Welcome to My Journey!

Hello and welcome to my journey! My name is Nick and for at least one year I will be working as a Salesian Lay Missioner in Gumbo, South Sudan. My hope is that you follow me on my journey and stay updated on the work that I will be doing. Let me begin by introducing myself, talk about the Salesian Family, and talk about Gumbo.

About Myself: My name is Nick Ynami, I was born and raised in San Francisco, CA. I went to Corpus Christi School in the Excelsior District of San Francisco for elementary school, and later attended high school at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory in the middle of San Francisco's Civic Center. My family and I are devout Catholics and pray every night because God is at the center of our family and He is the source of our unity and strength. I then went to college at San Diego State University in San Diego, CA and double majored in Theatre Design & Technology and Asian Pacific Studies. I currently work as an Events Technology Specialist for PSAV at the Westin SFO Airport Hotel (I basically do lights, sound, projections, TV, internet, and computers/IT for hotel banquets, meetings, conferences, weddings, and proms). At the end of the month I will be leaving my job to serve and I couldn't be happier! What the future holds for me, I will never know, but I leave it all in God's hands!

Source: http://www.stanthonyparish.org/content/calendars/bulletins/st-john-bosco/

About the Salesians: I can never do justice introducing the Salesians, but I will do my best! The Salesians are an order of priests, sisters, brothers, and lay people (single or married non-religious) within the Catholic Church whose charism is to dedicate themselves to the young and the poor. They were founded in the late 1800's by their founder St. John Bosco. St. John Bosco was an Italian Catholic priest, teacher and writer, who took street children off the streets of Italy and into his oratory, where they learned to be upstanding citizens. Currently, his order of priests, sisters, brothers and lay are continuing the mission and exist all over the world doing many great works and tending to the needs of the young and the poor. I myself am a product of the Salesian family. Corpus Christi was a Salesian school (it sadly closed in 2012), and I was taught by a the Salesian priests and sisters. Proudly, I can say that once a Salesian, always a Salesian!

Source: http://hopeforariang.org/where-we-work/

About Gumbo: Gumbo, South Sudan, Africa is a suburb of the capital city Juba. South Sudan is a country in East Africa, and is the newest nation in the world. It was founded in 2011, when South Sudan (a predominately Christian nation) broke apart from Sudan (a predominantly Muslim nation). In 2013, there was a civil war between the Dinka and Nuer people. The incident happened because there was a dispute between President Kiir (a member of the Dinka tribe) and his former Vice President Machar (a member of the Nuer tribe). Currently, South Sudan is facing a lot of hope and promise, the fighting has died down a bit and the people are staying positive for the future of their country. The Parish of St. Vincent De Paul in Gumbo, where I will be, is run by the Salesians. In the compound, there is a church, a primary, a secondary, and a vocational training school. The compound has a lot of space to play (oratory) and is also where the priests, brothers, sisters, and volunteers (like myself) will be housed. My duties will be to teach English, Computer Science and administrative work for the secondary and vocational training school. I will also be running the oratory and setting up for masses (like a sacristan) .

So there you have it! You now have basic idea of what I will be doing and who I will be working with. I am both excited and nervous about going to serve in Gumbo. However, I will be serving the children of South Sudan, and I will do my best to teach and love them the way St. John Bosco loved the street children of Italy. It is funny how things come in full circle, I was once a Salesian student and am now a Salesian educator! My main reason for going was because I wanted to help and give back to the Salesian order, who helped me become the person I am today. My hope is that I can inspire the life of one child the way the Salesians inspired me when I was younger.

Finally, many of you are wondering about the title of this blog. I consider myself a big foodie, and say that my favorite hobby is to cook, so what better to talk about my journey than to compare it to a stew? Although gumbo (U sounds like ah) the stew is pounced differently than Gumbo (U sounds like ew) the city, I find it a great metaphor of an enriching journey! The ingredients being my spirituality and the people I meet, and the recipe being the experiences I will be living. Finally Gumbo can be like gumbo, a rich and hearty stew that, instead of feeding my stomach, will hopefully feed, enrich, nourish, and satisfy my soul and spirit! Please keep me in your prayers and may God bless you!