On the evening of Friday, September 26, Casa Familiar Rural de Açailândia (CFR) held the 13th edition of its traditional Peasant Philosophy Night. This annual celebration aims to highlight the knowledge and awareness of the peasant people.
The event, organized by the school’s pedagogical coordination, administration, and student body, had as its theme this year “CFR, 20 Years Planting Knowledge and Harvesting Wisdom: rural education, youth, and family farming.” The evening was filled with memorable moments, such as the opening ceremony, the reading of the speech by the Comboni Missionary from Congo, Father Joseph Mumbere, the artistic presentation by the first-year class, and the awarding of agricultural technician degrees to the graduates, followed by a spectacular fireworks display accompanied by tears and hugs.
The Rural Family Houses, a model that originated in France and was brought to Brazil in the late 1960s, are structured around alternating pedagogy, general and technical training, and family succession. The CFR in Açailândia was founded by Comboni Lay Missionaries in 2001, welcoming its first classes of young people from the countryside in 2005. Despite facing many challenges, it has already trained more than 200 students, children of the peasant class from various municipalities in the region.
At the beginning of June, I landed in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. It was here that my missionary journey began – full of new challenges, learning, and encounters with people who quickly became like a second family to me. I spent the first weeks in the Provincial House of the Comboni Missionaries, where I immediately experienced the great openness and warmth of the Comboni Fathers and the community of Lay Comboni Missionaries. Thanks to their heartfelt welcome, I felt at home, which gave me courage and hope for the next stages of my mission.
Learning the Language and First Trips
One of the first challenges was the intensive study of English. Every new word opened doors for me to better understand the culture and to build deeper relationships with the people among whom I now live.
In June, an Italian missionary, Giula, joined me. Together, on the very same day, we set off for Kiteakapel – a small missionary station in the northwest of Kenya. This place, run by an international community, allowed me to see the simplicity of life, the difficulties of everyday existence, and at the same time the great hospitality and openness of the people. This experience will remain in my heart for a long time as a reminder of the great strength of community and of simple, sincere hearts.
Kariobangi – the Heart of Nairobi
The next stage was moving to Kariobangi – one of the poorest districts of Nairobi. This place is full of contrasts: alongside hardship and poverty, there is also the extraordinary energy and hope of the residents. In the parish, the Comboni Fathers and Comboni Sisters carry out their ministry. The Sisters run a vocational school for girls and a daycare center for the children of young mothers, while the Fathers are involved in pastoral care and youth animation.
The time I spent in Kariobangi was extremely valuable to me – both practically and spiritually. I saw how God works in everyday life, in simple gestures of kindness, and in sharing oneself with others.
A New Stage – Mikinduri
Since September, I have started the next stage of my mission and am now staying in Mikinduri. This new place presents me with further challenges, but also brings much joy and hope. Each day is an opportunity to get to know the local reality, to learn patience and openness, and to discover the beauty of diversity. I believe that every step of this journey leads me deeper – toward greater trust, toward better understanding, and toward true service to others.
As we mentioned in previous post, Sunday on the missions is a very rich and intense day. Until noon, there is a solemn and long Mass filled with singing and dancing. It begins with a dancing procession of girls and women dressed in beautiful costumes. A similar procession is also repeated with the offerings. At the same time, lay missionary Linda leads Sunday school for children and at the end of Mass, she also enters the procession with the children for a blessing. Immediately after Mass, we had a meeting of the men’s community in the garden next to the chapel. At the same time, in one of the family homes, some of us participated in a mourning gathering for the loss of a family member. About 50 people from the area attended.
Monday is the community day of the Comboni Lay Missionaries. Four of us went shopping at the market and supermarket. On the way, we stopped at beautiful waterfalls. We were delighted that the community representatives showed us the vestibule of paradise!
On Tuesday, Linda organized and led French lessons for Neema and Leszek. After the lesson, we went to the health center where the lay missionary Marzena works. There, Malwina was able to share her talents by professionally rehabilitating the girl after a complex orthopedic surgery. The girl’s mother was also able to discuss her health situation and receive practical rehabilitation tips.
On the following days, we visited two schools where classes were led by lay missionaries Linda and Pius. Today, we participated in activities at the preschool and a neighboring school. We learned about community life by preparing and eating meals together.
The evening community prayer, prepared daily by different people, brings us solace and gives us the strength to continue.
We are also particularly pleased with the enthusiasm of the preschoolers, children, and youth, as well as the adults. We wonder how long they can continue to show such immense kindness and enthusiasm over the next few days and weeks. There are surprises as we walk through the village of Kitelakapel, and from behind the fence we hear greetings, and sometimes someone calls our name!
With God’s grace, we have continued our missionary work in the community of León El Manzanillo, which we have been sharing with you in previous posts. On Saturday, August 2, as we do every month, we went door to door in the village, encouraging families to participate in the activity planned for that day and extending an invitation to attend Sunday Mass.
In the afternoon, we shared with those in attendance the theme: “The Love of the Father” and continued with the making of baskets from recycled newspaper. In addition, a special activity was held with the children to teach them the importance of proper hand washing, and we took the opportunity to introduce them to the idea of the Holy Spirit using the idea of Living Water.
On Sunday, August 24, we gathered for our monthly get-together. After participating in the Eucharist and sharing breakfast, we began with training on the topic “Home Visit Guide.” This topic was extremely important, as it will allow us to make improvements to the visits we already make in the “El Manzanillo” Project, as well as in future mission projects. It should be noted that, as part of our call to share the Gospel, we go to meet our brothers and sisters in their homes or wherever they carry out their activities, and it is prudent to follow certain guidelines. After introducing ourselves respectfully, and provided they are willing, we share the Word of God with them.
Home visits are a true pillar of our calling, as they enable direct contact with people who may be going through difficult times, such as hopelessness, poverty, marginalization, etc. Through these visits, we offer them a different path, guided and strengthened by the light of God’s Word.
The second topic we discussed during the gathering was “Sincerity, honesty, and integrity.” Below is a brief description of these values:
Integrity is a fundamental virtue that invites us to act with righteousness and justice, respecting what belongs to others and approaching our responsibilities with integrity. It is a commitment both to the proper management of goods and resources and to the fair treatment of others, implying not taking advantage of or taking what does not belong to us.
Sincerity reflects our authenticity in words and actions. It is the ability to interact without hiding our true intentions or resorting to falsehoods. However, this virtue must be accompanied by prudence, which helps us choose the right moment and the right words to express our thoughts. In this way, we not only care for other people’s feelings but also our own, since not everyone reacts well, understands, or appreciates what we want to share with them.
Finally, honesty is related to living in accordance with truth, justice, and integrity. It is also understood as the virtue of always acting with righteousness in our intentions and decisions.
Each of these values reflects aspects of Christ’s character in us. They not only strengthen our personal and family lives, but also contribute to building a trustworthy, strong church with a good witness before the world.
On Sunday, August 31, we gathered for our first Spirituality Workshop. That day, we used the Lectio Divina guide to share a moment before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. The reading we used was from the Gospel of the day, Luke 4:16-20.
We also meditated on section 1 of the document “Missionary Methodology: Spirituality, Lifestyle, and Model of Intervention LMC,” which emphasizes the importance of spiritual nourishment, since without it, our spirit weakens. We find this nourishment in the sacraments, in the Word, in prayer, in community, in spiritual retreats, etc.
There’s a lot going on here in Kenya. We’ve joined a very close-knit and joyful community. There are three permanent members, three CLMs on the Community Experience, and, of course, we’re on the Mission Experience. Eight people in total.
The community members show us what their daily ministry is like. First, we were able to join them in the chapel for a meeting of boys preparing for confirmation, and we attended Mass with them, where we were introduced and enthusiastically welcomed.
The next day, we attended three lessons at a girls’ boarding school. These lessons were surprisingly professionally prepared and well-run. One of the topics was self-esteem and self-confidence, which can help these young people shape their lives beautifully and in a Godly way. Today, the third day of our stay, brought even more attractions, and tomorrow promises to be just as interesting.
Today, before lunch, we met in the chapel with the boys preparing for the sacrament of confirmation. They danced and sang, followed by a multimedia presentation and several interesting videos.
In the afternoon, about 90 boys gathered in the chapel for a fantastic meeting. The boys had the opportunity to ask questions, which we were answering for over an hour. A lively conversation ensued about politics, the political system, the differences between our countries, and, of course, polygamy.
Finally, we asked them who would pray for Malwina and Leszek’s Missionary Experience today, and it turned out that most of them agreed!
We feel like we have true friends here.
At the end of the day, we had a very joyful meeting with the younger children. There was coloring, learning a song with pointing, and lots of fun playing with bubbles and playing football.
After the fun was over, we could say with a laugh that something extraordinary had happened. In the village of Kitelakapel in the Pokot tribe, smiling dark-skinned children walk around, joyfully singing: “such big one, such small on can be a saint…” (Polish song).
Malwina and Leszek (CLM Poland)
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