CALLED TO LOVE AFRICA 

MY EXPERIENCE IN THE IVORY COAST 

Maria Luisa Rotatori Lay Missionary It is not important who is writing these pages. Important it is to have met this wonderful lady of whom we can be only proud and to whom we can be only grateful. I am talking about Maria Luisa Rotatori, a lay missionary, who, for several years, has been in mission in those places where only a piece of bread or a bowl of rise can save from starvation human life and, more importantly, children, who should represent out tomorrow. For them tomorrow is always uncertain as well as is today uncertain. Maria Luisa began her lay mission a few years ago. With much courage, faith and love for the others, she went to bring her help and smile to leprosies in Brazil. I think that in the beginning she suffered not little, but her faith helped her a lot to overcome the difficulties, to be in direct contact with the Lord in order to help those sick with leprosy. All began in 1992, after a long period of reflection, of self-inquiry, of discerning about what God wanted from her. Giving yourself to other is not easy, also because not all those who are close to us can understand what we feel inside and what we feel we are called to do, even at our own risk. This choice, this radical change in her life finds its roots in the far 1985, year of the tragic death of her teenage daughter. Endless pain and emptiness, the whole world seemed to fall on her, nothing has any value, even her mind cannot understand the reason of events. Not even God seems to help, we don't understand what He wants from us. But Maria Luisa did not loose her faith; she began to search what she needed to do: to help the others, to bring that help that she could not have brought to her daughter and husband, departed too early to the house of the Lord. I think that many people would have lost their mind, with no capacity to stand back again after such a fall (you only hope that you will reach them soon). But Maria Luisa did not give up: she kept on working as a nurse (even this is a mission). Yet she could not fill the emptiness she felt inside her, her empty existence, with no motivations but for her living son, to whom she devoted herself entirely. But this was not enough, and the good God turned her to a missionary life in remote countries, where it is important to bring a smile to all who suffer, to give them hope for life, to make them aware that they are not abandoned to themselves, but that merciful God stretches His hand through people such as Maria Luisa to help them and be always close to them. Thus he mission in Brazil began, the first step of a long journey. Maria Luisa never talks of that she does because her humility makes her simple before the people eyes. She prefers to remain behind, close to those who suffer, to cry with them, risk with them. But she can smile and love with simplicity without asking for anything in return. She accepts sacrifices, sorrow and diseases as gifts from God, because God is our only safety. In order to go to Brazil she had to resign her job, leave her family. When the Lord calls you must be courageous, faithful and abandon yourself completely to him and answer "Yes". Many a time I asked myself how much love this kind of people must have for the others! To give yourself completely can make you object of mocking and ridicule, but not from God! If we could all understand at least in part the commandment left to us by Christ "Love each other the way I loved you" there would be in the world fewer suffering people and more Maria Luisas. To give your life for your brothers is the greatest act of love, but even to simply give according to your means is a thing dear to God, and gives relief to those who are in need. After returning to Italy, Maria Luis began to believe not only in herself, but also in the strength God was giving her to accomplish even greater missions. She realized that she was an instrument in the hands of God. Thus she left again for a new continent: Africa. It was 1996, with destination the Ivory Coast, about 200 miles from its capital. The place was poor and lacking everything. The people was living in precarious hats, with stagnant water, no electricity, no hygiene, no money, no jobs, no food, NOTHING … only degradation and diseases. Thus she began to help these people with what she had: her life. With her knowledge as a nurse she was and still is able to cure those who suffer. After a few month in Africa she went back home to Corinaldo, and began to ask for help from everybody: not money but clothes, shoes, tools, stuff to cook, bed to sleep not on the floor, to give a bad at least to the youngest, to the newly born, to the sick ones. Many people brought her stuff of various kinds, which she gathered, catalogues and divided according to their use and packed in boxes recycled from stores. All is still continuing well, and Maria Luisa begins to see a light in what she does. She is sustained by the Lord and works day and night. There is also a priest who helps and encourages her a lot. I have met her almost by chance, by the will of God. I was driving with my wife to Corinaldo. I parked my car and saw Maria Luisa talking very anxiously with other people. We stopped, she greeted us, and we began to speak. She told us that she was worried that she could not keep a promised she had made to some people in the Ivory Coast: she has neither means not money. She explained to me the matter. I looked at my wife and we understood each other at once. We gave her our help to find what she needed in order to keep her promise. She was also worried because she was running out of time before returning to Africa, and therefore I promised her that I would find all the material by that date. This is how things went. Then I began to work with Maria Luisa. We shipped a container to the Ivory Coast, filled with many things. Maria Luisa left a few days before the shipment, so as to be there when the container would get there, in order to verify that the goods would be properly used. Always alone in that far land she works night and day without rest to fulfill the requests of the people, but especially to give them cures and medications for their infected wounds. During the days she was and is able to give a meal to these people. But more importantly is the love and smile with which she welcomes them. She covers many miles a day to visit the sick, the needy ones who cannot move. Dusty roads, hot, humid, at times non-breathable air, bugs, mosquitoes that risk to give you diseases like malaria, just as it happened to Maria Luisa. Malaria is always around the corner, and whenever it comes back it gives very high fever, abundant sweating, and many more disturbs that force her to bed. Once malaria caught you, there is no way out, and you carry it inside you for the rest of your life, with all its consequences, with all its periodical outbreaks. But these sufferings do not weigh on Maria Luisa, because what she does is love for the Lord. She no longer prays for her but for those who are needy, and God knows how important she is for this mission. She began by herself in that desolated land trying to build something that might look like a home, at least to have a roof above her where to welcome, dress and cure the others. With time aid came from different people, organizations, companies, artisans, schools. Full of joy she was knocking at doors to ask for something to ship there. An organization of his town (AVIS) along with the local church gave her an ambulance, so as to be able to assist the people more quickly and safely. The divine providence came to her aid. A person who had recently lost his wife helped her. This happened a few years after Maria Luisa was going back and forth (and at her own expenses) from Africa, saving daily for the necessary ticket. Such help was blessing from merciful God, who knew what she needed and sent it to her. The person I am talking about is a respected engineer. His wife had helped Maria Luisa and he continued on her legacy, giving her very generously, also much faith. Thus a new era began, not only for Maria Luisa, but also for those who were waiting for help, for food. The works began. Projects were submitted and endorsed. Then came also congratulations from those who had not been able to help, and which are very welcome because they give comfort to the humanitarian mission. Maria Luisa also overcame the barrier of language, since French is the official language of this area. She operated in a place called Yakassé-Féyassé Cote d'Ivoire. Here she everybody calls her "mom". She has been midwife for many babies. This is a difficult job, as well as to provide food, to give the right nutrients, to leave in constant fear that the newly born might not make it, to see them suffer hunger, thirst and diseases. That breaks you heart. The works proceeded speedily, although with difficulties due also to the fact that the soil is rocky and covered by sand. But the presence of our dear engineer helped to overcome the problems, and the first stage of the project was accomplished: a welcome center where also a precarious E.R. was established. In this way Maria Luisa was working better, since she could use a place where to medicate and cure. Later on, also a school was built, both elementary and middle school, for about 100 children. These children had never seen a building where they could study, play safely, eat every day, be washed and live in a healthier environment: a real house with doors and windows, and playground for their fun. All this, however, has increased Maria Luisa's work. She received help, but she has very little time to rest during the day and part of the nights is spent preparing the necessary for the day after. All must always be ready and available for the community for which she lives and works. Those few times we talk on the phone make her happy; she tells me of all the problems she encounters, the state of the works. She is often very emotional and sometimes you can hear she has like something stuck in her throat that impedes her to talk. Every time I ask her when she will be back, and every time she give me the same answer: "Whenever I finish to organize all the things we have shipped." He staying there lasts each time about 3-4 months and, whenever she comes back, she remains about a month, not only to be with her family, but to look for material and to seek people who might help her cause. Once we needed bicycles: they for the people who were helping her there, in order to move more quickly. We shipped a huge number of them, thanks to mush solidarity from every source. When she is back in Corinaldo, especially during Christmas, she has no time to rest, but always employs her time to gather stuff and money to prepare a new container to ship. She sells poinsettias, and the money she gather goes in part also to war orphans from the ex Yugoslavia. She is not alone in this initiative. Many people help her, spending entire days outside in the cold or under the rain to sell as many plants as possible. All these actions point to the humility of these people, and what she does is really mercy. I don't think that God could give a greater gift to those who know her. We must be proud to be able to help her with what we can, so as to become instruments in the hands of God. I often think about those people who live in selfishness, who don't care, who pretend not to hear or who answer that they too have many problems! Then you see them coming out of the store with plenty of bags, and yet they don't give you a can of soup to bring to those who are starving. These behaviors hurt those who know the crude reality, who are in teach with that dreadful misery. God says that whatever help we give others, we give it to Him. Yet, how many people don't do that, don't understand the importance of an act of mercy. How many will have to answer God! I hope no one: I hope they will eventually understand how wonderful it is to see a smile on the faces of those whom we help; to see happiness in the eyes of people who do not have anything; to see a smile in a kid to whom you give a pen to write, a notebook, a small chair where to sit more comfortably and draw on his little desk; to see their happiness when they play with nothing. We cannot see it because we have all the comforts. We will have to work much harder to gain the eternal life. What we really lack in this world is an interior joy, peace, humility, the awareness that our life is a gift from God, and not our own property. In the meanwhile at Yakassé-Feyassé the wroks go on and the first part of the most important building, the hospital, is being completed. Maria Luisa leaves, but this time dangers have increased, because the war broke out, and the situation is very serious. Consequently, food is lacking and she must use all her money in order to buy rise for the people. She brought food even where it was difficult to go, covering many a mile a day. Now the hospital is being equipped, and machineries of every kind are in need in order to cure the people and prevent diseases. There are doctors who periodically go to the Ivory Coast to bring medicines. Their task is immense, but they are being repaid by the joy of this people, by their simplicity and smile even in their sufferings. Now Maria Luisa is no longer alone, and these doctors help her a lot. They cannot stay long, but it is still a lot of help for help. While she works in Africa, several people work in Italy to gather all that is necessary to fill another container with medicines, clothes, and bicycles, all under the attentive care of people in charge, and all belonging to the church of Senigallia, a city near Corinaldo. Maria Luisa has also helped an already existing hospital far way from where she is, and which was lacking even the simplest machinery and medicines. For this she has been publicly thanked in a local newspaper and by a public ceremony. Thanks to her the nuns now have a house, and school is able to guest about 60 children. Now the locals are able to cultivate their land, to grow vegetables, thanks to the equipment she contributed to bring there. It is a great satisfaction for this newly farmers, and the realization of a dream for Maria Luisa to see those plants grow. They also found water, and built two wells. The water needs to be purified, but at least they have water. Even the hospital has now some equipment, as a result of donations from Italian institutions. Maria Luisa evaluates what to ship every time. It is true that they are poor people who would not disdain anything, but Maria Luisa knows that they too have a dignity, and deserve to be treated with dignity. We cannot treat those places as our garbage land. What I wrote is to divulge what these missionaries do in those remote lands, so difficult to locate even on an atlas. Maria Luisa Rotatori is one of these people. She is white woman among many with a darker skin, and yet she identical to them, because we are all equal before God and have the duty of feeling such. Mother Teresa used to say that each one should be like a drop of pure water in the middle of a dark ocean in order for this to become clearer. Maria Luisa is such a drop. Thank you for existing and may the good God give more strength and much will to continue this wonderful work. Our prayers will always accompany you wherever you are. Ciao.