Celebrate Good Times

On Saturday, July 2nd, we held our annual gathering at St. Kizito Counseling Centre in Gulu. It is our tradition to invite St. Kizito students and their parents/guardians to join together for a day of prayer, feasting, and fun. It is a great opportunity to be together, to get to know new faces and reunite with familiar ones.

This year’s celebration was as joy-filled as usual. The ever present rain held off so that we could do everything we hoped, which was a blessing in itself this year.

We began with Mass, complete with a makeshift choir that sounded as good as any well rehearsed group I’ve heard. Even Mzee, our gatesman, joined by acting as conductor for the opening song. (Mzee is a name of respect given to elders – his name is Kenneth but he is affectionately known as Mzee.) Fr. Don told a famous Russian folktale in his homily, with a lesson about the fact that we all have a part in the lives and salvation of each other. It was a fitting message for the day.

The girls of St. Monica’s Girl’s Vocational Centre graciously provided their catering skills to present a feast with both pork and chicken, along with Irish potatoes, cabbage salad, and rice. And of course there was cake to follow! With the food shortage and high costs, schools are reducing their already meager meals for the students. Morning porridge has been reduced to only tea for some, and grain shortages have led to the staple of posho and beans becoming only beans in other schools. (Posho is something similar to grits or polenta, and is a staple here.) It has always been typical for students to receive meat, chicken, or fish only once a week, or even sometimes less frequently. Now even that is threatened. So a meal with both pork and chicken, complete with fixings, is truly a feast in the truest sense of the word. There was praise heard throughout the day for the chance to eat so well.

One of the highlights of the day was the presentation of poems and songs made by some of our students. They are invited to share their thoughts and talents with us, and so many of them did take the chance to deliver their message. We heard words of encouragement and of gratitude, songs of praise to God, and even a riddle for the crowd to try to solve. It always amazes me that these young people are willing to stand in front of their peers and sing or talk with little self-consciousness. I try to imagine the average teen in the USA standing before his class to sing a gospel song, but the image is just too far-fetched. I wish that some of this willingness to find joy in simple things could be bottled!

Perhaps the most interesting moment came when we unpacked a colorful parachute, a gift from our benefactors. The challenge of keeping beach balls bouncing led to a great deal of fun for all ages. So much energy was expended to keep the parachute going, that we had to call for new participants regularly. Mathias was so exuberant that he even tore his pants!

The events were wonderful, but the spirit of the day was really the best part of our celebration. For a few hours, we were together as family – people from opposite sides of the world were joined for one purpose, with one voice. Gratitude and hope were in everyone’s hearts and smiles were everywhere.

Each year, when we hold this gathering, I am overwhelmed by the power of people working together with compassionate hearts. Benefactors offer their support, love, and generosity (along with sweeties and rosaries); our Ugandan staff toils endlessly to make the most of the gifts received from abroad; and our students are given the opportunity to build a stronger future for themselves and their country. Fr. Don and I are the direct recipients of the many words of thanks and kindness, and it is overwhelming and humbling. But really, those words are meant for all who have been part of St. Kizito Foundation.

And all praise and glory for this mission is the Lord’s.