Brother Jean de la Croix Kalumba-Yena, C.F.X. works as part of the Formation Team in Bungoma, Kenya. In this clip he discusses a unique challenge to formation in Africa; the young man who enters out of a need to survive.
Transcription: “In this country, mostly–African countries–people are surviving. The people are surviving. Sometimes, the men, the young boys who come to us, the motivation could be…could be just to be like that: it means just to survive. So anyway, it’s good. It can happen, but slowly by slowly motivation could, once again, be cleaned. And then the one who comes just to survive, and then he rises up and says “No, I cannot now just remain on this step. I can move from this step to another step; to live.” To live in like a coin, a piece of coin, you know? We have two faces. To live is also to sometimes die. To die to your ego. That is…it’s like when Jesus said, “If the seed put on the ground–under the ground–refused to die, it can’t anymore bare fruit.” So, it is very…for me it is very wonderful.”
“They give me more energy. So, you know, I am sick now for more than 12 years. So if I see, I look at, I gaze at the young men like that, with more energy, I feel also with them and I’m happy. Despite I cannot do that…I cannot do what they are doing, but I’m behind them!”