Kampala, Uganda…..from Fr. Don Dunson
It was an evening that comes only once in four years. If one was bent on wreaking havoc and terror in a way the whole world might notice, the night of the World Cup Finals was the perfect global stage to act.
Stephen, an employee of St. Kizito Foundation and a dear friend, was at Kyadondo Rugby Club in the heart of Uganda’s sprawling capital city, Kampala. It was one of the many outdoor sites especially prepared for gathering to watch the final match between Spain and The Netherlands.
Suddenly, Stephen was thrown from his seat and hurled across the lawn. Two people seated directly behind him were hurled from their seats into eternity.
It had been a picture perfect last evening for Africa’s first World Cup. There was pride and camaraderie across this continent of over 1 billion people. In an instant the celebration became a nightmare as bombs exploded in two venues where fans had gathered in the thousands. Chaos and fear developed as over 70 lives were claimed, and many more were injured. Many Ugandans immediately suspected Somali involvement in this savage and heinous assault on their fellow countryman and many foreign visitors, including Americans. In Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, early the morning after the attack, Sheik Yusef Issa, commander of the terrorist group al Shabbab, was quoted as saying, “Uganda is one of our enemies. Whatever makes them cry makes us happy.”
Systematically depriving people of hope has been used throughout history, and is still being used in our day, as a political or military weapon. Oftentimes, in lands of abject poverty, political and ideological elites prey on young people who are adrift in a vast sea of hopelessness. Were these bombers among their numbers? What prompts a human being to act with such deadly and seemingly senseless violence? Is it revenge for a perceived grievance? Ugandan soldiers comprise the lion’s share of the African Union’s peacekeeping forces in Somalia, unquestionably one of the most lawless regions of our world. Was this a retaliatory measure by Somali extremists sending the world a message: “Leave us alone?” Was this massive killing of innocent sports spectators some bizarre form of fanaticism that exalts those daring enough to risk everything?
I sense there is also a mendacity of heart that must settle deep inside those willing to kill indiscriminately in order to promote a cause or a belief they hold more sacred and valuable than human life. Such hardness of heart alone can turn people away from their own humanity and toward becoming unfeeling, efficient killing machines. I have been witness to this destruction of human dignity in working with the formerly abducted child soldiers who have escaped the brutality of the LRA rebellion, a guerilla brigade that refreshes its numbers by kidnapping children. Rebel brigades and terrorist groups attempting to indoctrinate fresh recruits must somehow find a way to obliterate the distinctively human attributes of their new members. Sympathy, compassion and a natural proclivity to connect with other persons in jeopardy are actions that belong innately to human beings. These, above all, must be stamped out if a terrorist or new child soldier is to kill on command, or to strap on a bomb and annihilate themselves and as many others as possible.
Our friend, Stephen Ojok, of the Acholi tribe in Uganda, miraculously survived the deadly bomb blast of July 11th. He invited me to his family’s ancestral home in Gulu just two nights after the attack. In the Acholi way of life, if someone has narrowly escaped death he must come back home to his place of birth, consult with the tribesmen, and connect again with his roots. Then a ritual celebration of life ensues. The whole extended family, together with neighbors and friends, all gather around him. This action is meant to build up his soul precisely so the mendacity of heart of the perpetrators of such violence can never find a home in his heart.
_________________________
Stephen Ojok was sitting in the front row, by the large screen, when the first bomb exploded. It is believed that the bomb was only about 5 meters from him. Although his head was grazed by schrapnel, God has blessed him and he is now fine. We ask your prayers for him, and for all those who were victims of such inhuman action.
Be assured that we are all safe - we are about 4 hours north of Kampala and nowhere near the site of the bombing.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
A Tribute and a Wish
Just before we left for Uganda, the St. Kizito family was struck by the tragic and unexpected death of the mother of one of our original students. Usuman Ssempa was actually the young man that planted the seeds in the heart of Fr. Donald Dunson that eventually grew to be St. Kizito Foundation. He is currently studying for a Masters degree, and remains one of our scholars – and a fine, bright, loving and joyful person. His mother, Hazidah Nakinyingi, recently suffered from a kidney ailment that claimed her life too soon.
Both Fr. Don and I were aquainted with Hazidah and had spent some happy and memorable times with her, including a wonderful dinner last summer. Although she spoke no English, we all communicated well and had many laughs. Hazidah was impressed that I was wearing “trousers” and announced her plans to follow suit. She also claimed that she was ready to be baptized just as her son was last summer.
But the most special thing we shared with her was a deep love for Usuman. She was so grateful for Fr. Don in her son’s life! And surprisingly, she was very happy that her son had a “second mother” to love him. Here in Uganda, everything is shared!!!
When we spoke to Stephen, our staff member and good friend to Usuman, he was also saddened – certainly by the loss, but equally by the fact that Hazidah could have been treated. His words to me were really an eye-opener. He said, “If we lived anywhere else in the world, she wouldn’t have died. But here in Uganda we don’t have proper medical care.” Although this is something many people in the world are aware of, it really changes things when we are talking about a friend rather than a statistic. How can it be that we can’t manage to provide basic and reasonable health care for everyone? How is it acceptable to allow such discrepancies and differences to exist? We can send men into space and make circuits and devices that cannot be seen by naked eye, but we can’t find a way to balance the world’s distribution of basic life necessities, and this is painful to realize – especially in such a personal way.
So I would like to offer a tribute to Hazidah Nakinyingi – kind woman, hard worker, and most of all amazing, loving mother. May she rest in peace in the kingdom of God.
I also express a wish – one that MUST come true. I wish and hope that the future brings balance and compassion to the way we as human beings care for each other and connect with each other, so that everyone has enough and no one suffers simply because of where they live.
Both Fr. Don and I were aquainted with Hazidah and had spent some happy and memorable times with her, including a wonderful dinner last summer. Although she spoke no English, we all communicated well and had many laughs. Hazidah was impressed that I was wearing “trousers” and announced her plans to follow suit. She also claimed that she was ready to be baptized just as her son was last summer.
But the most special thing we shared with her was a deep love for Usuman. She was so grateful for Fr. Don in her son’s life! And surprisingly, she was very happy that her son had a “second mother” to love him. Here in Uganda, everything is shared!!!
When we spoke to Stephen, our staff member and good friend to Usuman, he was also saddened – certainly by the loss, but equally by the fact that Hazidah could have been treated. His words to me were really an eye-opener. He said, “If we lived anywhere else in the world, she wouldn’t have died. But here in Uganda we don’t have proper medical care.” Although this is something many people in the world are aware of, it really changes things when we are talking about a friend rather than a statistic. How can it be that we can’t manage to provide basic and reasonable health care for everyone? How is it acceptable to allow such discrepancies and differences to exist? We can send men into space and make circuits and devices that cannot be seen by naked eye, but we can’t find a way to balance the world’s distribution of basic life necessities, and this is painful to realize – especially in such a personal way.
So I would like to offer a tribute to Hazidah Nakinyingi – kind woman, hard worker, and most of all amazing, loving mother. May she rest in peace in the kingdom of God.
I also express a wish – one that MUST come true. I wish and hope that the future brings balance and compassion to the way we as human beings care for each other and connect with each other, so that everyone has enough and no one suffers simply because of where they live.
We Are Family
Saturday was a day of great celebration for St. Kizito Foundation. At St. Joseph Primary School in Nsambya, we gathered the students, parents, and guardians from the Kampala region for a meeting/celebration. Nearly 80 people were in attendance, including very young primary school students, many secondary school students, former students, and friends. There were several people present who were among the first scholars in 2001, as well as a few very new students, and some that hope to be in the future.
Wow!!!! It was truly a special day, filled with the presence of God, and also with the presence of those who were absent – all of our benefactors and friends in the US. There was an overwhelming expression of gratitude and a realization of the great gift of solidarity and connection that our students feel toward the many, many people who have reached out to St. Kizito Foundation. As they say in northern Uganda – apoyo matek - thank you very much!
Throughout the day, I felt a deep sense of something very special – a sense that we are family. This seems so cliché, but for those of us gathered, it was much more real. And it is our hope that it will be ever more real for all who are part of St. Kizito Foundation, in any way. It is nothing new to say that in this world we are all one family under God. But as we gathered, we truly saw and felt what that means in a new way. Admittedly, it is not the first time we have discovered the bonds that have been created by our ministry, with God’s grace and help. Nevertheless, it was a unique, affirming, and somewhat overwhelming realization. Simple scholarship – money given to pay a tuition – is not enough for the vulnerable children that we support. They seek to belong, to be loved, to know that they are important and have reason to hope. Many seek the family they don’t have. And in our gathering, it was very clear that we are looked upon as parents and family – and this is what makes the ministry of St. Kizito Foundation different for our scholars.
The most important part of the day, like any occasion, was the wonderful lunch that was provided for those gathered. For students (and parents) who usually have only the simplest, smallest meals, the feast of both meat and chicken, greens, peas, rice, potatoes, matooke (a mashed plaintain type dish cooked in banana leaves), posho (something like cornmeal mush and a staple for school children), and ice cold soda pop was fit for royalty or special holidays (even if we did eat it all with our fingers!). Rosaries and M&M’s from Cleveland were the icing on the cake!
For sure the day was more than a meeting or gathering to discuss issues and concerns. It was a family reunion – filled with hugs, expressions of love, fun, laughter, prayer, and lots of group photos. Because we really are family.
Wow!!!! It was truly a special day, filled with the presence of God, and also with the presence of those who were absent – all of our benefactors and friends in the US. There was an overwhelming expression of gratitude and a realization of the great gift of solidarity and connection that our students feel toward the many, many people who have reached out to St. Kizito Foundation. As they say in northern Uganda – apoyo matek - thank you very much!
Throughout the day, I felt a deep sense of something very special – a sense that we are family. This seems so cliché, but for those of us gathered, it was much more real. And it is our hope that it will be ever more real for all who are part of St. Kizito Foundation, in any way. It is nothing new to say that in this world we are all one family under God. But as we gathered, we truly saw and felt what that means in a new way. Admittedly, it is not the first time we have discovered the bonds that have been created by our ministry, with God’s grace and help. Nevertheless, it was a unique, affirming, and somewhat overwhelming realization. Simple scholarship – money given to pay a tuition – is not enough for the vulnerable children that we support. They seek to belong, to be loved, to know that they are important and have reason to hope. Many seek the family they don’t have. And in our gathering, it was very clear that we are looked upon as parents and family – and this is what makes the ministry of St. Kizito Foundation different for our scholars.
The most important part of the day, like any occasion, was the wonderful lunch that was provided for those gathered. For students (and parents) who usually have only the simplest, smallest meals, the feast of both meat and chicken, greens, peas, rice, potatoes, matooke (a mashed plaintain type dish cooked in banana leaves), posho (something like cornmeal mush and a staple for school children), and ice cold soda pop was fit for royalty or special holidays (even if we did eat it all with our fingers!). Rosaries and M&M’s from Cleveland were the icing on the cake!
For sure the day was more than a meeting or gathering to discuss issues and concerns. It was a family reunion – filled with hugs, expressions of love, fun, laughter, prayer, and lots of group photos. Because we really are family.
Familiar Faces, Familiar Places
Greetings from Uganda! We arrived safely here on Wednesday evening and had a happy and boisterous reunion at the airport. Stephen, one of our St. Kizito staff/family, as well as Sr. Rosemary and her sister were there to welcome us with flowers, open arms, and lots of hugs and joyful noises! We’ve been here only a few days, but it seems as if we have already done so much – it has been a very busy schedule so far. In order to catch up, I am writing several short blogs rather than one overly long one. Please look through them all. In a short time, there is much to tell.
It is amazing just how much this country feels like home away from home. Not that it is anything like Ohio! And there are so many things that are just so different and so very critical (like not sticking your toothbrush under the faucet instinctively….). Still, it feels so very familiar, and it is easy to fall into the rhythm of life here. The unique smell of Uganda (not a bad odor, but different); the tastes of foods that are fresher, simpler, but still good; walking nearly everywhere and the always frightening boda boda rides (motorcycle taxis).
Most important, though, are the familiar faces. It is an amazing blessing to have good friends here, on the opposite side of the world from our home. It makes the world truly feel small, yet so big because we can’t connect the two “homes” and bring everyone together. Our many friends – family really – send their greetings and love to all of you, as well as their gratitude for sharing us.
And it is really these friends who make the ministry of the St. Kizito Foundation so strong. We have often said that the people of Uganda are wonderful, amazing, loving, welcoming, resilient and joyful. But I will say it again because it stands out boldly again as we spend time with our St. Kizito scholars and friends here in Uganda. Today we had a celebration with many of our students – but I will tell you more about that later. This evening, we had a wonderful Chinese meal (go figure) with Stephen and two long-time students who have become more like a son and a daughter. Henry is a quiet, crafty, and very endearing young man who had us roaring with laughter most of the evening. And Teddy is a very poised, intelligent, expressive and loving young woman who brings joy wherever she is. And of course Stephen is a former student who now administers the southern region of Uganda for St. Kizito. He is very intelligent as well, and very organized – he is most helpful in making things happen and getting us where we need or want to go, but he can also be just a big kid when we are relaxing and having fun.
Even more amazing are the familiar faces that we don’t really know. It seems that Ugandans really remember people well. Everywhere we go there are people who remember us and are very happy to see us again. It is really something special – or more accurately the people really, truly are special. It is good to be in Uganda.
It is amazing just how much this country feels like home away from home. Not that it is anything like Ohio! And there are so many things that are just so different and so very critical (like not sticking your toothbrush under the faucet instinctively….). Still, it feels so very familiar, and it is easy to fall into the rhythm of life here. The unique smell of Uganda (not a bad odor, but different); the tastes of foods that are fresher, simpler, but still good; walking nearly everywhere and the always frightening boda boda rides (motorcycle taxis).
Most important, though, are the familiar faces. It is an amazing blessing to have good friends here, on the opposite side of the world from our home. It makes the world truly feel small, yet so big because we can’t connect the two “homes” and bring everyone together. Our many friends – family really – send their greetings and love to all of you, as well as their gratitude for sharing us.
And it is really these friends who make the ministry of the St. Kizito Foundation so strong. We have often said that the people of Uganda are wonderful, amazing, loving, welcoming, resilient and joyful. But I will say it again because it stands out boldly again as we spend time with our St. Kizito scholars and friends here in Uganda. Today we had a celebration with many of our students – but I will tell you more about that later. This evening, we had a wonderful Chinese meal (go figure) with Stephen and two long-time students who have become more like a son and a daughter. Henry is a quiet, crafty, and very endearing young man who had us roaring with laughter most of the evening. And Teddy is a very poised, intelligent, expressive and loving young woman who brings joy wherever she is. And of course Stephen is a former student who now administers the southern region of Uganda for St. Kizito. He is very intelligent as well, and very organized – he is most helpful in making things happen and getting us where we need or want to go, but he can also be just a big kid when we are relaxing and having fun.
Even more amazing are the familiar faces that we don’t really know. It seems that Ugandans really remember people well. Everywhere we go there are people who remember us and are very happy to see us again. It is really something special – or more accurately the people really, truly are special. It is good to be in Uganda.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
No Options
Today is Good Friday. For many, it is a day of fasting, abstaining, and sacrifice. This brings to mind one of the best descriptions I have heard of what it means to be poor. Being poor means having no options. What a truly accurate description this is! It encompasses financial and material poverty for sure, but also spiritual poverty, lack of love and nurture, and so many other ways that even the wealthy can be poor.
After spending time with our brothers and sisters who are truly, unavoidably poor in Uganda, I begin to see what it truly means to fast on this Good Friday, and what the purpose of Lenten practices are. Today, for one day, many of us accept a slice of life with no options. While the choices still really exist for us, we choose to ignore them and endure perhaps a growling stomach, or that overwhelming desire for the chocolate bar! It is like opening ourselves up to knowing what it is like to be poor. Perhaps this is why, according to Scripture, "Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of God." When we can open ourselves up to the risk of truly letting go and becoming poor - accepting the experience of having no options, even if it is temporary and voluntary - we truly begin to understand what it means to be human.
Today is also a day to reflect on the journey of Jesus to Calvary and the cross. In this incredible, necessary, sad and glorious walk, Jesus shows us the sides of humanity that we all face but would glady avoid. Everyone falls sometimes, in one way or another, just as Jesus fell three times on the way to his crucifixion. We are all poor and struggling in some way.Simon of Cyrene is the stranger who helps Jesus carry the cross. What an example for us to reflect on and strive for. We are all capagle of reaching out to those in need as Simon did - of taking risks to help alleviate others' suffering. But we are often too wrapped up in our own lives and problems to reach out or give thought, real thought, to others who are suffering. Keep in mind that Simon simply helped Jesus carry something, and through this simple action he contributed to the salvation of humanity. He did something profound by performing a simple task for someone else.
In Uganda, as in many places of the world, a torrent of unending struggles are the cross people bear. Many Ugandans, often children, have actually been crucified by the rebel war and it's aftermath. With all they have faced, it would seem so easy to succumb to despair and defeat. But they seem to rise above rather than giving in to a living death. They are so strong, even in their vulnerability. One thing I notices after spending some time there is that these people replace anger with
gratitude, hatred with forgiveness, rejection with love, fear with true and deep faith. It is in this choice, a choice to survive and live, that they are wealthy!And it is amazing how much better life can be when letting go of that which must be, that which cannot be changed, and living gratefully with the gifts you are given.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Washing Each Other's Feet
Tonight, we begin the celebration of a very holy week, the most important events of our Christian faith. We begin with a beautiful celebration of service in the washing of the feet. In our own community prayers tonight we will recall the loving act that Jesus performed for his disciples - an act that even a slave could not be forced to perform in Jesus' time.
After spending time in Africa, I can begin to understand just how humble and difficult an act this footwashing might have been. I have never seen feet as dirty as I saw in Uganda, and I remember well just how hard it was to wash the red dirt from my own feet. In Jesus' time and homeland, it likely was very much the same. Open sandals were common, and feet must have become very dirty after so much walking. The task of washing the disciples' feet was certainly not a joyous task, nothing like the trickle of water we see poured symbolically at our celebrations on Holy Thursday.
Jesus performed this act out of love for his disciples - and I am sure he looked into thier eyes as he did so, reflecting that love to them in their last moments together. What a moment this must have been for the disciples.
Looking into the eyes of the other is a very telling act. The connection is strong and deep, and we see so much there. We see the strengths and weaknesses, joys and sorrows radiating from the eyes we gaze into. And often we see something of our own truest self as well. I confess that as I gazed into the eyes of the people I met in Uganda, our St. Kizito family, I discovered a new humility. I often felt guilty as I talked to these friends, because I know how much more I have and how much less I suffer in my life. And I began to recognized on a deeper level how much we are all responsible for each other. Amazingly, the only thing I felt radiating from the eyes of these wonderful friends was pure love!
I offer two photos for you to reflect on in the coming days. The first shows a child who has experienced only poverty, war, and other struggles that breed difficulty and despair. The second is a small child who lives in one of the poorest places in the world. But she is beaming, because she has just received a religious medal sent with us from Northeast Ohio! Someone in the world loves her, and this is all she needs to be happy. Look into the eyes of these two young girls, and see the face of Jesus there. Imagine washing thier feet, loving them out of despair and into a happy childhood. Feel the joy and grace that only this loving service can bring. 
I also offer this reflection for today.
Fr. Donald Dunson has a sayng that is so very inspirational and powerful. He that the single most important task that we have in life is to become a skillful practitioner in the art of loving the way Jesus loved. And in this week, we see that love in all its glory.
Pope John XXIII has given us a way to practice the love our faith calls us to. He suggested that we do three simple things: Observe, Judge, Act
Our faith is a lived faith, a call to be the image of God as we were created. In the Passion of our Lord we see the action we are meant to be a part of.
This summer I had the opportunity to visit the small villlage of Attiak, where the photo of the happy little girl was taken. On a particularly hot and dusty day, I was in the small village, where the worst had been thrown at the people young and old alike. This village has endured violent attacks by rebels, devastatingly destructive weather, disease, famine, and drought. Their crop fields are brown, the well is often dry, and their church is riddled with bullet holes. The day I visited, I helped feed the village children bread and tea – probably the only food they had that day. I prayed with sick children in a small clinic, I spoke to a new mother whose hand was rotting and whose baby was obviously ill. And then I sat in the dirt with the children and talked with them– with two translators! They all wanted to touch me and to be touched. And they sang for me – and the songs were about Jesus and love. On the long road home that day, I reflected on the experience, and I realized that I had seen the face of God in each of the people I met, and most especially in the children. The whole Passion story had played out before me – the innocent suffering, the difficult life, the death of earthly hope for comfort and security, but also the rising above out of love for the God who is love. And I knew that God’s love was calling me to be that love in this world, as he calls each of us.
This week, we all have the opportunity to really enter into the Passion of our Lord, and the mystery of our faith. If we can take the time to observe the prayers and practices of the week – the celebration of service on Holy Thursday, the stark emptiness of Good Friday, our movement from darkenss to light at the Easter Vigil, and the abundant joy of Easter Sunday, and if we can also observe the world around us; if we judge the call our God is making to us, if we reflect on what we see, hear, and pray; and if we act in faith and love the way Jesus did, then what a week it will be!
After spending time in Africa, I can begin to understand just how humble and difficult an act this footwashing might have been. I have never seen feet as dirty as I saw in Uganda, and I remember well just how hard it was to wash the red dirt from my own feet. In Jesus' time and homeland, it likely was very much the same. Open sandals were common, and feet must have become very dirty after so much walking. The task of washing the disciples' feet was certainly not a joyous task, nothing like the trickle of water we see poured symbolically at our celebrations on Holy Thursday.
Jesus performed this act out of love for his disciples - and I am sure he looked into thier eyes as he did so, reflecting that love to them in their last moments together. What a moment this must have been for the disciples.
Looking into the eyes of the other is a very telling act. The connection is strong and deep, and we see so much there. We see the strengths and weaknesses, joys and sorrows radiating from the eyes we gaze into. And often we see something of our own truest self as well. I confess that as I gazed into the eyes of the people I met in Uganda, our St. Kizito family, I discovered a new humility. I often felt guilty as I talked to these friends, because I know how much more I have and how much less I suffer in my life. And I began to recognized on a deeper level how much we are all responsible for each other. Amazingly, the only thing I felt radiating from the eyes of these wonderful friends was pure love!
I offer two photos for you to reflect on in the coming days. The first shows a child who has experienced only poverty, war, and other struggles that breed difficulty and despair. The second is a small child who lives in one of the poorest places in the world. But she is beaming, because she has just received a religious medal sent with us from Northeast Ohio! Someone in the world loves her, and this is all she needs to be happy. Look into the eyes of these two young girls, and see the face of Jesus there. Imagine washing thier feet, loving them out of despair and into a happy childhood. Feel the joy and grace that only this loving service can bring. 
I also offer this reflection for today.
Fr. Donald Dunson has a sayng that is so very inspirational and powerful. He that the single most important task that we have in life is to become a skillful practitioner in the art of loving the way Jesus loved. And in this week, we see that love in all its glory.
Pope John XXIII has given us a way to practice the love our faith calls us to. He suggested that we do three simple things: Observe, Judge, Act
Our faith is a lived faith, a call to be the image of God as we were created. In the Passion of our Lord we see the action we are meant to be a part of.
This summer I had the opportunity to visit the small villlage of Attiak, where the photo of the happy little girl was taken. On a particularly hot and dusty day, I was in the small village, where the worst had been thrown at the people young and old alike. This village has endured violent attacks by rebels, devastatingly destructive weather, disease, famine, and drought. Their crop fields are brown, the well is often dry, and their church is riddled with bullet holes. The day I visited, I helped feed the village children bread and tea – probably the only food they had that day. I prayed with sick children in a small clinic, I spoke to a new mother whose hand was rotting and whose baby was obviously ill. And then I sat in the dirt with the children and talked with them– with two translators! They all wanted to touch me and to be touched. And they sang for me – and the songs were about Jesus and love. On the long road home that day, I reflected on the experience, and I realized that I had seen the face of God in each of the people I met, and most especially in the children. The whole Passion story had played out before me – the innocent suffering, the difficult life, the death of earthly hope for comfort and security, but also the rising above out of love for the God who is love. And I knew that God’s love was calling me to be that love in this world, as he calls each of us.
This week, we all have the opportunity to really enter into the Passion of our Lord, and the mystery of our faith. If we can take the time to observe the prayers and practices of the week – the celebration of service on Holy Thursday, the stark emptiness of Good Friday, our movement from darkenss to light at the Easter Vigil, and the abundant joy of Easter Sunday, and if we can also observe the world around us; if we judge the call our God is making to us, if we reflect on what we see, hear, and pray; and if we act in faith and love the way Jesus did, then what a week it will be!
Friday, February 5, 2010
6 Months Later
Hello to our readers, new and old. It has been about 6 months since we returned from Uganda – and oddly about 6 months until we return there. Yes, I am indeed planning to go back this summer.
Blogging from Uganda was difficult, primarily because of the poor internet service. As those of you who read the blog this summer know, I wasn’t able to add much near the end of our trip. But I have decided to resurrect this site, and to use it as a place to share stories from St. Kizito throughout the year. We will keep you posted on events happening here and in Uganda, tell you about our students, and share some of our reflections as well. We hope it will be enjoyable to everyone.
I’d like to reflect a bit on how it feels to be home, six months later. First of all, I think these feelings are unique to each person, but I have also found that many people who have been to the east central region of Africa have similar “conversions.”
As I mentioned, I am definitely going back. Often. In fact, right now I have a very strong longing to be there. This is not to say that I want to move permanently to Uganda, or that I happily spend time away from my family and friends. But I truly miss Uganda, too. When I think about heading back there, I do not remember the long flights, the dirty red feet, the cold showers, or the roasted ants for dinner (which I was not brave enough to eat!) I remember the peace in being there, the simplicity, and most of all the people. For everything they do not have, there is love to make up for it. And for the record, even when I was there, I knew I would return. It is not simply a longing to see my friends there. Somehow, something gets into your soul – there is an unbreakable connection that forms once you’ve been there.
But the friends……
I do miss them so much. But the people we encounter in Uganda are unforgettable and
such a blessing. I have recently been in contact with Teddy, pictured here with Sr. Onesta at our St. Kizito gathering this summer. Teddy is a dear young woman, and has been one of our students. She wants to study the business side of medicine, and had applied for a program in Uganda. Unfortunately, she has no experience. In Uganda, Masters level studies often require that one has worked in the area already – so she was not accepted. Teddy was living on her own in Uganda and struggling to make ends meet, so she has returned to her family in Rwanda for the time being. She is still her joyful, loving self – she even writes emails in such a distinct way that I can almost hear her voice!
One of the most rewarding things about spending time in Uganda is that I now have real connections to the people there, and to their rhythms of life. We are able to share and communicate with each other and work together in a more real way. Today, I am feeling the excitement and tension as the students prepare for a new school year to start. Unlike American schools, their school year follows the calendar year. Monday, February 1st marks the first day of school for them, and preparations are well underway. Our students and parents have gathered to plan for the term and to pray for success in their studies. We hope that you will pray along with them!
Blogging from Uganda was difficult, primarily because of the poor internet service. As those of you who read the blog this summer know, I wasn’t able to add much near the end of our trip. But I have decided to resurrect this site, and to use it as a place to share stories from St. Kizito throughout the year. We will keep you posted on events happening here and in Uganda, tell you about our students, and share some of our reflections as well. We hope it will be enjoyable to everyone.
I’d like to reflect a bit on how it feels to be home, six months later. First of all, I think these feelings are unique to each person, but I have also found that many people who have been to the east central region of Africa have similar “conversions.”
As I mentioned, I am definitely going back. Often. In fact, right now I have a very strong longing to be there. This is not to say that I want to move permanently to Uganda, or that I happily spend time away from my family and friends. But I truly miss Uganda, too. When I think about heading back there, I do not remember the long flights, the dirty red feet, the cold showers, or the roasted ants for dinner (which I was not brave enough to eat!) I remember the peace in being there, the simplicity, and most of all the people. For everything they do not have, there is love to make up for it. And for the record, even when I was there, I knew I would return. It is not simply a longing to see my friends there. Somehow, something gets into your soul – there is an unbreakable connection that forms once you’ve been there.
But the friends……
I do miss them so much. But the people we encounter in Uganda are unforgettable and
such a blessing. I have recently been in contact with Teddy, pictured here with Sr. Onesta at our St. Kizito gathering this summer. Teddy is a dear young woman, and has been one of our students. She wants to study the business side of medicine, and had applied for a program in Uganda. Unfortunately, she has no experience. In Uganda, Masters level studies often require that one has worked in the area already – so she was not accepted. Teddy was living on her own in Uganda and struggling to make ends meet, so she has returned to her family in Rwanda for the time being. She is still her joyful, loving self – she even writes emails in such a distinct way that I can almost hear her voice!
One of the most rewarding things about spending time in Uganda is that I now have real connections to the people there, and to their rhythms of life. We are able to share and communicate with each other and work together in a more real way. Today, I am feeling the excitement and tension as the students prepare for a new school year to start. Unlike American schools, their school year follows the calendar year. Monday, February 1st marks the first day of school for them, and preparations are well underway. Our students and parents have gathered to plan for the term and to pray for success in their studies. We hope that you will pray along with them!
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