From the window of the Boeing 737 I could see the Ecuadorian jungle in its humidity like a green endless sea. I thought of the beautiful creations of God, horses and horses, that live there. After an hour and fifteen minutes of flight we descended almost touching the tops of the towering trees, when suddenly the runway of the Impfondo airport opened up in front of us. Among the waiting people I distinguished a tall figure in a cassock: Deacon Sergius. In the church we were met by several of our faithful with flowers. I experienced beautiful times of prayer with them during Lent. Their participation was lively every day at the Orthros and the Great Eucharist. At the Mass of the Annunciation and the Holy Cross, the house we rent was filled with the new converts inside and outside. Their souls were also filled with the truths of our faith concerning Our Lady and the Holy Cross in the catechism that followed. Whatever the Lord enlightened us to say was heard in three languages: in French for those who have gone or are going to school, in Lingala for many of the women and the illiterate, and in the language of the Pygmies, the Baâka, as the locals call them. The Pygmies are numerous among our believers and very consistent in church attendance. Among the inhabitants of Impfondo they are numerous, having formed two districts of huts on the outskirts of the town. In the middle of March a different forum for the Pygmies was organized by the state. They set up outside the town accommodation, meeting places and an amphitheatre for official events. Many guests came and great expenses were incurred. The theme: the recognition of Pygmies’ rights and their inclusion as equal members of local communities. They were also granted a part of the forest by the river, where they built their huts. This formally improved their position among the Bandu, the other Africans, but not their finances, since nothing was left for them from the money that was abundantly distributed. They continued to come to the Church in their dirty rags. That is why
We organized a committee of believers and bought and distributed used but good clothes from the bazaar. With these they came to their baptism . Στις 26 Μαρτίου στον ποταμό Ουμπανγκί έκανα την τρίτη ομαδική βάπτιση στο Impfondo. Μεταξύ των κατηχουμένων είχαν ετοιμασθεί είκοσι επτά, από τους οποίους δώδεκα ήταν μικρά παιδιά. Οι δέκαεπτά ήταν Bandu και οι δέκα Πυγμαίοι τέσσερις άνδρες και έξι γυναίκες. Πάλι μια πιρόγα έγινε η εξέδρα μας, ώστε το νερό να είναι αρκετά βαθύ στο σημείο της βαπτίσεως. Είχαν έλθει μερικοί πιστοί και αρκετοί από τους κατηχουμένους μας Πυγμαίους παρευρέθηκαν, για να δουν τη βάπτιση και να χαρούν μαζί με τους βαπτιζομένους. Κάθονταν στη σκιά των μεγάλων δένδρων στην όχθη του ποταμού. Εμάς μάς παρατηρούσε με το καυτό του βλέμμα ο ήλιος του Ισημερινού καθώς και οι ψαράδες που περνούσαν μπροστά μας με τις πιρόγες τους. Πάνω από δύο ώρες κράτησε η βάπτιση και έλαμψαν οι καρδιές και τα πρόσωπα των νεοφωτίστων μαζί με τις λευκές λαμπάδες και τις λευκές μπλούζες τους, όσες μπορέσαμε να βρούμε στην αγορά. Οι άγγελοι τούς αγκάλιασαν με αγαλλίαση προστατεύοντάς τους από την οργή των δαιμόνων: Φεύγοντας ακούσαμε ένα δυνατό κρότο πίσω μας καθώς ένα τεράστιο κλαδί έσπασε από ένα γιγαντιαίο δένδρο και έπεσε ακριβώς στο σημείο που πριν τρία λεπτά κάθονταν οι οικογένειες των Πυγμαίων που παρακολουθούσαν το μυστήριο. Φθάνοντας στην Εκκλησία μας ένα μηχανάκι κτύπησε τη μικρή Ρεβέκκα, ενώ διέσχιζε τον δρόμο. Είχε παρακολουθήσει τη βάπτιση μαζί με τη μητέρα της όντας και οι δύο ορθόδοξες. Την πήγαμε γρήγορα στο Νοσοκομείο. Ευτυχώς είχε μόνον λίγες πληγές στα πόδια της, αφού ο άγγελός της την κρατούσε από τα χέρια.
In Th. The 27 and then almost all the faithful participated in the Holy Mass of the Pilgrimage of the Cross . This was followed by a treat and a talk about the Holy Cross. The Pygmies sang their joy and danced in their own distinctive way. But my joy was also completed with the cancellation of the flight the next day, giving us the opportunity for another four-day stay in this traditional African city where a primitive bicycle helped me to get to know it better, but also to mature the conditions for the purchase today of the land where the church of St. Mark will be built. The patron saint of Africa, the Evangelist Mark, will now work with the new Orthodox community to ensure that the dreams of our brothers and sisters there will be realized.
Monk Theologian
