Hombre Mundo Meeting in Kenya
From 6th to 11th April 2022, the Mariapolis and Hombre Mundo event took place in Kenya – at Meru Igoji Parish and in Seme Kisumu. The invitation was extended to all people in the surrounding communities, and around 400 people turned up.
As one of the participants shared: “The experience was fantastic; Renovation and cleaning the home of a physically disabled person, cleaning the hospital compound, visiting the ill, and praying with them all made me realize my blessings and not take health for granted. We were also permitted to pass by a morgue near the hospital as part of our activities, which reminded me of how precious life is.”
The program was well-organized and balanced, with lessons in the morning and concrete actions/activities in the afternoon. Different themes such as Global Citizenship, the Culture of Giving, Social Media’s pros and cons and Ecology were explored and discussed. All was very rich in content and values.
An important part were Group Discussions and Mass held during the day to deepen the relationship among us and with God.
Another impression: “It was a wonderful moment because we lived according to the Gospel. We also did some concrete activities like painting the house of the disabled, we visiting the sick, cleaning the Church compound and planting trees. We did these activities out of love. You could see the smiles on the face of these people. This Hombre Mundo Mariapolis was a gift for me. I came to understand that bringing Jesus into the midst (Mt. 18, 20) should start with me. With the small things that we do like visiting the sick or just a smile.”
There was a final link up to connect the participants in Meru and Kisumu via Zoom, in which experiences on the Mariapolis were shared.
As someone expressed: “The complete event taught me the value of being grateful in all circumstances.”
And finally: “I should be the first to restore peace and never run away from difficulties. It was also a wonderful moment to learn from the Gen 3, who were the majority. We helped each other reach the goal of That All may be one! (Jn. 17, 21). I can testify that it was a beautiful moment.”
Nikita, Stanley, and Sammy
