Fr. Abraham Kofi Amuzu, a Comboni missionary from Togo, shares his first experience in his parish, Our Lady of Joy of Grimari, in the Bambari Diocese in the Central African Republic.
I arrived in the mission of Grimari on 21 April 2021. The mission of Grimari was established by the Spiritan missionaries. In 1975, it was handed over to the Comboni Missionaries. This year, we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of our presence.
As a young priest, I was very enthusiastic, full of expectations and dreams. I intended to teach people how to follow Christ and how to live their Christian lives. However, when I reached the parish, I saw things differently.
First of all, I had to consider the reality of the milieu, the people, and the environment. The parish is located 300 km from the capital city, Bangui. It is a rural parish with 41 outstations. One year later of my arrival, I was appointed parish priest.
As a priest with only one year of experience, I felt unprepared to run a parish. Many thoughts filled my mind. How could I handle all these outstation communities, and so on? Initially, I was proud of this new appointment, relying on my strength and forgetting that the mission does not belong to me but to God, who called me to His redemptive mission.
Being situated in a remote area, the parish lacks smooth roads; consequently, reaching the people often requires significant sacrifices. The climate is dry, and the people have a staple food called gozo, made from cassava flour. Whenever you visit them, they will provide it for you. The harshness of the environment is not very conducive, and sometimes after these visits, I return feeling unwell. It takes some quiet time to recover.
The culture of the people is not well known, and understanding each other is vital, as the priest who has to help them in everything, they play an essential role. The system (mu na mbi or give me) means that if you fail to do so, you are not accepted. They are in a stage of receiving but not giving. Sometimes, this makes me sad and angry at the same time because people with so much potential refuse to move ahead and earn their daily bread through their efforts.
The country has gone through a lot, including military wars that have devastated some communities. They are no longer willing to do anything because they fear their work may be worthless if the war starts again. The level of education is also low.
This mission has taught me some valuable lessons. First of all, it helps me to experience the presence of God, who keeps watch over me. It aids my personal growth in the sense that I live peacefully with my fellow Christians by getting to know them. I can eat their food and share common causes with them.
I can speak and understand the language, share their struggles, and walk alongside them in seeking God’s will for their lives. This gives me joy, courage, and perseverance as I realise that the mission is moving forward. By being close to them, I have come to appreciate their goodness. The struggles I have endured have strengthened my missionary zeal and ignited the fire of missionary passion within me. The feeling of wasting my time and accomplishing nothing here has slowly begun to change.
I feel useful and joyful in all I do because what matters in a mission is the joy of the gospel that a missionary carries to the people they have been sent to. The warm welcome I receive when I visit them in their communities makes me feel like I am part of them, and we are one family. I am learning a great deal in this mission.
For instance, some issues that were once beyond my capacity, I am now able to handle. I have also cultivated the virtue of patience by working with them. I pray that Almighty God continues to strengthen me in this mission and fills my heart with joy so that I may share this joy with those who have lost it. Being among them as a servant of God who cares for their spiritual needs.
