By Fr. Efren de Guzman, SVD
5 and 6
Armed men raided one of our villages in Bengo, around 60 to 70 kilometers from the capital of Luanda. They killed five of our community members. They took away the crops of the community ad wounded some men. When I learned what happened and decided to bring some food to the people, the police at first did not want to let me pass and reach the area. But realizing the gravity of the situation, they allowed me to help our community. The orphans were crying to me, begging me to transfer then to our other villages because of what happened. A lot of them were traumatized and wanted to abandon the place. One feels so helpless in the face of such a situation because one can’t really do anything to stoop the abuses of the military who are very undisciplined and poorly paid, as a result. They prey on helpless people, robbing them of whatever little they have.
July 11
We invited the Cardinal to attend our regular meeting of the missionaries who are working in the vicinity of the province of Bengo. we were surprised that he accepted our invitation. It was a great honor to us but a considerable risk to the safety of His Eminence because Kabiri, the place where we held the meeting (90 kilometers form Luanda), is a place where bandits and highway men bound. We informed the Cardinal of the loss of two cars of the missionaries. We also informed him of the attack in Kanangga.
We still hold our formation program, with the Catechist every Sunday. In Virdul, a little village near our parish, some 80 participants attended the formation and we’re very happy that the number of volunteer is increasing every month.
July 18
The Lutherans from Norway expressed their willingness to help us build the walls around our makeshift Leper Colony in Funda. We need the walls because of the vulnerability of the lepers to bandits. We are still soliciting financial help from all the charitable institutions we could contact – Catholic or non-Catholic organizations in building the houses, the training center, and the refectory of the lepers and orphans.
We visited Ambriz, a village situated around 160 kilometers from Luanda. There we encouraged people who were dying of hunger. The people begged us for food, medicine, clothing for the orphans and abandoned children and old folks. But considering the limited supplies we had, we could only give them enough food clothing and medicine for one month.
August 5
A sportsfest for Filipinos in Luanda was opened. We have more than five hundred Filipinos working here. We were enlisted in one of the basketball teams, we play with then every Saturday afternoon and every first Sunday of the month we celebrated mass on our native language.
7 to 12
I gave a one – week retreat attended by a good number of sisters from different religious congregations. It was a successful retreat but I felt so drained and dead-tired at the end of the retreat. Our main theme: Religious Life is Way of Conversion, Reconciliation, and Re-integration.
19
We continued with our formation program with our lay-leaders in Vidrul.
21 to 25
We distributed food supplies in 36 villages of the Parish of San Antonio in Kifanggondo the food supplies were distributed mainly to the orphans, amputees, old folks and widows.
Our lives are rainbows, as we grow. Have faith in God, the sun will shine, the darkest moment comes just before dawn.
September 1
Four Filipinos and some Angolans were kicked in an ambush in Lacapa, 850 kilometers, northeast of Luanda.
September 2
A shootout between the police and government commandos tool place her in Luanda (Rogue Santeiro – Black Market central), resulting in the deaths of some 30 persons. That night one of our cars, a Toyota Land Cruiser, was stolen by armed men.
I appreciate very much your concern for me. You know I need that. After working here in Angola for a considerable length of time, I feel tired. Of course, I’m not getting any younger. But the fatigue I feel is rather the weariness of my psyche. As we would say in Tagalog, “medyo pagod na ako.” Some suggested that I ask for a temporary transfer some where, say in Brazil, just to rejuvenate my weary mind and spirit. I am just human and I know my limitation. But, of course, it’s the will of the Lord that should be followed. In the meantime the best thing we can so us to pray for each other, trusting in the Lord with all our hearts.