Misionery Family
Costa de Marfil : en Abidján (1996) y en Mayo (2006)
In 2006 , the Fraternity Verbum Dei celebrated his tenth year of presence in Ivory Coast. Actually in 1996 the first missionaires arrived with the intention to settle a new community in the Bishop of Abidjan, and by so doing to collaborate to the Church's mission which is to spread the Kingdom by the means of our charisma.
It is this very year that we start the feast. It is intended to thank God for all his kindnesses, the successes, the deals, the industrious persons who helped and became the loudhailers of the Lord in order to asise the desire to follow Jesus in his life and his mission within the children, the teenagers and the couples. They are:
• Natividad Bosara
Amparo Soy
• + Lucía del Río
Paquita Reynés
• Mari Jose Valls
• Clarisse Kiye
• Rosario Calderón
Anne Veronique
2002 Juan Martin – rama de misioneros
Guillermina Richard
• Juani Ayala
Mariana Paco
• Magda Rodríguez
• Eduwigis Guzmán
2006 Rosa Ortega and Rosario Calderon are building a new foundation “ad experimentum” for two years in the Bishop of San Pedro in the Middle West of Ivory Coast precisely in Mayo a village. They started on March 18 th 2006 (Holy Joseph, Mary's Spouse feast day).
Within the community.
Acknowledging that God is the initiatior of this mission, we thank Him for his confidency in using us like his collaborators: “What is Appolos? And what is Paul? Soul servants whom you get faith, and each from what God has given. I, I sowed, Appolos watered, but God made grow” (1Cor 3,5-6).
We could not but have a great feast; we started on January 25 th , the feast day of our co-patron's conversion; Holy Paul. This day, we had a midday of retreat and after we shared our experiences of the prech and a meal.
Next, the week-end on March 23-25, we gathered for some prayers and the preparation of the first mission out of Abidjan, in Mayo. The theme of the retreat was “The Easter Triduum”: “Jesus, love till extreme”. We also thought about the “let it be” of our Virgen Mother Mary, patron of Verbum Dei. All the members of the different schools happily joined to collaborate to give birth to Jesus in the heart of people in Mayo –children, teenagers and couples—.
Finally in Easter Holiday we went to Mayo to implement what we have planned since February: The following are some testimonies:
Zidago Guy Cyrille, member of the Verb's shool “Nicodem” Abidjan.
“I went to Mayo with the desire to find enough strenght to follow endlessly Jesus because I had a lot of problems. But I knew that Christ would encourage me “courage, I am with you”, and He has done. He showed me and astonishing thing. Sommes personnes were deeply wounded in the flesh and the soul. My own problems were like small drops in the sea. And I heard Christ saying me: “look, persons with problems are numerous and I need you to go towards them”. I answered: “I will be where you bring me”. Actually the history of a young lady caught my attention. She had more to forgive to her offenders than I to mines. I took therefore the resolution to listen to the persons around me”.
Pierre Zerbo, member of the Verb's school “Nicodem”, in Abidjan.
“During this mission, my attention was caught by our arrival day. When we got into the village, the christians have already begun walking through the village in remembrance of Christ carrying the cross. Even if we were tired by the travel, we had to take care of the children and the teenagers. The mission helped me feel like a tool in God's hand, because we made him know by others. The children's welcome and the collaboration were really true, fraternal. It pleased me”.
Guede Sery Norbert, members of the Verb's school for couples, Mayo.
“When I heard my son Roger, I understood that firstly he did not care for his school mate but after he helped him avoid their teacher's punishment by giving him money for doing sommes fotocopies. He also invited us to love everybody. I liked his testimony. There is also the game of the train an the driver. I the head of the line falls, everybody in the line fall also. So tke care of him and all the line will be well. This is how we have to love each other. I also like the discipline of all the group from Abidjan. There were like children of one same family. Even if they were from different ethnic groups. They loved one another. I decided so not to neglect anybody. I am 68. I understood that Jesus delivered me of the sin. I hope to live 100 years more to spread the Holy Gospel to others”.
Oulaï Elisée, member o the Verb's school for couples, Coulibaly's wife.
“Since childhood I was christian, but I could not love like Jesus did. To love without anything back, love everybody regarlees to the status. If was the contrary with me. If you love me, I love you back; if you have nothing, I can't love you. I have even stopped going to church. Holy Theresa of Avila said: “He who live with God, will lack nothing, but for he who lives without God, nothing is enough”. This was my case because I had not love in my heart. I looked only for fleeting things. I wanted to change but my pride did not allowed me to do so. And our kind God, touched my heart and I went back to church. In this Easter, Christ made me discover the real love, this one is not envious, it does not take profit but it relies on truth. Since this Easter, I have changed. I you are poor, rich, beautiful, ugly, mustin or christian, I do not make any difference. I love everybody. Being teacher, I used to neglect shy, dirty and pupils that do not answer my questions”.
S. Coulibaly, Elisées husband.
“Before all, Glory belongs to the Father, to the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. I start by revealing that I became catholic in May 07 th 2006, in Mayo. Since this time, I used to come to church but not knowing what really love is. During the Easter, I got more information concerning its real sense and its importance. God's son (Jesus) Himself showed it to us when he sacrified himself for the woldwide. This is God's love. And since that time, it is what I do. It is hard to implement this love but we have to rely on God for this. I understood also that God has never abandoned us, in spite of our sins. As Holy John of the Cross said: “At last, I will be judged on the basis of love”. Love is at the beginning and at the end of everything. To sin is to say “no” to love. I also understood that God put inside me a new heart and his spirit (Ez 36,26). As Holy Theresa of Avila said: “he who lives with God will lack nothing and for he who lives without God, nothing is enough”. I live now and always with God. I hardly spoke with my children and when they were wrong, I beated them. The family life was hard. But since Easter I speak and joke with them. It is formidable to love and to give all for love!”
FILLED BY THE NEW WINE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
WHITSUN
Always in the feast context, we organized a retreat in the week-end of Whitsun. It was to help the fellows to welcome the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus after his resurrection. This retreat was mainly intended to the members of the Verb's Schools and the Values schools, but it was also an occasion for the apostles schools members to meet and participate.
Some fellows attended to all the retreat ans the others had to leave because of job. They also gave testimonies of what they saw and heard to the “Cenacle” of the Whitsun to their colleagues.
The main theme was: “God's Spirit, life's breath, fire's breath, come, we are waiting for You!” The first preaching was made by a married woman, Mrs, Melany Allegou who introduced us in the retreat sense: God give us through Jesus, His beloved son, the present per excellence, and through Him, we find the Holy Spirit in whole. “God's Spirit is upon me” (Lk 4,18).
We have to pray Got that he brings us his Holy Spirit which makes us docile to his voice, in order to guide us with his gifts and fruits along the same ways of Christ. On Saturday we spent our meditation in looking closely the gifts of the Holy Spirit : Fear, Sciende and Piety, Wisdow and Intelligence, Force and Advice. We also prayed the rosary with Mary, spouse of the Holy Spirit asking her to help us implement and live our belonging to Holy Spirit vocation.
In the afternoon, happily we feasted together the new wine in the new pot we have become. By the sketches prepared by the fellows of the different schools, helped by the rhythms of the drums, and the traditional dances we thank God for the grace of the Whitsun.
If is Jesus himself who helps us drink the new wine it is also Himself that invite us to have a drunk to his chalice, to make one with Him, to move in his ways, led by the Holy Spirit. So that Verbum Dei keeps on giving many fellows to Church in Ivory Coast.
On Sunday, we attended to the confirmation of one who was part of 2300 youth to be confirmed in the Bishop of Abidjan. These are some testimonies of this retreat :
Nandjo Yolande, (30 years) member of the Apostles I School « Holy Mary Madelein ».
« Before my arrival, I was tormented by many or deals. I was mourning. But at the retreat it was the preaching about the fear gift which caught me particularly. I have not well understood what this gift means. I used to think it was to be fearful to God, to mistrust God, because if you are not obedient He may punish you. From the preaching I understood that God is not a being to fear of, but rather to love passionately, because to fear God is a lovely shaking that is produced by the Holy Spirit in order to show us our smallness, ugliness, shortness. To fear God give us a heart of poor, it makes us humble. He who is humble, give priority to God in his life. So my eyes opened and I understood that I had better give Him my ordeals and give him priority in my life throuth my prayers and my engagement to serve Him. Then, I have decided, at the end of the retreat, to put my life in order. That is to say to give the priority to God and to take at least one hour for my prayers each day and put aride my problems in order to collaborate efficiently to the mission. I know that He will solve my problems ».
Elianne Dorcas Nyamien , (27 years)member of the Apostles I School « Holy Mary Madelein ».
« I wanted to participate to this retreat because I needed to live in intimacy with God far from everybody. I needed to hear God speaking to me, and me to Him. I learnt a lot of things about the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit and their necesity in the human life. In our prayers we ask certain things to God without pay attention to his own will. We keep within our small projects, even if God wishes to collaborate with us for some greater projects than ours.
In John 4 we read : « If only you knew God's present and who asked you water, it would be you, who would ask such life water and he would give you ». I understand how much God takes care of me. He wishes to me more than I could thought, but unfortunately sometimes when I pray I am imposing to Him the desires that can not sweer my thirst. At the end of the retreat, I take the resolution to pray regularly and to let me shine by his Verb.
Dindane Simeon, husband of Dabone Augustine, members of the Verb's school for the couples « Holy Family ».
« I, before the retreat, I was thinking about how to manage my couple life in stable, peaceful and exemplary mood according God's will. I had a joy feeling because I remembered that it was whitsun, and that I would certainly receive some gifts from the Holy Spirit. During the retreat I asked the grace of being humble in order to bear the virtues of love in couple. And the gift I have taken of the basket was « force ». I understant that it is this force given by the Holy Spirit that enforces us and help to master the couples. We have started preparing for the marriage sacrement and we also pray for it ».
Kouakou Kouadio Bernard, (32) member of the Apostles III School « Timothen ».
« This whitsun week-end was all special for me, as, I received the sacrement of confirmation on Sunday 27th may 2007, in the afternoon in Cathedral St. Paul. The retreat of the community helped me for my spiritual preparation. It was an occasion to make an account of my walk with Jesus at half time. Three times I had given up learning Christ ways but with the help of the community I could finish enlessly the five years of preparation, without tiredness, but on opposite with the desire to go further with Jesus. Of the confirmation ceremony two things caught particularly my attention. The laying on of the hands makes me understand how much I am important and specially for Jesus and that he relies on me, that is whi he gives me the Holy Spirit. To be marked with the Holy Oil with its sweet smell makes me remember what the Archibishop Jean Pierre Kutwa said during the homely : to be good smelling christians. At last I answered : « I am here, My Lord, I want to do your will » (Hb 10,7). So, I have chosen this verse like my motto with I hoppe to fulfill having a good quality of my prayers ».