“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children alone, and do not stop them from coming to me; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of Heaven belongs.” (Matthew 19,14)

After we made our Vows on February 2nd we left Jerusalem keeping in our hearts Theodore’s words; „Make your heart the ‘holy land’ wherever you will be.”

On our way home we, Andrea and Nancy went to visit our sisters in Tunisia. We had a wonderful week in the Community in Nabeul, Tunisia with Sr. Agnes NDS and Sr. Aracely NDS, who received us with a warm welcome. We bless God for each moment that we lived there and we appreciate our time and our sharing with the sisters in the community life, prayer and their ministries. Their community is really an example of charity and fraternity; they have a harmonious relationship with one another and with others, their friends and their co-workers.

Nabeul is a village where the majority of people are Muslim. We had the chance to speak and share with some Christian and Muslim families, some of them invited us to have a coffee together. We really enjoyed it and also it was very significant for us, since we could listen, learn and share with them about their faith traditions, families, cultures and the reality of the country.

In addition, we visited different places and we wanted to know more about the association “La Voix de L’Enfant” (The Voice of the Children) founded in Nabeul in 1989. This association cares for babies who have been abandoned by single mothers. We had the opportunity to share and to enjoy the babies. They were very special and had deep eyes, their smiles transmitted a lot of joy. Even though we spoke to them in Spanish and English, they smiled all the time! We also met with the staff and the director of the association. It is a wonderful work that they do and they love it.

We thank God for this opportunity to be with the Tunisians and the sisters, it was a blessing for us. Sr. Aracely and Sr. Agnes have beautiful and meaningful ministries in Nabeul´s community. How wonderful it is that Christians and Muslims can be together in one place in peace!

“To know whether a person is good, you must be sure that s/he likes music, flowers, birds and little children.” (Fr. Theodore, book 4, page 49)

Sr. Andrea Chacón Carmona NDS
Sr. Nancy Mena Fernández NDS
February 17th, 2018.