Dusk Hour

Poland, Wake Up!

It is so annoying to see the inability of my Polish readers to get the upper hand on Canadian peers who still lead as we speak by two mere IP addresses in the United Nations of Kiabakari list. I know we cannot overtake NSA-Snowden-USA leading pack, but, please, come on, Poles! Get your thumbs out of… and do the job!

Echoes In The Solitary Confinement

As I have planned these few days since today till next Thursday, I have started executing the plan. Confined in solitary space, I am tuned and focused to do the job I want to do. In this environment of solitude, outside silence and extreme push of mental power, there are only echoes of a misfit music tune from Green Day on my laptop. Suddenly, I find myself empowered to do my best and to finish the task with all I got in me through this song. It simply keeps pumping tons of adrenaline in me, urging me to go beyond my capacity and ability and to kill the task with a powerful blast of strong will.

I am surprised to find myself finishing the preparatory job planned for three days - in one day. The earnest and sincere humble prayer for the blessing in this work combined with a powerful tune and lyrics of the song that accompanies me today sprinkled with a drop of Wisemen Tea at the end of the massive effort - made wonders.

Getaway

Time has come to get away from Kiabakari to focus on work which needs silence and seclusion. Living alone as a parish priest in Kiabakari makes for a life of never-ending saga of 'hodi hodi' (verbal announcement of someone who comes to the house in need of seeing someone, most probably me) disrupting my mental flow and rendering my work impossible.

That is why I used opportunity to escort my visitor and volunteer, Anna (flying back to Poland via Dubai today) to the airport, to use the next six days for solitary paperwork as I await the representative of Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to fly in next Friday to Mwanza to begin her monitoring of our projects and participation in seminars in our health center. I look forward to her arrival as I never had any bad experiences with those people, to the contrary, so far I found that very smart, bright, creative, easy going, friendly and compassionate people are employed in our Foreign Ministry who come to visit us in Kiabakari.

I remember all such occasions and feel proud and grateful to our government that they keep in touch with us, Poles, living in working abroad, in particular in Africa. Thus making me believe that I leave permanent hallmarks of what we as individuals and as a nation have the best to offer to Africa and Tanzania in particular.

Moreover, it is totally different to hear or read about Kiabakari than to visit it personally and see with one's own eyes what Kiabakari is all about. The pictures of this year's development projects I was posting on Foundation Kiabakari or mine timelines do not do justice to the immense effort we put in its completion and the level of professionalism we were able to achieve with our primitive tools and using only local task force.

The Bishop Msonganzila of Musoma was speechless, District Commissioner as well. And I hope the lady from our Foreign Ministry will be glad and satisfied that their money were spent well in such a professional and spectacular and aesthetic manner.

I have never felt more burnt out and exhausted like now. And I have never felt more proud, happy and satisfied like now as well.

Faith and Good Deeds. This was and is our motto in Kiabakari inspired by the motto of our diocesan synod underway in Musoma Diocese.

As I say 'see you soon!' to Anna, I look forward to the next wave of visitors. Our Foundation Kiabakari logo displays an open inviting door. This is also a statement of the reality in Kiabakari. Open to everybody with no-nonsense approach to life, responsibilities, people and tasks in hand.

Silver Jubilee in Kiabakari - Images

My Jubilee logo by Florian Ludovick Kaija

Men in black - me, Fr. William Bahitwa and Msgr. Aristaric Bahati

Jubilee Missal Cover

This is the cover of my jubilee missal (both pages - back and front - in spread) designed by Miss Agata Krupa, the volunteer of our Foundation Kiabakari, and printed by Miss Bożena Koczur, the CEO of Foundation Kiabakari. I am very grateful to the ladies for their skills, contribution and kindness, Thank you so much! The back page of the missal features all parishes I lived and worked since my birth till now.

Left - back page; right - front page

The Week

Last week, the Week, the time we have been waiting for and talking about for a very very long time. The last week of the Year of Faith, the last week of the current liturgical year, the week of my silver jubilee celebration in Kiabakari on coming Thursday, the week of the blessing of our three development projects, the week of the official opening of the said projects, the week of the fourth graduation in our pre-school.

The air in Kiabakari is ripe with anticipation. The church for the past two Sunday is fully packed, parishioners who grace our parochial church usually on major solemnities come to attend the Masses. People listen eagerly and attentively to announcements at the end of the Mass wanting to get the full picture of the coming celebrations.

Although I feel weariness and tiredness after many months of hard work on projects and other celebrations of the Year of Faith, adrenaline keeps me going. And the last Thursday recollection day in Bunda Carmel, filled with silence, prayer and the Holy Mass to Holy Spirit filled my heart and soul with calmness, inner joy, resolve, gratitude and spiritual power.

I enjoy phone calls, emails and messages I receive these days from well wishers and people willing to contribute towards the expenses of the celebrations. This spirit of togetherness, friendship and love is what makes these days so special.

Thank  you, Lord!

Divine Mercy Hill dressed for the upcoming celebrations

Silence Is A Way Of Communication

A couple of weeks passed since my last post. A lack of word is a word itself. A lack of post can speaks volumes. In my case it means an intense period of time for me, full of responsibilities, travels, things to do, matters to take care of, decisions, stresses, challenges and lot of work - on the upcoming jubilee, graduation, opening of projects, finalization of registration, insuring and servicing our donated motorcycles, drilling the borehole and water quality testing in government lab etc... And by saying - a lot, I mean A LOT!