18 LUMEN | ALUMNI
SJIOBA Fathers-and-Sons
Mission toPhnom Penh
Advent 2015 was different for fathers and sons from the SJI Old Boys ’ Association ( SJIOBA ). Advent ( which means " coming " in Latin ) is a season observed as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas . From 12-19 December 2015 , 17 SJI students together with their fathers ( and some with their families too ) participated in a mission trip to Phnom Penh , Cambodia . Timothy Lee ( Lawrence 303 ) and his dad , Terence Lee ( Class of 1988 ) reflect on their experience from this trip .
This page ( top ): Saravanan ( Father of S . Pranav Shymmalan from Michael 101 ) giving love food packages to the children during the village visit near Tuek Thla
This page ( bottom left ): An adult missionary teaching at the Don Bosco High School at Tuek Thla
The SJIOBA teamed up with A Call To Share , better known as ACTS , a Catholic mission group . We were fortunate to be part of this eight-day mission trip , with another 250 participants from different Catholic parishes in Singapore as well as non-Catholics to serve those with needs greater than ours .
There were four mission venues in Phnom Penh : the three Don Bosco schools in Teuk Thla , Toul Kork , Phum Chreh , and the Missionaries of Charity Home for HIV children . The SJI students and the youths on the mission trip helped out at the Don Bosco schools , where they taught the local children English , art and craft , music and dancing . Most of the fathers served at the Missionaries of Charity Home , refurbishing the premises and distributing provisions to the families . Some of the parents taught English and vocational skills including cooking at Teuk Thla and the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center for Girls in Toul Kork .
As this was our first mission trip , we were apprehensive about what to expect , and anxious whether we can actually do the work . Very soon we understood that it was not what was expected of us , but rather what we could avail of ourselves .