As a family, we have been members of MISEVI since 2018. Our desire to go on a mission led us here, and thanks to MISEVI, we had the opportunity to travel to Kazakhstan as a family. Before our departure, we underwent training that prepared us well for what we might encounter and what lay ahead, but above all, it prepared us spiritually. At the time, we were accompanied by a priest from the mission, Father Pavol Noga, and a Daughter of Charity, Katarína Števicová—guidance for which we remain deeply grateful. Currently, MISEVI receives spiritual guidance from Father Kristián Libant, C.M., who continues this essential mission of support and spiritual guidance for our community. The mission in Kazakhstan was a transformative experience for our family. We went with a desire to serve, giving ourselves body and soul. Yet today, I realize that this experience gave us far more than what we offered to the local people. One may go on a mission with the intention of sowing seeds and eventually harvesting the fruits. We did not see those fruits. Over time, I have come to understand that seeing the results is not necessary; we can confidently entrust the fruits of our efforts to God.
Once we returned home, we resumed our daily lives. However, as time went on, I came to realize another truth: to be a missionary, you don’t have to go abroad. You don’t even have to go anywhere. For a long time, God had been placing on my heart the plight of those we pass on the street—the homeless, the lonely, and the destitute—whom we so often pass by unnoticed. I, too, had ignored them for a long time. Then, little by little, a desire arose within me not only to look at them but to act on their behalf and alongside them.
That is precisely why we began meeting with these people in Zvolen. We prepare a simple meal, invite them to the chapel to pray, and then spend time together talking and sharing. Sometimes we can offer them advice or refer them to specific support services. Other times, all they need is a listening ear—to feel seen and understood, to be recognized as individuals with a name, a life story, sorrows, and concerns. Sometimes just one person comes; other times, there are five. These numbers may seem modest, but we feel that what we’re doing is meaningful.
A similar community has existed for many years in Banská Bystrica and is a tremendous source of inspiration for us. During our last visit, I was deeply moved to see that the homeless don’t go there simply to “receive help.” They come to be with people who know and accept them, as if they were returning to their own community. In this regard, Sister Katarína is a true role model for me. I can see that she knows these people by their first names. She knows their stories, understands what they’ve been through, and what troubles them. She takes a sincere interest in them, listens to them, gives them advice, and, whenever possible, provides them with concrete and practical help. These are not empty words, but deeds.
Perhaps this is precisely what the missionary spirit means to me today: being ready to notice a person whom others might overlook. To stop, listen to them, and help them as best as we can. We can go on a mission thousands of kilometers from home, just as we can find our place on the very street we walk down every day. And if, as human beings, we devoted more time, attention, and practical help to one another, perhaps there would be fewer people among us in need or left behind.
Nasza strona internetowa: https://www.misevi.sk/
Jana Kunštárová, MISEVI Słowacja
