VOCATIONAL JOURNEY IN THE MDR’S

The postulancy is the stage that precedes the novitiate, another stage of religious life. Like any other life, those who decide to follow Jesus live many beautiful experiences of the encounter with the Risen One, in this Easter season, as well as in other liturgical seasons that the Church offers us. And at this stage one lives several experiences; these are the ones I am living as a postulant, starting with the environment in which I find myself, because it is a land that had never crossed my mind to get to know, in the province of Huíla, which is in the south of Angola.

I have been in Lubango for 7 months now and I am enjoying it very much, although at the beginning it took me a little while to adapt to the climate; very cold, I thought I could not make it because of that, but in the meantime I did it. As a postulant, I overcame the difficulty of adapting to the climate, and as expected, I found others. It cost a lot to adapt to the new rule of coexistence, this was another struggle I had with myself, struggle to fall into the real of letting go of what I lived in the previous stage and live a new life, a new experience: land, people and totally different realities, because when there is no difference in the new is to worry, because in the end, it is these differences that make us grow in the various dimensions of life (human, psychological and spiritually). That is what I did; I did not discard the experiences of the Aspirancy, only that I am no longer attached to them, and I try to live those of this stage:

• Pastoral dimension: as a postulant in addition to catechesis, I work with young people and adolescents. It is a new experience in which I am learning a lot from them and they with me, I think.  Because it is something new, it was not easy for me because it is a little complicated to deal with people of the same age group; but I did not give up, and I asked God to help me in what I find difficult to do, either because of lack of experience or fear, and He has always helped me and continues to help me.  
• Community dimension: this is something that I have already lived in the Aspirancy stage, but it is totally different. I was entrusted with the responsibility of taking care of the kitchen towels, being the economist and responsible for preparing the rooms when we have visitors.  Other responsibilities in community such as liturgist (preparing the prayer and the environment). Taking care of the animals on a weekly turn. We have a school complex called Padre Ramon Zubieta that started this year, and we also collaborate in the area of cleaning.
• Liturgical experience in the Archdiocese of Lubango: Both at home and in the parish, the liturgy is very dynamic, starting with the singing, dancing, even the readings that are done in the various languages of the region.

What I am living so far, is a good and unique experience. I am beginning to see and live the reality lived by the Sisters, because it is this life that I will live. The result of this is the fruit of my prayers and your prayers, which I hope you will continue to do, because the journey is not done alone, but together.

Postulant Neusa Cabanga Morais

Lubango

Angola