Testimonies From the Great Mission On Guam

The following was taken from the Umatuna on April 22, 2013:

The Great Mission on Guam  

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Youth and young adults islandwide have been inspired to publicly share their personal experiences of God in their lives at the “Great Mission.” “Be messengers and witnesses of the mercy of God,” said Pope Francis. “Go into the squares and announce Jesus Christ, our Savior.” For the past two Sundays the islandwide communities of the Neo- Catechumenal Way have invited the public to take part in the “Great Mission” for the Sundays of Easter where they will be announcing the Gospel in the public squares around Guam. In each public square, the NeoCatechumenal Communities gather with a pulpit and a cross and create an atmosphere of prayer with songs accompanied by guitars. 

Youth give their testimony of what it means to meet the Risen Lord and there is a brief catechesis on the contents of life with a dialogue: Who is God to you? What is the meaning of life? What is your experience of the Church? Joni Serisola, 30, of Mangilao provided a testimony at the Great Mission which took place in Barrigada. She spoke about how she came to experience God in her life and how she came to know of His love for her. “I spoke about the miracle of my marriage, of my husband having been open to hearing the Good News through the catechesis, the miracle of Sarah, my daughter,” Serisola said. “I was encouraged to terminate the pregnancy because doctors believed it to be ectopic. The fact that having a 2-year old, my 1-year old, Katherine, and another on the way – is not my desire, but His will.” She noted, “Although the world tells me to stop having children because I will suffer, it will be hard and money will be scarce…I look at the children – my concrete reminders of God’s love for me – and I ask myself, ‘How can I say no?’”

“I think the Great Mission is important because, through the testimonies, people can see that God does exist in our lives especially in our suffering,” said 17-year old Joshua Camacho of Yona. Camacho provided a public testimony on his life at the Paseo De Susana in Hagatna. His testimony focused on being the youngest of his family and how he felt that he was expected to do all that his older brothers’ were able to do in regard to being talented like them. He said that he felt that he was being looked down on because he was not able to meet those expectations. “Through a concrete testimony, people are given hope that they are not alone in whatever situation they may be in,” Camacho said. 

Twenty-one year old Tatiana Perez of Pago Bay shared her testimony in the Great Mission held in the village of Santa Rita. “I mentioned how I dated a variety of guys always trying to find the one for me to make me happy,” Perez shared. “God, out of great mercy, has taken me out of different sins, although I am still a great sinner; and with even more love, he has shown me that love and fulfillment does not come from these guys — they come from him.” “God has shown me so much love, to see that all these things that I try to grab love from: my parents, family, friends, guys, achievements, adventures, travel — that these things don’t bring true satisfaction, that true happiness, comes only from God,” Perez said. 

Agat youth, April Quichocho, 21, testified how God has helped her cope with the death of her father and cousins. “The Great Mission is very important in today’s world because many people don’t believe in God,” Quichocho said. “This is why we need to evangelize so we could help save our brothers and sisters in Christ.” Serisola noted, “Our lives are so full of hurt, of pain, and of the desire to be happy, to be loved… What has anybody got to lose to just come and listen?”