirit of Saint Frances Cabrini. It was a time when I was able and encouraged to seek God everyday and in everything around me. What amazing things were revealed when I just took the time to recognize God at work. This practice has benefited me more than anything else.
During orientation, the idea of "being present" was habitually reinforced. God was definitely trying to make a point. Point well taken, God! I have made it one of my personal goals to not let the daily "tasks" or "duties" get in the way of me being PRESENT to those around me. I just think about it like this, "people come before paper, because paper doesn't smile back!" This has shown to be very rewarding thus far. Here is just one example. Every morning I walk the 7 blocks to work and on the corner, before the office, is a girl that sells tamales. Each morning as I pass I make sure to greet her with an "hola" or "buenos dias." Then one morning I felt God telling me to buy a cup of whatever she was selling. We started chatting and I didn't understand much beside the fact that she was 18 and had a 4-month-old baby. Well, I guess she appreciated the chat because she gave me one of her delicious tamales for free. Since that day, I have invited her to take advantage of the free services that our program offers to mothers and babies. Can you imagine? She was selling tamales right next to a program that can get her and her baby free health insurance and WIC and she never knew it.
One afternoon I walked into the office and I heard, "Carla, this is my baby!" I looked over and saw the girl holding up her baby with the biggest toothless smile you have ever seen. She handed me her son and as his little hands slapped me on the face I knew that this is what mission was all about. Thank you God!
UPDATE: Support Has Made the Experience
When joining Cabrini Mission Corps I knew that I would be embarking on a journey that would lead to many new challenges. I have been on mission for six months and I can now attest to the fact that, yes, I have encountered (and overcome) a multitude of new challenges. My success in overcoming these challenges has been, and remains to be, directly related to the steady support I have received from the MSC community.
From the moment I arrived at the Senior Sisters Residence in Philadelphia I was greeted with an abundance of warmth and acceptance. I was a stranger to them, yet they opened their arms and their hearts expressing their support and appreciation for my desire to help further the work of the missions. I learned very early on what it meant to these sisters to be a servant of God. I embraced their spirit and it has been a pillar of support for me during my time here on mission.
To tell you the truth, I didn’t want to come to Chicago. Chicago was probably the last place I expected to be sent. I wanted to go to South/Central America where it is nice and warm. In a way I feel like Mother Cabrini did when she was told that she wasn’t to go to China but instead to the United States. Like her, I followed the Lord’s call and I came to Chicago. I can not begin to express my gratitude to God for placing me in Chicago with the Guadalupe Community. My community has been the foundation for both my personal and spiritual growth. They support me by listening to my ideas, giving me guidance, and allowing me the space I need in order to grow as an individual. I am beginning to realize how important gentle guidance and healthy space is for my personal growth. It is something I deeply value, and I am trying to put these ideas into practice with people in my own life.
The support I have received has played a vital role in the fruitfulness of my mission. As I look back I am amazed at the many different ways in which the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus have supported me. Being invited to the Gala in NY, receiving inspirational notes from Sr. Lucille, exchanging e-mails with Sr. Philippa, and the wonderful evenings spent chatting over pizza and ice cream with the sisters in Lincoln Park are only a few of the unique yet integral examples of the loving support which has sustained me. They say that warriors are only as strong as their weapons. My weapon is the prayer and support of the MSC community, and there is no way I can lose!
