WHEN WORDS FAIL, LOVE SPEAKS: MY EXPERIENCE OF THE XAVERIAN MISSION IN THAILAND

Going to Thailand as a Lay Xaverian gave me the chance to experience the mission of the Xaverian Missionaries in a way that was both simple and very different from what I am used to in the Philippines.

I was there as a foreigner. I do not speak Thai at all, so there were many moments when I honestly had no idea what people were talking about. What was funny, though, was that people often could not tell that I was a foreigner because I looked quite similar to them. I could easily blend in, until I started talking! Then the language barrier became very obvious.

That experience made me realize how much we normally depend on words to connect with people. When you don't understand the language, you have to find other ways.

During my stay, I was able to accompany the Xaverian Missionaries as they went from house to house in the slum community to visit older people and those who were sick. The people they visited were not Catholic; they were Buddhist.

The missionaries did not serve them because they belonged to the same Church. They simply went because there were people who needed someone to visit them, listen to them, and accompany them.

I have seen similar work in the Philippines. We also visit communities, spend time with older people and those who are sick, work with children, and accompany people who are in need. So the mission itself was not completely new to me. But experiencing it in Thailand was different.

In the Philippines, I am in my own country. I understand the language and the culture. In Thailand, I was the one who did not understand. I had to rely more on gestures, smiles, and simply being present.

Sometimes, I would sit with someone and not understand a single word they were saying. And yet, somehow, the moment did not feel empty.

A smile was enough.

A gesture was enough.

Sitting beside someone was enough.

It made me appreciate something very simple: sometimes, you don't need to understand someone's words to understand that they are happy that you are there.

I also had the opportunity to teach English to Thai children. That was another experience of trying to communicate without sharing the same language. There were times when we did not understand each other, but we laughed, played games, used gestures, and tried again. Somehow, we found our own way of communicating.

I think that is one of the things I appreciated most about the mission in Thailand. The missionaries did not wait for everything to be easy before reaching out. They simply met people where they were.

This reminded me of the missionary spirit of St. Guido Maria Conforti and the Xaverian charism, to have a heart open to the whole world and to go beyond our own boundaries to encounter others.

I was also grateful to stay at the Xaverian Mission House in Bangkok and live with the missionaries and volunteers from different countries. We had different languages, cultures, and personalities, but we shared meals, worked together, laughed, got tired, and supported one another.

It reminded me that mission is not only about the big things we do. A lot of it happens in ordinary moments and in simply being together.

As a Lay Xaverian, we carry the words “Caritas Christi urget nos” — The love of Christ impels us. In Thailand, I understood those words a little differently.

The love of Christ pushes us to go beyond what is familiar. It brings us to people who may be different from us, to places where we may not understand the language, and even to people who do not share our faith.

My experience in Thailand also made me appreciate our mission in the Philippines more. The context may be different, but the heart is the same: to encounter people, accompany them, and serve with love.

My time in Thailand was short, and I know there is still so much I do not understand about the people, their culture, and their community. But even in that short time, I was able to see and appreciate something beautiful in the way the Xaverian Missionaries walk with the people.

I came to Thailand as a Filipino who could not speak Thai. I was a foreigner, even if I could sometimes pass as a local. But I left with a deeper appreciation of what missionary presence can mean.

I learned that I do not always have to know what to say.

Sometimes, I just need to be there.

Sometimes, a smile is enough.

Sometimes, an action says more than words ever could.

And perhaps that is one of the simplest ways to live Caritas Christi urget nos, allowing the love of Christ to move us beyond ourselves and letting that love be seen, even when we cannot put it into words.