This short visit gave me a lot of consolation in the last days of my preparations to travel to Poland, to hospital and for other matters. It was worth it to struggle to get Blessed Maria Teresa Ledóchowska Pre-School started right after the arrival of Sisters from Zambia. It was worth to go around the world looking for funds to turn the pastoral center into a pre-school, to build outside toilets, playground, fence, furniture. I am grateful to my benefactors from Kraków (St. John Baptist Parish) and Ireland (in particular from Armagh). Without their generous support it would be impossible to open the pre-school. No doubt about it! Thank you so much, all who came to our aid!
I am very happy to see that the idea of educational adoption of our children is picking up slowly. A few individuals and families showed their interest in taking care of covering schooling expenses for our little students. It costs only 100 USD per year to keep a child safe and sound in the pre-school. As many of our families in Kiabakari cannot afford or struggle with school fees (which is only around 10 USD per month including all necessary equipment a child needs - clothing, breakfasts, tools), educational adoption is a true savior for many and will help sisters to keep the school running.
The children from reception class (the eldest) will become founders of Blessed Edmund Bojanowski Primary School which for the time being will use two classes out of five in John Paul II Center for Education and Formation till we get more funds to build a separate primary school in an adjacent plot. More headache to come!
I am proud of Sisters, I am proud of our little heroes who work so hard to learn and get proper formation in our pre-school. It was worth it to fight for this third pillar in Divine Mercy vision of Kiabakari. It was worth it!
Greetings Wojciech. I was away at a diversity conference- we are not good at diversity in N.Ireland!!If you are not Catholic you are Protestant ,full stop. Your pre-school is definitely the 'jewel in the crown'. What a wonderful achievement depite all the plans you still have for development. I enjoyed the song on utube re reisefieber- it was so funny.Packing is a dreadful nuisance but has to be done -less is better than more is a good rule for those who keep rules! It is real difficult to get away when you have no replacement and yet it is so necessary to go.In Ireland very few,if any, convents have daily Mass - the sisters go to the parish Mass as priests are so scare everywhere. I see the malaria has hit again and you with so much to do .God grant that you will get quick relief. I am glad you are getting a check -up in Poland as a missionary's health is his wealth and you need/deserve the very best of medical care and treatment.Keep faith in yourself and of course everyone has great confidence in you - you are God's chosen one and so special to so many people.
ReplyDeleteA diversity conference... I'd love to get some on-going formation but after trying several times in the past years, and having always some obstacles on the way that hindered me from further studies, I resigned to rural life :) I hope on the Judgment Day, the Lord will proclaim - 'Absolvamus Te ad scientia!' Otherwise I am doomed...
ReplyDeleteMalaria kicked in again, but it is of my own making, by using the same drug three times in a row and now my body is messed up and fragile, at least for a time being. I took another drug this time, Artequin, which did me good in past years. Let's wait and see if it is the case.
I'm not a chosen one, there is only one special one in this world, and he is a coach of Real Madrid now :) I'm just myself, that's it...no pretense to be someone I am not.
Just tomorrow left before I start my journey on Saturday. And tomorrow is Friday, so a recollection day, will use it to calm down and pray so everything is in God's hands and let His Will be done.
Indeed, I am happy with pre-school and especially with a huge progress kids are showing after such a short time. Sisters are doing great job! I am looking forward to January next year when we open primary, again in temporary shelter, as everything so far in Kiabakari has been done with huge struggle and obstacles since 1991 when I came. Nothing came easy, nothing... So I brace myself for another hurdle run in establishing this primary school. But it is better that to sit on my hands and do nothing waiting for miracles that never happen...
Thank you for your presence in my life and blog, for your kind words of wisdom and prayers. I pray God rewards you in ways He deems the best for you, Tom and all my beloved friends in Emerald Island. Hope to visit you for a day or two sometime in the foreseeable future! xxx