My name is Carolin Auer, I am 27 years old and was born in Farchant – a small city deep in the south of Germany. I work as a nursery and a religious teacher. Right now, most of my time I spend working as a community assistant and religious teacher I two parishes around Münster and Freising. After finishing my university degree and a year of working I decided to go abroad for a longer time to get to know a new culture and pastoral work in different countries. Luckily I was able to spend close to three months in the Missionary Community of St. Paul the Apostle, to be exact in the Benga parish in Malawi, and become part of a great family. Here I was allowed to share faith in everyday-life, get to know the work in the different communities and find a culture which I ended up loving. This time changed me, and I will never forget it.
Starting the day with mass and ending it with a collective prayer, the vesper, and the daily pastoral work included me into the community. Even further, the people here turned into a family for me where I could feel safe and at home.
For two weeks I was able to work in the nursery and primary school which are located in the community itself. I was impressed how well the teachers were able to teach with little material to a lot of students. Education is key to a successful life, and it especially gladdened me how many schools are supported by the mission here to enable the kids to have a great future.
The masses in the different villages were impressive again and again. I could feel the strong connection in the prayer and the faith of the people. Singing, dancing and music turned the masses here into a visible and audible celebration of faith.
Time and time again I was able to visit elderly people in the villages. We brought basic food, celebrated communion with those who wanted and prayed with them. These visits were a gift to me. I was moved by joy of the people when Brian visited them and how thankful they were. Despite the basic living conditions, the joy in their faces gave me a reason to think about pastoral work and the life in Germany. Being there, just listening to them and giving them a smile is worth more than big words.
This is one of the things I want to take back into my own work, not spending the whole day behind a desk coming up with concepts and ideas. No, I want to go out, like in Malawi, to the people and be with them.
Something very special and very new for me was when I was allowed to help build a house for an old and sick lady. Carrying bricks and water, digging out a foundation and learning how to build a house without big machines but only by human work was a great experience. Seeing the joyful face of Belita, opening the house with a blessing by the priests and giving her a new home was one of the biggest gifts of the entire time I was here.
I was able to learn a lot from Fr. Manuel, Fr. Fernando, Fr. Steven and Brian who live for their work, for their calling. Accompanying them for most of the time and exchanging experiences with them enriched my stay in Malawi by a lot.
I suggest to everyone who has the opportunity to spend some time there, even if it is only for one or two weeks. It is not about changing the country, the structure or the pastoral work. No, I believe we all can learn from the people in Malawi, from their way of life and from their way of sharing faith. I was allowed to do this, and I am incredibly thankful for this time.
I found a home there, and this home as well as the people and interactions there I will keep in my heart forever.
Even across continents I know that I will be connected to the people in the community and Malawi by our prayers and faith.
I would like to thank Fr. Manuel, Fr. Fernando, Fr. Steven, Brian, all the people in the community and the surrounding villages in Malawi who welcomed me to their country with an open heart.
May the spirit of God be in the projects and his blessing with everyone.
Carolin Auer
