Cultural Diversity and Inclusiveness: HMC Student Deaconesses and Home Missioners and their Dormitory Life and Training

 

“We might appear as opposites, but we are not opposed. We might appear to be different, but we are not separate”. This remark by author and poet Brian Thompson aptly captures our lives as Harris Memorial College students. We come from different parts of the Philippines, grew up in various cultures, and are now striving to live together in a dormitory while studying. But is it really possible to live together amidst differences while carrying the culture that we grew up with?

                         Most students are to be deaconesses and home missioners. They are lay people who have had professional training and have been moved by the Holy Spirit to dedicate their life to serving others in a way that reflects Christ under the direction of the church (Paragraph 1913. 2, United Methodist Church Book of Discipline). Future deaconesses and home missionaries are trained at Harris Memorial College in the Philippines.This essay is a reflection on the lived experiences of students from different cultures.

                        The Covid-19 pandemic has been affecting the Philippines for four years now. The barrier preventing Filipinos from communicating has finally been removed. People are now allowed to interact with one another, owing to vaccinations and adherence to safety precautions and standards. People in the neighborhood may engage in conversation with one another and students can now attend school for in-person instruction.

                        I am now one of the students who sit inside the classroom, study in the library and explore the facilities and rooms in the school. And most especially, I am one of the students who are included in the Harris Memorial College which offers a college program for deaconess formation under the church program and has a vision of learning for Christ-like service. 

                         Dormitory living is an important part of Harris Memorial College's deaconess and home missioner development. All student deacons and home missioners must live in the dormitories. The Harris Memorial College Dormitory is home to 67 students, deaconesses, and home missioners. There are students from various parts of the Philippines. Students from Isabela, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bataan, Zambales, Nueva Ecija, Metro Manila, Cavite, and Rizal, for example. In addition, three Laotian students are now completing their travel documents. Students are speaking different dialects. For example, Kapampangan in Pampanga, Ilocano in Isabela, some sections of Pangasinan, and Tarlac, Pangasinense in Pangasinan, Cuyunin dialect in Palawan, Tagalog in Manila, Bataan, Zambales, and Nueva Ecija, Dumagat language for one student from Dumagat tribe, and Lao in Laos. There is also one non-deaconess program student and one senior high school student living in the dormitory. They are both responsible for the house rule in the dormitory.

                         Despite the differences in culture and dialect, it is possible to have inclusiveness among students. Every day, every student deaconess and home missioners including the non-deaconess program student meet at five forty-five in the morning for morning devotion and breakfast. Each table is filled by a variety of students. Imagine how each student from different places eats together. At first, there is shyness and awkwardness, but as days go by, we are learning to blend in and communicate with one another. We are gradually learning to feel comfortable with each other. Not only during meals that we are together but, every day we are also assigned to do housework for a maximum of 30 minutes as part of the training. We are cleaning the dormitory, the chapel, the administrative office, and the college classrooms. Then, the rest of the day is allotted for us to come to school. After our dinner, we have a study hour in the library for one hour and thirty minutes. We observed lights off at 10 o’clock in the evening and surrendered our phone at the same time. We are not allowed to use our phones starting 10:00 PM until we finish our housework in the morning. Learning to live and work together as servants of our Lord Jesus Christ, respecting each other’s differences, and trying to learn and understand each other’s dialects is what we call cultural diversity and inclusiveness.

              Understanding other cultures begins with understanding your own. A person who understands oneself has the ability to appreciate others. Cultural variety provides a chance to learn about and comprehend various cultures since everyone has the freedom to share information about where they live, what they eat, and their traditions.

                        There is what we term "understanding to become a host and a guest" in cultural variety and inclusivity. Being a host entails reaching out and welcoming others regardless of differences. Being a visitor, on the other hand, implies that you are open to new experiences. We are not always the host or the guest. Cultural diversity and inclusivity teach us that everyone must preserve their culture and not assume that their culture is superior to others.

                        My realization of the cultural diversity in the Harris Memorial College dormitory life of deaconesses and home missioners is that even though we came from diverse locations, languages, and dialects, there is only one God who connects us. There is always a point of convergence among variants. Our mutual goal as student deaconesses and missionaries is to serve God and his people. And the foundation of this service is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As a result, we must consider our differences not as walls that divide us but as bridges to support one another in our weaknesses and inabilities. For God who called us is the God of diversity who simply desires unity among His children.

Written by: Jesemae Gael O. Gale- ABCE-Junior

Edited by: Dss. Sheena Camille Calma