Fr Tom, what's your life like now? What do you think your mission is at the moment?
Now, by grace of God, I am fine. My faith and my trust in the Lord are strengthened. I am ever more convinced that God has a mission for me, as a Salesian. I think now my mission is to meet all the people who during my captivity prayed for me. It is right for me to meet them to thank them. I think that now my task is to celebrate Mass, to share my experience and to make people aware that God is near us and hears all our prayers.
How do you imagine the future in your Province? Do you think you will leave for another mission?
If the Lord wants and if my Superior allows it, then I will return to Yemen. If it is the will of the Lord, I am ready to return, also because in Yemen there is need of priests. If the Provincial decides to let me work in a technical institute, in a parish or in any other field, it will be fine.
What can you tell us about the situation in Yemen?
The war in Yemen is not finished and this provokes suffering and destruction. The Church, there, is in great difficulty. Only the Missionaries of Charity have remained; they have no priests who can celebrate Mass and have no spiritual support. We pray that the Lord can end this conflict and bring more peace and prosperity to the country. Let us pray that the Lord may rebuild the country and the lives of the Yemeni people.
Do you have a message for young people?
Certainly. My message for young people is to always continue to believe in God, to entrust themselves to Him and to have faith. Because God hears the prayers of us all and has a mission for us all. For some it will be to become a priest, a religious. For others, it is to become good parents. Today's young people will one day be fathers and mothers, they will build their own families, educate their own children. I remind young people that trusting in Jesus and the power of prayer is the best weapon against the enemy: not the cannons and the bombs, but prayer.
