Poland – Page 12 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

My beginning in Ethiopia

8 May, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

After long preparations at last I arrived in Ethiopia. Everybody welcomed me very cordially. Our Comboni Lay Missionary Madzia came from Awassa to pick me up at the airport, help me and explain everything at the beginning of my stay. Together with Father Sixtus and Father Julio (the Ethiopian Provincial) we made the decision that I would go to Awassa the next day. The first plan established was that I would learn Amharic in the capitol for at least 3 months. It turned out a new Amharic course is starting in June, so I could spend the time first getting to know my destination Awassa, the community and language’s basics. This information was a very nice surprise for me. My new community received me very kindly. Madzia, Maggie and Mark help me as much as they can. The three children of Maggie and Mark cause much joy and life. The kids also accepted me as a new member of their community. Awassa is a big city, however it’s peaceful and picturesque. Now I’m getting to know the place, the local people and missionaries’ jobs.

Last week we celebrated Easter. It wasn’t only a time to meet with the Risen Lord, but also an interesting experience of my new cultures celebration’s which is fulfilled by different surprising elements. The Catholic Church in Ethiopia has a lot in common with the Orthodox Church. We obviously spent Easter in our community. We cultivated two Polish traditions: egg painting and Easter Breakfast on Easter Sunday.

I’m starting learning Amharic this week. I’m going to have three classes per week with a professional teacher and five classes with a tutor- a local boy who speaks English. If I’m satisfied with the schooling system, maybe I will continue my studies here, in Awassa. In that case I could stay at home. A big challenge is waiting for me now – learning Amharic language!

Magda Fiec, CLM in Ethiopia

On the way…

20 April, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

I have no idea how fast the time is passing. I noticed that from my last post was added over a month ago!! So I think that it’s the right time to write something again 🙂

Not many things have changed. I mean, my time is full of various meetings, activities etc. But I’ll try to write shortly about last events. In the mid of March all lay people (candidates and missionaries) took part in the retreat in Viseu which was led for us by one of the MCCJ Fathers. Although that was not my last meeting with CLM I have already heard, ‘how I imagine that I will go to the Mozambique and leave them?’, And I thought, they were right, even though we have known only three months I have felt that they are so close to me. I cannot imagine I could feel it in such a short time. I think it was not just me who was thinking that way. Why? Because during the meeting they did for us a little surprise. They sent us to the mission on Sunday Mass from their community. I know that I have been sent by Archbishop in Poland but they wanted to do it again. Imagine that it wasn’t my last sending. I will write about this more later on.

Besides normal common duties and schedule I had to organize time for Bible course and the other documents necessary for get a visa. Imagine that bureaucracy in Portugal is more complicated than in Poland. This all journeys between offices and doctors … every human being may feel exhausted. Fortunately I ended collect all documents before the Holy Week. Why it was so important? Because in the Holy Thursday me and Barbara catch a flight to Madrid. The community from Spain invited us to the common celebration Triduum and Easter.

Time in Spain was fantastic! The community composed of families what made that our Easter felt like home. One of the Father picked us up from the airport and took us to the small, mountain village near Madrid where LMC had meetings. He was there for all meeting. Usually most of the formation meetings was separate for children and adults but always we met together after that.

We started meeting from sharing our arrival reasons, our feelings of coming and our expectations. We ended it in common meeting with children and later we went to the attic which was our Chapel for the time of Triduum. We celebrated Liturgy of Holy Thursday and had common diner, prayer and time for a rest. On Holy Friday and Holy Saturday we had a mini-conference, meeting in the small group, some time to walk, talking and meeting again 🙂 …I met a few people who were on the mission in Mozambique and I could know more about the place where I am going to serve. Holy Friday was a little calmer than usual. Common liturgy and evening’s adoration were very beautiful. How I mentioned before I had more than one sending 😉 . Next one happened during Paschal Vigil. Along with Barbara we were invited to sit down in the middle where we had get crosses. Alberto with his family and David who is going to Africa during holidays joined to us. Together we created small circle inside and the rest of the community did the other on outside. We started dancing and during this, Father read blessing, and sent us to the mission. After liturgy we started celebration, singing and there was no end of joy! Unfortunately next day we had to come back to Madrid because the day after that we had flight to Porto. The rest of the time we spent walking through the city. After return we ate early dinner and we packed up our luggage. Next morning we had flight to Lisbon not to home in Braga. We lived in the house of MCCJ where we met with great kindness like before. Why Lisbon? Because there I could got a visa. Of course I could not get a visa without any issues, as some sympathetic lady told me that I hadn’t got one document…fortunately I was able to organize it and the next day I could made all necessary documents without difficulty. Now I am just waiting for getting a visa and in the middle of the month it should already have it!

We visited Lisbon too. It is amazing city! You could see on the photos. For the most of the time Vanessa was with us. Vanessa helped me with my visa and her help was invaluable. When you will be in Lisbon you should go to the trip to Sintra! There are some marvelous castles. I liked Castelo dos Mouros the most. It is on the hill and view from up is breathtaking… land, ocean, river, city, bridge… at the end of our holidays we go to the Cacia on the Friday. Sandra and Carlos lived there and we decided to stay and live the community life.

Next Thursday I have got a final exam from my course, Barbara’s family will visit us, then some rest, CLM and … the time to come back home!

As you can see, the time is going so normal 🙂 ….

I wish you all discovery of empty tomb and rejoice of Christ resurrected!

Kasia. Polish CLM

Something ends, something new begins…

26 February, 201626 February, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

“Our children have just finished their holiday season. This time it lasted unusually long – 3 months. The reason was the election of the new president of Uganda which took place on 18 February 2016. Fortunately everything went well and there were no big problems. In less than three weeks I will be back in Poland again. Well, something ends, something new begins. During the holiday season, I spent most of the time with the youngest children who have some problems at school. It was a kind of remedial classes. After the renovation work, the classes were held in the dining room that was turned into the class room. We spend a lot of time there, learning but also having fun. We painted, created things from plasticine, coloured and cut. In Poland it is something common but for my kids in Uganda it is always something special and new.”

Besides being the general administrator, here I am also someone between a baby sitter and a social worker. All this time I have been here, I have discovered that this is the best place for me. It is amazing and surprising at the same time, because it was not something I had intended to do. Mission teaches obedience and commitment in places where there is a need, not in places where one thinks he/she should be. Sometimes our imaginations are not real; our point of view differs from the real and true needs of the world. Because we think that our needs are: time for prayer and, above all, openness to the Holy Spirit. We also need all of these to discover what God really wants from us, in this particular place. I can’t say I know it already, but I search for it, all the time. I am starting to understand why I have been sent here. Now, as I am actually finishing my two years mission experience, I know I will return here, to my children, to St. Jude.

St. Jude is not just children, but also people who work there. Baby sitters, people who look after the children – I spent lots of time with them. At the beginning of my mission, I was dedicated to managing all the employees, which was really hard, as I was the youngest person here and I was preparing to become their supervisor. I was supposed to check and assess. It was not a very comfortable situation, because I came here to help, not to control. However, as I mentioned before – mission teaches humility, but also verifies our vision about ourselves, our knowledge and behaviours. I have to admit that sometimes even the easiest things ended with some misunderstanding. The way of being, talking, gesturing were interpreted wrongly. Fortunately, we have learnt from one another eventually.

Mission is also a community, very extraordinary in my case. We were sent to a totally new place and created a new community in Gulu – before it had been only in Matany – where Danusia (another CLM) was. There were four of us, young and inexperienced girls: three Polish and one Spanish. Even the time we spent in prayer, talking, resting but also arguing and causing misunderstandings, was beautiful and intense. What always united us, though, was the mission, the people and, most of all, prayer. Each one of us is a different picture of God, but with the same faith and big open heart.

On behalf of my community and myself, I would like to thank all of you, for every little gesture, holiday cards, emails. On behalf of my children, I would like to thank for all the financial support: thanks to it our children now have new uniforms, better food, the possibility of better health control and … we coloured their world. But most of all, I would like to thank you for every prayer, every sigh about us: without you, we would not be here

Ewa Maziarz, CLM

My time in London

24 February, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

It has been a month since I came to London. I’m here to learn English as I will need it at my mission in Ethiopia. I’m staying in Comboni Missionaries House in Notting Hill in London. Comboni Fathers are very kind and helpful. Every day we spend time together on meals, prayers and a Mass. They are my advisors – correcting my language mistakes and they are very big-hearted if I don’t understand something. Fortunately, there is less and less of situations like this 🙂 .

I try to use the time I spend here, the best I can.

I go to the language school in the morning, so afternoons and evenings are totally at my disposal. I usually spend this time on learning. However, the biggest problem for me is still to talk to people, so I am constantly looking for some opportunities to practice English. I usually spend time with my classmates: on bowling, walking or drinking coffee – once a week at least. They are from different countries and even different continents, so the meetings are very interesting and varied. Recently, I have discovered that there are special meetings in London where people who are learning the language can come and …practice 🙂 . Once a week I go also to the meetings of group ‘Soul Food’. We pray, develop spiritually, listen to conference or testimony and share our faith with each other.

Apart from Comboni Fathers community, there are also Comboni Sisters in London. I had the opportunity to meet some of them. We visited them and I can say they were very hospitable, we had coffee and biscuits and talked a little. They invited me to visit them again, and regretted they could not talk to us longer, due to their other commitments and duties. I really think it is worth to take care of the relationships in our Comboni family.

London is a multicultural, various and vibrant city. I have already visited many places: famous streets, buildings, parks and museums. Street artists show their talents on squares; modern and multimedia museums are full of amazing exhibitions. Palaces, old buildings and monuments revive a history. Restaurants and pubs can’t complain about the lack of customers, as every minute there are hundred of tourists passing the street. All of that it is interesting, it delights and impresses, but on the other hand it is a little exhausting, especially the very center of the city – crowded and noisy. And in the middle of everything, there are homeless people – sitting, sleeping or begging for money. I think that’s the view of bother me the most.

Madzia Fiec CLM in London

Polish Comboni Lay Missionaries Prayer

1 February, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

Jesus Christ, You are the first missionary of the world, thank You for the grace of faith and for all the people who helped me get to know You.
I ask you to teach me hear Your voice, to humbly discover my vocation and accept the tasks You put in front of me.
Help me grow in a greater awareness of myself and send me the Holy Spirit to overcome my weaknesses. Let me follow St. Daniel Comboni’s example having energy and sensitivity to serve God and His people with my whole life as Comboni Lay Missionary.
Support missionaries who work in every place you send them so “every tongue could confesses that Jesus Christ is the Lord”.

Amen

CLM Poland