Romek Janowski SVD Catholic Mission in Zambia
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Writing a book

10/22/2012

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Some of my friends listening to my missionary adventures suggest that I write them down  a book. That happened especially after my Easter and Christmas letters in which I describe different missionary events. My humorous response to that is that I'm too young to write a book and apart from that it would take ages because I'm not a good writer. One day I noticed however, that there actually are a number of joyful stories that happened in my missionary life worthy to be written down, which would otherwise vanish forever. Perhaps my blog is a good start towards a book. In this blog I try to more or less on a regular basis publish short stories or happenings I find interesting. They are usually accompanied with a thematic photo. Hopefully one day they could be put together to form a testimony of my missionary life. When I look back at the years I spent in Africa in this jubilee year I realise how much I was privileged to experience. 


A few days ago one of the boys from my vocations group said to me: "Father, let us write a book together." When I asked what kind of  book we should write he said that I was a good Samaritan and he was the one who got help from me and would therefore provide me with topics I could write about. He was convinced there would be people willing to read that. He is a nice chap from our group of about thirty men. I helped him with his tuition fee and he gratefully helped us with occasional work at our house. 

I'm sure I'm writing a book, if not necessarily in ink, I write it with my life. Some read it willingly, because they are my friends, for others it is less interesting because they don't pay much attention to the importance of missionary work. After all, everyone is writing their own book. 

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Mysterious vultures

10/22/2012

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In our life we do meet different people, some people we know better others less. Some people after a short time we may say we know them, others even after a long time still may surprise us by the way they act or react. Quite often we would like to have our opinion about everyone. Unfortunately our opinion not always is a correct one. One person may surprise us positively, another one very negatively, we may ask why did he do it, we could never expect him to do so. Many people have their opinion about vultures, including myself. Until my last trip to Chobe Park in Botswana I thought, that vultures are very dirty birds, because they eat rotten meat. What we saw last time in the park was very shocking. There was a big group of vultures enjoying dead impala. Beside that place was a stream of water. All vultures after eating that rotten meat went for bathing. Really deepening inside the water and washing themselves, and later got sun bath. It was amazing.   As vultures surprised us with our little knowledge about them, much more human beings may surprise us. We are never able to know someone very well.

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No need for a mike

10/22/2012

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Our Mission House in Livingstone in which I live now is situated beside the main road on which we have so many cars and the people moving everyday. Also at night the number of people passing is quite big. Everything would be okay if they were just walking and talking. Naturally the Zambian people are very friendly and social, so they cannot just walk  beside one another without narrating many stories, at times heard already many times before. Sometimes I wonder if they need so many listeners to listen to their stories. Why? They cannot talk normally, they shout, as they were talking through microphone, that all the people around may hear their stories and admire them. They do not need microphone. I am a forced listener. During the day time there is not so much problem, but at night these stories quite often wake me up. And when I am almost sleep after that story, the next story comes..  Cell phones are here very popular, when someone starts talking on the street then there is lots of fun, especially when he talks with his girlfriend, and forgets that others may listen to him.  So here they do not need microphones.  
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I'm going fishing

10/22/2012

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 Some years back when I was still in the seminary  one day at the beginning of Mass Father Provincial said “I am going fishing”. All students were surprised, but he repeated again  “I am going fishing”. Then my friend in the bench whispered to me – are you not joining him. Well that day was the Gospel from St. John 21:3-4.  As Peter informed other disciples about his going for fishing they responded that they would join him. I think Peter was tired of all what was happening around and needed a break. I also follow an example of Peter and regularly take a day off for resting. Normally I go for fishing but there is more than fishing – there is a beautiful nature, which one can admire with plenty different spices of birds and animals, including my friends crocodiles. There are very quiet and peaceful places, very good for refreshing and relaxing. It is just fantastic. I am sure you too must be  tired and deserve a break from time to time. Are you ready to join me? I am going fishing……………..

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    Author

    Father Romek Janowski SVD is a Polish missionary in Africa. He has worked on the continent since 1988 and currently resides in Zambia's former capital Livingstone. Father  Janowski serves as a chaplain in two Zambian prisons providing pastoral and emotional support for inmates, works in Livingstone Cathedral and is immersed in work with young people towards vocations.

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