Last Day in Gulu

Hello Everyone,

The St. Kizito's Counselling Center dedication festivities were grand indeed. There must have been 700 people there. After mass clebrated by His Grace Archbishop John Baptist Odama, there were several hours of feasting and celebration, including native cultural singing and dancing. This convinced us beyond any doubt that "we got no rhythm". We were able to witness the slaughter of the bull. There is a team of professionals that perform this task for all large animal slaughtering in Gulu (Sr. Rosemary didn't tell me that). At any rate, the task was performed with simple tools - knife, machete, and axe - but was very respectful of the animal and humane. The entire job, from start until when the animal was cleaned, quartered, and ready to be hung in a cooler took 45 minutes. There was very little wasted. An interesting observation was that whereas these three men performed this task in a way that has been done for thousands of years, the head man, shirtless and wearing flip-flops, had a very expensive cell phone hanging off his belt! Times, they are a changing.

On Friday afternoon, we were able to visit an IDP (internally displaced persons) camp with the three American benefactors for the St. Kizito project. It was as emotional an experience as we've yet had in Uganda. No amount of reading or research can prepare one for exposure to that type of hopeless poverty. And yet the children laughed and laughed at our white skin and camera flashes. Please pray for those that have yet to move out of the camps.

Tonight is the 21st, our last evening in Gulu. We are already missing our freinds, and they are many, that we have made here. We decided we would take out for a celebration dinner the wonderful Sisters of the Sacred Heart from St. Monica's, who have shown us a level of hospitality and love that we will never forget. Tommorrow we will travel, likely by bus, to Kampala and the Children and Life Mission, an orphanage started by Fr. Hattie for the lost and forgotten street children of Kampala.

Can't wait to munch on some 'hoppers :-)

Hope is well with you. We will try to blog from Kampala or Amsterdam(we arrive there on the morning of the 24th). We can't wait to get home and give you all the unabridged version of our experiences here - the real story of Northern Uganda, so to speak.

Peace to all of you,

Monique and Stan

P.S. -Thank you all once again for your comments and prayers. You have our prayers in return.

LaCor Seminary and St. Kizito's

Hello to everyone!

Thank you all for all the comments and your prayers. It is a special treat to read sentiments from home. Well it's Saturday the 19th and internet availibility is spotty all over Gulu. St. Monica's is hosting a large gathering of the Undugu Family, so there is alot of activity at the center.

A few days ago we were blessed to be able to visit the local seminary called LaCor Minor Seminary. The seminary is documented in Fr. Don's books as, tragically, 41 seminarians were abducted on one night in 2005. 30 escaped, and 11 are still unaccounted for. The young man who accompanied us, David Lakony, is one of those who escaped. He arranged for a driver and wore a suit complete with french cuffs to take us to be recieved by the rector! The grounds of the seminary are beautiful, and the chapel is extraordinary. The paintings and frescos on the walls and ceilings were done by Italian Camboni missionaries.

The rector is a wonderful man, Msgr. Mattew Odong. He recieved us with a smile and promptly sat us down and served us tea and cookies while we conversed. We came to find out later that he is Vicar General (number three man) in the Archdiocese of Gulu, a diocese of nearly one million Catholics. Can you imagine being waited on by such a man?? As we talked, it came up in conversation that we weren't quite sure what our purpose was here in Gulu, as we've not been asked to serve in the capacity of doctor very much. Msgr. cleared that question up for us so eloquently. He said that he knew about the medicine we brought. He also said he knows we could've gone to Asia or Europe, or South America - so why Africa? And if why Africa, why Gulu?
He said our mission is to spread a message of peace, consolation, and solidarity to our African brothers and sisters who have suffered so much for so long. He said that our presence here in Gulu, two professionals from America, helps to sow the seeds of hope. He said that standing shoulder to shoulder with these people, eating with them, shaking their hands and hugging them helps them to remember that God has not forgotten about them, and that there are people across the planet who love them and pray for them. This is very important to healing, and the Msgr. said this is much more important than any money or medicine we could've brought.

Tomorrow brings the great celebration day for the dedication of the new St. Kizito's Counselling Center. This is Fr. Don's big project, just completed. The Archbishop will be there tomorrow, and there will be many speeches - 5 hours worth (ouch!). St. Kizito's is an organization that has been working to identify, and assist financially with tuition, those young people who suffered in the war, are poor or orphaned, and who have the aptitude but not the money to complete their education. We have met many of the scholars, including a nun and several college students, including young David Lakony. The counselling center was created to be a place where the youth of Gulu can go to recieve counselling and healing for the deep psychological wounds they've been dealt from the long war. I'd say that every child older than 4 has PTSD, and until this is addressed formally, then this young generation of Northern Uganda will continue to slide into hoplessness and apathy. St. Kizito's and those that work there are truly brilliant and inspiring.

We have tried the local delicacy, white ants. Actually cleaned, roasted, and fried giant termites. They were challenging. We hear that the grasshoppers are in season in Kampala, and we shall have to try them in a few days.

We are missing home a bit, but continue to enjoy the Ugandan life and experiences. Know that you are all in our prayers, and that we'll blog when we can.

Peace,
Monique and Stan

Uganda Safari!!!

Hello to all!

Have read all the comments and laughed a lot. Enough about the goat already. Stan spent entirely too much mental energy on worrying about this and today when we found out the shepherd was going to do the deed, we got the heck out of dodge and came to Gulutown. Stan didn't want to participate, sighting fear of erlychiosis. It's best to leave these things in the hands of trained professionals. Also, we are in the business of keeping things alive and would like to keep it that way. So sorry to hear that Thunder got voted off the island--it's a jungle out there!

Well, believe it or not we did get to go on safari--it was awesome! The Bishop called on monday night and invited us to go on tuesday. We left on tuesday PM @ 3 hour drive and drove around until dusk. Wow! What beautiful countryside! It's exactly how we pictured Africa. The landscape was unspoiled and beautiful. Wide open spaces with intersperced acacia and elephant trees. We saw 4 different species of antelope, elephants, giraffes, warthogs, baboons and a multitude of birds. They are all wandering free in their natural habitat. There are no fences for these parks. As a matter of fact, during the war, the rebels took over the park and all the animals left and went to the Congo. Now that there is peace, the animals are back.

In the evening we went to this very cool "Sambiya Lodge". We stayed in a tukul. It was very rustic and exotic. Whenever we wanted to go from our room to the main lobby, we were required to be escorted for fear of wild beasts. That night we heard african wild dogs in the distance. Not the best night's sleep...

The next morning we were up at 5am for breakfast and the 45min drive back to the Nile to catch a sightseeing boat. We watched the sunrise on the dock before boarding. What an amazing experience! The hippos were everywhere--they're huge! We also saw many crocodiles lying mouths agape for their next meal. We made sure to keep appendages well inside the boat. Bishop Sabino was a great tour guide. He knows a lot about the animals and their behaviors. He grew up in the park. Also saw many, many amazing birds and Murchison falls. Wonderful! Of note, there were many tse tse flies along the way--evidently the african sleeping sickness has been bred out of them so we shoud be okay. After the boat, more driving and many more animals. The pictures shoud tell the tale much better. Zoos are not a place these animals should be living.

Got back to town last night and are gearing up for the big dedication of St Kizito's on Sunday. Fr. Don went down to Entebbe to pick up a few American benefactors and they should be arriving soon. Party at the convent tonight. Gotta go and cook up some goat!

Love and prayers,
Stan and Monique

New members of Undugu Family

Hello from Gulu!

It is Monday, July 14 @ Noon. The internet is functioning again at St. Monica's. The things we take for granted in America. Electricity is intermittent here. When the lights go out, everybody just sits around in the dark like it's standard operating procedure. The mosquitoes (pronounced MOSKWEETOES) are not too terribly bad here. They're out at night only. We've had a few bites each, but no fever yet. Using lots of DEET, permethrin treated clothes, and mosquito nets to protect ourselves as well as possible. We've seen some HUGE insects and critters here. A praying mantis attached itself to the back of my pants one evening and scared the **** out of me. It was easily 6 inches long. Also saw an enormous snail one morning. The shell was about 5 inches. It was beautiful--we wanted to cook it with garlic butter. Just kidding! In front of our room, we have a mango tree, an avocado tree that is laden with delicious avocadoes, and eucalyptus trees. Very tropical, but we lucked out because the weather has been unseasonably cool. We think it's great, they're wearing down winter coats when the temperature dips below 70 F. They call it winter.

Yesterday morning Mass was outstanding! We all processed in to the hall with about 200 girls singing and about 10 doing traditional dance. They sang and drummed throughout almost the entire Mass--the Gloria, the Sanctus, and a beautiful acapella song after communion in their native Acholi language. The tears were flowing--they are so inspirational. Chioki (the guy travelling with the midwives), was kind enough to get up and record the whole Mass for us with professional recording equipment. We heard a little last night-it sounds great. As it turns out, he's here doing a radio documentary about the midwives for NPR.

After Mass, we attended a seminar about membership in Undugu family. It is an organization created to promote peace and unity in Africa and the world, and to decrease intertribal and interreligious violence. It was founded by a Tanzanian Jesuit priest in 1996 after witnessing the mass genocide in Rwanda. In Swahili, ndugu is the word for both brother and sister. When you put a U in front of it, undugu means the relationship between a brother and sister. The concept is that because we are all children of God the father, we should strive for unity and peace with all people, our brothers and sisters in Christ. A link will be forthcoming for more info.

As if the chicken was not enough, now Sr Rosemary has informed Stan that he will be expected to slaughter and roast a goat for dinner on Thursday. He is experiencing great anxiety over this matter and has been soliciting help from anyone willing to listen. The whole thing has been rather entertaining. They're slaughtering a bull for the St. Kizito dedication ceremonies on Sunday. If Stan succeeds with the goat it's on to the bull!! We'll keep you posted...

Love and prayers to all of you and thank you so much for your kind responses.
Stan and Monique

Mass of healing for Sr. Victoria

Hello everyone!

Thank you all for your prayers and comments. We are so enjoying reading them. Modern technology is amazing!

Today is Saturday, July 12 the internet is down at St. Monica's, so we are in "Gulutown" at an internet cafe. No coffee, just computers. Just so everyone sleeps a little better back home, we are very safe here. The people are peaceful and kind. We had a short bout of gastroenteritis last week after sampling street meat (bad idea). Other than that we have been very well. Our thoughts of losing weight in Africa have quickly gone by the wayside. The sisters are amazing cooks and get very upset if we don't eat 3 squares a day. Oh well...

We want to tell you the story of Sr. Victoria. The Sacred Heart sisters are a refugee order. They fled the Sudan during the wars in the 1960's to Moyo and other towns in Northern Uganda. Since then they've become active again in the southern Sudan in times of relative peace. Because they themselves are refugees, their mission has been to serve refugees, orphans , and the poor. One of the nuns here has cancer. We had a chance to sit and talk with her about her medical history and her story. Sr Victoria is originally from the Sudan and wound up in Nairobi, Kenya. She developed a rare uterine cancer that has metastasized to her liver. The initial chemo did not work, and the 2nd type was too expensive for the nuns to afford. She was failing in Nairobi and Sr Rosemary fetched her back to St Monica's for recuperation and love. When we went to Moyo, we stopped at a few places where the sisters cried when seeing her because they thought she would be dead. A few days ago we had a Mass of Healing for her. She and several other sisters were annointed by Fr. Don (they never know if they'll have access to a priest should they suddenly become ill). It was very touching and beautiful. Sr Victoria shared with us a story of personal trauma. Her father had been shot by the SPLA and she was on her way to Khartum to bring him back to Uganda for treatment. Along the way, her car was commandeered by the army and she was forced to ride in the back of a truck with many other people. The SPLA ambushed the truck. "It was raining bullets for 5 minutes. 11 people died instantly and I was shot in my left shoulder. Another sisters applied a tight dressing to stop the bleeding and I went on to get my father." It was a month before she was able to have the bullet removed, but her father lived. She is a very inspiring woman. We are praying for her daily. She has accepted her diagnosis with great grace and is bearing the burden very lightly.

Everybody here has been affected by violence in some way. The other day we met Evelyn, one of the girls at St. Monica's who was one of the "wives" of Joseph Kony. He is the head of the terrorist organization LRA, which was responsible for the slaughter and abduction of many Ugandans over the past ten years. She bore 3 children by him. They are also at St. Monica's. The stories are endless, but the people have a great spirit and are trying hard to recover and rebuild their lives. Their faith in God carries them through.

On a lighter note, we actually had an opportunity to see some patients, minor illnesses only. We took the sisters out for dinner last night and had a blast. They were very funny fighting over the last Red Bull. Some things are universal. Later today, Monique will be speaking to some of the girls about leadership, goal setting, self esteem, etc. Pray it goes well.

The weather has been great. Low 80's and dry. The butterflies are many and beautiful, as are the birds. No safari yet, but still hoping. Sorry, but pictures have not been technically feasible as we can't get online on our own computer. Photodocumentation is ongoing however.

Love to all. We miss you. Keep the comments coming--they make us smile.

Stan and Monique

Luigi's 82nd birthday

Hello to all!

Sorry about the long delay, but have been away from the computer for several days.

St. Monica's is turning out to be an amazing place. Sr. Rosemary knows many people and has them working here. For instance, at our first dinner here, looking around the table we see several nuns, three Italian construction workers from Milan who don't speak English, two very earthy midwives from New Jersey along with their Rastafarian friend, and of course, our priest and guide, Father Don. The Italians are part of the order of Magenta, a construction volunteer organization. Luigi, the oldest, turned 82 on the 5th and the sisters threw a big party with a huge cake, way too much food and lots of singing and dancing. These sisters know how to cut a rug!

That evening Sr. Rosemary invited us to accompany her on Sunday to Moyo, the place of their mother house for the Sisters of the Sacred Heart. "It's about two hours to get there, depending on the roads."

We met for a few hours with the new clinical medical officer that recently started here, and helped him set up the new clinic in the morning after Mass. He was very excited about all the meds and surgical supplies.

We then set off on the road to Moyo with Sr. Rosemary, Sr. Victoria, and Brother Andrew, our very capable driver. It was very rainy and the road was very bumpy and we were rather nauseated most of the way. The most rugged 4-wheel drive road we've ever travelled. We caught the last ferry across the Nile and made it into Moyo in a cool 6 hours. We stayed with 2 Camboni missionary priests, Father Luigi (yes, another one) and Father Dino. Father Dino has spent 54 years in the west Nile region creating missions. Father Luigi is very skilled at accounting--the reason for Sr. Rosemary's visit. They were excellent hoSr Victoria and sts.

The next day we went with Brother Andrew to tour the mother house, complete with full orchard and gardens. The people really live off the land here. They keep animals and grow most of the food they eat. We harvested lemons, grapefruit and mangoes there. We then visited the orphanages and medical clinic run by the Sacred Heart Sisters. There was a baby house with about 20 babies, including brand new triplets! Then we went to the toddler home and were swarmed by about 50 kids as we handed out Jolly Ranchers and balloons. The kids here are great. They are so appreciative of even the smallest things. We then went to the home for the older kids and toured, but they were all in school. Because we didn't have time to stay for a meal, in keeping with African culture, Stan was presented to take home with him a beautiful live, white rooster--still cocka-doodle-dooing. We ate it that night for dinner for Fr. Luigi's birthday. They made fun of Stan for not knowing how to kill the cock!

The next day after Mass in a tukul (round traditional African building with straw roof), we took a very ill older neighbor from the village to Moyo hospital. The medical assistant was "late", so the man lay semi-unconcious for 1 hour and 15 min on a wooden bench in the waiting area before being seen. Brother Andrew was most courageous and insistent and got him seen first. The man was accompanied by about 4 other villagers who were not his family. They brought supplies and food and stayed with him. These people really look out for each other. We took a self tour of the hospital. No one questioned our presence. The conditions are pretty grim--crowded, limited facilities, personnel and resources. Nobody smokes here, it's in their best interests to stay well.

The trip back to Gulu was equally touristical. The weather was good but the ferry was less reliable this time. After waiting an hour for them to dredge a new dock with a backhoe, we set off across the Nile. But wait! Half way across the driver remembers to check the fuel guage--we have to turn back, we're almost out of gas! He commandeers a motorcycle to get fuel. After gassing up we head off again. But wait! Half way across the engine dies--we are adrift on the way to Sudan. Don't worry, they fixed the problem, we got across fine. They unloaded the cattle and we were on our way back to Gulu. We arrived home late to an extraordinarily warm welcome, and yet another birthday party for Srs. Assumpta and Pauline. What an adventure! Slept like logs. Today is Wednesday, the 9th, and we will rest.

Thank you all for your prayers and comments, know that you have ours in return from across the planet. Please continue to pray for the people of Northern Uganda. Their life has been unbelievably hard over the past 3 decades. Pray for ongoing peace.

Stan and Monique

Home of Hope and the road to Gulu

Hello all,
We are blogging from an internet cafe in downtown Gulu. We have a lot to report.

On July 3 we visited our first orphanage, Home of Hope. This is the place Hope Latiak , fellow Clevelander, has been staying for the past year. There are about 35 children there age 2-16, both boys and girls. The conditions were very rugged to say the least, but the kids were happy and healthy for the most part according to our exams. They are well loved, well fed, and danced for Jolly Ranchers! In the evening we enjoyed freshly caught, still wiggling, tilapia from Lake Victoria. After dinner all the kids sang and danced for us. It was very touching. Rats dropping onto roof and scrabbling around kept us awake most of the night, but it was all worth it. Woke up 6 am to all the children, even the 3 year old, doing chores. They were carrying water, raking leaves and cleaning up. They are given responsibility at a very young age here. We were sad to leave.

After Mass and breakfast, we were driven to Gulu by Geoffrey, Sister Rosemary's private driver. She didn't want us on the bus because she wanted to make sure the meds got there safely. Wow! What a drive! The scenery was beautiful, we saw the river Nile and baboons along the way. The road was very bumpy and treacherous but we arrived safely without event. St. Monica's is beautiful. It's a large compound with many buildings. It has a front gate, a high wall and a 24 hour guard. We feel very safe and are blessed that Sr. Rosemary saw fit to put us in the matrimonial suite. More later. Love to all.

Safely in Entebbe

Dear All,

Praise the lord, all of our and your prayers were answered yesterday as the customs inspector looked at us the tourists and waved us impatiently to the door out of Entebbe airport with barely a glance. All of our medical supplies and pharmaceuticals arrived intact and we look forward to delivering them to the girl's school in Gulu.

We awoke today overlooking the great Lake Victoria. Already the sights, sounds (of the birds), and smells are wonderful and exotic!! We are travelling with Fr. Don and his freind Felix (a very knowledgeable local) to the Home of Hope today, a small orphanage run by the Good Samaritan Sisters here in Kampala. Hope Latiak, a Peace Corps volunteer we met for dinner last week in Cleveland is working there, and will be there when we visit. We will stay at that orphanage tonight July 3, and understand that fresh whole wild tilapia caught in Lake Victoria will be the featured dish tonight. Our first impression of the Ugandan folks we've met so far: they are very warm, genuine, and wanting to help us. And they have a good sense of humor:-)

So far no access to allow us to post pictures, but we are photographing our journey, and hope to be able to post them in Gulu. The plan thus far is to travel to Gulu and St Monica's school on Friday July 4. Sr. Rosemary was kind enough to dispatch a private car and driver to take us the approx. 150 mile north to Gulu. This is a very big compliment and Fr. Don tells us it will make the journey much more manageable.

Well we thank you all for your thoughts and prayers, and will post when we can.

Peace,

Monique and Stan

Half way to Uganda

Hello to all from Schippol airport in Amsterdam! So far we've had fair skies and smooth sailing. Pray to God it will stay that way. We somehow managed to fit all the supplies, toys, candy, and our clothes into our 4 bags. It was like the loaves and the fishes in reverse.

A big thanks to all of you for all your thoughts and prayers for our success in this mission. A special thank you to all of you at Holy Spirit Parish for the wonderful send off blessing--it gave us strength for the journey.

From here we're on to Entebbe, Uganda where we'll meet with Fr. Don Dunson. We'll probably spend several days in Kampala before heading north to Gulu where St Monica's and St Kizito's are.

Here's hoping for a smooth customs tranfer. Stay tuned!

Peace, Stan and Monique