As I poured the layers of sugar, milk & tea, I was intent on doing the thing correctly, I wanted to see the three layers in the glass, but didn’t quite achieve it I mixed it up, took a sip and was immediately struck by the sweetness. As I drank the tea I thought of this mission of our lay partnership.

When I first became a Lay Associate of the Good Shepherd congregation there was much uncertainty, it seemed like there was no direction, except for the spiritual aspect, I was a little lost. Then as I got to know more about the Good Shepherd sisters, their work & the charism of St. Mary Euphrasia, I liked what I saw and was strangely comforted by being in the partnership. Now it is as if the mission is becoming “sweet”. And I know that what I am presently doing is good for me and I am on the road going in the right direction, maybe not striding down the middle but moving along by the side. As someone said “taste and see that the Lord is good” this is the sweetness that I tasted in the 3 layered tea*.

An unintended kindness..

A big strapping man walked into the clinic one day, he had a high fever & was shivering. I noticed from the card that he was from Bangladesh, this was the time of the big flood there. After examining him I asked about his family and whether they were affected by the flood. The man broke into tears & sobbed. I was taken aback wondering what I had said or done to bring down this deluge. After several tissues he calmed down & said something I will always remember, he said that in all the 4 years he was working in a “bee hoon factory” nobody has asked him about his family. What brought on the tears was the fact that he could not contact his family and he had not heard from them, they were all living in the flooded area. I was not aware of any kindly feeling that prompted my question, I asked only because the flood was in the news, but it made me realize how lonely migrant workers must be and how terribly painful it is to be alone. I learned to be more compassionate. And so it was that I did not hesitate when asked to work with the refugees, surely one of the most marginalized people.

By Dr Caroline Gunn

* During the Good Shepherd partnership gathering 2012, the Mission Link team used the funnel framework to present the three aspects of the Good Shpeherd mission (in this context, Good Shepherd mission does not refer to the mission statement of the Good Shepherd Congregation). The funnel framework was used to present the three aspects: Spirit, Context and Express; and participants were invited to create a glass of three-layered tea as part of an experiential exercise