Meet Sister Efu Nyaki, M.M.
By Sr. Theresa Kastner, M.M.
Q. Tell me a little about the situation right now where you are in Brazil…
I live in the northeastern part of Brazil, in the city known as Jao Pessoa. Economically, people manage to live a dissent life, and even those who live in the periphery/slum areas. However, like elsewhere in the world, there are a lot of problems and traumas caused by domestic violence and urban violence. The main cause of these violent situations is drug business and drug use; those who are drug dealers have the control of the situations throughout many cities.
Q. How would you see your ministry in that context?
Afya, Women’s Holistic Healing Center, is actually in the midst of the community. The Holistic healing center helps the women who have lost family members and/or who have seen the children of other women being killed. Many of the people from the community who have come to the center brings many different types of trauma related to violence. At the healing center, we use trauma healing methods such as Somatic Experience Trauma Resolution, Family Constellation Systems Therapy, and different kinds of body therapy approach.
Q. What kind of responses do people share with you after they have been through these healing sessions?
At our healing center we have a number of women who have gone through our healing sessions and programs. These women were healed and brought their husbands and sons who were also healed through the methods we use at the center. These women then asked to be trained in these healing methods, and they’re now helping other people who come from many different communities for the same purpose of healing. The most effective aspect that I see in these women are that they’re now therapists to others in need.
Q. How did the AFYA Center get started?
AFYA is a Swahili word meaning “health”. We created the center as a result of a necessity of space for women who were in dangerous situations of domestic violence and urban violence-we were working with many groups of women in the communities but we always had difficulties in finding space to bring women together. We also needed the physical space for the women in the groups who needed one to one extra attention and more care for their healing process.
Q. What would you like to say to our benefactors?
For the first seven years of AFYA’s existence, we have had wonderful support from different benefactors of whom we are always grateful. Many of those who have supported AFYA enabled the women to heal from traumas and physical illnesses, and in turn helped others and now AFYA is on its way to become self sustenance more a continuous flow of giving and receiving healing. Many benefactors who have supported AFYA have become indeed, our partners in mission and therefore we are really grateful. Thank you!
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Meatballs with Misua (Phillipines)
- 1 cup ground meat
- 2 tbs. chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 egg
- 2 tbs. green onion chopped
- 1 tbs. butter
- 6 cups rice water
- 6 cups misua, or egg noodles cut in short lengths
- Soy sauce to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
In a fry pan saute garlic and onion in butter. Add meat, green onion and egg, mixing well. Set aside to cool.When slightly cooled, form meat mixture into meatballs ½ inch diameter. Roll balls in flour. To a skillet add rice water and boil. Drop meatballs one by one into boiling rice water and cook 5 minutes. Add egg noodles and cook until done. Season with soy sauce and pepper. Add chopped green onions, salt and pepper to boiling mixture. Serve hot. Serves 6.
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Prayer Corner:
God is saying to each of us
in the chapel of our hearts:
Be still and know, that I am
Love!
I can repeat this slowly
and often,
Be still and know
Love!
Again, I can repeat this slowly
and often,
and then hear God say:
Be Love!
Sister Theresa Baldini, M.M.
Words of Wisdom
“There is nothing more astonishing than life, just as it is, nothing more miraculous than growth and change and development, just as revealed to us. At such times, we pause and look back. And, as happens so often when we stop to regard God’s work, there is nothing to do but wonder and thank God, realizing how little we planned, how little we achieved, and yet how much has been done.”
-Our Foundress, Mother Mary Joseph, 1936.