Winter in Kazakhstan has settled all over. Although March and spring are on the calendar – we are standing with a shovel in hand, as another storm has covered access to the “world” with snow… Our parish priest is stuck several hundred kilometers from home, waiting in a safe place until they open the closed routes. This is the situation here, you cannot be completely sure of anything – the weather changes quickly, playing more tricks on us. Pouring out successive layers of white fluff, I think, has it covered our house in Zielony Gaj in the same way? Can the sisters in Kellerovka get to church through the snowdrifts? Has the wind dimmed the fire in the stove for the sisters in Tajynsha? And Lisakovsk? Surely in such a storm it is impossible to go for water…
They say there are a lot of us in Kazakhstan. But we, looking at our ministry here and the sea of needs, see that it is still not enough, that we would still need hands and hearts for this mission.
At the end of January we had the opportunity to meet in Shchuchinsk. All of us came! For two days we stayed among the beautiful nature to talk with each other, pray together, share what is our joy, but also what hurts us, what we do not cope with…. Just to feel one community of the Kazakh Nazareth.
Fr. David Sladek, a local parish priest, accompanied us in this meeting. He prepared conferences for us on courage and fear, celebrated the Eucharist, and served in the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. We were also able to see and talk via internet connections with Sr. Alina Furczyk – assistant general, Sr. Paula Szuba – provincial from Krakow, as well as Sr. Beata Rzepczyk – assistant provincial from Warsaw. The words that “the mission in Kazakhstan is in the heart of Nazareth” strengthened us a lot! They added confidence and faith that seeking people here for Christ is not meaningless and will not be fruitless! Thank you for sharing your time and spiritual space, experience, for understanding and a sense of unity…
Thanks be to God for the gift of the missionary vocation of Sr. Nikodema and Sr. Małgorzata from Zielony Gaj, Sr. Tomasza and Sr. Zuzanna from Tajynsha. For the vocation of the Sisters from Kellerovka: Sr. Letancja and Sr. Rita, for the Sisters in far Lisakovsk: Sr. Christella and Sr. Emilia, for Sr. Marianna and Sr. Kazimiera, ministering in Shchuchinsk….
Please pray for us sometimes as well…
Sr. Kazimiera Wanat
