This Wednesday, Fr. David and Mateo from The Prince of Peace mission at Nyangatom, Ethiopia, visited Betanzos, accompanied by Popy (a volunteer for over 13 years), at her workplace: Fundación Hospitalarias Betanzos.

Fundación Hospitalarias Betanzos serves more than 160 people with intellectual disabilities, working for and toward the holistic health of each one of them, providing person-centered therapeutic care that prioritizes wellness and professionalism.

Before their arrival, the participants in the occupational workshops watched some videos about Nyangatom and reflected on them so that, when Mateo and David arrived, they could share their thoughts and concerns.

At the end of the visit and the conversations, as we do every Wednesday, we held a Mass presided by Fr. David, during which we kept in mind above all that, whether from Nyangatom or Betanzos, every life matters, and we must approach each one with love and peace.

Popy García

Friend and Collaborator of the MCSPA

Coming home after a long journey and realizing that something inside you has changed forever. That is exactly what has happened to the two of us.

We arrived in Kenya with doubts, expectations and many questions about what we would find and what we would take away from this adventure. Today we know that there are not enough words to describe everything we have lived, felt and learned during these days.

We spent ten days at Lobur Mission of the Missionary Community of Saint Paul the Apostle (MCSPA), where we had the opportunity to closely experience the projects that sustain the community: nurseries and child nutrition programs, a primary school, healthcare through the clinic and mobile clinic, the construction of water wells and dams, and a school for training young farmers, supporting them so that they may apply at their homes all that they have learned and generate resources for both self-consumption and trade.

However, what has left the deepest mark on us was not only the projects but the people. Being able to live alongside the local community, connect with their culture, their way of life, and listen to their stories has been profoundly transformative. During these days, we shared moments that will stay with us forever: from helping to donate shoes to children, attending lively local masses and baptisms, to assisting at the mobile clinic while nurses cared for pregnant women and vaccinated children.

We want to sincerely thank everyone who accompanied us and made this experience so special, especially Deacon Micheal and Fr. Andrew both members of MCSPA. We realise that this is much more than a community – it is a family, a chosen family, and it was a true gift to be a part of it, even if only for a few days.

We return from Africa more humble, with full hearts and, above all, with a renewed way of seeing the world. Sometimes we go on with our lives without stopping to think that all of this is real, that there are people living realities we could never imagine and who need our help. This journey was a necessary pause, a soul-shaking experience that opened our eyes.

It has been a deeply human, transformative and magical experience.

by Toni & Silvia
Barcelona [Spain]