Comboni Lay Missionaries

Fifteen Days in Ethiopia

LMC EtiopiaIt has been 15 days since we arrived in Ethiopia: fifteen days filled with intense emotions, feelings and colors.

To travel as a family with two daughters, 14 and 15 years old, is much more complicated than when we traveled to Mozambique several years ago. In fact, for them it is their first contact with Africa (at least that they can remember), with all that it implies of differences in everything, not only in what the cities look like, the fruit stands, crazy traffic, the feeling of drawing attention wherever we go, but above all for not being able to speak their language and consequently not being able to get to know the people’s views of the world, of life and of their reality.

Here in Awassa there are several three and for story buildings, and more are being built in a place where, we are told, much has changed over the last few years, with wide paved roads, and many hotels.  In fact it is the second or third city in the country and perhaps the most beautiful, situated as it is near a fairly large lake, with an incredible vegetation and wild life, which makes it one of the favorite tourist attractions for the Ethiopians themselves. Yet, all this notwithstanding, the contrast with our Spanish cities is huge. Our daughters are surprised by the dirt roads, the piles of wood used for cooking, the goats, the sheep and even some cows meandering freely in the streets and that, when it rains, life does not stop and nobody uses and umbrella… But above all, they notice the kindness of the people, the fact that everybody smiles at you and greets you, that people are not scurrying to and fro, that Mass will last one hour and 45 minutes and people are happy about it… I hope they will learn a lot from these people and that the experience will teach them values that are different from those of our first world.

Both the Comboni communities and the CLM communities take good care of us and are ready to accompany us and to try to explain to us the reality of this beautiful country. It has over 80 million people. Of these, 6% live in the capital, only 0.9% are Catholic, the remaining being 45% Orthodox Christians and 45% Muslim. It is a country where in many areas the Catholic missions are places of first evangelization, very much in need of indigenous vocations, and where even from the scarcity of their numbers they are greatly helping the people in their social and human development. We are being given the opportunity to get to know the work done by other religious congregations here in Awassa, running hospitals, primary and secondary schools, nurseries and professional schools… There is a lot to be done in the promotion of women, education, health… In providing the means for real development in this population.

The CLM community has been telling us about the various activities they are involved in, both in the apostolic and in the social field and, inasmuch as possible, we accompany them to get first-hand knowledge of what they accomplish, and above all to see the love with which they do it: the sweetness and affection they show to children in special difficulties; the work they do with the parish youth; their sense of responsibility; the witness of family life; their commitment to the poorest. And all this flows from the charism of St. Daniel Comboni, striving to save Africa by means of Africa, leaving the limelight to others, accompanying rather than commanding, in a spirit of simplicity and humility as befits strangers, sent as a community to proclaim the Love of the Father and to build His Kingdom.

We thank the Father for this vocation and for the opportunity to live this experience as a family.

LMC Etiopia

Maricarmen, CLM-Spain on a visit to Ethiopia

Family Feast, a celebration of love and life sharing

LMC Portugal

It is exactly like the title says: An experience of the unconditional love that unites us, that allows us to get close, to share in prayer and in community.

A new weekend, a new gathering and a new meeting again. On this weekend a new year of formation came to an end, a year filled with smiles, tears, discoveries, love, joy, friendship and a deep discovery of our own selves and of our relation with God. It was a year filled by God and by his merciful love for all of us.

In those eternal beginnings there was space for meditating, space to reflect over the different moments, the different instants that built up each of the weekends we experienced. We had time to share with those who during the whole year gave of their best for us and with us, such as the coordinator, and what it means to have our own individual experience of God, lived in the bosom of the Comboni Family.

They were two days for sharing the best of ourselves, the best of what God gives us freely as a gift – life.

During this weekend, as a family, we prayed, shared, were ourselves and allowed others to be, we laughed often, wished for peace, we were loving and living witnesses of the joy of the Gospel.

Between the laughter of the children and the wrinkles of experience, we gave thanks to God for each and every one who was present, for those who were absent, even though present in our hearts, for we were more than just those present, we were the Comboni family, spread across the four corners of the globe.

It was an extraordinary experience to witness the love of Christ present in each of the members of the family as they arrived, the gaze of a father and a mother bringing us closer. A family gathered to celebrate one of God’s greatest gifts, family. And so it was as a family that we allowed space and time for God to talk to each one of us by way of all those who shared in his joy.

Through the testimony of Márcia Costa we came close to the missionaries spread across the world, who proclaim with their lives the Gospel of Jesus. With the announcement of the departure of Marisa Almeida we were all touched by the blessing that her life among us has meant for us, and by her abandonment in the arms of God and in the motherly gaze of Our Lady, mother of mission.

To be a Comboni Lay Missionary is in itself to be family, a family that welcomes, helps, protects, that sows God-given seeds, that sees them grow and see the light, and bears fruit. It is a family that prays and shares, that grows and helps to grow, that nurtures and gives life. It is like a gaze that does not forget, a flower losing its petals, it is simply us.

To be a Comboni Lay Missionary means being nearer to God’s love and give living witness with our own lives.

It is good to be family with all of you.

LMC Portugal

Neuza Francisco (Portugal)

 

Witnesses of Hope

Emma

Witnesses of Hope is a group that meets, since five years ago, in the Comboni House Justice and Peace.

This is a self-help group composed of people with problems of addiction to alcohol, drugs, depression or any addiction that imprisons and not allowed to live well. It is frequented mostly by women, mothers, wives, with children or husbands to deal with the terrible addiction to alcohol and drugs. The tool of this group is simply the word and sharing. Narrating, talking about themselves, as a therapeutic way to share their pain, to find strength and support. Learn to accept it and learn to listen. Because by sharing a person does not feel alone, the common stories described how mothers, women and many families are struggling with the physical and emotional dependency that enslaves. The beauty of this group is that it is a “small family”, where people are bound together by trust and friendly relations. Everything living is shared in the group; trust and credibility are the fundamentals that build it. It is been more than two years that I participate as a volunteer and become part of “the family”, every Tuesday night at 19:30 we meet and listen to each other. There are times when many people are involved others are few, but whatever is the number, every Tuesday night the Comboni House remains open to create a space to host and share, not only the pain but also moments of smiles and moments of laugh. There are weights that is difficult to carry alone. We must overcome shame to share. For this was born Witnesses of Hope, to help people to walk together and find help with simple and concrete gestures. Regina and I (psychologist and voluntary) started from the provocation topic, from which we can start thinking about the problems that people live and their own experience, a job that leads to self-knowledge, to recognize the own history and particularly that helps to value the people, to take life in their own hands, with courage and determination.

I come out always, every encounter, touch, both to share moments of joy as intense and profound moments, facts made from still open wounds. Each story is a reading from the Gospel of the day, a fact that struggles, battles, victories, defeats, disappointments, in search of the love who cares, because only Love saves: loving yourself, loving others, loving life.

On the outskirts of the world where there are no services, it is wonderful to see how people are organized, without losing heart and simply looking for solutions, such as giving birth to a group of self-help to find the strength and desire to change. Together, we can!

Emma, CLM

First week in Ethiopia

CLM-Community-in-Awassa

We have been in Ethiopia a week already but it feels like we flew in yesterday. For the time being, it has been a week of welcomes and of beginning to learn.

We spent the first day in Addis Ababa to visit the provincial house where we met Fr. Julio Ocaña with whom we had shared our time of training as a community when we were leaving for Mozambique. We remembered those very special times when we were preparing to leave for Africa for the first time and he himself was getting ready for his mission. Now, almost 18 years later, we meet again in Ethiopia, each one of us with a larger baggage of history.

We also had a special moment as we met Fr. Juan Nuñez after so many years. We first met when he was provincial in Spain and we were just beginning as CLM. After these old acquaintances, we also met several other Comboni missionaries of the province who selcomed us with great kindness.

Our trip to Awassa was very nice, with a stop in a gorgeous place near one of the large lakes of this area. It is good to travel by car, because it gives you an overview of the situation of the country, its roads, people, crops. It was inevitable to compare it with our experience in Mozambique or in other countries. We observed so many fields ploughed with oxen and an infinite number of donkeys pulling carts loaded with water, potatoes and such.

Finally, we reached Awassa, the capital of the southern region. We met Fr. Mansueto, the superior of the house, who gave us a good reception very attentive to our individual needs, and also met the rest of the community. This is a house of transit for the various communities of the South, where missionaries stay when they come to shop, have the car fixed or pick up the mail.

And, of course, finally we met with our beloved CLM community. Mark was the first to get to the Comboni house when he heard that we had arrived and, without even unpacking we went to greet the rest of the community (it’s a little over a five minute walk from the house) There we met Maggie and the children, Emebet, Isayas and Teibe, together with Magda and Madzia. [We were welcomed] with a colorful poster made by the little ones and a good supper enlivened by conversation.

This is the beauty of internationality where Canadians, Poles and Spaniards meet as members of one family.

Each day we engage in different activities. Members of the community accompany us as show us the places and activities where they are engaged and also take time to show us the city and its various areas (we will keep this for our next post). They take good care of us and have a plan for each day, something new at every moment.

It is an experience that as family we greatly appreciate and from which we hope to profit to the fullest.

Greetings to all.

Welcome Élia!

Elia

On July 3 arrived at Lisbon airport the CLM Élia- She returns from the Central African Republic after five years of missionary service in the  mission of Mongoumba.

After the reception at the airport from the CLM Pedro, Liliana and Flávio and sister Carmen, we went with great joy by to eat at the house of the Comboni Sisters in Olivais. In addition to the community of the Comboni sisters, where there were the Family of Pedro. During lunch, we talk and share mission´s adventures. It was a beautiful moment of conviviality. After lunch, there was still room for some delicious Welcoming´s cakes!

In the afternoon, Élia continued her way home in the Algarve, where she is now with her family.

We appreciate the availability of the Comboni Sisters and wish Élia a good return and readjustment to the reality of our country.

Welcome Élia!

Portuguese CLM