Embracing Jesus through Tagakaolu Tribe

I have been living and working among the Tagakaolu in the mountains of Malita, Davao del Sur for more than four years now and I have never been happier! The most important lesson that the Tagakaolu have taught me is to remain generous despite adversity. They may not have the luxuries of urban living but they have a closer connection to creation and an indomitable faith that everything around us belongs to God and that the earth is given to us as gift and should be cared for and shared. Despite being neglected by the government and taken advantage of by politicians, they continue to be generous expecting nothing in return. After so many years among the Tagakaolu I believe that I have a lot more to learn from them about God than them from me.

Such is the life of a missionary; this is what we try to live in the Missionaries of Jesus (MJ). We opt to work among those who are in the peripheries of society, among the urban poor, migrants and workers; we work among Muslims in inter-faith dialogue and live among the Indigenous Peoples. The Missionaries of Jesus is an international religious missionary congregation founded in the Philippines in 2002 and present in the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, United States of America and Guatemala. As missionaries, we strive to be in solidarity with people and learn from them and not just do things for them. We listen to them even if at first we cannot fully understand until finally, after a long and arduous process of listening and being with them, we have a grasp of things from their perspective.

This is what I strive to do wherever I am sent: I had worked as a missionary in Congo and Mozambique in Africa and in Lubang Island, Occidental Mindoro in the Philippines. I have been doing my best to do the same among the Tagakaolu these past four years at the MATAMIS (Malita Tagakaulo Mission) in the Diocese of Digos. I am an Ilocano born and bred in the mountains of Baguio in Luzon. The many years of mission work have helped me deepen my appreciation for my Cordilleran roots. This has helped me as well appreciate the cultures of the people that have accepted me as their own.

As Missionaries of Jesus, we proclaim the kingdom of God the way Jesus did: we seek the least, the last and the lost. We do our best to empty ourselves and live among the people we serve as one of them. We listen to their stories and we share the story of Jesus. Together with them it is our hope that we can retell Jesus’ story the way they see and experience God through Him.

If you would like to join the Missionaries of Jesus as a priest, brother or lay missionary, you may visit our website: www.missionariesofjesus.com, or you can like us on Facebook. Better yet, you may get in touch with Bro. Felix Bontog, MJ (+639267160985) or Fr. Ely Ubag, MJ (+639336198089); both reside at the MJ Balay-Misyon in Davao City. (Fr. Joey Gànio Evangelista, MJ)