Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Christ is risen!
It is with great joy and love that I am communicating with you, to express once again the gratitude of my heart to you for the fact that, in the great sea called the Mission of the Gentiles, you are always beside us in peace and support, watching with special affection and love our breathing and our needs.
From the beginning of the establishment of the Holy Diocese of Arusha and Central Tanzania, in November 2016, under the loving care of His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria, Mr. Under the care of Pope and Pope Pope and Pontiff Theodore II of Central Tanzania for the reconciliation of the pious people of Central Tanzania, to date, the Orthodox Foreign Missionary Brotherhood has been at the forefront in the construction of Holy Temples, the drilling of boreholes, the operation of a Medical Centre, the soup kitchens for our numerous orphans and all our activities, putting into practice the commandment of love that the Divine Domitory of the Church has handed down to humanity, putting into practice the commandment of love that the Divine Domitory of the Church handed down to humanity.
There is a Chinese proverb: “If you make plans for a year, plant rice. If you plan for ten years, plant trees. But if you make plans for a hundred years, educate the young”! It is not at all easy to educate young people, in fact St. John Chrysostom says that: “to educate young people is the science of science”! In Africa in particular, where societies are still not organized, but also having as models the Anglo-Saxon countries as a result of their colonialism, the education of young people is a task, since from the first grade, kindergarten, to the university degree, huge funds are required, which, as you can see, our poor natives cannot afford.
Our brothers from Australia and Greece have undertaken to educate Tanzanian children, paying the tuition fees of mostly orphaned children, and already, by the grace of God, we have begun to reap the first fruits of our effort, since we started this effort from day one. Seventeen children from our diocese are already studying at all levels of education, and some of them have already graduated and received their degrees. Your Fraternity, of course, has also taken the lead in this matter, since, as I said at the beginning, you are our supporters everywhere and always.
With this article I wish to express to our brothers my gratitude and to make our activity known, not to receive praise but to ask for your help in this field as well. With 700 to 1000 € every year, someone can undertake an educational adoption, and educate an orphan child, boy or girl, from kindergarten to university.
As you know, our Bishops in Africa are not like in Greece, where each Bishop pastors a region which usually coincides with the geographical boundaries of a prefecture. The Diocese of Arusha and Central Tanzania, in particular, encompasses an area equal to three countries and a population of twenty million! Apart from the fact that the distances are immense, you can understand that the needs are endless and that to settle one’s diocese requires effort, time and enormous reserves of courage and financial resources. Above all, the grace of God, of course, and the love of our Patriarch, support and strengthen us. But also your moral and financial vigilant support gives us the strength and courage to continue.
May the grace of the Risen Christ bless your lives and works!
✝ Arusas Agathonikos
