Missionary Trip to NAMIBIA—Reported by Emil Hagamu, September 2009.

The Republic of Namibia is nearly the size of Tanzania, it covers a land mass of 824,292 square km (512 square miles), with Windhoek, the capital city, situated at the heart of the country. It gained independence on March 21, 1990. The population of this country is nearly 2 million people, and its population growth, one of the lowest in Africa, is only 2.9% per year with a population density of 2.2 people per square km.

RECEIVING THE ARCHBISHOP’S BLESSING

I landed in this country on the evening of Wednesday, September 16.  After landing at Hosea Kutako International Airport, a taxi driver drove me to one of the hotels near the city center where I spent the rest of my six-day stay in this country.  In the hotel, I met a large group of Tanzanians who had come for a two-week short course in materials procurement. So, I really enjoyed staying in this hotel, as we were able to share stories and wonders of the town. This gave me a huge advantage by allowing me to introduce my pro-life ministry to this group, all of whom are working with the government. They were amazed at the work HLI is doing, and I gave them some pro-life material, which they appreciated.  In the course of the week I was able to convince two of them to join the pro-life movement. They promised to contact me back in Dar es Salaam.

The next morning, I took a taxi to the Cathedral and went straight to the Bishop’s office. With my letter of introduction in my hands, I was warmly received by the receptionist, who directed me to the Bishop’s personal secretary, a Filipino nun, Sr. Bernadette, OSB. She was so welcoming and cooperative in the spirit of Benedictine missionary hospitality. She took my letter and business card to the Archbishop, who was very busy that morning.  I thought I would not be able to see him; but, to my surprise, after waiting for about a half an hour, I was invited to meet the Archbishop of Windhoek, The Most Reverend Liborius Ndumbukuti Nashenda.

The Archbishop was happy I had visited him and extended his willingness to support our work. He said the pro-life movement is very important today, given the many challenges posed by the anti-life groups in his country. Threats to human life, Christian marriage and the traditional family are so immense that HLI has come at the right moment, and the Catholic Church in Namibia will cooperate in responding to these threats. He recommended, however, that I first meet with the Secretary General of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference and talk to him about this important information. The Secretary General would then deliver the message to the bishops, who would make a sound decision.  At the end of our visit, I asked for the Archbishop’s blessing. In his blessing, he prayed for the pro-life mission of the Church, for the gift of life and family, for the mission of HLI, and for me and my work in English-speaking Africa.

THE NAMIBIAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE

I made a telephone call to the Secretary General, Fr. Thomas Manninezhath, CMI, M.Th, PhD, and told him that I desired to meet him at the Archbishop’s recommendation. He accepted my request and asked me to meet him later that same day. I took a taxi to the Bishops’ Conference office, situated some distance from the city center, and was received by the receptionist.  Fr. Thomas came out immediately and welcomed me into his office. I spent about an hour with him, explaining to him the mission of HLI, its impact in the world, and the role of the regional coordinators. Together, we planned the pro-life program for next year. He strongly recommended holding pro-life training sessions with the majority of participants being the laity. He suggested that, for maximum impact, the number of participants should not exceed 40.  I proposed to conduct the training in October 2010.

THE FUTURE OF THE AFRICAN CHURCH

Fr. Thomas took me to the St. Charles Lwanga Major Seminary, where I met the Rector, Fr. Benny Karuvelil, CMI, M.Ph, PhD, a young, 42-year-old priest. I shared with him the seminarian pro-life programs that we offer in different countries around the world. He was so moved that he asked if HLI would conduct a seminarian program at his Major Seminary. We arranged that when I return for the Bishops’ Conference pro-life program, we would also conduct the seminarian program.

The next morning, I went to the Cathedral to attend the English Mass and afterwards had a productive briefing with Prof. Geoffrey Kiango on the pro-life ministry.  He showed a deep interest in our work, and I gave him some pro-life material, including The Facts of Life book, The Case Against Condoms and The Maputo Protocol booklets. He promised to contact other people interested in starting a pro-life group. Prof. Kiango is a lecturer at Triumphant College, which enrolls students from all over southern Africa.  Present also at this briefing meeting were a few others from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, who had been attending a short course at this college.

On Monday, I had the privilege of speaking with a young lady who is Anglican. The conversation started after she picked up our pro-life material, “Love and Let Live,” “Life and Death” and saw the 6/7 fetal photo, which she found on the table in the hotel dining room. I explained to her our pro-life mission and the programs that we offer, and she lamented that her church has abandoned the mission of imparting moral values to the faithful. She said that such an omission and negligence has resulted in moral confusion among the faithful. She said that her church does not teach anything on abortion, contraception, and other moral evils. Young people have put their trust in condom use for family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention. I took some time to turn her away from the condom mentality and made her realize the need to observe the virtues of chastity and faithfulness before and within marriage. When she complained that it is difficult to abstain, especially for young people, I said that everything that is good is difficult to attain.

At the end of our one-hour talk, she was “converted” and discovered the beauty of living a chaste life before marriage and reserving sexual intimacy for marriage only. She told me the horror of abortion – “some girls die after an abortion, others do not conceive again, others become very sick.” She said that girls do not like to use the pill or injection birth control because of the many side effects. She said that she would talk to the youth of her church and would like me to go there and talk with them. Unfortunately, this conversation occurred on my last day. But, I promised her to meet them when I come back for the training program next year. She asked for more pro-life material, which she will share with other young people.

              This missionary trip was my first visit to the southwestern part of Africa. Namibia is arid, yet it is economically more developed than most African countries. There are many anti-life groups working against its small population. All major UN organizations are housed in the town center, convincing the citizens that if they decrease their population further, they will prosper.  However, HLI’s presence in this country will make a big difference.  Being received in such a positive way from the Archbishop and the Secretary General of the Bishops’ Conference has given me confidence that our next trip to this country will be very effective in planting the seeds of the culture of life. Let us pray that God blesses our efforts.