INTERVIEW WITH Sr. MARGRETH KIBOLA EFRAIM

Sister Margreth Kibola Efraim

Sr. Margreth is Tanzanian and at present she is in the community of Gumo-Ghana  where she works as headmistress in St. Charles Lwanga Primary School.

Anna Nduku Muia: Recall a time when you felt most alive, most involved, spiritually touched, or most excited about your involvement. About memorable experience you have had with MSOLA.

Maggie: One of my best experiences happened when I just arrived in Ghana after my first profession. I became very sick with severe headaches. Nothing seemed to help me get cured. At one moment I gave up the struggle and wanted to go back home. During all this time of pain and struggle, I greatly appreciated the care, support and concern of all the community members. Each one did all she could to help me recover from this. Finally, a doctor was brought and he gave me some medication and after a day I was completely well and since then I have never struggled with my health till now. The care given to me kept me going and I share this experience with joy and gratitude.

Anna: What made it an exciting experience?

Maggie: To see all my sisters each concerned, trying even to prepare the local herbs to save my life. The fact that after suffering for long time, in one day Dr. David was invited to see my situation and gave me a small bottle of syrup which healed me immediately and that since then I have never fallen sick to the point of taking medication excites me even to today.

Anna: Describe how you felt?

Maggie: Supported, loved, cherished, cared for, happy and grateful.

Anna: What did you do as a result of the experience?

Maggie: I was grateful to the members of the community, whenever I met the doctor who rescued me I reminded him of how he saved my life. Because of the attention and care given to me, I also do the same to my sisters when they are not well and anyone in need.

Anna: What are the things you value deeply about MSOLA? When you feel best about being a MSOLA, what about yourself do you value? What is the most important thing that MSOLA has contributed to your life?

Maggie: I treasure very much the opportunity to have yearly accompanied retreat. I am able to reflect about my MSOLA vocation, community life and the mission entrusted to me. I come out renewed and re-energized. The time for personal prayer where I can choose just to sit before Jesus even without having to say a word has helped a lot and with joy I can say: “ I have met the living Jesus.” The space and freedom to express myself has helped me a lot in all areas of my life.

These things I have mentioned above which I value make me feel best about being a MSOLA.

What I value about myself is the gifts of generosity, availability and compassion that I exercise not only in the community but to all who need my help.

The single most important thing that MSOLA has contributed to my life is the opportunity I had while I was in the novitiate to encounter a Professional Counselor who really helped me in the healing of my past. Due to this I have been able to build up my life. The fact too of being in the novitiate itself was a great blessing to me. I encountered the Lord in a very personal way whom I felt was calling me forth to life, sending me to share life and be a life giver.

Anna: What is according to you the core value of MSOLA? What values give life to the Congregation? What is it that, if it did not exist, would make MSOLA totally different than it currently is?

Maggie: The mission entrusted to us. As for the values that give life to the Congregation I would say the love for our Charism, our common mission, community life and simplicity of life(we are not complex in our life style.)

What would make MSOLA totally differently than it is currently is our common mission- wherever we are our mission is one, we are not divided according to our continents, a sister can work in any part of the world where we are present.

It is also the history of our beginnings in an Islamic country and the desire of our founder has helped us a lot to co-exist with the Muslims, to be in the fore front in inter-religious dialogue.