By Sr. Manjusha Kandulna
“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His love endures forever”. Psalm 106:1
The experience of 25 years of grace, 19 June 1999 - June 2024, at this moment my heart is filled with gratitude to the Lord for making me his channel of grace. My religious Vocation to the Assumption is Totally the work of the Holy Spirit. I knew nothing about RA and no Assumption sister. The first person whom I met was a Postulant who told me that she would discontinue her life in Assumption, but her experience in the Assumption showed me my place I was searching for. Initially my family was not ready but my fervent desire to become a Nun won their confidence in my decision. The family spirit, the freedom, the experience of belongingness, the simplicity of life, the disciplined life gave me lots of opportunity to Know the life of Religious of the Assumption. I am in debt to My formators at my initial formation Specially Sr. Jaya who First welcomed me in the Assumption, Srs. Daisy, Valsama, Lizzyama, through you I learned to speak the language of RA, its culture, spirituality, and other religious sisters in the Assumption. Your words, very being and gestures towards others and their communities and Misson have given me a beautiful picture of religious of the Assumption. In my journey at various stages of life I felt that I wanted something else but something else I got. I always liked to work in a pastoral and social field, But I am a teacher where no Christian faith is practiced directly and away from faith community. I had to struggle with health issues and mission and also experienced spiritual desert experience and lost two of my loved ones during these years. Yet God is all I have. My superiors and community members made me experience the tender loving presence of God. I have been shown God’s Mercy for my failures and weakness for which I am grateful to God and my RA family. My sisters helped me experience that I am loved as a unique being. I received so much opportunities to experience the wonders of God and richness of RA. I cherish the life experience with sisters in Madagasscar and Paris. I am proud of my Family who made bigger sacrifice for me to be Religious. Today my prayer is “Amidst your numberless stars, Let me place my own little lamp.”