On drugs, radical change and "tasty steaks"
Luciano, Ambrose, Tanaka
HONIARA: 5th Feb -- 'Don Bosco' runs a small training center on the outskirts of Honiara, the small capital of the Solomon Islands. This beautiful agglomerate of islands lost in the Pacific were known until the violent ethnic war of last year as the "happy isles"
The Training center was established at the beginning of September at the height of the ethnic war. It was meant to give a message to the Solomon Islands, and particularly Honiara’s out of school youth lured by the "militancy and crime adventure", that there is a God who loves them and offers them a new chance to grow through the gift of Don Bosco’s kind of education.
All prisoners in the capital were released (because of the ethnic war, certainly not in the spirit of the Jubilee). 4 of them who began an auto-mechanics course in jail and 16 others young men were screened and selected to undergo a two years training program in the newly built facilities at Don Bosco Henderson, just outside Honiara, in front of the Airport.
During the Christmas break as I went around town looking for a "fresh steak" for our Christmas evening meal I happened to enter a butcher's shop. After choosing what seemed to be a good choice piece and paying a fair prize for the "Vanuatu special frozen delight", in the spirit of accountability I asked the butcher for a receipt. "What name will I put on the receipt?" the rather serious looking butcher asked me. Just Put "Don Bosco" I replied. At this point the butcher’s mood drastically brightened up. Not only did he give a good discount but he would not stop thanking me, "Don Bosco", for having made a great difference in the life of his son.
"My son was in all kinds of vices and used to engage in all sorts of street brawls… he would never help at home nor in the shop… now he stays at home, he is respectful, he helps us in the family, he stopped all vices and never missed his classes…he keeps talking about Don Bosco"
I never felt so good, I thanked him for the discount and asked him to thank God for the gift of Don Bosco whom I clarified was not me (but very much related, more than a close "wantok").
As I went home I checked on the "Test papers" of my "guidance class" to check on the butcher’s son's statements. They coincided perfectly with his father’s.
" I stopped all kinds of alcohol, drugs and brawls with opposing gangs.. my life has totally changed since I met Don Bosco and I am particularly grateful for the new life of hard work at school but at the same time full of peace, security and future dreams"
After five months with Don Bosco, students and staff have expressed their gratitude as we celebrated our family feast together around our founder and father after the morning Eucharist, quiz and fraternal sharing.
In the evening meal with the clergy and religious, one of the Marist teaching Brothers, who lost a good number of their cows in the recent ethnic war asked us where we bought such a tasty meat. Thank God he continued with an exhortation, without waiting for my answer, not to buy meat from "that" particular shop in town because of the suspicion they were selling "their stolen cows"
I will never thank Don Bosco enough for saving me from the embarrassment of having to answer that question…
We are now thinking about starting a course of "good Christians and Honest butcher fathers"…
The Honiara "Happy Isles" Community
