For Fr. Raphael, missionary life was a life-long dream. Already before his priestly ordination he asked his superiors to be sent to the missions, but only at the age of 56 his dream was accomplished. Two years ago a South Sudan missionary, Bro. Jim Comino, invited him: "If you still think about the missions, come to Tonj!"
The main mission of his community is the Sacred Heart parish, with 8 sub-stations spread in a large territory and also many educational institutions.
What is the most challenging experience in Tonj? The poor living conditions of Tonj mission are not the main obstacle. Fr. Lee was born in the rural zone, soon after the Korean war. He could adjust himself to the difficult living conditions. However a series of cultural shocks was for him the main challenge: children who with no remorse of conscience steal the goods from the Salesian house, students who make continuous noise during his catechism class and similar attitudes which are not easily compatible with his Korean cultural experience.
Fr. Lee shares: "At first I thought they will change their attitude after few kind reminders and I cherished a lot of hope. But later, there just was the feeling that ‘I can’t understand – it’s hopeless!’"
In the end, those experiences brought him to a truly missionary mentality – "We are here to sow the seeds that somebody else will harvest later on. Let’s entrust all these headaches to the Lord!" In this way the new-old missionary does slowly discover the necessary missionary spirituality and gets closer to God in prayer.
“A few times I thought to return to Korea, but every time I have this temptation, I face it with the following reflection: ‘Would Jesus eave this place or would he stay here?’”
Source: Peace Broadcasting Korea
