My name is Joël Komlan Attisso. I am Togolese by origin and nationality, and I am a member of the 151st Salesian Missionary Expedition, the one in 2020; having started amid the Covid-19 pandemic, it could not, however, provide the orientation course before leaving for our mission.
I was sent to the "Blessed Philip Rinaldi" Vice-Province of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands (PGS). As a trainee, I was assigned to our secondary school. My missionary experience in Papua New Guinea is a joyful experience of meeting and discovering the cultural and social realities of Melanesia.
Even though I am far from my homeland, I have not felt alone or abandoned because I have been well-received and well-accepted by my brothers in the Vice-Province and the people, especially the young people. My greatest joy as a missionary is precisely that: to be accepted, loved, and helped by my brethren. Since my arrival, I have experienced the welcome, openness, and love of the people toward the missionaries, especially those who show them love, respect, and kindness.
This atmosphere allowed me to integrate gradually and easily into a context that was totally new to me, a Togolese. Here, I understood that, as missionaries, we are called to love and serve the people to whom we are sent. I am confident and convinced that through my love and service, and with the help of God's grace, we bear credible witness to Jesus.
Finally, I would like to invite all those who feel God's special call to be missionaries not to be afraid of the location or context in which they will be sent. Our strength lies in the awareness that the Lord always accompanies and precedes every missionary wherever he is sent.
In Don Bosco's dream about Oceania, he saw a multitude of young people shouting, "Come to our aid!" Do not be afraid to come, for all together we can love and serve the youth of Oceania!
