I recall my own childhood and the people who helped me to live the life I do today. I am grateful for the work of the missionaries and I can do a little bit, which is not enough, to compensate and say thank you during my life time.

My father was a Lutheran as his clan was among the first people in the Yuri tribe to accept that faith.

My mother was a Catholic, as her people were the first to invite the Catholic Church from its establishment at Mingende in Simbu.

I was born in my mother’s village, Imil-Tomale, and baptised in the Catholic Church. A few years later, I went to a Catholic school continued into Catholic secondary school.

I did what every other child did; too lazy to go to church services but energetic enough to run away from them.

Sometimes a fear of being absent from roll check with its accompanying punishments would force me to church. I also liked the priest in white robes in front of the parishioners - and the motorbikes and Suzukis they drove around.

During my high school days, I began to realise that I could choose the priesthood as a vocation. My thoughts were guided by a number of reasons based on my observation at that time.

The first reason was for me to help my struggling parents pay tertiary education fees as my thought was that the Church would pay for my priesthood education.

While I was convinced beyond doubt, my father (pictured) did not agree with this plan when I revealed it to him. I quit thinking of the priesthood after that discussion.

My second reason concerned the life of the missionaries. They lived a life of service and reaching out to others.

I heard nuns singing and strumming guitars beautifully and saw them teaching us songs. The De La Salle brothers and the chaplain would take care of us. They taught us life skills and were constant in the way they approached life.

The De La Salle brothers lived, worked and dined together. The priests dressed in white robes and celebrated mass together. I have seen some priest run around like they never run out of fuel.

My third reason was that I was confident of securing a space in one of the tertiary institutions after high school. However, I also thought that, in the event I failed my exams and did not win a place, priesthood would be an easy way out. I learn from my priests now that such a reason was illogical and not the way of the priest.

I realised that my father had revealed God’s plan for me not to be guided by my own reasons for priesthood.

My father wanted me to lead a life of a family man and toil hard each day to feed my family.

As he used to say in Yuri, “Ipal ta more, kepa ta ente kinango, en nene wen, kona ele, kepa nere, gal kul yenanga bol ninanga” (No one else will feed you with food; it is you who must toil hard to feed yourself and your family).

Over these years, my mother continued to stay at her place and attend Catholic service. My father lived on his tribal land committed to his Lutheran faith. Now I live in Goroka in the Eastern Highlands Province and commit a bit of time to my local parish as a lay person.

People from many different walks of life value the work of missionaries. They had the following to say about the story published on Sunday in which I wrote of Fr Franco Zocca, who has just celebrated 50 years of priesthood.

“A beautiful ceremony for a remarkable man - a living testimony of life of total commitment to his call and the Lord of his life. Thank you for sharing” - Anne-Marie

“Thank you for sharing Fr Franco’s news and the great work he has done in serving the Lord and the people. I have previously worked at Melanesian Institute and glad to say that he was a great and open hearted man” - Francisca Kerenga

“Very inspiring, thought provoking and challenging story. These are the very people who deserve knighthoods, awards and medals for their selfless commitment to the poor, the needy and the rural majority. Unfortunately, we very rarely see this happening on our land. May the Good Lord reward them richly with heavenly blessings” - Alois

I am saddened by the many challenges facing Christianity and in particular the Catholic faith. The challenges calls for Christians to be realistic and live their faith and reach out to others, which has been the lived legacy set by Jesus himself and lived through the years by the first missionaries.