Intense

The last few days have been a bit on a hectic and intense side. A couple of busy days in Dar es Salaam, then flight to Musoma on Sunday afternoon, first encounter with German volunteers who arrived to Kiabakari on September 19 and have been undergoing a crash course in swahili since then...


A first Mass after arrival in St. Faustina rectory chapel, with Agata, our fist volunteer of Foundation Kiabakari who traveled with me from Poland to Kiabakari - a time for prayer of gratitude and praise and surrendering of what was about to unfold - a new chapter of international volunteerism, started with the presence and dedicated work of Marjanna and Marija in June and JulyA first public  Mass on Monday morning in Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the shrine, first greetings with Sisters and parishioners, first trip to Musoma for the Centenary of the Christianity in Diocese of Musoma with volunteers on Monday, after morning Mass and breakfast at the rectory. What a long High Mass it was, some five hours!

On Tuesday we had to go back to Musoma for emergency shopping as we were expecting guests from Germany who came for the Centenary and wanted to visit me and Kiabakari (I know them for many years). They came for a tour of Kiabakari and lunch, joined by Sisters from Buturu, our own Polish Resurrection Sisters who work at Chief Wanzagi Girls' Secondary School there... This was a lovely time of sharing a word and a good food (including krokiety and barszcz - Polish specialty).

My volunteers continue with swahili lessons every afternoon from 3 to 5 pm. Looks like the teacher I chose for them does a good job. I'm pleased to hear that. After guests left we spent an evening chatting and going through some initial planning with volunteers. My first impression of them is very positive. They are very good kids, willing to serve with the best they have... Looking forward to the new chapter of Kiabakari history written with their young hearts and talents...

On Wednesday, yesterday, we celebrated St. Faustina feast day in style in the shrine, with S. Faustina choir present and singing as the Mass was asked to be offered for the members of the choir on the feast day of the Patron Saint. Then we drove to Bunda Carmel. My regular service as confessor to Discaled Cloistered Carmelite Sisters. My volunteers who some of them like to travel in the back of my truck and enjoying a panoramic view, climbed the hill adjacent to the Carmel monastery to take some pictures. After getting down, we spoke with Sisters and shared a simple meal prepared by them... In the afternoon Agata, Denise, Liesa, Sara and Thomas went for their regular swahili lesson in St. Martha's House veranda, and I went through the pile of letters and documents that were stacked up on my desk waiting to be taken care of...

Then Amon and myself drove to fill the car with diesel and waited for Jadzia, coming from Mwanza, on her holidays spent in Tanzania, to revisit Kiabakari after some 15 months since she left Kiabakari (she was a doctor and later administrator also of our health center and left a good chunk of her talents and love to this place). When her bus pulled over at the bus station she disembarked and tears burst into her eyes. She got very emotional to be back...and me as well...

The house is totally full now, every corner filled with volunteers and us, hosts. It feels great, it feels like finally this mission is unfolding is true potential. Kiabakari gathering and embracing fondly young and old from all corners of the world. How cannot I be thankful to the Lord for this miracle?

It was a cold evening let night. Temperature dropped to 18 Centigrades, rain and wind, chilly.... we went to be very early, around 9pm, as everybody get exhausted and wanted to get into warm bed and sleep tight (lala fofofo as we say here in Tanzania)...

Today we are in Musoma again, Jadzia and German volunteers do the town tour and will come to join Agata and me at the restaurant where we sit writing, downloading, updating our blogs, doing different things necessary which are difficult to do in Kiabakari due to the poor internet speed there...

My car is undergoing a regular maintenance with Amon supervising so we can drive it safely on Monday to Mwanza in expectation of Zuza flying in on Tuesday morning...

This evening I will have a crucial meeting with Sisters about the involvement of volunteers in health center and school, and about the development of our institutions... keep your fingers crossed so that we may arrive to the consensus for the benefit of all.

I guess this is about all I wanted to share with you today. Things are happening very fast and on various levels... bear with me if I am unable to post a new blog regularly... guess it will take a few more days till I can arrive on more serene and calm waters...

Take care and God bless us all!