They Came, Experienced; Left to Reach Out to The world. Now The MAGiS'09 Africa Participants Share:

Kenya

Martin Wachira
It was a good start and an achievement for the first time to have Magis09 in Kenya and the first one in the entire African continent.
It is due to great sacrifice and commitment towards the achievement of Magis09 among the members and participants across the globe[bravo to you all].
The word magis which means more, made learn more about other people's way of life that is the cultural diversity, meeting and making friends with different people and unification of youths around the globe as the Magis family. It is with this regard as I see the Magis as the burning spear of Ignatius Spirituality which is more lively and exercisable in our daily lives.
Many experiments were conducted during Magis09 and I was touched during these experiments when I met and experienced the kind of life other people undergo through and suffer more especially the children.
Though there was the intermingling of happiness and challenges and the main challenge being the language barrier, I keep thinking what is the way forward that we can rejuvenate the Magis for the sake of future.Like Magis united.

Meeting God in a child's eye.

Emmanuel Ndayasaba

I was living only 1 kilometer from Kangemi, for 10 years, but had never had a chance to look in the eye of any child from the slum. What Magis'09 did was a kind of wake up call to my heart, by giving me a chance to contact this place. I may not be able to change the lives of the Upendo kids completely,
but I know that my smile can rebuild the hope that they lost completely.
MAGiS is unique! Coming close to people in need is our uniqueness as young people in today's world. Let’s use it. That’s why God used his wisdom, to bring us together, all over the world, but we found ourselves experiencing one life, as brothers and sisters from one Father.
Let’s keep the fire of hope burning, let's keep love flowering, let’s fight differences by companionship, and our world will create a warmer room for the ones suffering the cold of hatred. GOD BLESS MAGIS.

Daniel Muli (Kenya)

“Dancing with God in an African Pot”

My experience at Nyahururu experiment with the St. Martin Community “Only through community” was a real inspiration. People volunteering to help their own was a real challenge especially were I come from, Nairobi is very competitive and many people are self centered only concerned about “me” attitude makes life to be very tough “survival for the fittest”. I was personally transformed in the different experiences, especially the abandoned and rejected children who are HIV positive at Talitha Kum children’s home. The way those children have their new home and got acceptance and love has really healed them. As I visited them and they ran towards me and gave me a hug, my heart really melted and especially one boy called Victor, he was so warm and tender, he could not forget me and whenever I came to visit, he could run to me, offer to carry my bag and walk me around.
Another experience is with the boys at the Drop in Centre for the street boys, my experience is I encountered very clever boys, who were very energetic, creative and innovative. This I came to know when I was teaching them how to play traditional drums and dance. These boys are endowed with a special attribute called “sharpness”, they can grasp things very fast and if you are not careful, they can manipulate you easily since they still have the street dynamism; tactics they used for survival remember they are very fresh from the street. I contemplated within me if this attributes within this children were trapped, then they could do great things and said to me if only I can rescue one dysfunctional family and made a resolution to advance my knowledge in counseling and community work.
After the experiments, I experienced a lot of growth from my MAGiS circle since many conversations at parish level after mass are very superficial, and from the gut level sharing in an environment of trust and acceptance made me to open up a lot afterward I experienced inner peace.
Finally, my last experience was at Cooperative college after the experiments, had a confession of its own, I felt light that part were all were asked to pick a stone that symbolize your sins and present it to Jesus afterward I felt consoled by the holy spirit when I was given a rose flower to present to the alter, symbolizing my giftedness.

Hungary

Bernadett Borhidan (Berni), Hungary

MAGiS Africa 09 was kind of an Exodus for me. For the Jewish people it was the miracle of God that they were taken out of the house of slavery to a land which was full of all blessings. Today when we are back home I can say that for me this experiment took me out of my selfish, egocentric world into a world which was so wonderful, where God acted so directly in so many ways. He showed me that He is much greater than any of my imaginations and He is the Lord of Life and Death. Walking in the slums of Nairobi I realized why I was there, that in my personal journey of faith this particular event: MAGiS 09 was so providential. I understood that we are called to praise His greatness no matter whether we are rich or poor, black or white, Kenyans, Hungarians, Germans or Tanzanians. The Lord is calling us everyday to a greater life, to trust Him and live a life that is full of his grace. In 2 Cor. 12.9 the Lord says to St. Paul: “My grace is enough for you because power comes to fullness in weakness". How is this connected to our experiment? I have seen that each and every individual living on the outskirt of society, elderly, prostitutes, street children, in extreme poverty facing all kinds of diseases is symbolically a fragile pot, a weak human creature, but God chose this fragile weakness to show His great mercy and Grace. We cannot go back to our countries and continue our life as it was before this experiment. I felt several times during the experiment and ever since then that we are really like part of His body, we are One in Christ and this is the work of the Holy Spirit that we can be His legs and His hands to continue this work on Earth. There are a few words echoing in my heart from the Reconciliation Liturgy in Zaidi Center: "What are you going to do with your talents when you get home?" Let the Lord help us all to understand His ways.

Bernadette Ivan.(Betty) Hungary

During the 3 weeks I spent in Africa, came very close to God, by the help of nature, and of people. Mostly I felt very close to the Lord in Ol Tepesi. The Maasai people taught me how to love God and each other in a simple way.
There was time to think about my own life and I realized how much time of mine is spent on unnecessary things. They are not at all important, though so far I thought so. And because the people living there could not be me, but in my heart, I did try to live like the way that they live. And I hope once I will return back to Africa because there started something moving in me, for which I do not know the answer. Thank you good God for I found true friends there. And then I realized what is said in the Bible that children are the kingdom of heaven, because in the worst circumstances, in the eyes of children there is hope and happiness to broadcast.
Thank you for everything!

Bone Magdolna, Hungary

To me MAGiS’09 Africa was something very deep; an important experience. It is hard to say. Something has changed in my soul. I can not write it down yet but I know that we are all one in GOD and we have something same in our hearts. People whom I have come to know are more than friends, they are my brothers and sisters and they will be always in my heart. Now I am at home but a part of my soul stay in Africa and a part of Africa stay in my soul.

Mercy Thomas DHM, Hungary

As for me MAGiS’09 Africa has two-fold manifestation. One being that my own being got transformed and the other, the transformation which I found in my group members. Both are equally important for me since I am in constant search of what “LIFE” means to me, what is my role in my pilgrimage on earth.

As for my own soul, it was a great revelation of God’s care not only for me, but for everything which He created. I am reaffirmed that happiness is an inside business and for this we need neither worldly riches nor worldly power. The beauty of the souls of the Maasais reflected on their smiling face and their sparkling eyes. Though it was only for a few days that I stayed with them, it was enough to feel and touch the strong and determined character and convictions which lie deep down in those people. Their care, not just for their people but for the whole creation was an everlasting enlightenment for me.
On the other hand, there is great joy dwelling in my heart while my group members share their deepest thoughts. I have been with them to Germany, Belgium and Sydney. But this was one which made a complete transformation in most of them. Thank you very much.

Gergely Hojdak, Hungary

In our experiment we encountered a group of women with HIV. They got the opportunity from Loreto Sisters to work (knitting, pearling) and thus, to run their family on their own. In their self-help group they get hope and don't feel like "walking dead", defenceless any more. Finally, they introduced us to their homes.
I recall Yacinta. She was infected with the virus for the first time she went to bed with a boy, at the age of 14. She fell into deep melancoly from which she has been pulled out by the sisters and by the other women living with HIV. She met another young man in the hospital who had the same infection; they fell in love and got married. Yacinta is 28 years old now. She gave lives to 2 children; none of them has got the virus. She says with a glorious face: "they are both negative". Yacinta is happy and well-balanced. She's got something - a spiritual radiance. She's got about 5-8 years left. Jesus didn't have a long life either, but what a splendorous one...!
Yacinta's mother has got the virus as well. She was infected by her own husband (dead already), at the age of 40. She raises a little girl, the one from Yacinta's sister who lives in the streets; drug-addicted. The mamma has already reached the AIDS-stadium; she's suffering from many diseases like cancer and TB at the same time. Despite all these, she says that she doesn't really care about the disease, does not think about it, except at the time when she takes her daily medicines. She's quoting us some paragraph of Saint Paul, the one he says: "I abide everything in the same way, the good and the bad, the suffering and the wealth; I take everything for the name of Christ." She says she endures as long as she can, in order to give a supporting hand to her daughter Yacinta, and to take care of the little girl. She said goodbye with a prayer and with a blessing. Indeed their life seems more fruitful to many of those in Europe, living "negatively".
Now I understand why Pope John Paul II used the expression "continent of hope" concerning Africa.

In Mother Theresa's sisters' home we encountered abandoned children. They are kindergarteners in railed beds, nearly 30 of them in a single room. However the sisters pour their heart on them, they work 14 hours a day, and the children cry a lot for the lack of their mothers. One of the children has white skin! He got calm mainly in my fathom...Everybody called him "Musungu" so I began to use the same name..."little Musungu, sleep well, Musungu, don't cry..." Everyone around burst out laughing...- "Hey Greg...his name is Justin.”Musungu" means "white people", so you are both "Musungus".

Poland

Ewa Bartosiewicz - Poland

It's very hard to sum up all of the experience I brought back from
MAGIS. This was a time of many joy for me, but also a time of getting
to know a different world. The first thing I must write about is the
African Smile. I met people who, in the European sense, have nothing,
but still they really keep smiling, like I never smiled! Their motto
is hakuna matata, while I often seem to be looking for new problems. I
met people who have faith so strong, that it made me realize how far I am from putting my whole life in Christ's hands. I met people who
wanted to share with me the little they have. I was moved by the
stories I heard from women living with HIV, street boys, prostitutes...
but I was most deeply touched by the things I heard from my Kenyan
friends - about corruption, violence, tribe wars... but also about
dancing, singing, family and friends, prides and joy. I want to thank
them all for sharing with me their lives so different than mine.

The second thing I want to write about is African Time. Some might say
that Africans keep being late, but that is not so. They just think
more about the purpose then about being there on time. I began to
understand that since God is good all the time, why rush? Stop to
think, catch every moment, don't let life run away. That thought has
been with me since the last weeks. I hope it makes deep changes in my
life.

There have been many magic moments during these two weeks - dancing
with the elderly, playing with the kids, feeding disabled children,
visiting homes, talking, laughing, riding the matatu... I will keep
them all deep in my heart and try to share them with the world. And
above all, I just can't help feeling... that I'll be back :)

Remember you can always post your experiences through the Contact form or if you like, use the contact details on the Contact page!!!