Merry
Christmas and Happy New Year !
We greet the New
Year 2015. I express my New Year greetings
to all of you, and I hope for your happiness and health. I also wish for walking together with Sierra
Leone, with Sisters, and with Benefactors, secondary to last year.
The Christmas and New Year Message from Sr. Elisa Padilla, the
supervisor of OLG Schools in Lunsar, to benefactors of “Walking Together”
arrived on 30th December.
Reading the letter from Sr. Elisa, I appreciate all of benefactors that I knew our support had made good use
of the people in Lunsar in a state of emergency.
Katujiro
Kanno
Director
of Walking Together
OH
COME LET US ADORE HIM
Dear
members for Walking Together, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !
As the shepherds did 2000 years ago, Sierra
Leone is bending down her knees to adore the Child that is born to us. We,
Sierra Leonean, have many things in common. We like Him have knocked at many doors
some opened to offer room. Others instead shared with us, they did not.
“Oh come, come let us adore Christ!”. Let
us adore his divine will because He knows what is good for us. “Bestow upon us
the grace of faith and hope that you watch over us with love and providence and
that your will for us is always good”. This is the prayer recited every day by
many sierra Leoneans. Surprisingly, no one has ever questioned God for what is
happening to us on the contrary we are ever more closely follow HIM.
Just before the days of Christmas, we were
able to move around , from your feeding support , we could distribute 450 bags
of rice plus rice and all the ingredients (rice, palm oil, salt, fish, groundnuts,
tomato paste, ground nut oil, pepper for 2 weeks) to more than 30 families to
those in quarantine, to the survivors, the poor, the needy and the lonely in
Lunsar and the surrounding villages; ingredients and rice to 50 families at
Kailahun for 2nd tim；300 bags of rice at
Mange Bureh Primary Pupils and Mambolo village 500 ;. For OLG 200 students we
have finished 2nd week of December. All this was possible due to the help we
receive from “walking together” and other many generous people. We ended up
tired but appreciating the help of many of you. So many smiles dances of
gratitude, all embracing a big THANKI, THANKI. We too want to say thank you to
you since without your help we would not have been able to reach so many and
assist to those in need after the holydays.
This Christmas was a quiet one as just on
the eve of the celebrations a lock down was announced as people are still dying
of ebola in several places this time the most affected are Kono, Yele, Lungi,
Portloko and Freetown. No one was expected to be on the streets from 24th to
28th December inclusive. Only Christmas Mass was allowed on 25th and all
celebrations should end before 5pm. Many people reacted as we were caught
unaware. No preparation was made particularly in the feeding side… It was
impossible for people that struggle every day for their bread to store food for
five days!!! Thank God, Caritas intevened and people have been allowed to sell
in the market from 6am to 5pm every day. No other activity should take place.
Christmas this year focus on the real
meaning of the celebration. Our masses lasted for almost four hours but He was
at the centre of everything!! Our prayer is the one of St. Paul 2nd Cor. 1, 10-11. “ He rescued us from such
great danger of death, and he will continue to rescue us; in Him we have put
our hope that he will also rescue us again, as you help us with prayer. So that
thanks may be given by many on our behalf for the gift granted us through the
prayers of many”.
HAPPY
CHRISTMAS TO ALL!
Clarissan
Missionary Sisters Lunsar
Sr.
Elisa