By Jan Tellis

Guwahati, Oct 17, 2021: Let me start with the words of Roderick Davis, the actor: “Love is the root of missions; sacrifice is the fruit of missions.” That sums up my four years of stay in faraway Paraguay, in South America.

Life in the missions helps me understand better the journey of Jesus. It is walking into the other as he did. It is to create alternative spaces for people who are of other culture. He not only crossed national, cultural, religious, and gender barriers, but he also occupied the Samaritan Woman in a quest to disclose their true identity.

My four years in Paraguay led me to reflect more on the term interculturality which we hear more than ever. Until then I had taught the themes on culture, enculturation, interculturality and so on. Paraguay was a testing ground for what it really meant in practical life. It is true that northeastern India had prepared me to enter into the other culture. It is enriching to live with the people different nationalities and culture.

However, it was not all rosy. It has its two sides. I was excited to be in a new culture where everything seem new and had to be born again as a child learning every little thing. I had to leave many things that were part of my life for years. It was demanding but not impossible. I had no idea of the country and the people when I was told that I would be going there. I accepted happily as I thought of our founding generation and the sisters who longed to go to the missions. I only thought of our common mission.

The Idea of learning Spanish, working with indigenous people made me passionate of going to the new place. It was on the birthday of our Mother Mary, on the night of September 8, 2017, I landed in Asuncion, Paraguay. I only knew ‘hola’ and a few other words. I was received by three sisters among whom one was Indian. By the time I awoke the next day, she had gone to her community. I rested well forgetting food as there was a 9:30 hour difference between India and Paraguay.

But my real challenges began when I got up. As none of them knew any of the language I know, I was forced to use sign language if I needed anything. A few days later, I started with Spanish classes. I had to go by bus. It was about 20 to 30 minutes of travel. Travel by bus was more interesting.

At times as I did not know the stop for my study center, I got down before or after and had to walk mile to reach my destination. After a few months of class, I moved to another community where I could not practice Spanish, but had to listen to another language, local dialect of the place Guarani. As there was a need I was asked to go to a community, where again I felt lost.

It was an experience of turmoil within, as I had not learned one language well, but was asked to pick up another that was more difficult. However as sisters were working with indigenous people, I went with them to villages. It was going to the interior that had no proper roads. There was uncertainty of return.

Over the days, I read an article, Anthropology and Mission: The Incarnational Connection by Darrell L. Whiteman, which gave me a thought, how difficult it is to undo all that I learned in my culture. It is easy to learn a language, but to make meaning in that language to all that I learn is different. As I understand and think from my own language. All the time I want to express in the language I learned, I am prepared to think in my own language.

As one of his seven ways that anthropology can help in the mission are, Anthropology focuses on the elements in human interaction that relate to communication. It helps us appreciate the need to learn in depth the language of the people, and to recognize that most communication is more non-verbal than verbal. As he put, “Paraguayans speak in Spanish, but think in Guarani.” I was trying to understand the language and its meaning in other cultural context.

Indigenous people are allotted land in the interior parts of the country. There the government allots certain portion of land in the name of particular indigenous community and they live in that territory. However they are in the most interior villages without basic facilities. Many indigenous groups lived in constant fear and threat. At times there were protests from these groups asking the government to allot land when not given. However often they seem unheard as they are poor.

Life as a struggle goes on. Like the indigenous people in India, their counterparts in Paraguay also face the problem of landlessness and poverty. Protests break out often seeking their rights, but they go unheard. Although a Christian country, the values of Christ are yet to take root there. Everywhere, the cry of the poor is heard. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “The world has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed.”

I hope and pray that kingdom of justice, peace and equality reign in the world. Let me end with the sayings of John Piper, “To belong to Jesus is to embrace the nations with Him.” That is what I tried to do in Paraguay.

(Holy Spirit Sister Jan Tellis is now based at Guwahati, Assam)