Comboni Lay Missionaries

Cyclone Gombe in Mozambique

Carapira Gombe

I share a sad news from northern Mozambique, from Carapira mission, sent by Regimar and Tito:

“Hi. We are fine. But the situation here is very complicated. A cyclone devastated Carapira last Friday. 90% of the houses destroyed, all the fields are gone. 10 deaths and 3 seriously injured. This is what I know. Surely there are more. We have no news from many communities.

There is a lack of food and clothes. Hunger is already a reality.

We are looking for help. The world doesn’t know what happened here.

We even donate our clothes.

We have no cell phone service and no power. Now we finally got a signal.

I am trying to get help from Caritas, from Helena. We have scheduled a conversation.

On Friday we sheltered 46 families, 150 people, in the center of Carapira. There are others in the catechetical center. I don’t know how many more, because people are arriving all the time. There are families with 30 people sheltered and without food”.

Let’s put them in our prayers and see what we can concretely do together!

A fraternal hug.

Living and Learning

Desde Anchilo

Greetings to all!

I am writing these few lines to talk a little bit about the mission here in Mozambique.

We are in Anchilo, at the Catechetical Center, participating in the course of insertion and inculturation for missionaries who come for the Mission Ad Gentes.

The course started on the 1st and will last until the 26th of this month.

This course will help us a lot to understand the real situation of this country in all aspects.

Participating in this course are missionaries from: Brazil, Poland, Italy, Honduras and Indonesia.

In spite of being a small group, it is a group very animated for the mission.

St. Daniel Comboni pray for us.

Tito, CLM

First Days in Mozambique

Tito y Regimar Mozambique

Good morning! Peace and Goodness to all.

It is with great joy that I am writing this little text to tell you how these first 15 days in the mission in Mozambique are going.

We are in Anchilo and here we will stay until the end of February.

But we had the joy and the privilege to go to Carapira to visit the parish and the technical school where our mission will be located.

We also met the Comboni Lay Missionary couple from Mozambique, dad Martinho and mom Margarida, two wonderful people who, for sure, are going to help us a lot.

We walk a lot among the people, we talk to some people in the neighborhood, in the community.

And we see the joy and the smiles of the people when they know that we will be on mission together with them.

But what really caught my attention was seeing the number of children here, who, at the first good morning, are suspicious and stare at us, but then, when we start to play and talk, they open up a beautiful smile.

We know that the mission here will be a great challenge.

But with everyone’s prayers and the intercession of St. Daniel Comboni, the God of life will strengthen us, enlighten us, and we will have a beautiful and blessed mission here.

Directly from Anchilo, Mozambique.

Tito and Regimar.

“Foxes have dens and birds have nests. But the son of man has nowhere to lay his head. Follow me.”

Regimar Mozambique

Dear people of God!

Peace and Good!

Hearing this call of Jesus, I followed him. And it is with great joy that I tell you. I am in Africa. The Africa so loved by Comboni and so dreamed of by us Comboni Missionaries.

The trip was very good. I had some challenges with communication due to the language in the airports and in the aircraft, but nothing that took my breath away.

On the first flight English and Arabic were spoken. And I didn’t understand either language, lolrsrsrs. But God always puts angels in our way. There were many Brazilians on the flight and I had help from a woman and a young man named Bruno, Bruno was an angel from Brazil to Maputo. He helped me a lot, especially in Qatar, he guided me at the airport, to get to the boarding gate which was far away and difficult to find.

On the second flight I was able to communicate with the little Spanish I had learned.

When I arrived to Maputo I felt Comboni’s presence very strong, it was as if he was there, guiding me.

Time for lunch, looking for food. Oops, five meticais were missing… the attendant added, another angel.

At the boarding gate, surprise, the suitcase overweight, as it varies according to the country, weighed 3 kg more. Result: a fine of four thousand meticais that the attendant miraculously gives up charging. Another angel? No doubt about it. And Comboni for sure.

In the aircraft to Nampula, a child starts playing with us, for me the welcome was there.

Finally we land in Nampula. Fr. Massimo was waiting for us at the airport. Two more missionaries, priests, were with us.

We go home, have dinner and rest.

We are at the catechetical missionary center, in Anchilo, dealing with the documents while we wait for the Inculturation course to begin.

We met many priests here, as they are in assembly. We have been very well received by all.

On the first Sunday here, while the priests had mass in the center, I preferred to go to the celebration in the church together with the people. It was very good to see the smile, the joy of the people. The Macua people are very joyful and welcoming.

Little by little I began to get to know, to live with the people, a good morning, a quick conversation, a smile, this is how we build day by day, slowly so as not to scare anyone.

Aware of the mission that I have, of the challenges already known and those that will arise, I arrive in the land of the mission. I bring with me the initial situation. It is already possible to feel that the challenges will be great, but confident in the Lord I will follow, His word is greater, and if the mission is from God, it is holy, it is certain.

My journey is just beginning, and I feel happy to be accomplishing what I always wanted.

Every day I realize that the work of Comboni is becoming more and more concrete. “I die, but my work will not die.

I wanted to share with you a little of what is happening and once again thank you all for your help, affection and prayers. Without you it would not be possible.

Keep praying for the mission and for all the missionaries. From here I follow in prayer for each one of you.

I am very happy and I ask Jesus to bless this new mission.

May Comboni, Our Lady and missionary Jesus bless you all.

Strong hugs, directly from Africa.

Regimar

Comboni Lay Missionary – Brazil/Mozambique

Greetings to everyone from Anchilo (Nampula-Mozambique)

Tito

I am Tito, a Comboni Lay Missionary of the Diocese of Balsas, Maranhão (Brazil).

After a long time of formation and mission and waiting because of Covid, I could finally leave for the mission ad gentes in Mozambique, Africa.

I left Brazil on the 5th and arrived in Mozambique on the 7th at night.

The trip was long and tiring, but nothing stopped me from continuing to reach my final destination where God called and sent me for this mission.

Here I was well received and I am slowly getting to know and adapting to this new reality of life and mission.

Through the intercession of St. Daniel Comboni, may the God of life bless me with a beautiful and blessed mission.

Pray for me, for the Mozambican people and for the mission.

I will be praying for you.

Hugs to all.

Tito, Comboni Lay Missionary.

And as the Macua people say, Salama salama Koxukuru Ampwene Muluku.