Europe – Page 88 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

Witnesses of Hope

14 July, 201614 July, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

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

14 July, 201613 July, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

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!

9 July, 20167 July, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

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

2 new members of Polish CLM comunity!

23 June, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

On 3 June – in Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ Day, 2 new members officialy joined our polish CLM comunity. During the High Mass, Adela and Tobiasz formally showed their desire to follow their missionary vocation in Saint Daniel Combioni’s Spirit. They read their declarations among Comboni Fathers, friends and invited guests. They were thankful for faith, God’s presence in their life and for their vocation. Together, they underlined that because of their married love, they want to be a sign of God. As a comunity, we would like to thank God for Adela and Tobias and we pray for them so they were able to trust him with courage and let Him lead them. First step on this Comboni’s path is just behind them 🙂

The synonymous of “today” is “present”

13 June, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

What is the force that sustains us? Where comes the hope to continue dreaming?, to resist and seek a more human and happy society, fraternal for all? What moves us are the dreams of the reality we want, a reality that does not include situations of injustice imposed by social and economic inequalities. A reality that becomes what we want if we transform it, through our efforts, with our senses, with our choices. We can and must be builders of our personal and collective destiny, our creative freedom. Our passion and our faith gain strength when they are in direct contact with the victims of violence and injustice against the sacred and fundamental rights called human rights. Signs and resurrections are born from ourselves, from the union and strength of social movements that come from below, from civil and organized society… us! We can rain Justice, fertilize the soil and get the fruits to be born. It is possible, because we want to, we believe, we fight, we build. Fatigue, disappointment, discouragement, fear becomes a giant shadow if we allow it, but becomes small and insignificant if we stick together, if one fight is the fight of all. Among the strongest evils is the absolute indifference, is the one that dominates our daily life, a kind of blindness in the world that causes people to live in a bubble, blind and sterile, unable to hear the heartbeat of the world, forgetting in this beating is also ours. We are the world, history is ours, no one feels excluded, in the words of a song by De Gregori, We are writing history! We are part of an alphabet that is able to write wonderful things, if we choose it. Courage, dreams, hopes, dignity, freedom, justice, respect, imagination, fraternity … so many feathers with which to start writing, where we are the blank paper where start doing it.

Emma. CLM