By Fr Efren de Guzman SVD

 APRIL

April 14 Sunday

We held a meeting after the Eucharist. We had a big questions for the members of different groups of fishermen. Last year five different groups received a boat and net for fishing, but unfortunately none of the recipients want to pay back to help future members. We were so frustrated till we heard one good comment: “Failure in not defeat until you stop crying.”

By Fr. Efren de Guzman, SVD

July

5 and 6

Armed men raided one of our villages in Bengo, around 60 to 70 kilometers from the capital of Luanda. They killed five of our community members. They took away the crops of the community ad wounded some men. When I learned what happened and decided to bring some food to the people, the police at first did not want to let me pass and reach the area. But realizing the gravity of the situation, they allowed me to help our community. The orphans were crying to me, begging me to transfer then to our other villages because of what happened. A lot of them were traumatized and wanted to abandon the place. One feels so helpless in the face of such a situation because one can’t really do anything to stoop the abuses of the military who are very undisciplined and poorly paid, as a result. They prey on helpless people, robbing them of whatever little they have.

By Efren de Guzman, SVD

Dearest MISYON Friends,

May the Love be the real joy of our life. What a privilege to have time to write you through my stories are sometimes sad. Will I write what’s really happening to me or things that will not worry you? Some friends were saying: “We all have problems. But sometimes it’s good not to tell them to our loved ones and make them unhappy. “But how will they know what to pray for it if I don’t tell them our latest news. I told you already what happened last December when we got involved in a shooting incident. Thank God we survived!

By Fr. Efren de Guzman, SVD

For twenty years now a civil war has been in progress in Angola, the government forces being led by President Dos Santos and the UNITA rebels led by Jonas Savimbi. Elections were held under the auspices of the United Nations, but UNITA were not prepared to accept the result. Since they have access to $500,000,000 a year from diamond mines, unscrupulous arms dealers continue to supply then with arms. So, also, they supply the government forces who have oil reserves. Fr. Efren de Guzman, the intrepid SVD priest, and his brave companions continue to do what they can for the poor and the afflicted. Here is one of his recent reports!

Killing Children

On April 8, at 6:00 in the morning the government soldiers of the military camp in Funda, 40 kms from our convent, attacked the people near the camp. They cut off arms and legs of men and women; children were thrown violently to the ground. Some of the soldiers had lost their mind and accused people of having killed one of their soldiers so they could have some reasons for putting our people in prison.