Orthodox Mission #21

21 • SEPTEMBER 2017

orthodox mission QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF THE ORTHODOX MISSIONARY FRATERNITY

orthodox mission

Founded in 1963 Honored by the Patriarchate of Alexandria #21 July-September 2017 Editor: Nostis Psarras Ss. Missionaries Cyril and Methodius

In this Issue 04 07 10 12 14 18 21 26 27 28 32 35 38 42 44 45

Pacific Islands How I came to Orthodoxy Indonesia India Congo (DRC) - Kinshasa Kenya - Nairobi Mwanza Tanzania - Dar Es Salaam Congo (DRC) - Katanga Malawi Burundi & Rwanda Tanzania - Arusha Visit to Sierra Leone Kinshasa Community Clinic Samoa islands Columns of Gratitude

You can give your love for the Orthodox Missions abroad via Paypal at paypal@ierapostoles.gr, by check or by deposit in our bank account:

ALPHA BANK • ΙΒΑΝ: GR93 0140 4050 4050 0200 2000 170 • BIC: CRBAGRAA Other bank accounts: omf.gr/ways-give/ An ofiicial receipt for your donation will be issued and mailed to you.

Authors are responsible for their own articles.

Owner:

Orthodox Missionary Fraternity

6, Mackenzie King st., Hagia Sophia sq.

GR546 22 THESSALONIKI

2310 279910 fax. 2310 279902

http://orthodoxmission.org.gr communications @orthodoxmission.org.gr Registered Charitable Association Aim: Moral and material support for the worldwide Eastern Orthodox Missions Spiritual founder:  Archimandrite Chrysostomos Papasarantopoulos Founder

:  Pantelis Bayas

Great Benefactor :  P. Papademetracopoulos

Board of Directors Demetrios Sotirkos Chairman

Nostis Psarras Vice chairman Angeliki Arnaouti Secretary General Charalampos Metallides Τreasurer Constantinos Metallides Secretary Assistant Evangelia Traicoudes Treasurer Assistant Constantinos Caracolis Member Panagiotis Anastasiades Member Nicoleta Modiotou Member

A drop of life from the spring of your heart Orthodox Missionary Fraternity Serving the Missions since 1963

PACIFIC ISLANDS

“And grace for grace…” (John 1:16)

We are again in far-off Samoa, this beautiful lush green island state.

Starting with virtually nothing, we begin our efforts to build the holy baptistery and the sacred church of the Evangelist John the Theologian.

The only thing we have is the plot, which does not wholly belong to us.

And yet, totally unexpectedly, the blessings of God are coming one after another. «.. And grace for grace…»

Everyone who likes to offer to the others is rich at heart and generous. It is our Lord Jesus Christ, in the name of whom we are starting the work of the Church here in Samoa and by the grace of Whom we hope to accomplish it. And His 4

grace is tangible and is becoming more and more perceptible day after day. Before we started building the church, He provided a faithful “laborer”, the Greek Orthodox full of zeal man named George, who lives in New Zealand but has connections with Samoa. He is a man of deep faith in Christ and in the Church, and he is wealthy, which enables him to help us. He has already undertaken the building costs of the Baptistery, offering three thousand Samoan dollars. Then he brought Mr. Peniamina to us, who, along with other Samoans, had long since wished to get in contact with Orthodoxy, which they want to bring to their home country.

Mr. Peniamina joyfully accepted to be baptized, and so did his wife. He is to become the first priest in a people who has plenty of traditions and accepts the truth eagerly and easily. ÂŤ... And grace for graceÂť Near Peniamina is also Tulala, a lawyer by profession with a strong personality and willing to cooperate in order to advance the construction process of the church, to have the conduction of the first baptisms, and when Peniamina returns as a priest from Constantinople and Greece to have a baptistery where to conduct baptisms and a church in which to perform the sacred

services. And as the big church will take at least one year to finish, we all agreed to have first a smaller church built. On that agrees Mr. Pepe, too, who is the second to be ordained and will work for the spread of the Orthodox Faith.

We started building the Baptistery, but we were stopped by decision of the local authorities.

There are powerful unwritten laws here as well. However, with God’s help, we accomplished something much more important. We took Peniamina and his wife Fasenga to Wellington, New Zealand, we baptized them, and then we ordained Peniamina as a Deacon,

Fr. Ioane, the first Orthodox priest from Samoa

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giving him the name “John” in honor of John the Theologian and Evangelist. Then, on Sunday evening, at the Annunciation Cathedral, he was ordained to the priesthood in the presence of many Greek Christians and Samoan fellow countrymen.

We all experienced moments that reminded us of Pentecost. So instead of making the beginning of Orthodoxy in Samoa with the Baptistery and the Sacred Church, it was made with the First Priest and Missionary. Everything indicates that this pious and dynamic priest, Fr. John Tapelou, will be a pioneer

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of Orthodoxy not only in his homeland Samoa but also in the neighboring Tonga. «... And grace for grace» How can we not be touched and not praise Him Who is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, and from Whom we receive grace over grace, that is, all goods and all blessings? And how can we not believe that everything that originates in His name and glory ends with His own power and grace? May His name be highly exalted and revered. † Amphilochios of New Zealand

Baptism by His Eminence Amphilochios

How I came to Orthodoxy Written by the first Orthodox priest from Samoa

I first heard about the Orthodox Church, when I was at the Catholic (Roman Catholic) College of the Mariot Brothers (St. Joseph’s) in Samoa at the age of 15 years old; that was back in 1968. It was just a brief explanation of how the Roman Catholic Church broke off from the Orthodox faith.

However, in the year 2000 I took up studies on Theology at the School of Theology at the Auckland University in New Zealand. In the year 2001 I joined the Anglican Church and studied at their seminary in Auckland to take up vocation as a priest. Anyway, I am a born Roman Catholic from a very strong Catholic background in Samoa. During my studies at the University and the Anglican seminary, I somehow came across some history of the Orthodox faith but did not get the full background sources of Orthodox Catechism as such. Nonetheless, students were somehow restricted of given the opportunity to research on Orthodoxy. I was at that stage felt confused, because I heard through various sources that Orthodox is the original Christian church before the Roman Catholic, the Anglican, Protestants etc.

Consequently, while I was growing up, I thought to myself, “Why are they so many churches worshipping one God? What is the True Church?

Somehow, I used to hear in the Roman Catholic and the Anglicans and some others say in the Creed: ‘I believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church’.” I kept on praying to God through the Holy Mother that one day I would be shown the direction to the True Church. As the Lord says: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”

In the year 2005, I completed my Theology degree studies at Auck-

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land University and graduated with a Bachelor of Theology Degree; in the same year I was ordained a Priest in the Anglican Church. I served as an Anglican priest from 2005 to 2015; five years serving as a hospital chaplain priest in the Auckland City National Hospital, as well as helping out with various community church services in the city; I served my last five years 2011 to 2015 as Vicar and Priest in Charge of the Church in Samoa.

My time as priest in the Anglican Church was not very comfortable as I witnessed the Church approval of gay and lesbian marriages, the ordaining of gay and lesbian priests, as well as ordination of gay and women bishops. I felt all these were and are against the Holy Scripture (Gen. 2:24, Matt. 19:6, Eph. 5:24-25, 30-31).

Somehow, I felt within me the warmth of the Lord’s healing touch and knew nothing is impossible with God. I have had some very tough and challenging experiences in my life. From 1976 until 1992 I was an active serviceman with the New Zealand army both in New Zealand and overseas. But whatever consequences I faced in life, I knew God is always there. As in Psalms 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen and I will be exalted in the earth”.

In late 2013, I started to feel the touch of the Mother of God and seeing visions and answers to my prayers. A friend by the name of Iosef Tuala approached me and discussed about the Orthodox faith. To me, that was a feeling of a miracle from God. Mr. Iosef is a lawyer and he told me he did some research on Orthodoxy during his law degree studies in New Zealand. We did not take it too seriously but just a general discussion and

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Metropolitan Amphilochios in Samoa

Orthodox wedding of Fr. Ioanne and his wife Salome ended the topic. But another miracle came my way subsequently in 2016.

A man by the name of George, a Greek national, came to Samoa to attend a friend’s father funeral at my wife’s village. Here I met George and he talked to me about the Orthodox faith briefly. Somehow, George introduced me to Archbishop Amphilochios, when he returned to New Zealand.

In May 2017, another miracle occurred, when George rang me, when I was visiting New Zealand, and asked me to speak to His Eminence Amphilochios for the first time in Auckland. After some spiritual discussion with His Eminence, I felt God’s blessings and touch and I accepted to be baptized and join the Orthodox faith. I thank the Holy Mother of God for revelation of love and to God be the glory for choosing me, the humble servant, to be the first ordained priest in Samoa and my wife, Salome Faasenga, as presbytera. His Eminence Amphilochios invited my and my wife to Wellington, New Zealand to receive the Holy Baptism, receive the blessings of Holy Chrismation; the renewal of Orthodox Marriage vows and the bestowment of the Holy Ordination to Deacon and Priesthood.

I and my wife, Salome, now feel completely whole and reborn into Christ and the True Church, the Orthodox faith. Now visiting Constantinople and Greece and particularly the Holy Mountain Athos for pilgrimage, venerating the icons of the Holy Mother of God and relics of saints have much strengthened our spiritual journey to dedicate our lives not only to Orthodox but following Christ’s footsteps to be pioneers of Orthodoxy not only to my people in Samoa, but wherever God directs me to spread the good news. Special thanks to His Eminence Amphilochios for his directions, prayers and blessings to me and Salome at the beginning of our missionary journey and to all the clergy and Orthodox Church for supporting the start of our Orthodox mission. May God’s name be praised and revered.

Father Ioane Peniamina Tapelu 9

INDONESIA

Our Clerical Assembly Dear Friends of the Mission, With God’s help and protection we are in good health. During my stay on Nias Island in late May I called Father Chariton to meet and discuss how the projects of our Orthodox Church can move forward on this island, where we have 3 parish communities and an Orthodox school. In charge of all three communities is Fr. Chariton, who, in order to be able to minister to all of them, uses an old motorcycle as a means of transport. On weekdays Father Chariton works as a teacher at St. Nicholas High School. With the school’s revenues he can barely pay the teachers and the other employees, and very little money is left for gas. Keep in mind that everywhere on the island of Nias there 10

are bananas and coconuts, which in villages are sold at ludicrously low prices. Fr. Chariton aims to buy them from the villages and transfer them to the city center, where they are sold at much higher prices. The proceeds of this job will enable him to perform his ministry. For this purpose, Fr. Chariton needs a second-hand car for the fruit transport and money for the purchase of fruit.

So I am taking the liberty of telling you about this program in the hope that some potential donors will be able to support it because, as you know, our priests here in Indonesia work without getting paid.

From June 20th to June 25th we held our Clerical Assembly in Sumatra, Indonesia. Representatives from all our parish communi-

ties came to the city of Medan. This gave us a great pleasure because we had the opportunity to get together again. Among them were our priests, Fr. Theodosius, Fr. Luke and Fr. Chariton. On Sunday, at the closing of the Convention, all the priests concelebrated the Divine Liturgy at St. Demetrius S. Church in Medan. We would like to thank you wholeheartedly for the $ 4,000 you sent us for the realization of this assembly. Our faithful were greatly strengthened and given guidance and direction as regards the continuation of the Mission in this region.

As you know, our Mission runs a few schools: Aghia Sophia Educational Center, Saint Nikitas primary school, St. Nicholas High School, St. Apostle Paul’s Theological School...

The poorest of all is that of Saint John the Baptist in Sumbul, which is not self-sustained because it is new and has only been in operation for 4 years now. In the 3 grades of Middle School we only have 45 students. As it is a village and the people are very poor, we set the tuition fee at just 2.50 euro. However, with â‚Ź 110, it is practically impossible to cover the wages of 10 teachers, a guardian and a cleaner. The new school year began in July. We would be grateful if you could help us make ends meet by sending us your contribution.

Warm greetings to all of you from my partners and collaborators here in Indonesia.

Wishing in the Lord, Fr. Chrysostomos Manalu

Fr. Chariton with Orthodox children at St. Martha church

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INDIA

Caring for Tomorrow Dear Friends of the Mission, I welcome your kindness, which always accompanies our missionary work here in Calcutta. I apologize for not having written to you for quite some time. This period, we are expecting the arrival of the monsoons, which are often devastating but at the same time beneficial because, thanks to them, rice, which is the main food in India, grows to fruition.

The crisis in Greece has had – without exaggeration– a dramatic impact on us. No matter how strong your faith is in God’s love and providence, when you are responsible for so many souls, it is only human not 12

to feel anxiety and insecurity. I constantly have to make calculations to see whether we will be able to meet our basic needs. I have reduced the staff team to the bare minimum. As a result, the workload is immense.

24 hours in a day is not enough, and I sincerely apologize for not being able to respond to my correspondence, thus disappointing kind-hearted people, good friends and brothers.

We have, of course, joyful things happening, too. In this life, joys and sorrows go side by side.

Nine of our girls who have finished their studies are now working in our English school. My dream is to leave

the school in Orthodox hands. Otherwise, without an Orthodox testimony and perspective, we deviate from our purpose and we fail to accomplish it. Some of our girls have got married, two to Orthodox young men, and we had a joyful atmosphere with the weddings at the orphanage. Glory to God for all things!

The dream for our farm took one small step forward with the completion of the surrounding wall thanks to a donation from Trikala.

So we now have our own fish from the lake, without the fear of getting it stolen by our neighbors. We have also planted vegetables in an effort to reduce food costs as much as possible. Missions must become economically self-sufficient. Unfor-

tunately, we had not foreseen this before, when we had more donations...

Now I come to the donations from the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity, for which I am deeply grateful. Above all, I would like to thank you for your understanding because, despite my silence, you are still helping Mission in India without minding which person ministers to the Mission’s needs, and this does you great credit and is something that differentiates your Fraternity from the others.

May God keep you in good health and always bless your labors and your work. Please remember us in your prayers.

With deep gratitude & love in Christ Sister Nektaria

Morning prayer at our school

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CONGO (DRC) - KINSHASA

Missionary concerns Dear friends of the Mission, The last period has been very difficult due to the various distressing events that have occurred, especially in the inland areas of the country, the large number of deaths, a feeling of intense insecurity, population displacement and the economic crisis that has further impoverished the already poor. The economic situation is also difficult to be dealt with; the low wages that the natives receive in the local currency do not suffice to meet their basic needs. Things are getting harder and harder.

Thankfully, the love and care of our gracious Orthodox Missionary Fraternity sent us food with the last two containers, and so we can face the feeding as well as the other needs of the dorm of our Theological School.

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Now we are in the final examination period and at the end of the month we are going to award the degrees to our new graduates.

Young men full of fervent zeal and ready for action, prepared to go back to their regions and minister the Church as teachers, catechists, choristers, and those of whom that God wants, as priests.

This year we had a great blessing of God: the creation and operation of the Sewing School. That was something completely new for our Mission. There are thirty girls attending it tuition-free. This School helps these young women acquire sewing skills in order to be able to find a job and provide financial support for their families.

The pastoral journeys into the province were continued, despite the fact that many new difficulties

have arisen. Mbuji-Mayi, Kabinda, Nkanka, Mbanza-Ngungu, Kikwit.

The ones into the interior of the Congo helped us keep abreast of the efforts of our priests and catechists as well as of the possibilities and problems of our Mission, and made us rejoice and pray with our faithful to the Lord to send out workers loyal to His Gospel.

With the blessings of His Beatitude our Patriarch Theodore, we had the ordination of the Professor of Kinshasa State University Photius Kimpabala.

He was appointed to the city of Mbaza-Ngungu, 150 km away from Kinshasa. Since his appointment there, he has been struggling to organize as well as possible his parish and the church mission

not only in that city but also in the surrounding villages. The city of Mbaza-Ngungu is at a focal point on the route from Kinshasa to the Atlantic Ocean. There are prospects for its becoming a missionary center of key importance in the upper Congo.

Another great blessing of God was the progress of the Byzantine School. The young people’s choirs in the capital have been reorganized, and it gives us so much joy to hear them sing enthusiastically and harmoniously the hymns and troparia of our Church. Naturally though, the lack of music books makes their work much harder.

A new prelatic region has been formed in the interior of the Congo, in the city of Mweka, with

The new Orthodox congregation of the disabled

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a radius of more than five hundred kilometers. If one wants to visit this area by boat, they have to travel through rivers for a whole month.

The Mweka Reverend, Fr. Alexander Minga, was appointed Vicar, and in collaboration with the other three local priests, he moves forward with the missionary work. By the order and blessings of His Eminence, immediately after Easter his Deacon Fr. Chrysostomos was sent for a month in his support. The latter oversaw the continuation of the works at the Holy Apostles Church in Ilembo, helped with the catechesis and organization of seminars for young men and women, and visited several parishes.

We received considerable help from the visit of the Chancellor of

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the H. Metropolis of Ierissos Fr. Chrysostomos along with the 4 ladies that were accompanying him - the two nuns, Sisters Akylina and Paraskevi from the H. Monastery of St. Kosmas in Arnaia, and the two laywomen, Ms. Venetia and Ms. Stella. Two of them, Sister Paraskevi and Ms. Venice, undertook cooking duties at the Theological School’s dorm. Sister Akylina, hematologist doctor, and Ms. Stella, nurse, undertook running the University’s surgery. Three offices were made into surgeries, and apart from the university students, the St. Barbara parishioners as well as all the local residents were examined. Soon, another person was added to that team: Rev. Dr Michael Dandoulakis, who had come as a Professor of

A robe of divine light bestow upon me...

His Eminence Nikiforos in front of a strawhut-church Medicine to teach at the Theological School. Blood tests and other medical exams were made, and free medications and medical advice were given to those present.

Approximately five hundred people were examined. Fr. Chrysostomos taught at the Theological School the subjects he teaches every year.

The visitors collaborated with the catechist of the Metropolis Ms. Stella Papadopoulou in the catechetical work and visited several parishes.

A great crusade must begin for the acquisition of a building plot and a church in the neighborhood where the disabled live. They continue to gather together on the sidewalk of their neighborhood, to conduct sacred services, and to be catechized. It breaks your heart to see them all in such gatherings. We

visit them regularly, catechize them and conduct the services. We all pray that with God’s help, there will be donations for the land purchase.

Unfortunately, this parish is in the center of the capital, where building plots are really expensive to buy.

A new group in another district of Kinshasa gathers in a house, chants and is catechized; this is the beginning of the creation of a new parish.

There are many calls for the Mission from the various parts of the Congo, but there are many difficulties as well. We are few, we are not enough, despite the fact that all our partners work with all their power.

Please pray to our Lord to bless our Mission.

From the Holy Metropolis 17

KENYA

The Young Man, Sincerity and Honesty Most young people, especially those living in remote regions, are forced to leave the place where they were born and grew up, and reach the big cities in the hope of finding a better future. In today’s story we have such a young man, who loved the Orthodox Church since he was a little child. It is this Church that taught him a lot of virtues, such as sincerity, discipline, modesty and many others. He was in Nairobi looking for a job that would help him build his future. One day, as he was walking and thinking to himself, he suddenly saw a car spinning in an uneven motion. He immediately ran after it and despite the risk 18

of being injured, he tried, to stop it. Fortunately, by skillfully getting in, he did manage to stop the car.

He was greatly surprised noticing that the driver had lost his senses and the car was practically uncontrolled. Being a driver himself, he acted promptly and without delay to save the unknown driver. Here we should mention that the Church helped him go to a driving school, so he acquired driving skills.

Seeing the driver’s condition, he felt genuine concern for his fellow man, and without wasting any time, he drove to the nearest hospital, where he took him to the emergency department so that first aid

was given to the unfortunate driver.

And so it happened. After finding that his state of health was serious, he was immediately taken to the intensive care unit. Thank God in a few hours the doctors were able to bring him back to a point where he could, somehow, speak. When he saw who he was surrounded by, he asked to see that unknown man who had saved his life. Everybody thought that his savior was his chauffer. He himself did not even know the name of the man who had saved his life at the last minute. Indeed, they soon brought the young man in, and everyone was taken by

surprise when he introduced himself. When they learned the whole story, they could not believe their ears. The injured man asked him if he worked and when the latter revealed to him that he was looking for a job, the former, without delay, told him that from then on he would be his permanent and official driver. The young man, amazed by the outcome of this meeting, confessed that he had helped him not in the hope of a reward but because he felt that he had to save the life of his fellow man, or else the latter would eventually die. It was an emotional moment when the man

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embraced him, thanking him for his altruistic act. The young man of our story stayed with him and when the man’s wife and his children visited him, he officially announced to them that their family had got another new member.

Hearing this story which is so real and so unbelievable at the same time, one might think that all these are myths or figments of our imagination. Yet, they are all true and tangible because we live such things daily, we have a personal experience of them, we see the whole magnitude of the value of altruistic acts like that because we discover that in the end, our efforts are not lost. We see that the words we use and the

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deeds which accompany them so as to convince people of their sincerity, especially the young ones, bear fruit.

Now this young man is with the family of the stranger whose life was saved by his act. He enjoys so much happiness, because with his act he showed high moral standards, solidarity, selflessness, sincerity, honesty and humility, what I teach to young people every day. He is happy with the people of his tribe and his family, and is grateful for finding what he has been looking for all these years: a decent job to earn his living. And the way he found it was so miraculous that everyone can see GOD’s plan and providence! †Makarios of Kenya

TANZANIA - MWANZA

Clean Drinking Water The northern and western part of Tanzania constitute an ecclesiastical territory which is under the jurisdiction of the H. Metropolis of Mwanza, and covers a geographical area of approximately 430,000 square kilometers, that is, three times more than Greece. In this part of the country there are some water resources, such as Lakes Victoria, Malawi and Rukwa as well as the Rivers Kagera, Ngono, Mara, Simiyu and others. This water may not be absolutely clean, but at least the villages or cities adjacent to these resources have access to water, whether it be easy or not. The big problem though lies with those areas that are far from natural water resources and which, due to climate change, which has also affected

the African continent, suffer from drought.

There, the lack of water is complete, with whatever consequences this brings to the lives of the people. The only consolation and not a solution to the problem is the occasional rains that fill up some puddles, from which people draw dirty water, contaminated with parasites and microbes. When it does not rain at all, the situation becomes tragic. Thus, the life of the people in the mainland unfolds in this suffering. Thirst, dirt, illness, death make up the scene of this deadlock. It is an open and throbbing wound that shatters the hearts and shakes the consciences of all of us.

It was in this context that the 21

Inauguration service for a waterpump by bishop Ieronymos program for the supply of clean drinking water for the H. Metropolis of Mwanza began three years ago.

With the help of St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox parish in Los Angeles, USA, we have acquired not only a new drilling rig but also other modern machinery and equipment.

The goal was to provide solutions to this serious problem, which is affecting the people of Tanzania.

The program staff consists of 6 young people, trained for 2 months for this purpose. We are seeking two more people to be able to be trained at a higher level.

If there is a qualified staff, the machine can drill 24 wells per year.

We have been licensed by the state of Tanzania to operate the drilling rig all over the country and we 22

are working with the Ministry of Water for the laboratory testing of the water quality of the wells that are being drilled. These are then recorded in the state’s general list of wells.

We have a sincere desire to offer dynamically as regards welldrilling. However, difficulties and challenges will always arise. For example, we need more complete staff- training, good planning, continuous funding, good roads for easier access to villages and raising awareness of the communities where the works are done. All this means good cooperation with all public authorities and bodies. It is imperative that the state make efforts to open roads in areas where access is impossible. All these as

well as other factors affect the cost of a well.

Despite all the difficulties, we want to give the joy of presence of clean drinking water to as many areas as possible. In this way, we are given the chance to apply the command of love to the least of our brothers, and furthermore, we give testimony and the seal of the Orthodox Church of Christ, Who is interested in every single person, and Who approaches each one of them in a redeeming way, starting from their most tangible and urgent needs.

During these 3 years, 30 wells have already been drilled, which can serve approximately the needs of 100,000 inhabitants. It will be good

for our poor brothers if we manage to continue this God-pleasing work.

The machinery exists and can do this job, and we want to relieve these long-suffering people. We are really grateful to those who help us and those with whom we work together. We particularly appreciate the support coming from St. Paul’s parish in Los Angeles, the state of Tanzania, the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity and others. We hope to overcome the challenges that arise through understanding, patience and cooperation. Water is essential to life, let alone clean drinking water. May God make us worthy to offer it to those who have so much need of it. †Ieronymos of Mwanza

Drilling project sponsored by our donor A.P.

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Death visits children Over here in the much afflicted land of Africa, Global solidarity lies unconscious Throughout human history.

Wounded by multiple problems It follows its bleeding course.

When the night heralds the dawn Death lurks, alert to claim his toll Sharpening nails and teeth In children’s scary dreams.

Here time winds daily The body of every dead child With mournful ribbons of Hunger, thirst and various diseases But here in the tearful sunrise Emerges a scent of eternity From the graves of the flowers That sprout beneath the earth.

Why is it that at the bank Of materialism man is voracious But so oblivious or insensitive to the others?

If there is a shred of shame He surely keeps it hidden In the freezer of the heart.

Why, really, are we so vile…

Captured by the odour of cruelty, While our conscience deserves to be hanged In the eyes of a skinny child.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said: “Blessed are the merciful: For they shall obtain mercy”(Mat. 5: 7).

Nostis Psarras 24

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TANZANIA - DAR ES SALAAM

Come Over into Tanzania and Help Us Dear Friends of the Mission, I would like to express my sincere gratitude from the distant and fast-paced growing Mission of Eastern Tanzania for your continued support of the missionary work of God. I am pleased to inform you that the construction works of the first Orthodox Clinic in Morogoro, East Tanzania, are being carried out systematically and continuously. I am sending you the first photos of the progress of this project, which, hopefully and always with the help of God, will have finished by the end of the summer. Then a new «nest» of love and salvation for young children will have opened its gates to offer life to the children of 26

Tanzania. So, with the help of God and your continued support, a total of 11 clinics will be operating in Tanzania.

In Morogoro region we have already founded four new parishes with about 2,000 catechumens, 450 of whom belong to the Maasai tribe. It is there that we will need to build four new churches.

We appeal to the kind heart of the devout readers and friends of the Fraternity for support and we would like to inform you that the building costs for each church -with wise money management and full attention and personal careamount to € 25,000.

With missionary greetings † Dimitrios of Irinoupolis

CONGO (DRC) - KATANGA

Sowing Season Dear Friends of the Mission, Rejoice in the Lord.

First of all, I would like to thank you wholeheartedly for the sincere support of your charitable society to the needs of our Holy Monastery, which is mainly used for the purchase of garden essentials.

The cultivation of plants, vegetables, fruit trees in our nurseries, greenhouses and cultivated land, besides curing our own needs, is also a means of maintaining our Holy Monastery in order to make it self-sufficient as well as one of apprenticeship for the young indigenous novice monks of our Holy Monastery in the ministry of the gardener.

So once more I ask for your support for the purchase of plant genetic material and tools. The aforementioned stuff is worth about â‚Ź 1,500 and will be sent over here in a shipping container, which is already being loaded.

We would be grateful if you could assist in this purchase, and on our part, we will commemorate you for good health and fruition of the God-pleasing work that you are doing, through the intercession of the Holy Apostles, in honor of whom our Holy Monastery is named.

Wishing in the Lord, Hieromonk Varnavas Gregoriatis 27

MALAWI

Soup kitchen Meals for ever Our daily effort to maintain what we so laboriously started is great. Experiencing, in our turn, the consequences of the crisis that has been tantalizing our homeland Greece in recent years, we are very often confronted with dilemmas and conflicts about how to manage the little money that comes to our hands, how to relieve and support our much-afflicted and long-suffering native Malawian brothers.

By the grace of God, so far we have begun many charitable efforts to alleviate the pain of the Malawians who live in this troubled country that has a load of problems and difficulties to face everyday...

Along with our incessant ef28

forts to pass down our True and Living Orthodox Faith to our brothers here, we have launched a daily feeding program for 300 children.

This offering of love to the poor families of Malawi is really great, because our Mission is a daily concern for us and feeds a lot of children aged 3-5 with two meals, breakfast and lunch. This way, it relieves every poor parent who strives to fill their children’s hungry stomachs, but alongside, it takes advantage of the time that the children are under our protection so as to catechize them and educate them with the Orthodox faith.

In many parishes, the child-minding and feeding space is

ours, thus the work is unhindered, with the exception of our permanent anxiety to be able to provide daily the necessary stuff for the food we promised to them.

However, in the parish of Saint Catherine, where the church has not yet been completed and the child-minding space is not ours, we have a lot of anxiety on a daily basis... Paying the rent, dealing with the services that visit us and are always trying to find anything that might serve as a pretext for imposing a fine, such as confined space, inappropriate toilets and many others. It is necessary to speed up the construction work and make this

parish a privately-owned space that will house the 100 small children we host every day.

Our mind runs along with our imagination, and we have already started thinking about how to organize the new shelter, how to build the small toilets and the children’s wash basins with the little taps and how to make the playground pleasant so that the two or three years that the little African kids will live with us, be joyful, filled with sweet memories of the affection surrounding them on the part of the Orthodox Mission.

You cannot imagine the joy we see in the innocent faces of these

Daily soup kitchen at our school

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little angels every time we give them food. They run longingly when their lunch is prepared and stretch out their weak hands to get their own dish. Very often we are told «more,» and we pray to God for this blessed soup kitchen program never to end.

Quite often, we are in great dilemmas, what kind of priorities we should put in our mission. However, these little kids hold such a special place in our hearts that almost always they come first. The wholehearted “thank you” often comes out of their lips and their hearts as they cry out «zikomo, zikomo», that is, “thank you” in their own language.

The person in charge of this

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ministry, Fr. Kallinikos, often tells us that we need to increase the quantity and quality of food so that the children can withstand hardships and the difficult environment they live in. We look at him uneasily and sadly. Everything requires sacrifice. The poverty that surrounds us prevents us from giving more.

We do everything in our power, but we know this is not enough...

As long as the children are at the Mission, from morning till afternoon, they spend pleasant and blessed hours. But when they go home in the evenings, we know what awaits them. Their homes, made of mud and grass, are at risk of falling down in every strong downpour,

A new waterpump sponsored by our Fraternity

especially during the rainy season.

It is often the case that children are killed when the muddy brick- and -paper hut collapses onto them.

Other times in the evenings, when their parents have no food to give them for dinner, they tell them to be patient and on the next morning they will eat the blessed food of our Mission again. And that’s how these little children live, longing for the next morning, to come by our Mission and spend their whole day not only taking the two daily meals we offer them, but playing, laughing, singing beautiful children’s songs and at the same time learning short and practical prayers from our Church, such as «Holy God», « The Lord’s Prayer» and others. But

they are really elated when we visit them and hand out to them a few little things that some good Christians have given us, like balloons, toys, candy... The biggest reward for us is when they embrace us joyfully, which is something words cannot possibly describe.

My brethren, we appeal to your kind heart for help and support and we earnestly ask you to pray to our Most Holy and Merciful Christ for the continuation of this noble work, and for making us worthy to humbly go on ministering to the needs of both these poor and needy children, and all our Malawian brothers in general. Amen.

Fr. Ermolaos from Malawi 31

BURUNDI & RWANDA

The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few...

My missionary struggle began with the blessing of the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria Theodore four years ago in the Diocese of Burundi and Rwanda, these two long-suffering countries of East Africa. Our main concern has been to heal the wounds or rather the deep scars left by the fratricidal war, which lasted nineteen whole years and ended relatively recently, in 2006. We want to teach them love by treating them with love.

Healing, giving love: words that are easy to say or good to hear, but very difficult to put into practice.

In addition to the wounds, poverty, privation, the difficult conditions in which these poor people have to live without even elementary medical care, without organized education, 32

make them unable to overcome these problems by themselves and look upon us as their support and spiritual prop. They thirst to experience Orthodoxy, to be baptized and regenerated. As for us, we cannot say “no� to them. There are plenty of objective difficulties that we are confronted with. For example, our moving from place to place is not easy at all. This has become even more difficult over the last year after an accident on a rough road of our Diocese, which resulted in the destruction of the old car that served us. Now we are examining the solution of the motorcycle, but I do not know if this solution could be implemented because its price is still prohibitive for our meager means. However, we

are not disappointed and despite all the difficulties that arise, we always find a way to visit our brothers, baptize them and establish parishes and Christian communities.

Rwanda In Rwanda in particular, we have fourteen parish communities, four of which are very well-off given the conditions there, and number five hundred members each. Unfortunately, there are only four priests, who have to go around the whole country. One can easily understand that they are definitely not enough. In addition, there are no churches. People’s worship needs are served in the countryside, under the trees, the African baobabs, which also serve the children’s learning needs, since they fill the gap caused by lack of schools.

People of faith, readers and catechists have undertaken the difficult task of catechism, which precedes baptism. Also, their help is valuable in our effort to translate ecclesiastical books into the local dialects. We already have the translations of the sacraments of the Divine Liturgies of St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil and that of the Presanctified Gifts , the Great Supplication (Paraklesis) and the Akathist Hymn, the Services of the Pentecost and the Epiphany as well as some occasional benedictions.

We consider this work a great blessing of God, which fills the souls of the newly illumined with joy and happiness and encourages us to continue our struggle and try to imitate the work of Saints Cyril and Methodius.

Waiting for the soup kitchen

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Burundi As far as our missionary work in Burundi is concerned, it is generally the same as in Rwanda. Here we have eight parish communities and two deacons. Naturally, our moving from one parish to another is as difficult as that of the faithful. Therefore we consider church construction necessary for meeting the believers’ spiritual needs. One more dream which, up to a point, is about to be realized thanks to the kind hearted donations of anonymous brothers, is the operation of Middle and High School, the only one in Buramata region. We believe that

by September we will have been able to raise the necessary amount for flooring, window frames, doors, plastering, the purchase of desks and other furniture and equipment that is necessary for the whole

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school process. Most indigenous children come from single-parent families, with the mother playing a dual role-that of the father too, struggling to make ends meet without any help from anywhere.

Poor people, beaten by life and fate, who look upon us as their sole support .We try not to disappoint them, but at the same time we are careful to be sparing of our words and promise them every time what is feasible to be done. Arousing false hopes and expectationsespecially in such poor creaturesis equivalent to frustration, which is something none of us wants, otherwise this whole effort could have disappointing results or be totally wasted. †Innocentios of Burundi and Rwanda

TANZANIA - ARUSHA

Borehole drilling in Central Tanzania

“And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward” (Matt. 10:42) In the area of the Equator where we live, there are no four seasons as in Europe, but two major periods: the period of rainfall and that of drought, usually the latter being longer, and resulting in the suffering of both humans and animals. We should bear in mind that what is taken for granted in our country does not exist here. For example, when the people in Greece get thirsty, it is perfectly natural for them to turn on the tap to drink clean water, and when they get dirty or feel hot and want to have a bath, by just pressing a button there is plenty of warm water for them to wash... However, in most of Africa, and particularly here at the Rift Valley Plateau, the most impressive region of Central Tanzania, all of

them are «unattainable dreams»!

It is a «dream» for thousands of children to run to the waterwell near their village to wash and quench their thirst. The idea of obtaining a water supply system within their homes -at least for the next fifty years- seems to be a utopia!

It is with feelings of deep gratitude and emotion that I am writing these lines because thanks to the financial assistance of your Fraternity-the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity of Thessaloniki- we carried out two drillings in two extremely barren areas, where the people are really suffering. Thank God, we found plenty of clean water at a depth of more than 100 meters! It is very touching to see

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the tearful eyes and the chapped lips of the small children now in the dry season, but also the wild animals, all of which are suffering.

Elephants, antelopes and giraffes, are approaching inhabited areas defeating their fear, in the hope of finding some water and quenching their burning thirst.

In this corner of the earth where we were sent by the grace of God and the love of our Patriarch, there is a great need for provision of medical care to our brothers. Many diseases, several of which weird, afflict young children and adults, which immediately raises the need for medical centers. Relying on our humble abilities and taking

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slow steps, we began operating a medical clinic at our Mission Center in Kidamali, Iringa, which is visited by a large number of patients from the surrounding areas. It should be organized in the form of a polyclinic with several specialties, as there are various diseases the people are suffering from and the state-run health care system is rudimentary.

The current running costs of our clinic amount to â‚Ź 2,000. Yet, we started this project being fully aware of its difficulties but we have faith in God and we hope for your love and support!

Undoubtedly, though, one thing is unquestionable: that the love of our Lord Jesus Christ is always

present. One day we baptized a group of people, among whom a little girl with huge pus-filled pimples on her tiny head, all of which disappeared immediately after she had been baptized.

In July, we also held a Seminar for Clergy Candidates chosen among our already existing Catechists, trying to pass down to them pure, genuine love for the Tradition of our Holy Church as well as for Priesthood. Our flock is totally unaware of our faith; therefore, we must teach them everything, even the most obvious concepts of our religion. I also want to inform you that we have laid the foundation stone for the rebuilding of the old church of Saint John the Theologian in Ibongo village. This project is supported by your Fraternity in memory of our sister Parthena. We thank you wholeheartedly for that.

It is very important that our

Church offers truth and love to our suffering brother anywhere in the world. We did not come to preach a Christ distant and apathetic to the daily needs of the people who are suffering but to bear witness to Christ’s presence, to proclaim that He is close to the “least” of His children, who we Christians call “our brothers”, but many times we become numb to their needs due to our complacency that derives from our participation in the long solemn services and the spiritual «garrulity» of our otherwise Orthodox experiences.

Africa needs hands and hearts that love through deeds, not words and theories, for «the harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few» (Matt. 9:37).

With infinite gratitude and love in Christ † Agathonikos of Arusha, your brother

With Orthodox faithful of the Maasai tribe

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Missionary Journey to Sierra Leone With God’s help and the blessings of Their Eminences Metropolitans George of Guinea and Theoklitos of Florina , a journey to Sierra Leone in West Africa was carried out by a missionary team from the Holy Metropolis of Florina from May 23rd to June 9th, 2017. That team consisted of the writer himself, two nuns from St. Athanasius H.Monastery of Florina, and Mr. Constantine Christomanos, honorary professor at the University of Thessalonica.

The visit took place at the invitation of the missionary Rev. Themistocles Adamopoulos. The purpose of this mission was to offer assistance in a difficult and multifaceted work that is carried out there, such as the clergy specialization or training in liturgical matters, given that in Sierra Leone there is no Orthodox ecclesiastical tradition,

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since the Orthodox Church has only had ten years of life there.

During our twenty-day stay there, we tried as much as we could to meet the purpose of our journey. Several lessons were given regarding issues on the value of the holy service, the performance of the sacred services of Vespers, Matins and of the Divine Liturgy, as well as the general order and the decency of the church. I must admit that the interest on the part of the indigenous priests was very big.

At the same time, the nuns tried to teach women how to knead prosphoro (altar bread) for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy.

Unfortunately, several times the priests in the African Sea are forced toperform the sacred mystery using common bread (loaf) that they buy from a bakery! The women were also instructed how to make koliva

(boiled wheat). A sewing machine was also bought , which enabled us to make covers for the Holy Tables, altar boy robes and other ecclesiastical stuff.

Moreover, other activities were carried out, such as church preaching, catechetical classes to youth gatherings and lectures given at the Orthodox Pedagogical College

by Mr. Christomanos.

During our stay we were hosted at the Orthodox Mission Center, which is situated in Freetown, the country’s capital. In this compound, apart from the residence center where we stayed, there is a sacred church dedicated to Sts. Constantine and Helen, which was built through the sponsorship of the Missionary

Alliance «St. Cosmas the Aetolian « in Thessalonica. The compound also houses the College (Pedagogical School) which we have previously mentioned, project funded by the generosity of the same Alliance, a notable institution of our Church offering a high level - study and being attended by some 135 students. Also under construction is a kindergarten along with a boarding house for destitute and deserted children.

In Syke Street, another area in the center of the capital, there is the second Orthodox Center, which includes St. Eleftherios Cathedral , which was funded with donations from the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity of Thessalonica, as well

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At the school for blind children as a School for 2,000 Kindergarten and Primary School children. In the same premises there is a school building consisting of 16 rooms, funded by the generosity of a lady from Athens through the same Fraternity.

The third Center is located in Waterloo, 20 km away from the capital. Within its premises there is the church of the Resurrection of Christ and St. Moses the African, also sponsored by the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity of Thessalonica. There is the second school unit of our Orthodox Church, which is attended by another 500 children. In the same compound there are small houses hosting disabled victims of the civil war, which plagued Sierra Leone between 1991 and 2000.

During our stay in Sierra Leone

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we made two important visits. One was to the School for Blind Children, a state institution for blind kids abandoned by their relatives. Their children attend classes at the School there and are hosted at a boarding house which is within the premises of the institution. The boarding house is supplied with food by the Orthodox Mission, since the state cannot meet all its needs. We were deeply touched by the blind children’s beautiful singing and the expression of their gratitude to all those who send food from Greece.

Rev. Themistocles suggested that the Orthodox Church should undertake the school’s running and maintenance.

The other visit was to a district of the capital, Kroo bay, which is considered among the poorest and most deprived areas in the world.

This visit was one of the most striking experiences of our lives. There are no words to describe the living conditions in that slum. Humans live in sheds most unsuited for human shelter, without adequate access to sanitation and health services or drainage system, resulting in the entire region giving off an unbearable stench. It is considered to be the «Africa of Africa «. With a lot of difficulty and precautions, we walked on the muddy and dirty paths and visited the school and the clinic only to find them in an awful condition. We couldn’t believe our eyes. What we saw was really incredible. When we left, we had the feeling that we had come back from hell. Rev. Themistocles is considering asking the state to

concede the school’s maintenance and operation to our Church.

Our journey left us with a lot of indelible impressions and conscience-shattering experiences.

We experienced the miracle of the creation of a Church. We saw how the grace of God, without the human means and facilities employed by other denominations, attracts the souls to the only true Church, Orthodoxy, overcomes all obstacles, and opens up streets to spread the Gospel.

When one is given the chance to have a close look at such difficulties, they feel it is their duty to pray more fervently for the work of our missionaries and support it in every possible way.

Fr. Epiphanios K. Hatzigiagou

Fr. Themistocles along with the volunteer guests

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Kinshasa community clinic On Thomas Monday, April 24 2017, we traveled to Congo at the invitation of Metropolitan Nikiphoros of Kinshasa and with the blessings of Metropolitan Theoklitos of Ierissos, Mount Athos and Ardameri, along with our Elder, Fr. Chrysostomos Maidonis.

We settled at the Theological School of the Metropolis. The writer of this text (Sister Akylina), Hematology physician, along with Ms Stella Stephanis, nurse, organized a small clinic at the School of Theology for the School students just as much as for the Saint Barbara parishioners , who live next to the School, but also for all the residents of the surrounding area. Our goal was to create a general medical center with free primary health care.

On 28 April this community

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clinic started its operation, which only lasted for 18 days. The great needs of the local inhabitants were more than evident from the very first days. Daily there were over 70 people from all over the area, even from distant regions, queuing outside the clinic waiting to be examined. This made us appoint secretariat and reception so as to separate the urgent cases from the less serious or minor ones, which were distributed by appointment on the next days and the patients could be dealt with promptly and in an unhurried fashion. Here it is worth mentioning that whole families came to be examined, and in most cases, almost all the members were suffering from a disease requiring treatment.

We estimate that about

500 people were examined. We examined all patients, irrespective of religion. Most of them were Protestants, second in number were the Roman-Catholics, a lot fewer were the Orthodox, and some others belonged to various religious sects.

The organization of primary health care is of vital importance to the Metropolis of Kinshasa. A Health Center is already being built in Mont Ngafula area; its construction will have been completed by September but the structure needs to be equipped with medical supplies and staff.

Shortly before the end of the clinic’s operation, an event was organized, informing the residents of the area about prevention of ill

health and hygiene measures. The event was attended by more than 300 people.

On our way back, we felt as if we were leaving behind us a major task: to do everything possible -always with the power of God- to help organize primary health care at the Diocese of Kinshasa, which will be based on volunteering, so as to be offered free of charge to all inhabitants regardless of religion or economic status. That’s why we are making an appeal for volunteer doctors of any specialty, especially pediatricians and general practitioners, but also for aid in the form of medical supplies and equipment.

Sister Acylina

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Samoa

Navigator Islands On the threshold of daydreaming, we have the Samoan islands starring in the South Pacific Ocean. They consist of 2 large islands, Savai’i and Upolu.

Savai’i is the bigger and less developed island of the two. It has the largest volcano in the South Pacific. Upolu is the most densely populated of all, approximately 75 km long, and holds capital-city Apia.

The other few islands are smaller.

The island cluster, covering a total of 2.941 km2, lies 2,400 km northeast of the New Zealand coast. The population reaches 200 thousand and the currency is the Samoan tala. The inhabitants speak the Samoan language, which belongs to the Polynesian family.

They are called «Navigator Islands» because of the bravery of their bold mariners to cross the vastness of the Pacific Ocean in the past. They are also called «the Islands of Happiness» due to the smile which is booming on their faces. Here the people’s moral 44

code is as vital to their living as is the sunrise to the journey of life every day.

In the beautiful villages the palm trees reach as far as the sea. It seems that many trees caress the turquoise sea that is covered in colorful corals.

These exquisite islands, which have been formed by volcanic activity, have a lot of spectacular waterfalls as well as volcanoes.

The spiritual light of the Orthodox faith has already risen for our brothers on the Samoan islands. His Eminence Missionary Amphilochios Tsoukos knocked at the gate of the inhabitants’ sensitive hearts. Inward jubilation filled his soul when he baptized Mr. Peniamina and when he later ordained him Elder by the name “John”.

Worthy! Worthy! Worthy! Our Orthodox Missionary Fraternity rejoicing wishes Fr. John the blessing and protection of the Triune God upon him throughout his life.

Nostis Psarras

Columns of Gratitude Donations from 1.5.2017 to 31.7.2017

Donors’ names are only published in the printed edition

For God loves a cheerful giver

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Donors’ names are only published in the printed edition

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Donors’ names are only published in the printed edition

Attributions

This work is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license (goo.gl/Q9uqXL).

Similarly licensed works of the following creators were used in the respective pages::

4 Mikigroup 10 Ilse Reijs and Jan-Noud Hutten 21 Rod Waddington 38 Celeste Hodges 44 Andrew Moore 45 Steve Wilson 46 Louis Veston

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