"I am Simon John Nyanda, a seminarian in my fourth year of Theology at the University of Navarra, I come from Tanzania Archdiocese of Mwanza, and I live and receive my formation in Bidasoa.

My vocation has an interesting history. When I was a child my father was very close to politics and he was very close to the most influential politician in my area in those days, the one called Samamba the buffalo. I once asked my father why he did not ask for any political post... and he told me that it was because he had not studied much as a child, and he insisted that I should study hard to be a great politician.

As a matter of fact I have been interested in politics throughout my life, in school I did quite well especially in defending some of my classmates who were competing for positions in the school.... My father, seeing that I was doing quite well in school, and that I was doing well in my studies, decided to send me to a Catholic school in the diocese of Bunda, where I studied for four years.

But there they gave a good formation of the Church, that's why my father had sent me there. My friends were the children of politicians, because birds of the same species fly together; we dreamed of being great politicians in the future... what a good time we had.

My grandmother was baptized by a priest that the people called the good one, the current bishop of the diocese of Musoma, Monsignor Musonganzila. I was nine years old in 2006. My mother along with my grandmother and many other women touched by the good parish priest were baptized as well. The following year we (children) also asked to be baptized, and we were baptized in 2007 along with my younger siblings and cousins. My father did not want to be baptized, because he was scandalized by the bad example of some of our brothers (Protestants) who did not work and dedicated themselves only to religion, leaving their lives a little meaningless.

But the figure of the priest seemed surprising to me and made me wonder if that could be anyone, like me too. I asked friends and priests about it and they said yes. So I began to consider my vocation more seriously, little by little, talking first with my father, who did not accept it because it was not what he expected of me.

Then I explained it to my pastor and later to the vocation director of the diocese and finally to the bishop.... Thank God I entered the seminary and my dad took it with joy those days.

I am very grateful to all those who support us in various ways in our vocation as priests, because in them and together with them God takes care of us.... What a joy it is to serve our brothers and sisters while we live! The reward in heaven is immense. I pray for you. Thank you." ????????