I am currently on a pastoral visit to the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro. It is a beautiful day, as it seems to have rained the previous days. So today we are enjoying the green landscape with the variegated flowers and plants, the trees and even the huge stones that really remind us of the days of the creation of the world. Let me not forget to mention the rivers overflowing with clear water as well as the wild animals that suddenly appear and run away and hide in our presence.
So, in this beautiful and unprecedented landscape, I was scheduled to visit a parish that in 2018 I had the great blessing and joy of inaugurating. So there in this undiscovered place is this beautiful church dedicated to the three greatest luminaries of the world, Chrysostom, Basil and Gregory. Right at the foot of the snow-covered and beautiful mountain, this perpendicular church is built.
Upon arrival I noticed that the worshippers slowly began to gather and enjoy the warm sun in this panoramic setting. I greeted the few who gathered and sat down alone to enjoy the nature. As I was gazing at the snow-covered mountain, a young man timidly comes up and politely asked to talk to me about something personal. He was overwhelmed and didn’t know where to begin. I could even see that his eyes were already about to start streaming with tears of emotion and joy at the same time.
I let him express himself freely without pressure. I told him I was ready to listen to him. And of course I understood that he was in a difficult position at that time, since his “supposed” father wanted to kill him, actually stab him, because he chose to be baptized a Christian. In the 21st century there is such a thirst for the Orthodox faith that it is ultimately the only hope in these harsh times we live in. A story that truly stirs our souls.
This young man grew up with the protection of his only protection and hope, his grandmother, who was faithful and devoted to Christ and His Orthodox Church, and who took him with her to the services that were then held in a makeshift church made of sheet metal.
Mother did not meet the biological. There was one with two other children who was thought to be his supposed mother. One day she took all three and moved to another area because she loved someone and wanted to stay with him having all three children with her. He now the supposed father made demands and beat them mercilessly. These were too young to understand what was going on around them!
In a moment the young man thought of the good times he had had with his grandmother. Because the alleged father was already making plans to exploit these children, they hatched a plan and one day they escaped and went back to their grandmother. She was thrilled and was now preparing for their baptism. She was communicating with her supposed “daughter” and mother of the children. When she heard the news that the grandmother was preparing to baptize the children in the Orthodox Christian faith, with the threat from her alleged husband that she would “slaughter” them if they became Christians, she came and took the two youngest while the oldest resisted and did not want to follow the others.
But the young man loved the Orthodox services and the parish priest so much that he was now determined that he would be baptized an Orthodox Christian under any circumstances. From afar the stepfather threatened to “slaughter” him if he became a Christian. But with the blessings of the Church, the boy was baptized and given the name Michael and the vocation to serve in the sanctuary.
And now the new page of his life has begun. After opening his heart and pouring out all the pain and injustice that had accompanied him up to the time he received baptism, he begged if we could give him the opportunity to begin his high school studies. Of course we as a Church strive to support and give hope. So it was with great joy that we agreed to provide a scholarship for this hurting young man.
† The Nairobi Blessed Sacrament
