THE MISSION OF HOPE: 

Making Christ present to the poorest of the poor, where no one else wishes to go

Thank you for all the encouragement and well wishes I have received for the studies I began last semester. It has been, and is, a real challenge after so many years away from the classroom; and coming on top of the daily joys and sorrows of the mission (which have been pretty intense!). Round one over!

I begin a new course for the summer with two intensive courses in June. Many of you have asked why I need to do the studies. Since I have been back in Ethiopia, I have applied for my work permit each year without being in possession of the educational qualifications which the government requires; this is because, as a Missionary of Charity, I did not need any. Each year I have had my heart in my throat, wondering if I would receive the work permit. Finally, I was requested to obtain the right qualifications, which is what I am doing, via the Augustine Institute in Denver, Colorado. (By the way, I encourage any of you who are interested in deepening your knowledge of the faith, to look it up on-line. The teachers are very dynamic, and they are faithful to the Church). The Institute has been very kind in offering me half price for the studies, and even purchasing and posting the books I need free of charge!

Whilst I was in Addis Ababa (for some study time before the exams for the semester), I had an amazing adventure with a young girl. Tsiganesh – who administrates the house where I was staying –  had seen a young girl called Hentsa on the street in the pouring rain, protected only with two umbrellas. Fr Angelo, the prefect of Robe (a bordering area to our vicariate, who kindly welcomes us to stay in this house whenever we are in Addis), was adamant that she should not stay on the street that night; so off we went.

She refused to come with us, obviously suffering from some kind of psychiatric illness. So it was not until Fr Angelo used his fatherly authority that we persuaded her to get up off the sack on which she was resting, and which she insisted on dragging to the car. We had stopped on a roundabout, to be as close to her as we could, and a young man tried to lift the sack into the car. As he lifted it up it burst, and a thousand coins flowed from the hole onto the wet street. It reminded me of the films of finding a treasure trove! Poor Hentsa! She was distraught, and so Fr Angelo, Tsiganesh, and I – on hands and knees in the rain, blocking the traffic – gathered up the coins. The bag was too heavy to carry and so we divided it up at home! Refusing a bath, Hentsa slept the night on her precious sacks, covered by a blanket having refused a bed!

The next day we looked for a solution for her, to no avail. Eventually we persuaded her to put her money in the bank, and out of her bag she produced a bank book, a little the worse for wear, and so we proceeded to count the coins. It’s hard to believe, but she had 13,000 Birr, about £450 in coins in her sacks! Not only that, she also had another £900 in the bank –  and there she was sitting on the side of the road begging pennies! As she was taken to the Missionaries of Charity, she announced that she had family in Addis. Tsiganesh drove her to the address she had given, and sure enough she had an Aunt and Uncle living there, who told us that she had gone missing and that her mother had been beside herself with grief.

When I returned to Gode, Fr Christopher had continued with the little class that the volunteers who had been with us in March had begun, and the numbers rose to about 24 children!  So, I plunged into an English class with them. It’s amazing how they love to be taught. They have a glass of milk and some bread when they arrive, and then English class, games, and a half an hour English film; after which they go home in the bus.  The mornings go very fast in this way. We, of course, still continue with Tamara (for women and their children).

We were told that Bochar, a man who used to work on some of the buildings, was sick and in hospital, so on Sunday Fr Christopher and I went in search of him, and found him lying in the emergency unit, very weak, and alone (his mother died last year).  He is in the last stages of HIV and rather shunned, so we go morning and evening to take care of him. He is very disoriented and it’s hard at times to make out what he says, but when he sees Fr Christopher he speaks clearly and says, in English, “Father!” Looking after Bochar is a special moment in the day when the Passion of Christ is clearly displayed before our eyes. In his helplessness, and total dependence on others, Bochar, gives us much more than he receives from us. Please pray for him, and for the many in the hospital who often come from distant villages and have so little.

We are still unable to use the building for the HIV patients, since the back wall is cracked and there are so many different problems with the building which we have asked the building company to address. This will take time, which is really frustrating!

This Saturday, June 2nd, Fr Christopher and I will try to go to a village about 80km away which has suffered in the floods – we have been told that the “road” is open. We will try to see what we can do to help, now most of the NGOs have gone, and the people are left to their own devices. I will let you know what we find. In the floods, we are told there are crocodiles which have been displaced from the river which has overflown. The crocodiles are stranded at quite great distances from the river, and have attacked villagers they found in their way!

Thank you for all your prayers, donations and thoughtful messages,

God Bless You,

Sr M Joachim