From: Lubosh <ljh655@cscgpo.anu.edu.au>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.catholic
Subject: Kingdom of God #3
Date: 13 Dec 1992 05:18:22 GMT
Organization: ANU
Distribution: world
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X-XXDate: Sun, 13 Dec 92 00:18:48 GMT

Zaire again
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Brother Stefan in Zaire keeps his promise, and writes a letter after
coming back from the retreat in August. This is an abbreviated
translation of it:
---------------------------------------------------------
+!																																								Kolwezi,15-8-92
Dear friends,
				I am glad you have sent me many letters and postcards again, 350 of
them. Thanks God for it ! It really is a help for our work. I distribute
them to all of our native young religious brothers and sisters. Then they
are usually used as a reward for the best children at school - it
encourages them a lot for study and work. Many times for our children
just a look at a postcard with beautiful flowers, unknown cities, or
animals they've never heard of makes them forget that they haven't had
anything to eat. The poor people here eat only once a day, a maize meal
in the evening. And sometimes they are happy to have at least that. 
What do I do here is teaching the young boys to be bricklayers, and then
also my pastoral work shouldn't come last... So thank you once more for
all your help. But above all thank you for your prayers.
Thankfully yours,
Stefan Gazdik, Salesian
--------------------------------
*Now the following is an excerpt from Fr Stefan's answer to a letter from
a 13-years old girl who was very curious about Africa, and thought she'd
also come to work there:
.... There are four seasons in your country - spring, summer, autumn, and
winter. We only have two. There is the rain season when it rains and
rains for six months, and there's also a lot of lightnings and thunders.
In that time people have to sow their maize, peanuts, soya, and potatoes,
and during these six months everything will grow, and be harvested. Even
beans can be grown here. But then the other half of the year is the dry
season, when nothing can be grown. That's why the maize is our main food.
It has to be milled, and is used to cook the maize meal during the rest
of the year. Wheat is not grown here, and has to be bought from Europe,
or America. That's why bread is so expensive here. Poor people can't
afford to buy bread all their life. Today the price is already 220,000
zairs. The water here is very bad, there are many very little worms and
bacteria in it, so we have to boil and filter it before drinking. Well,
you also want to know something about me. I am 70 years old, and I am a
Salesian priest, and I also have my trade - I'm a bricklayer. I have
spent here already more than 10 years. How was it for me? I am already
used to the climate, and to the black people. You know, I haven't come
here to look at all the exotic animals, but to teach the young boys here
my trade, and also how to live a good Christian life.
For you it is very important to be diligent at school, and once you'll be
a teacher, or a nurse, or a physician, you'll be most welcome to come and
help us here.You'll see so many monkeys, elephants, snakes, and other
wild animals you haven't even dreamt about. You'll eat the same maize
meal as we do, the mosquitos will bite you, and you'll also get
malaria... I have already eaten the meat of an elephant, too. People
don't cook soup here. And they have no spoons. They just eat with their
hands. Poor people have to eat what they get, also snakes, mice, and
rats. The families are very big, people often have 10, or 12 children.
Not many people have shoes, and they clothing is also poor. But the
nights are quite cold here, and because they don't have blankets, they
are cold at nights. You have the Northern Star, we have the Southern
Cross on the sky at night. We are 1,800 km to the South from the Equator.
One can see trees with lemons, oranges, and bananas here. So, that's how
it is here... We also had here two sisters from Slovakia, they worked
here for 50 years, and now left for a retirement home in Italy. So long
then, future missionary. I'll be praying for you.

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"You did not choose me; I chose you and appointed you to go and bear much
fruit, the kind of fruit that endures." (John 15,16 a)