My name is Sister Olinda Soares.
I am from Timor-Leste.
I am a missionary in Brazil and currently live in the Belvedere Community, in Araras, in the State of São Paulo.
For me, living the Ad Gentes mission is a grace and a deeply profound experience. It means leaving my own reality, encountering a new culture, meeting new people and learning, each day, to serve and proclaim Jesus.
Being in Brazil has helped me to understand that mission does not consist only in bringing something to others, but also in receiving so much: learning from the people, from the culture, from their experiences and from every person whom God places on my path.
Living far from my homeland, my family and my own reality helps me to grow in trust, openness and availability. Each day, I feel that God continues to form me through the mission.
Mission has transformed the way I see things, my heart and also the way I understand God’s call in my daily life.
And this is precisely why I would like to leave you, my dear young sisters throughout the Canossian world, with a message:
Do not be afraid to listen to your hearts when God calls you. Sometimes God’s voice comes quietly, through a desire, a restlessness or a situation that invites us to go beyond ourselves.
For me, the Ad Gentes mission is an experience of going out, encountering, serving and proclaiming. It means allowing God to transform my heart and mind, so that I may do His will. For nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37).
Happy World Mission Day!
With affection and prayers,
Sister Olinda Soares, FdCC
