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Dare to dream in darkness

Jacinta Siang Lawng Tial at the RVA Falam Chin Service office (Photo: RVA News)

A 19-year-old, Jacinta Siang Lawng Tial is serving the Church as a volunteer at the office of Radio Veritas Asia (RVA) Falam Chin Service in the diocese of Hakha, Chin State, Myanmar. 

“My service at RVA helps me to participate in the mission of the Church. And, in my opinion, this is the biggest advantage I have got from here,” Jacinta said.

She is working very hard with full of aspirations for a brighter future. 

As for the advantages of serving at the RVA office, the young girl said, “It gives me a chance to get knowledge about technology which will be useful in the pursuit of my dreams.”

She was born on December 24, 2002, at Khuangli village, 15 miles away from Falam town in Myanmar. 

She attended the school at Khuangli village till she finished her secondary education so that she might be able to help her parents during school off days. 

Then, she studied at high school in Kalay town, 80 miles away from Falam in the Sagaing Region of Myanmar. 

The girl who comes from an ordinary peasant family has a dream for her future whether to serve the people as a nurse or to go abroad with a good job, different from what most domestic migrant workers do in foreign countries. 

Her two elder sisters had to work abroad as domestic workers to support the big family. She has four sisters and two younger brothers. 

With those aspirations for her dreams, she is planning to serve as a RVA volunteer for at least two more years. 

She recalled her first inspiration to serve as a volunteer at RVA Falam Chin Service. 

After finishing her high school education in 2019, she could not proceed to attend the university due to the Covid-19 pandemic which raised its ugly head to the detriment of her plan. 

During that period, Jacinta would not waste her precious time just staying at home. Instead, she chose to leave home for Falam town to learn English and computer with the help of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition (SJA), who were the pioneer women religious missionaries in Myanmar.

Jacinta said, “By staying with nuns, I have got a great chance to attend daily Mass and to improve my knowledge of etiquettes and life and social skills that are crucial to building up good character in life.”

And it was during her stay at Sisters’ convent that she was introduced to RVA online service. At first, she just helped RVA staff type the articles. 

Gradually, she found herself attracted to participate in the mission of RVA. With this, she accepted the request of the coordinator to volunteer at the office as a full-time staff member of RVA. Now, she has served at the office for three years. 

Jacinta expressed her concerns about her dreams, “I am worried about whether it would be possible to pursue my dreams as the situation of our country is still in darkness.”

As a descendent from the pious and devoted Catholic parents, her daily routine includes attending morning Mass, cooking, cleaning the convent’s compound, and reciting Rosary in the chapel. She attends scheduled online English classes, apart from office work. 

The exemplary Christian girl explained how she overcame the daily difficulties. “Sometimes, I find my daily activities burdensome. But I offer all the challenges and hardships I have to face currently for a brighter future for my life and my family. And, this helps me cope with my problems with ease.” - RVA Chin Falam

 

Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.”  Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.