It was the 8 th October 2008, the first time I heard His Voice calling me : only after much fighting, resisting, and trying to run away, I surrendered and heeded His call. I started a great adventure to follow Christ wherever He would go, with courage, renunciation, and disposition, to announce Him to the world by my life. And today I am today in Africa, in this way of joy and of exigencies which is missionary life.
With four other missionaries, we live in Cape Verde, in the city of Praia, on the island of Santiago, where everyday I get to know and love more the people, the culture and the cape verdean language. Women are strong and carry everything on the head, the little children on the back, men are always ready, and young people – the joy of my life – are a lot, so many that we cannot count.
A rich country in natural beauty, with kind-hearted people, welcoming and nice, it is not difficult not to fall in love.
Just five month of foundation of the Cape Verde mission, it is a joy to contemplate the force of the Charisma, that already arrived before our arrival here. Our house is always filled, we receive visitors of all ages, and everywhere we go people already know our names. Weekly, we have a night of praise, and with young people we do moments of prayer, of leisure, vigil, cinema… And together we learn to answer to the calling God makes to us to Be Shalom.
Each day I experiment the Love, Mercy, the Shalom of the Father burning inside of me. As Life Community, I go struggling, suffering, living the joy to invest everything (plans, dreams, family, my life) to evangelize.
I am young, I am Shalom. He called me and I said Yes! I am a missionary in Cape Verde in Africa. And you, do you now what God calls you to be?
Jenifer Mariane Nunes Sousa (23 years old)
Consecrated of Life Community Shalom Catholic Community