Sure, I had a great job using my talents and skills. Sure, I was a member of a terrific parish community,
making new friends, growing in my faith, and yet, something was missing. At a faith-sharing group one
night, I simply admitted I truly felt nothing, that I couldn’t discern God’s presence. And a wise friend
replied, well, get ready, God has something in store for you. He offered to pray for me during this time
of quiet nothingness.
And that started my search for something. Maybe I would go back overseas? I love being in different
cultures and learning from others. I started asking around and met someone who had just travelled to
Guatemala, and met some people on their way to Panama to serve with the Volunteer Missionary
Movement, VMM. He told me about the Response booklet put out by Catholic Volunteer Network, and
from there, the pieces came together, and the next July, I was on my way to El Salvador to serve with
VMM. All along the way, I was praying. I was holding on to my faith and trust in God’s plan for me. My
friends and family supported me and prayed for me. My last Sunday at mass, my pastor called me up
and the whole congregation prayed for me. Humbling.
My 2 ½ years in El Salvador were a time of humility and of emptying myself – a time to be open to all
that God has in store for me. Any time of service must be. In my case, I had to learn Spanish, learn the
history, get along with my fellow missioiners, get to know the communities I would be accompanying
and more! Taking buses all over El Salvador, I meet a lot of people – vendors, children, grandmothers.
and one time a blind singer who had the most beautiful voice. I’ll never forget him singing on the road
to Tenancingo. I met women who had seen their children killed in front of them during the Civil War. I
helped communities haul water and construct water projects. I helped sort donated medicines and set
up a new community health clinic. I served meals at the first communion celebration in one
community. I translated letters and emails from one sister parish in the US to their sister parish in El
Salvador. I interpreted when delegations came to visit their sister parish. I accompanied Salvadorans as
they went to the US Embassy to petition for a US Visa. And then I would orient them on what to expect
from their time in the USA. At my parish, I sold pupusas to raise money for our Christian communities.
We prayed all night at the Easter Vigil and celebrated the Resurrection. We advocated for just solutions
and for high schools to be built. There was always something to do, a meeting to be at, and most
importantly, time to just be – be with people, share a Coke, laugh with them, pray with them and listen
as they shared their hopes and dreams. These were sacred encounters – God helping us realize our
shared humanity, shared commitment to work for the common good, and that “we are all responsible
for all” in living out our call to solidarity. (John Paul II, On Social Concern, 1987)
Since my time in El Salvador, I have been blessed to serve at a variety of faith organizations – learning
Immigration Law to serve our immigrant brothers and sisters, facilitating encounters of solidarity with
university students, and currently directing a year of service program, the St. Joseph Worker Program, a
ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange. I started at a CVN member, and now I am back to CVN!
And always finding ways to serve and to put my faith into action.
Susan Kadota, Director of St. Joseph Worker Program in Orange County