Hi Joseph! Could you please introduce yourself…
My name is Joseph Nguyen Quang Thanh. I belong to the 151st missionary expedition. Due to the Covid 19 pandemic, I was unable to attend the formation course for new missionaries in the past and so this year I joined the 155th expedition. My family is in South Vietnam and consists of five people; thank God, they are all well.
What inspired you to choose to become a missionary?
There are two missionaries who influenced me: one was called Fr Germain Lagger and the other Fr Attilio Stra, both missionaries in Vietnam before 1975. Due to the war, they were forced to leave Vietnam and never returned. After leaving Vietnam, Fr Stra went to Haiti and worked for street children. I saw him cry often when talking about Vietnam, saying: “Vietnam is my second homeland”. Tears of love. Fr Lagger came to Vietnam when I was attending the Salesian Institute of Philosophy and gave a speech full of love. He also sang a song in Vietnamese for Mary. It is since then that I believe I have received the grace of love for Mary.
Are you happy with where you are going? Do you have any fears or concerns about the new place, culture and people?
Japan is known as a beautiful and developed country. But I think it will take a long time to adjust to life in this country. But I will do my best, with God's grace.
What are your plans and dreams for your missionary life?
The life of the missionary is certainly not an easy life. When you jump into a new culture, what do you think? You think you will be born again. We need the humility to listen, observe, ask and grow" I share Don Bosco's dream: "Give me souls, take away everything else".
Do you have some great missionary role models in mind whose lifestyle you want to follow?
When I asked the Superiors for advice on missionary life, they told me: “Focus on Jesus Christ and never forget that your mission comes from Him”. So, I said to God, “Be with me, and lead me on the way.”
What is your message to young people about missionary choice and vocation?
If I have to choose a message for young people, I use these words of Jesus: “Go, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the world" (Mt 28:19 -20).
