Comboni Lay Missionaries

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“God loves me so much”

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dsc04962Dear friends,

Let me summarize what has happened to us and what we are experiencing. On day 6 I fell down an embankment while walking and I have a cracked vertebra. I should be in bed at least 1 month, until I do another x-ray. They excluded neuronal damage and internal organs.

Thank goodness is only that. From the first time I realized what had happened, I also realized that the Lord had taken care of me. I fell down a slope of rocks, sand and broken glass and I only make myself superficial wounds. I have even recovered my eyeglasses untouched.

Many times I’ve walked out there, shortening, knowing it was dangerous, but trying to do as everyone here. Why do I fall down now?

Now we spent every day with strength. Children notice it a lot, they are very anxious, scared of what could have happened to me. And all the work falls on Isabel. Life tests us.

We are trying to deepen this experience. We know that only in the Lord we can walk through this stage. This painful occasion is an opportunity to feel the Lord’s tender love and admire how He opens new paths.

First of all, the maternal host from the Comboni fathers. From the bottom of the gorge I called them by phone, in addition to Isabel, and two of them came down in a hurry through the same risky path that I went. They bring me water, fruit, comforted me and prayed with me. I felt in family. In these early days, as I strengthen a bit, the fathers have welcomed us into their home; they are more equipped and closer to the hospital. Children, with their concern, are also a joy in this house usually so quiet. They go around giving hugs and tickling the tummy of the fathers.

Then, the visits of the neighbors and friends, especially the poorest of Villa Ecológica. The clinic guard warned Isabel that it was coming suspicious people asking for me. In the three days of hospital I felt that I had no ability to receive more love. The neighbors gave me the soup carefully while Isabel conversed with the doctors. The fruit and yogurt they brought spending what they had gained in the day. Those who opened the Bible and prayed for me, as we have done in their homes when they have needed.

And the experience of stopping the activities, such beautiful projects that we were carried out, as adult catechesis, just one week ahead of the celebration of Confirmation. Trusting that this is a new time of the Lord where He is giving us new lessons that we need to be happier. Knowing that He will monitor the task because they belong to Him.

Thanks always to be near us, and a lot of encouragement to your missionary work.

Gonzalo Violero

The new coordinating team of CLM in Poland

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Equipo coordinador PoloniaOn 15-17 November there was a formation meeting of Comboni Lay Missionaries in Cracow.  The main theme was a missionary. We considered, what mission means for us, how we can act for the mission in our country and abroad. On the meeting also presented a presentation about Fair Trade and The Black List Companies. On Saturday evening we went to Mogiła (the place where John Paul II first used the term ‘new evangelization’) and we took part in the Mass, which was celebrated by Bishop Grzegorz Ryś. It was a part of the Evangelistic Forum .

A very important event was the election of a new coordinating team. Thank you very much Ewa and Tomek for performing these important functions in recent time and we welcome new people: Ania Obyrtacz as a coordinator and Michał Kędzior as a economist! Also Father Maciej Zieliński, who was responsible for CLM in Poland, resigned from his function, because he is leaving on a mission. Now Fr. Krzysztof Zębik, who came to us from Warsaw, is responsible for CLM in Poland.

By CLM in Poland

It’s been over a year since I’ve got to Africa

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Sometimes people ask me if I miss Poland, family and friends. Well I reckon it is absolutely normal to miss. There are those days that I wish I could see my family or friends and talk with them, but then comes the thought that I would like it only for a moment, after which I would come back here, to Africa. Those thoughts don’t come too often though as I rarely have time to sit and think and it’s always better to live here and now, because time flies mercilessly. I am writing about longing because few days ago I had my first anniversary of my arrival to Africa, so lots of memories flew over my mind.
To sum up, this year has been rich in new experiences, new people, places and cultures. It was beautiful and impossible to describe to the fullest all the situations, feelings and memories. Anyway most of them you might find on this blog. Thank God for this time!
I’ve spent last couple of weeks working, as usual. The physiotherapy’s area got so much better. During my time here everyone got used to it and now cooperation with doctors and nurses is smoother. It helped me so much to receive the equipment from Poland, for which I thank you once again!!!

Ethiopia CLMs: Maggie, Mark & Emebet Banga

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Maggie, Mark and Emebet

Greetings to you from Ethiopia!  We are Mark, Maggie and our daughter Emebet and we are Comboni Lay Missionaries (CLM) from Canada, serving in Awassa, Ethiopia for 4 years now. The Comboni Fathers, Brothers and Sisters here in Ethiopia have welcomed us very warmly and truly we feel part of the Comboni “Family”.  We joined the CLM motivated by our faith and our desire to make more room in our hearts for God. We felt called to give of ourselves more abundantly in this specific way in cross-cultural mission. We felt this invitation as a new husband and wife, and quite simply, we were excited to say ‘Yes’. Our missionary life has been full and we are gracious to God for all the blessings he has given us.  The biggest blessing has been our daughter Emebet, whom we adopted here in Ethiopia. She is now 2 years old and we are aware everyday of the tremendous gift of Emebet into our lives, and of us into hers.

Maggie served during our first years here at Bushulo Catholic Health Centre, about 7 km south of Awassa, employing her training in Naturopathic medicine in clinical practice and public health activities. Now, Maggie is a full time Mom staying at home with Emebet (the most noble and fun of ministries!). Mark serves at the Awassa Catholic Secretariat, the main coordinating office for the diocese of Awassa which covers the south of Ethiopia. He is the manager of the Catholic Church’s social and development programs, including education, health care, water, women’s promotion, emergency response and other social services to the poorest. Together as husband and wife, we also have other ministries on the side, including working as mentors with the Catholic College and University Students Association in Awassa, facilitating retreat programs at Gethsemani Retreat Centre, teaching an art class at a local orphanage and teaching Theology of the Body.  

Where our work begins and personal time ends is blurred and we are thankful for this. This is a consequence of the missionary life – where our work is our life, our life is our work and both we’re trying to give to God. 

The environment around us is one of severe poverty and destitution with seemingly endless needs.  The demands of this context and the faces of the people living in it are real and challenging to us, and we have no ‘ready made’ answers.  Sometimes we laugh and sometimes we cry and sometimes we look at each other with wide eyes not knowing what to do.  But through all these encounters we are growing and changing as we try our best to live “shoulder to shoulder” with our Ethiopian brothers and sisters.  It is our daily cheerful struggle.  The blog posts and reflections we will share with you are the story of our CLM journey. We pray that God continues to transform both you and us into the people we were created to be.

 

Maggie, Mark and Emebet

Comboni Lay Missionaries

Awassa, Ethiopia

Dream of God in Us

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“The position of a missionary disciple is not the center but the periphery.”

Pope Francisco

Lourdes Vieira

I find myself in this immense periphery of Contagem since six months continuing the mission that Jesus has entrusted to us as CLM’s. When I came here I was scared thinking how I could help, because I realized that the community walked pastorally well, each area with its coordinator, everything flowed.

“But when we silenced the heart, God speaks!”

Of course there wasn´t monitoring for the possible vocation to be CLM, but as we know the winds are not to have many vocations, especially in this new context through which it passes our economy in Brazil. But when we silenced the heart God speaks! There is a saying of the Macua people of Mozambique that says: “Yakhala enokhala mmurimani, ekoma khoniwa” (When there is noise in the heart you do not hear the beat). Then, one beautiful day of prayer, I put myself in God’s hands and asked the Holy Spirit, with my permission, to place me at the service of the brothers in these outskirts of Minas Gerais.

Therefore it would be necessary to seek new skills. Then I studied Massage Therapy and got some notions of Biomagnetism with Father George and Regina who happily led me.

“In small gestures I found myself with the reality of the people…”

Today, attending people in the Comboni House and in the Study Center of the Sisters in Pampulha, I feel that I just need to surrender and the rest is up to Him. The Pastoral of the Child is also subject to this call, these days we are finishing a training course for new leaders, this time not so worried about the child underweight, but children with obesity from Zero to Six years old. Right now we are working with 8 groups, assisting 200 families and about 300 children are been accompanied by the Pastoral of the Child here in the area of the parish. In small gestures I found myself with the reality of people who seek happiness, health and safety, life in abundance!

The mission today is no longer just the desire to be a missionary, but also training for the rapid changes that are happening and we are not always willing to open our mind, sit down on the benches of the preparatory school to better serve the brothers.

Of course I could not stop talking about the Pope Francisco. I’ve been in Aparecida do Norte for a meeting of the Pastoral of the Child and I could see him pretty closely, at the feet of the patron saint of Brazil. And in the emotion of the words of our pastor I prayed for all who were lost in drugs, families and to have more vocations in the Church. Thus we continued to walk; together!

By Maria de Lourdes Vieira – CLM Brazil in Ipê Amarelo