It all started with the visit, September last year, of Florence Ndagire, a blind woman from Uganda. I had got to know her as a young girl in Mbikko, Uganda, when I was a member of the formation staff in Jinja. She came across as very lively, highly intelligent and strong-willed. And sure enough, she went on to complete a Master’s in Law at Makerere University. That combination of exceptional ability and visual impairment did not go unnoticed and so she received occasional invitations to participate in international conferences on behalf of ‘persons with a handicap’. That is how she came to Oosterbeek on one such trip.
As there is a residence for visually impaired persons not far from Oosterbeek, at ‘Het Schild’ in Wolfheze, I thought it would be interesting for her to meet some of the residents there. And so we met Marianne and Ronald Polderman. That visit sparked an interest which would eventually result in the visit of a group of visually impaired persons to us, retired Mill Hill missionaries, at St Jozefhuis, Oosterbeek.
That visit took a long time in preparing – almost nine months of ‘gestation’. But yesterday, Saturday 6th July, we were privileged to welcome 25 visually impaired persons and companions from all over the country at our abode.
After lively conversations over coffee we all listened to some interesting and imaginative presentations by fellow Mill Hill Missionaries. Corry van den Bosch spoke with humour and passion about her experience as a lay missionary in Kenya and Uganda. Acutely aware of the out-of-the-ordinary audience in front of her she chose as motto for her presentation: ‘Give me your heart, and I will give you my eyes’.
Our regional, Ben Engelbertink, spoke of his missionary adventure among the Australian Aboriginees and how this resulted in a love affair with dot painting. What a delight it was to observe the visually impaired ‘see’ the samples of dot paintings Ben had brought along, with their fingers!
To crown it all Martien van Leeuwen presented his favourite project: collecting and selling lost golf balls from a nearby golf course for the benefit of a Baby Home in Rang’ala, Kenya.
After yet more interaction between visitors and hosts over a light lunch of soup and buns a mixed bunch of visitors and Mill Hill missionaries then proceeded – as prearranged – to Koningsoord, the Cistercian Abbey, which is located at a stone’s throw from St. Jozefhuis.
Here Sr Benedict Thissen OCSO was on hand to welcome the visitors to the monastery chapel. Her explanation of the various artworks and symbolic decorations of this tastefully arranged piece of modern architecture was very enlightening. Observing the visually impaired exploring with their fingers the various paintings, sculptures, the altar, tabernacle and other items in the chapel was deeply moving.
We subsequently sang and prayed in these aesthetically pleasing surroundings – a brief prayer service made available also in braille.
A welcome refreshment offered by the Trappist nuns – and a visit to the Abbey shop for some – brought to an end this unusual heartwarming visit. It felt like we had truly shared and exchanged hearts and eyesight.
Fons Eppink MHM
