VIRIDITAS2: SOUL GREENING
Interviewed by Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP
Hawaii Catholic Herald
When people ask me how I keep on going amidst all that has gone on concerning the Lahaina tragedy, I look at the people around me. When things happened, many people extended their hands. Even though they have lost everything, with faith they continue on. See! Even the church is still standing. As a Missionary Sister of Faith, my life is rooted in both the contemplative aspect of prayer, as well as being active in ministry. My strength comes from prayer and work.
Before the fire, I was a preschool teacher at Sacred Hearts School. But when we moved the school location to Kapalua, there wasn’t enough space to hold classes. Not able to open the preschool this year, the principal asked me to teach religion for the middle school. I said I will try to do my best. Now I teach the seventh and eighth grade religion classes.
Some of our students have lost their families, everything. In our classes I tell Bible stories. I try to let the students know that even though God may seem so distant, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, throughout salvation history God never abandons his people. Even though there is some kind of difficulty, we should never lose our faith and keep strong. God will always provide everything that we need not only to survive, but to live in a good condition.
One of the favorite stories that I like to share is that of David and Goliath. Even though David was small in stature, because of his strong faith he was able to defeat Goliath. So for us, when we have faith we can overcome everything no matter how difficult the crisis is.
When I read their written assignments, I can see their acceptance of what happened. We started school on Aug. 28. When the students first came, you could see on their faces that they were so down. But now, you can see them happy. They help each other and are really focused on learning. This is a sign of hope. Another sign of hope is when they see a little bit more green growing out of the banyan tree area.
Our principal, pastor and leadership at Sacred Hearts School have also been creating hope. From the freezing of school accounts to providing lunch and backpacks with supplies for the students all these steps have been very good. There were many donations, even from around the world that have come out to help us. We keep telling the students and their parents that they do not need to worry.
Even though we lost everything, God continues to provide for us to overcome all of these challenges. God also provides for us to keep our faith strong.
I remember, as I was preparing to leave Lahaina (as it burned), the prayer that raced through my head was, “God, save us!” Now, my prayer is “God, may we soon see Lahaina alive again.”
Sister Monica Ja Len of the Missionary Sisters of Faith is a teacher at Sacred Hearts School, Lahaina, which burned down in the Maui wildfire. The Suore Missionarie della Fede (Missionary Sisters of Faith) are an international congregation serving in Italy, Brazil, India, Hawaii, Myanmar, Philippines and Samoa.