'Notes from Kenya'

By Kim Ae-ran

I was a person with a limited outlook. What I mean is that I simply and easily dedicate myself and concentrate on the field in which I'm most interested. Once I fell in love with one field, other areas were not of much concern.

However, as time flies, I appreciate the beauty of diversity, harmony, integration and sharing more and more. Encountering different people purifies, renews and broadens narrow perspectives. Meeting an inspiring, beautiful, encouraging and enjoyable person breaks down walls and gets rid of unnecessary barriers.

Recently, Sr. Wendy Ooi published her first book, “Notes from Kenya,” a collection of essays she wrote about her missionary experiences over about five years in Kenya. She prepared the book with the lofty intention to raise funds to help the Pauline mission in Mozambique, Africa. The essays were originally posted on her blog (www.chilliandlime.blogspot.com) under the same title and the new book consists of 21 chapters with photos she took while in Africa.

Being a person of humor, flexibility, generosity, creativity, freedom, openness, availability, and with a cheerful and positive point of view, Ooi enjoys and appreciates her social relationships around the world. It's joyful, beautiful and amazing to see her positive inner qualities shrouded in freedom and joy, which pleasantly cover her shortcomings.

What a surprise to see she is even familiar with Korean dramas and movies. She is even eager to learn the Korean language. (Hopefully someday, she might enjoy and appreciate the Korean culture directly.)

The way she speaks in front of an audience is also natural, eloquent and fluent enough to catch the eyes and hearts of people around. Whenever I see her, I appreciate the love of God who has created her and bestowed on her many blessings through her parents and family.

I quite agree with her when she says the following in her book: “As the work in Quantum Physics shows and as some of you may already know, there is an ordered pattern amidst chaos! Further, a subatomic particle is not a 'thing' but a set of relationships. Everything that exists thrives on relationships and everything is affected by everything else. The butterfly effect (which I've shared with some of you before) states that 'given the web of physical relationships that make up our world, it is possible for the flap of a butterfly's wings in Tokyo to turn the course of a tornado in Texas!!'"

In Asian countries, it's the relationships that matter and count. Many things depend on relationships; we coexist by the help of broad and thick human relationships. Relationships, communion and sharing always come first not only in religious life but also for those who are generous with a spirit of composure.

Everybody acknowledges that the living standard of Singapore and the living cost in it are higher than other countries in Asia, but Pauline sisters live simply and freely with a spiritual sense of poverty. Much of our food is given by generous neighbors who are willing to share and take care of others. It's encouraging to feel we are living under the providence of a merciful and loving God day by day. How free it is for us to feel we are living day to day with the same spirit of Jesus who had no place to lie down and no time to rest.

Almost every weekend except the first Sunday, we go out for a book outreach with passion to share the Good News by means of social communication. One thing I noticed from the book outreach to local churches is that Singaporeans are so generous and open-minded they are willing to donate money if there is a cause and need.

So we exist by giving help to others in need. No matter how close and dangerous global warming is, we do our best to live every moment to the fullest as cheerfully as possible.

The writer belongs to the Daughters of St. Paul, an international religious congregation. Her e-mail address is mtorchid88@gmail.com.