By Kelly Kao, June 12, 2016, Fremont, CA
“Our task now is to learn that if we can voyage to the ends of the earth and find ourselves in the aborigine who most differs from ourselves, we will have made a fruitful pilgrimage. That is why pilgrimage is necessary, in some shape or other. Mere sitting at home and meditating on the divine presence is not enough for our time. We have to come to the end of a long journey and see that the stranger we meet there is no other than ourselves—which is the same as saying we find Christ in him.” ~Thomas Merton
I cannot seem to adequately express how proud I am of our courageous volunteers and devoted staff over the past five years. We have been on the mission field for three of those five years now and have completed eighteen mission trips, caring for over 4,000 patients.
Reflecting upon Thomas Merton’s insights on pilgrimage, I have noticed that I have been given the opportunity to take on the role of pilgrim the past few years. In 2013, I lived like a nom