Africa touched my heart
The Africa I experienced truly touched my heart; I was fascinated by it, but also deeply saddened. I saw so much suffering in the eyes and behind the smiles of the people. Although they live in conditions of extreme poverty, they possess a profound inner richness, feeling gratitude for the little they have, and despite everything, the presence of God was manifest in their gaze—that peace and joy which paradoxically, we rediscovered in the most remote places on Earth.
Such a reality should push us to reflect on our own faith, which is often doubtful and weak despite our well-being. To reach the villages, we averaged four hundred kilometers a day on dirt roads to visit various tribal communities, schools, and orphanages to distribute various materials. I had the joy of visiting the water well in Mtakuja and “the school that (isn’t) there”, projects that the Lord has given us the grace to realize through the funds of HPS Charity, of which my daughter Sefora Motta is the coordinator and president.
One can learn to embrace a life as the most precious of things we hold tight in our arms; one learns to remain silent, to listen… to give oneself freely as the only way, in our ephemeral vanity, to warm another heart that needs me, needs you, just as we profoundly need one another.
I want to thank…
And it is precisely to her that I want to dedicate this article, because she pursues her dream with so much love and passion. I thank her for giving me this wonderful opportunity and for making me fall in love with this marvelous land, for which I already feel the famous “mal d’africa”—a longing that will always stay with me until I return. Finally, I want to thank another traveling companion whom the Lord provided for us: Maria Rizzo, a blessing, a wonderful girl full of enthusiasm and love for others. Thank you for your humility and your sensitivity. Together with you and Sefora, we were a great team: united, close-knit, and of one mind. We spent wonderful days together. Furthermore, I thank God for introducing me to special people like Timothy and his family, and all his collaborators: men and women who always leave behind the fragrance of God. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this life-changing opportunity. ASANTE SANA!
