I am learning to live life here at Emmaus. The pattern of life is different from anything that I have ever experienced. But I am slowly learning.
Today got started slowly.
Mass is always at 7, I usually get up at 6:30.
Then Breakfast at 8... I take it with some wonderful friends who stay in the compound. It is always a time of enjoyment, even though they are often in and out doing different things. I never know what.
Today I went to the market with Francis, the husband of Evyling who has a miscarriage the other day. Their room is the place I go for breakfast... but there is always a crowd there. I bought 2 pineapples and a scarf for the evening times. It totalled 5 USD. 2 pineapples and a very nice shall. 5 dollars. This is Africa.
(Kampala is more expensive, more equally priced to US things because Uganda is land locked things have to be imported)
I will share the pineapples with my friend Agnes and the people who live near her... I will be eating with them over the weekend. (I might become a pineapple... they are SOO good, and in season!! I could eat a whole one myself!)
The market was wonderful. It was so much more a live than the market in Sudan. There were a lot of people selling things and just A LOT for sale. Much fruit and veg.
I returned from the market and helped with dishes in the kitchen, as usual. I then went and worked with my dear friend Eufrasia, who has just returned to Emmaus after visiting her sick mother. We worked together for a long while on the upcoming University leaders training course. The western team is not able to come this year, so we put our heads together to come up with a way to get this course to happen without them. It was great brain storming time. Also, we began to discuss retreats for some of the Cornerstone students. We hopefully will be able to meet with a Cornerstone teacher next weekend to get the momentum these retreats rolling before I leave.
I am finding my place. Where ever I am needed. I will be giving Eufrasia computer lessons for 1-2 hours a day next week. She really needs to learn to use a computer, and I have the time! So I will teach her some basic skills, especially so she can communicate via email.
I now have a rotation of families I am visiting with for meal times. This is a great way to get to know people. The couple I had lunch with today have no children of their own, but have adopted 10!! They have a farm and do various ministry related work and are beautiful people. The husband, William, has a vision for possibly starting a juice factory so that the fruit doesn't go to waste in season. Right now it is feast or famine here.
Life is good here in Africa. I am continuing to try to figure out where I fit, and where I am suppose to be and go. My health is doing ok, but is not 100%. I don't know what is bugging me, but I am trying to get enough rest and be wise in what I eat.
It looks like I will be in Tanzania for a week at the end of August!! :) A 4th Country! HOORAY! I will be working with a priest there who has a lot of beauitful work. I will be with HIV AIDs patience and children of prisoners. It will be a good time... but that is a while from now!
Once again, thanks for reading! Sorry no photos right now... I will try to put up a few next week.
"Development demands bold transformation." Joy. Kindness. Learn. Motivate. Need. Opportunity. Process. Quite. Read on...
Friday, June 25, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
At Emmaus ... the roads are much better here
(Sorry for spelling errors, no spell check!!)
I have arrived and been staying at Emmaus Center since Sunday.
My time with Cornerstone Leadership Development was really wonderful! I got a private tour with another american girl from the director of Cornerstone of their ranch and all the facilities out there.
My time in Kampala visiting their homes for street children was very life giving. It was wonderful to have a tangable chance to tell them how incredibly amazing the programs they are running are! A real opportunity to encourage!
I have seen countless old friends, they keep popping up in random places! It is so wonderful to see almost all of the people I really connected with last summer. I am very much seeing how I am meant to be a net worker with my life. Even with Cornerstone and Emmaus... they are wanting a stronger connection to each other. Because I was with Cornerstone, Tom (the director) and I talked about their various needs for their Catholic students. He asked me to help connect with Emmaus and help facilitate this connect! :D
The girl's school was a great time of service, fellowship and showing love through servant leadership. The women at the school are incredible, having faced all forms of poverty and been able to rise above. They are getting a quality education and are being trained in charater formation through a beautiful program.
Things here at Emmaus are alright. Communication has been a bit of a challenge at different points. But oh well, that is life here in Africa for sure! I am trying to serve as much as I possibly can, but when there is nothing to do I just go and pray. The thing I like most is how incredibly peaceful it is here. It is well removed from Kampala and is pretty far from Luwero which is the next "town". The space is beautiful and the people are very wonderful.
Today one of my hosts/friends has a miscarrage. Very sad... many of the community members are ill. When there is no work to do I try to visit with the ones that I know. I have been able to give my closest friend here the money that she needed to buy her medication she has been going without. She has been very sick because she hasn't been able to get to the hospital and buy the meds she needs, due to a lack of extra money. She takes care of her sister's 3 boys! She is an incredible woman and I could not sit by and let her suffer.
Thank you for your contributions towards my time here in Africa, they are making a tangible difference here on the ground! I am able to be generous within the means that I have. There is much joy in this!
Fr. Herald and Dennis from Sudan have been here the last few days. Actually, the whole time I have been here. I caught up with Father on Sunday for a bit, and then had breakfast with him on Monday. He invited me to Kampala with them on Monday, but I stayed to get into my work at Emmaus. However, on Tuesday I decided to go with them to Kampala... I needed to buy some things and I needed a day without constant communication break downs. It was a good day, I am very glad I got some quality time with them before they headed back to Sudan. I was able to meet with Fr. Herald last night and was very blessed to get some time to discuss how I am doing here in Africa and to get some wisdom. He is a great blessing in my life. I sent them off this morning, very sure that I will see both of them again. They are life long friends for sure!
Tomorrow I will get my schedule of meals with different community families. It will be a blessing to share time and meals with each of them to learn about their lives here. While in Kampala I was able to get small treats for each house, I now feel a lot better about being a guest as I am not going empty handed!
Once again... thanks for reading, for your thoughts and prayers and support of my time here in Africa. I am really loving life here and am learning a lot. I know that this time will give me a lot of clarity for the future.
Thank you for being part of this Adventure!!!
I have arrived and been staying at Emmaus Center since Sunday.
My time with Cornerstone Leadership Development was really wonderful! I got a private tour with another american girl from the director of Cornerstone of their ranch and all the facilities out there.
My time in Kampala visiting their homes for street children was very life giving. It was wonderful to have a tangable chance to tell them how incredibly amazing the programs they are running are! A real opportunity to encourage!
I have seen countless old friends, they keep popping up in random places! It is so wonderful to see almost all of the people I really connected with last summer. I am very much seeing how I am meant to be a net worker with my life. Even with Cornerstone and Emmaus... they are wanting a stronger connection to each other. Because I was with Cornerstone, Tom (the director) and I talked about their various needs for their Catholic students. He asked me to help connect with Emmaus and help facilitate this connect! :D
The girl's school was a great time of service, fellowship and showing love through servant leadership. The women at the school are incredible, having faced all forms of poverty and been able to rise above. They are getting a quality education and are being trained in charater formation through a beautiful program.
Things here at Emmaus are alright. Communication has been a bit of a challenge at different points. But oh well, that is life here in Africa for sure! I am trying to serve as much as I possibly can, but when there is nothing to do I just go and pray. The thing I like most is how incredibly peaceful it is here. It is well removed from Kampala and is pretty far from Luwero which is the next "town". The space is beautiful and the people are very wonderful.
Today one of my hosts/friends has a miscarrage. Very sad... many of the community members are ill. When there is no work to do I try to visit with the ones that I know. I have been able to give my closest friend here the money that she needed to buy her medication she has been going without. She has been very sick because she hasn't been able to get to the hospital and buy the meds she needs, due to a lack of extra money. She takes care of her sister's 3 boys! She is an incredible woman and I could not sit by and let her suffer.
Thank you for your contributions towards my time here in Africa, they are making a tangible difference here on the ground! I am able to be generous within the means that I have. There is much joy in this!
Fr. Herald and Dennis from Sudan have been here the last few days. Actually, the whole time I have been here. I caught up with Father on Sunday for a bit, and then had breakfast with him on Monday. He invited me to Kampala with them on Monday, but I stayed to get into my work at Emmaus. However, on Tuesday I decided to go with them to Kampala... I needed to buy some things and I needed a day without constant communication break downs. It was a good day, I am very glad I got some quality time with them before they headed back to Sudan. I was able to meet with Fr. Herald last night and was very blessed to get some time to discuss how I am doing here in Africa and to get some wisdom. He is a great blessing in my life. I sent them off this morning, very sure that I will see both of them again. They are life long friends for sure!
Tomorrow I will get my schedule of meals with different community families. It will be a blessing to share time and meals with each of them to learn about their lives here. While in Kampala I was able to get small treats for each house, I now feel a lot better about being a guest as I am not going empty handed!
Once again... thanks for reading, for your thoughts and prayers and support of my time here in Africa. I am really loving life here and am learning a lot. I know that this time will give me a lot of clarity for the future.
Thank you for being part of this Adventure!!!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Torit, Southern Sudan...Juba... to Kampala
Torit is the capital of Eastern Equatorial Sudan. We had a bit of a tough ride back to Torit, but made it back eventually.
It was nice to have our feet more firmly on the ground. I was in Torit for a bit less than a week... which was the longest I'd been any where for 3 weeks. Our room was dirty and that actually really got on my nerves. It was some one those last straw moments when I went crazy at the ants. But those moments pass and I just did my best to live with the bed bugs, dirty sheets and very dirty floors and walls.
Torit was a good time. We spent a lot of time with the youth group. The girls are wonderful and we became fast friends. During our walk through the market I saw 2 people I know! In Southern Sudan!!! First, Hielda whos room I had stayed in in Isohe. Then Helen, who had been a student at the training course I'd run at Emmaus in Uganda the year before!! Crazy... I love my life!
In Torit I got to get the feel of normal life. We became regulars at several shops, and got the feel for how to find what you need. My most victorious moment was getting the needle and thread I needed! :) Fr. Herald is working on a beautiful house called Mercy house... it was suppose to be done a long time ago, but still isn't. But when it is done, it will be wonderful! It was very cool to see the work being done there and also to learn about the challenges.
Our programs provided spaces for people to pray individual as well as some larger group talks and songs. It was REALLY hot. We were tired. But we really pushed through with the help of grace. It was beautiful to pray with the African women in the chapel, to see them bringing their cares to Jesus. Those times were very rich for me too.
When we were handing out fliers I got the chance to get to chat with Maynor in our awesome Spanglish. We had a good chat about African issues, it was nice to be able to talk about these things I study. And to be here at the same time!
We befriended a street child named Joshua who had a badly injured head. When I saw it I could not let the flies continue sit in it. I don't DO medical, gross things... but Love overcomes. This child was desperate. We became close, but he was sick. I didn't see him my last day in Torit, and am worried about him. I got to rock him to sleep one night during a film... it was a deep profound moment of motherhood to the motherless!
On Monday we visited the broken down cathedral. It was so sad... it had been destroyed by the war, blown up purposefully. A house of worship. The drawings on the wall were not normal grafitti but images of war, people crying out for salvation from their oppressors, depicted in crude black lines on white cracked walls. We also went to the river, which was a beautiful and peaceful place!
On Tuesday we sent off all the guys who were there to be on the team. Before sending them off we met the African Inland Mission people who live in Torit. I was so inspired by them. They just live their lives and help their church and those doing various work around Southern Sudan. They do a lot of development ministry. They were so hospitable! It was great time.
Tuesday night it was just Fr. Herald, Carole, Maynor and I... we went out for dinner. We had the most amazing chicken!!! Sooo good. So cheap! It was a nice time to relax. Father Herald and I got a nice chance to chat before bed. We didn't see much of each other over the whole team.
Wednesday morning we were up at 4:45... the stars are AMAZING at 4:45 am!! We had mass and then loaded to head to Juba. It was a LONG, and VERY bumpy road!!! This was the "Highway" to the capital of the South! It was not really very pleasant. Denis, Maynor and I hung out in the back, holding on to anything that was attached to the car!
We arrived in Juba to find a large traffic jam which was due to a separatist march which had accidentally over flowed into the wrong road. We were in a bit of a hurry... but we got there eventually and run up to the terminal.
I had to say a quick good bye at the door, which was where you were screened. Juba airport was stressful... i was tired, hungry, hot, and a bit annoyed. I am so grateful for other ex pats who know the system better than me! One was very helpful!
I got onto a nice small, air conditioned, toilet that you sit on, fruit and drinks served, hour long flight to uganda. The stress of Juba floated away as I flew over the beautiful southern sudan and into Uganda. I arrived and found Susanna just fine at the airport. Riding in a nice air conditioned car through comfortable (compared to Sudan) roads and city was strange.
I like Kampala... more about Kampala tomorrow! I'm off to dinner (yes, it is 10 pm and we are just now eating... that is how it works here)..then sleeeep.
Travel day tomorrow and Thursday. I hope that I can be useful on these adventures!
It was nice to have our feet more firmly on the ground. I was in Torit for a bit less than a week... which was the longest I'd been any where for 3 weeks. Our room was dirty and that actually really got on my nerves. It was some one those last straw moments when I went crazy at the ants. But those moments pass and I just did my best to live with the bed bugs, dirty sheets and very dirty floors and walls.
Torit was a good time. We spent a lot of time with the youth group. The girls are wonderful and we became fast friends. During our walk through the market I saw 2 people I know! In Southern Sudan!!! First, Hielda whos room I had stayed in in Isohe. Then Helen, who had been a student at the training course I'd run at Emmaus in Uganda the year before!! Crazy... I love my life!
In Torit I got to get the feel of normal life. We became regulars at several shops, and got the feel for how to find what you need. My most victorious moment was getting the needle and thread I needed! :) Fr. Herald is working on a beautiful house called Mercy house... it was suppose to be done a long time ago, but still isn't. But when it is done, it will be wonderful! It was very cool to see the work being done there and also to learn about the challenges.
Our programs provided spaces for people to pray individual as well as some larger group talks and songs. It was REALLY hot. We were tired. But we really pushed through with the help of grace. It was beautiful to pray with the African women in the chapel, to see them bringing their cares to Jesus. Those times were very rich for me too.
When we were handing out fliers I got the chance to get to chat with Maynor in our awesome Spanglish. We had a good chat about African issues, it was nice to be able to talk about these things I study. And to be here at the same time!
We befriended a street child named Joshua who had a badly injured head. When I saw it I could not let the flies continue sit in it. I don't DO medical, gross things... but Love overcomes. This child was desperate. We became close, but he was sick. I didn't see him my last day in Torit, and am worried about him. I got to rock him to sleep one night during a film... it was a deep profound moment of motherhood to the motherless!
On Monday we visited the broken down cathedral. It was so sad... it had been destroyed by the war, blown up purposefully. A house of worship. The drawings on the wall were not normal grafitti but images of war, people crying out for salvation from their oppressors, depicted in crude black lines on white cracked walls. We also went to the river, which was a beautiful and peaceful place!
On Tuesday we sent off all the guys who were there to be on the team. Before sending them off we met the African Inland Mission people who live in Torit. I was so inspired by them. They just live their lives and help their church and those doing various work around Southern Sudan. They do a lot of development ministry. They were so hospitable! It was great time.
Tuesday night it was just Fr. Herald, Carole, Maynor and I... we went out for dinner. We had the most amazing chicken!!! Sooo good. So cheap! It was a nice time to relax. Father Herald and I got a nice chance to chat before bed. We didn't see much of each other over the whole team.
Wednesday morning we were up at 4:45... the stars are AMAZING at 4:45 am!! We had mass and then loaded to head to Juba. It was a LONG, and VERY bumpy road!!! This was the "Highway" to the capital of the South! It was not really very pleasant. Denis, Maynor and I hung out in the back, holding on to anything that was attached to the car!
We arrived in Juba to find a large traffic jam which was due to a separatist march which had accidentally over flowed into the wrong road. We were in a bit of a hurry... but we got there eventually and run up to the terminal.
I had to say a quick good bye at the door, which was where you were screened. Juba airport was stressful... i was tired, hungry, hot, and a bit annoyed. I am so grateful for other ex pats who know the system better than me! One was very helpful!
I got onto a nice small, air conditioned, toilet that you sit on, fruit and drinks served, hour long flight to uganda. The stress of Juba floated away as I flew over the beautiful southern sudan and into Uganda. I arrived and found Susanna just fine at the airport. Riding in a nice air conditioned car through comfortable (compared to Sudan) roads and city was strange.
I like Kampala... more about Kampala tomorrow! I'm off to dinner (yes, it is 10 pm and we are just now eating... that is how it works here)..then sleeeep.
Travel day tomorrow and Thursday. I hope that I can be useful on these adventures!
"Welcome to Torit"... a flower from Denis, being held by my dear friend David
People of Lowi (spelled wrong.. oh well) They are beautiful people!
We showed the first movie ever to be shown in Lowi!! Amazing stuff!
I also learned to carry water on my head, which is very painful. Those photos will have to wait. They are taking a long time to load!
We went back to Torit after our 3 days/ 2 nights in Lowi. We had a day in Torit to do laundry and prep our things and then did a similar program that we did in Chukudum and Lowi... except that we had a large celebration of the feast of Corpus Cristi, which is a huge feast in the catholic church!
I will try to post some of those photos.. we'll see how this goes!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Leaving Isohe and onto Torit and Lowi
The Monday morning we left Isohe I had a consult with the doctor. An incredible Ugandan man, who regularly saves peoples lives, lives on the compound where we were staying. He hadn't left for the hospital when I found him in the morning in our eating area... I was pretty sick. My cold had moved into my chest. Thankfully Fr. Herald had some medication which the doctor said would work for my condition.
I was sad to leave Isohe ... it was a beautiful, and very peace filled place. I really enjoyed the people there.
Oh... quick story: On Thursday when we arrived, I met a wonderful woman named Hielda. She works for the diocese of Torit and is a wonderful woman. She is full of wisdom and smiles and laughter. On Thursday evening I found a large cockroach in my room, I had Josh come and kill it for me. But in the mean time Hielda stuck her head in. She was leaving the next morning for Torit to see her father. She offered to do my hair. So we went outside and stayed up late... she rolled all of my dreads and we laughed and talked. We agreed that we will meet again in Kampala.. we actually say each other 4 more times before I left Sudan!
But she gave me an amazing gift... she let me stay in her room! It was so wonderful, it was comfortable and just a real blessing. I wasn't feeling great, so to have my own space and a nice clean bed was really fantastic. I was so grateful!!
We drove to Torit. As always an adventure. On one of our trips I saw a leopard cross the road in front of us! No one else saw it. The drive to Torit was quite long. We arrived finally in the mid afternoon and got settled for a short stay in Torit.
It was a lot of waiting... (Side note: This was sort of a spot/start trip. You were either waiting for a long time, or working really hard. We got use to it) Finally around 3 pm Angela and I got our room. We both crashed for a long while. Around 4:45 I went with Carole and Fr. Herald to see Mercy House... this is what Fr. Herald has been working for 2 years. It was suppose to be finished a year ago, and we were suppose to be having our events in the chapel, but it wasn't finished.
We only had one night in Torit. We had to send Angela and Josh away on Tuesday morning. Maynor, Chris and some of the others left on Monday to go to Lowi to set up and take all the stuff. The rest of us followed on Tuesday afternoon.
We arrived around dinner time on Tuesday. We got set up in our accommodations and I think we had a time of prayer. I don't really remember.
Lowi was an amazing place. It is a very spread out, there are a lot of people but they live in clusters of tukus. We were the fist white people that many of the children had seen and we played the first videos EVER to be seen in this village!!
We did a similar program in Lowi as we did in Chukudum. I think it went well. These people are generally Catholic, but know very little about their faith. It was great to get a chance to share with them and help them to understand more about the Church.
Wednesday morning we took a grand adventure. There was a mountain close to the semi school we were staying/working at... on top of the mountain was the old site of the minor seminary (a high school for boys considering priesthood) . The ruins were incredible. As was the view.
We crammed 18 people into our blue land rover and drove over up some of the craziest roads I've seen! This was when I told Fr. Herald (who was driving) that I was very glad I really trusted him, otherwise I would have been out of that car! It was crazy...
Pictures will follow later... I am off to my first day at Cornerstone!!!
I was sad to leave Isohe ... it was a beautiful, and very peace filled place. I really enjoyed the people there.
Oh... quick story: On Thursday when we arrived, I met a wonderful woman named Hielda. She works for the diocese of Torit and is a wonderful woman. She is full of wisdom and smiles and laughter. On Thursday evening I found a large cockroach in my room, I had Josh come and kill it for me. But in the mean time Hielda stuck her head in. She was leaving the next morning for Torit to see her father. She offered to do my hair. So we went outside and stayed up late... she rolled all of my dreads and we laughed and talked. We agreed that we will meet again in Kampala.. we actually say each other 4 more times before I left Sudan!
But she gave me an amazing gift... she let me stay in her room! It was so wonderful, it was comfortable and just a real blessing. I wasn't feeling great, so to have my own space and a nice clean bed was really fantastic. I was so grateful!!
We drove to Torit. As always an adventure. On one of our trips I saw a leopard cross the road in front of us! No one else saw it. The drive to Torit was quite long. We arrived finally in the mid afternoon and got settled for a short stay in Torit.
It was a lot of waiting... (Side note: This was sort of a spot/start trip. You were either waiting for a long time, or working really hard. We got use to it) Finally around 3 pm Angela and I got our room. We both crashed for a long while. Around 4:45 I went with Carole and Fr. Herald to see Mercy House... this is what Fr. Herald has been working for 2 years. It was suppose to be finished a year ago, and we were suppose to be having our events in the chapel, but it wasn't finished.
We only had one night in Torit. We had to send Angela and Josh away on Tuesday morning. Maynor, Chris and some of the others left on Monday to go to Lowi to set up and take all the stuff. The rest of us followed on Tuesday afternoon.
We arrived around dinner time on Tuesday. We got set up in our accommodations and I think we had a time of prayer. I don't really remember.
Lowi was an amazing place. It is a very spread out, there are a lot of people but they live in clusters of tukus. We were the fist white people that many of the children had seen and we played the first videos EVER to be seen in this village!!
We did a similar program in Lowi as we did in Chukudum. I think it went well. These people are generally Catholic, but know very little about their faith. It was great to get a chance to share with them and help them to understand more about the Church.
Wednesday morning we took a grand adventure. There was a mountain close to the semi school we were staying/working at... on top of the mountain was the old site of the minor seminary (a high school for boys considering priesthood) . The ruins were incredible. As was the view.
We crammed 18 people into our blue land rover and drove over up some of the craziest roads I've seen! This was when I told Fr. Herald (who was driving) that I was very glad I really trusted him, otherwise I would have been out of that car! It was crazy...
Pictures will follow later... I am off to my first day at Cornerstone!!!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Random notes...
I thought I would throw together some random notes to give you a good picture of life here.
In Sudan:
- It was a bit like Camping... we had beds in most places... but often not the "best"
- Pit latrines everywhere
- Very little electricity
- A lot of people suffering from hunger
- Water was collected from bore holes, via pumping in most places.
People live in Tukus, which have dirt floors. The women are incredible and can carry 50 lbs on their heads, and still smile at you when you walk by.
Just FYI... in Chukudum we bought 200 bags of corn for the local people. They were (purposefully) delivered well after we left, to be distributed to those who are suffer the most from the bad rains last year... so basically vulnerable women and children.
I was able to give 100 dollars towards buying this food.. thank you for your donations!! It is your generosity that allowed me to give money towards feeding these beautiful people! And with this, we know for sure that the food is getting directly to the people!
In Kampala:
- It is unlike any western city! Taxis and Buras are the main transport
- We haven't had electricity during the days... and they don't know why.
-Watching a lot of World Cup... the ads are beautiful and different from American ones. It's cool to watch it in Africa!
- I went to see a movie with Susanna today! It was comfortable. (Prince of Pursia... very good!... just fun!)
Tomorrow I start my work with Cornerstone Leadership Development... my little 4 day break is over! I am grateful for this time of rest, but ready to get back to work.
Susanna and Peter (and their 5 month old Tendia) have been Amazing hosts!!! :D It has been great to see "normal middle class life" here in Kampala. We've had many wonderful conversations, I've learned a lot from these generous people.
In Sudan:
- It was a bit like Camping... we had beds in most places... but often not the "best"
- Pit latrines everywhere
- Very little electricity
- A lot of people suffering from hunger
- Water was collected from bore holes, via pumping in most places.
People live in Tukus, which have dirt floors. The women are incredible and can carry 50 lbs on their heads, and still smile at you when you walk by.
Just FYI... in Chukudum we bought 200 bags of corn for the local people. They were (purposefully) delivered well after we left, to be distributed to those who are suffer the most from the bad rains last year... so basically vulnerable women and children.
I was able to give 100 dollars towards buying this food.. thank you for your donations!! It is your generosity that allowed me to give money towards feeding these beautiful people! And with this, we know for sure that the food is getting directly to the people!
In Kampala:
- It is unlike any western city! Taxis and Buras are the main transport
- We haven't had electricity during the days... and they don't know why.
-Watching a lot of World Cup... the ads are beautiful and different from American ones. It's cool to watch it in Africa!
- I went to see a movie with Susanna today! It was comfortable. (Prince of Pursia... very good!... just fun!)
Tomorrow I start my work with Cornerstone Leadership Development... my little 4 day break is over! I am grateful for this time of rest, but ready to get back to work.
Susanna and Peter (and their 5 month old Tendia) have been Amazing hosts!!! :D It has been great to see "normal middle class life" here in Kampala. We've had many wonderful conversations, I've learned a lot from these generous people.
Photos: Chukudum and Isohe
Photos from Chukudum...
This was on my walk alone down the mountain in Chukudum. It was an incredible walk... I met a bunch of local people who spoke no english but were really cool. This sort of scene is very normal.
Look at what they are carrying on their heads!!! All their family laundry... they carry this all the way down a mountain path!!
Team Photo from Chukudum...
Our Fearless Leader... depending on how he wears his hat he is either Fr. Herald or Captain Herald! :)
I actually lost/ had my camera stole from me in Isohe... but Fr Herald actually lent/gave me a camera to use for the rest of my travels!! Thank you Father Herald!!
Noelle and Christina, our great cook!
The Mountains!!!! Sooooo beautiful!!
This was on my walk alone down the mountain in Chukudum. It was an incredible walk... I met a bunch of local people who spoke no english but were really cool. This sort of scene is very normal.Look at what they are carrying on their heads!!! All their family laundry... they carry this all the way down a mountain path!!
Team Photo from Chukudum...
Our Fearless Leader... depending on how he wears his hat he is either Fr. Herald or Captain Herald! :)
I actually lost/ had my camera stole from me in Isohe... but Fr Herald actually lent/gave me a camera to use for the rest of my travels!! Thank you Father Herald!!
Noelle and Christina, our great cook!
The Mountains!!!! Sooooo beautiful!!
Isohe... land of mountains
I fell in love with Isohe. (pronounced: Its-Oh-K) Technically it was probably the most "challenging" part of the trip, in terms of my health and at least for the first day or two with team issues. But the mountains and the amazing youth held me up.
I sang this whole retreat, which meant being "on" a lot more... having to be on time for session and because of the arrangement of the church, up in front.
We arrived in the early afternoon of Thursday the 27th to Isohe. It took a bit to get settled and figure out our arrangements. I don't honestly remember what we did on Thursday...some set up I believe. I got to meet with Fr. Lawrence on Friday afternoon, which was a nice time to talk about different things. He is a great and interesting man!
Friday found us with our normal morning routine .. a lot of set up and prep. The retreat started around 4 pm. The youth slowly gathered and we got off the ground. This retreat went fairly well. The youth as a large group seemed to really enjoy it. My talk on Saturday went really well. However, I found my small group to be particularly challenging.
Here I will insert a note: I think the thing I was most surprised by was the language barrier. It was really an issue in all the places we served. We had translation for most of the talks, but in Isohe we didn't need it as badly. However, the shyness, mixed with a lack of understanding made some communication very difficult.
Saturday evening we had a beautiful time of prayer. We had a late night hour for the girls, and had a very beautiful moment when they all spoke out the names of family members who were in trouble and in need of God's help. It was profound.
I really enjoyed our 4 days is Isohe. I was pretty sick on Sunday, and rested a good bit after the retreat ended. But I was able to push through and rest after all the activities. The food is Isohe was excellent! Christina was the main cook, she even let me help prep some greens when I first arrived! That made us friends right away.
We had Tripe in Isohe, which are intestines. They were not amazing, but I tried them!
Our general diet was:
Posho (mushed maze)
Rice
Beans
Greens with peanuts or ground nuts
Chunks of meat in a stew
We had this food from lunch and dinner every day. I lost a good bit of weight in Sudan. Our treats were the occasional pop (soda), which when they are cold, were a bit like heaven.
Sudan is incredibly HOT! I have never been so wet from sweat, it poured down my face! It was the hottest in Torit because we were fairly high up in the mountains. But there were days when I just could not believe how incredibly hot I was. There was one day like that in Isohe... you can hardly move, it's hard to get motivated when it is SO hot!
The internet is being slow right now... the next post should be almost all photos.
I sang this whole retreat, which meant being "on" a lot more... having to be on time for session and because of the arrangement of the church, up in front.
We arrived in the early afternoon of Thursday the 27th to Isohe. It took a bit to get settled and figure out our arrangements. I don't honestly remember what we did on Thursday...some set up I believe. I got to meet with Fr. Lawrence on Friday afternoon, which was a nice time to talk about different things. He is a great and interesting man!
Friday found us with our normal morning routine .. a lot of set up and prep. The retreat started around 4 pm. The youth slowly gathered and we got off the ground. This retreat went fairly well. The youth as a large group seemed to really enjoy it. My talk on Saturday went really well. However, I found my small group to be particularly challenging.
Here I will insert a note: I think the thing I was most surprised by was the language barrier. It was really an issue in all the places we served. We had translation for most of the talks, but in Isohe we didn't need it as badly. However, the shyness, mixed with a lack of understanding made some communication very difficult.
Saturday evening we had a beautiful time of prayer. We had a late night hour for the girls, and had a very beautiful moment when they all spoke out the names of family members who were in trouble and in need of God's help. It was profound.
I really enjoyed our 4 days is Isohe. I was pretty sick on Sunday, and rested a good bit after the retreat ended. But I was able to push through and rest after all the activities. The food is Isohe was excellent! Christina was the main cook, she even let me help prep some greens when I first arrived! That made us friends right away.
We had Tripe in Isohe, which are intestines. They were not amazing, but I tried them!
Our general diet was:
Posho (mushed maze)
Rice
Beans
Greens with peanuts or ground nuts
Chunks of meat in a stew
We had this food from lunch and dinner every day. I lost a good bit of weight in Sudan. Our treats were the occasional pop (soda), which when they are cold, were a bit like heaven.
Sudan is incredibly HOT! I have never been so wet from sweat, it poured down my face! It was the hottest in Torit because we were fairly high up in the mountains. But there were days when I just could not believe how incredibly hot I was. There was one day like that in Isohe... you can hardly move, it's hard to get motivated when it is SO hot!
The internet is being slow right now... the next post should be almost all photos.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Pentecost photos.... on to Chukudum
Pentecost, an important Christian feast day, was the Sunday that the retreat ended. The mass, for a variety of reasons was 4 hours long! Here are a few photos of the beautiful celebrations!
Chukudum.
We worked at a parish in Chukudum. The goal of our time there was to encourage the people of the parish and help them to get to know more about their faith. It was here that the rubber really started hitting the road. We were a full team for the first time, and it took a while for us all to stop stepping on each others toes. But there was a lot of grace and love for this too. Setting up was a little stressful, but it worked out.
The first full day we were there we took a walk through the town, it was a great walk. We just met people and invited them to events. We got to see the market and all the beautiful views!
It was here in Chukudum that I started to sing. I joined Josh in doing music, and it was really fun. I enjoyed it a lot. At one point on the Wednesday of the mission we were giving out little cards to the crowd and things were getting a little crazy. I started singing and encouraged everyone to join with me, it was a beautiful and powerful moment.
This time was open to people of all ages. We did similar things: music, talks, sharings, skits, and of course movies which really brought people in. The accomidations were alright. I shared a large room with the two other women. We really loved the in door latrine, it was on the 2nd floor and could be sat on!! The showers were bucket showers.. which was a new experience, but you learn quickly. I did laundry for the first time in Chukudum, another good learning experience.
Mary, the cook, was a wonderful smiley woman. The women in the kitchen literally washed our feet when we arrived!! We had been on some muddy adventures to get there, including Maynor falling into a very large hole! So our feet were caked with African dirt (which is very different from North American dirt).
Our biggest excitement was the snake in Br Diego's bag. It was big, and poisonous. All the Sudanese men ran away from the room when they saw it. Fr. Sylvester got it out of the room, and an amazing Sudanese woman killed it with one blow!
We were well received in Chukudum. We met some wonderful people... my favorites were the cook Mary, and the translator Peter. He was incredible! He didn't just translate words, but meanings...with passion! Impressive!
Thanks for reading... Isoke when I get more airtime!!
I'm off to watch some world cup with the huge crew of people here.. eat a mango ... and take my first solo adventure into town!!
Chukudum.
We worked at a parish in Chukudum. The goal of our time there was to encourage the people of the parish and help them to get to know more about their faith. It was here that the rubber really started hitting the road. We were a full team for the first time, and it took a while for us all to stop stepping on each others toes. But there was a lot of grace and love for this too. Setting up was a little stressful, but it worked out.
The first full day we were there we took a walk through the town, it was a great walk. We just met people and invited them to events. We got to see the market and all the beautiful views!
It was here in Chukudum that I started to sing. I joined Josh in doing music, and it was really fun. I enjoyed it a lot. At one point on the Wednesday of the mission we were giving out little cards to the crowd and things were getting a little crazy. I started singing and encouraged everyone to join with me, it was a beautiful and powerful moment.
This time was open to people of all ages. We did similar things: music, talks, sharings, skits, and of course movies which really brought people in. The accomidations were alright. I shared a large room with the two other women. We really loved the in door latrine, it was on the 2nd floor and could be sat on!! The showers were bucket showers.. which was a new experience, but you learn quickly. I did laundry for the first time in Chukudum, another good learning experience.
Mary, the cook, was a wonderful smiley woman. The women in the kitchen literally washed our feet when we arrived!! We had been on some muddy adventures to get there, including Maynor falling into a very large hole! So our feet were caked with African dirt (which is very different from North American dirt).
Our biggest excitement was the snake in Br Diego's bag. It was big, and poisonous. All the Sudanese men ran away from the room when they saw it. Fr. Sylvester got it out of the room, and an amazing Sudanese woman killed it with one blow!
We were well received in Chukudum. We met some wonderful people... my favorites were the cook Mary, and the translator Peter. He was incredible! He didn't just translate words, but meanings...with passion! Impressive!
Thanks for reading... Isoke when I get more airtime!!
I'm off to watch some world cup with the huge crew of people here.. eat a mango ... and take my first solo adventure into town!!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Safe and Sound, at home in Kampala! Update about Sudan...
I am comfortably sitting in Susanna and Peter's living room in Kampala Uganda. Their beautiful baby boy is gooing and we're watching Speed on their TV. A strange contrast to the last 3 weeks of my life in Southern Sudan!!
Over the next 24 hours I hope to go several posts. I am sorry that there is so little, then so much! But this is all I can do! I hope to post some photos as well as information about what I've been doing.
Above picture is the sunset over Africa on my way into Nairobi.
The trip was delayed, but I arrived in Nairobi on Thursday, May 20th. I met one other fellow team member, Chris, in Amsterdam and we were joyfully welcomed by Fr. Herald at the airport. We met Fr. Sylvester when we arrived at the guest house. We had a late dinner and then headed to bed. We had a very early wake up to get to our plane. We were collected at the Northern Kenyan airport and waited at a parish guest place for a while... we had a very safe and pleasant crossing, which was a major concern. We were relieved when we got past the boarder. We then drove on to Narus, Southern Sudan. Picture is of a "traffic jam" we encountered.
We arrived in Narus, and to get to where we were staying we went down THE WORST road in Southern Sudan. It was pure insanity. Chris, Fr. Sylvester and I got settled and met the portion of the team that was there. It was Friday and the retreat started that day. So we got to work.
Angela and I stayed in a Tuku together, which are round huts. We had some bug adventures for sure. My biggest scare was from the latrine covered in cockroches. *shiver*
We had probably around 100 youth at the retreat. We did a lot of singing, some talks, small groups, prayer times... over all it was very good. Saturday night we had time of prayer for the girls which was nice. But then the girls (for a variety of reasons) had to sleep in the church. I ended up being the adult to stay with them! It was an adventure for sure!! We really didn't know each other as a team... so it was cool to have to just jump in and see where we could fit and serve!!
Sunday at the ending time, we had some powerful testimonies of how God moved in the lives of these young people. We also had a dance party. It was wonderful!! The girls taught me to dance and we simply rejoiced in the understanding of our unity, despite a different skin color.
The people in Southern Sudan are SO beautiful! They have nothing... now being in Kampala I realize how incredibly poor and underdeveloped Southern Sudan is. Hunger is a huge issue there.. bad rains last year have left many people without food. But the people are wonderful, loving, welcoming, excited about living life! They embrace you and share with you.
I made a point to get to know the women who work in the kitchens in all of the places we were. They are the heroes... them and the African priest and nuns who keep schools and hospitals and parishes running on nothing! These are true heroes... they are not white, they are Southern Sudanese, giving their whole lives to serve their own people!
We left Narus on Monday afternoon.... Fr. Herald and the other friars arrived and we quickly packed up the two large vehicles and were off to Chuchudum. It was a long drive, and actually pretty dangerous. We prayed a lot. The roads in Southern Sudan are unbelievably awful! Always an adventure.
Photos: Noelle and Agnes, the main cook
Loading one of the Land rovers
We entered the land of Mountains when we went to Chucudum! The land in Southern Sudan is SO BEAUTIFUL!! The mountains are breath takings!! Here is one of the first views.
Chucudum post will be tomorrow....
Thursday, June 3, 2010
InTorit Sudan!!!
Hello Everyone!!
I am writing you from a store front in Torit Sudan. By the light of lanterns we are eating dinner and we managed to get online!
This trip has been awesome. It's been crazy, stretching, hard, beautiful, joyfilled, a time of learning and growing. Being with a large group of strangers for 3 weeks in close procimity is a crazy experience...
The mountains we were in for several days were incredible.
The people are soooo beautiful and kind. i am really enjoying meeting people.
We'ver been in 4 or 5 towns now... I've sort of lost count. We are in the last leg here in Torit, which is Fr Herald's base. We will celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi with the people of Torit ... and do a few programs here.
The Youth retreats have been great.
Little electricity, bathrooms, water.. but it's great!! i am loving it here.
I am writing you from a store front in Torit Sudan. By the light of lanterns we are eating dinner and we managed to get online!
This trip has been awesome. It's been crazy, stretching, hard, beautiful, joyfilled, a time of learning and growing. Being with a large group of strangers for 3 weeks in close procimity is a crazy experience...
The mountains we were in for several days were incredible.
The people are soooo beautiful and kind. i am really enjoying meeting people.
We'ver been in 4 or 5 towns now... I've sort of lost count. We are in the last leg here in Torit, which is Fr Herald's base. We will celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi with the people of Torit ... and do a few programs here.
The Youth retreats have been great.
Little electricity, bathrooms, water.. but it's great!! i am loving it here.
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