Dear sisters, with great joy I want to share with you my experience in the Betania Community (Bumbu). After completing a year and a half in the novitiate, I was assigned to Betania for my communitarian experience.
Once I arrived, I was received by the elder sisters. They help me to integrate myself here and, as main task in this community, being secretary.
The secretary task was to make notes during the communitarian meetings, to type documents, to sign documents with the local coordinator and keep them save.
Here I mentioned some moments of joy I live with my sisters in the community: communitarian pray, share meals together, seclusion time, to share missionary experiences, solidarity among us, recreation, celebrations…
Do not people say that the joy in the house of poor people lasts only a short moment? To my community in Betania, joy was stolen the night of December 29th and first hours of December 30th, 2020. A group of thieves broke into our community through the window of my room. When they were inside my bedroom, they opened my wardrobe, took all my clothes, and threatened us with guns. This was the most difficult time of my life because I saw myself dead among the thieves.
Only when they left, we were strong enough to escape towards our neighbors by climbing a wall. We even fell while doing it and as consequence we got some wounds. However, neighbors received us and provided us first aid.
Sisters, the story is so long that I cannot tell all the details. What we really appreciate is that there were no loss of human lives to lament. Therefore, dear sisters, we can thank together to God for his confidence in us, that he constantly renews.
SISTER NDAYA NGOIE Clementine