Poland

As we mentioned in previous post, Sunday on the missions is a very rich and intense day. Until noon, there is a solemn and long Mass filled with singing and dancing. It begins with a dancing procession of girls and women dressed in beautiful costumes. A similar procession is also repeated with the offerings. At the same time, lay missionary Linda leads Sunday school for children and at the end of Mass, she also enters the procession with the children for a blessing. Immediately after Mass, we had a meeting of the men’s community in the garden next to the chapel. At the same time, in one of the family homes, some of us participated in a mourning gathering for the loss of a family member. About 50 people from the area attended.

Monday is the community day of the Comboni Lay Missionaries. Four of us went shopping at the market and supermarket. On the way, we stopped at beautiful waterfalls. We were delighted that the community representatives showed us the vestibule of paradise!

On Tuesday, Linda organized and led French lessons for Neema and Leszek. After the lesson, we went to the health center where the lay missionary Marzena works. There, Malwina was able to share her talents by professionally rehabilitating the girl after a complex orthopedic surgery. The girl’s mother was also able to discuss her health situation and receive practical rehabilitation tips.

On the following days, we visited two schools where classes were led by lay missionaries Linda and Pius. Today, we participated in activities at the preschool and a neighboring school. We learned about community life by preparing and eating meals together.

The evening community prayer, prepared daily by different people, brings us solace and gives us the strength to continue.

We are also particularly pleased with the enthusiasm of the preschoolers, children, and youth, as well as the adults. We wonder how long they can continue to show such immense kindness and enthusiasm over the next few days and weeks. There are surprises as we walk through the village of Kitelakapel, and from behind the fence we hear greetings, and sometimes someone calls our name!

Greetings and we join in prayer

Malwina and Leszek (CLM Poland)

There’s a lot going on here in Kenya. We’ve joined a very close-knit and joyful community. There are three permanent members, three CLMs on the Community Experience, and, of course, we’re on the Mission Experience. Eight people in total.

The community members show us what their daily ministry is like. First, we were able to join them in the chapel for a meeting of boys preparing for confirmation, and we attended Mass with them, where we were introduced and enthusiastically welcomed.

The next day, we attended three lessons at a girls’ boarding school. These lessons were surprisingly professionally prepared and well-run. One of the topics was self-esteem and self-confidence, which can help these young people shape their lives beautifully and in a Godly way.
Today, the third day of our stay, brought even more attractions, and tomorrow promises to be just as interesting.

Today, before lunch, we met in the chapel with the boys preparing for the sacrament of confirmation. They danced and sang, followed by a multimedia presentation and several interesting videos.

In the afternoon, about 90 boys gathered in the chapel for a fantastic meeting. The boys had the opportunity to ask questions, which we were answering for over an hour. A lively conversation ensued about politics, the political system, the differences between our countries, and, of course, polygamy.

Finally, we asked them who would pray for Malwina and Leszek’s Missionary Experience today, and it turned out that most of them agreed!

We feel like we have true friends here.

At the end of the day, we had a very joyful meeting with the younger children. There was coloring, learning a song with pointing, and lots of fun playing with bubbles and playing football.

After the fun was over, we could say with a laugh that something extraordinary had happened. In the village of Kitelakapel in the Pokot tribe, smiling dark-skinned children walk around, joyfully singing: “such big one, such small on can be a saint…” (Polish song).

Malwina and Leszek (CLM Poland)