At Home in the Jungle

Well, I never did make it to electricity last week. It was all we could do to charge the battery for the camera. What an amazing week it was!!

The drive from Moyo to Paidha was long but beautiful. We headed southwest and into the mountains. Paidha is on the far west border of Uganda and Congo. It is at high elevation, so the view is beautiful, the air is fresh and cool, and the best part---no mosquitos! We arrived in the village in the dark and recieved a warm welcoming meal enjoyed by the light of a kerosene lantern. The next morning I awoke to the beautiful village scene--a clustering of typical Ugandan tukuls with grass roofs. We went for a walk around to meet Sr. Rosemary's extended family. What wonderful people! They were warm and welcoming. Some spoke English, but most didn't. I was so happy to have learned some Alur, so I was able to communicate a bit. They were helpful and patient with my feable attempts. As the week went on, I improved but still have a long way to go.

On Saturday, we went to the Market in Paidha. Wow!! It was great!! I love going to local markets to get a feel for the local culture. The market was packed with people busily buying and selling produce, fish, meat, and best of all, beautiful fabrics from Congo! People were loving getting their pictures taken. They were smiling and kind and seemed to find my presence rather entertaining.

Sunday Mass was inspiring as always. I hate to keep repeating myself, but the faith here is truly amazing! The church was completely full in the pews and the aisles were full of young people sitting on the floor. There is singing and dancing and a celebration of faith that I have never experienced in the States. To add to the experience, this was the church where Sr Rosemary grew up and made all her sacraments, including her perpetual vows. What an inspiration.

After Mass we had our Paidha Tree of Wisdom celebration. As we were approaching, all the guardians were sitting together. They all stood up and burst into song and came to greet us with dancing and smiles. We met with the guardians and children who all looked clean and healthy and happy. The outpouring of gratitude from all of them was truly overwhelming and humbling. I don't have words adequate to explain to all of you who have supported Tree of Wisdom how life-changing the program has been for these children and their guardians. Sr. Rosemary said she couldn't believe the change in all of them. It seems unfair that I am the only one with the opportunity to experience it all first hand. Please know that the sacrifices you have all made has had a tremendous positive impact on the health, education, and outlook of all of the beneficiaries.

The celebration was a great success! Through the generosity of donors, we have supplied balls, jumpropes and writing/drawing supplies so the children can have fun and build a family when they meet together. Because many of them come from far away, we give them a small meal on arrival and a larger meal at the end of the meeting. We have decided that these meetings will take place twice a year, July and December, so the children and guardians can build relationships and we can keep track of their progress. We are getting great reports so far about most of the childrens' performance in school too. They are wonderful and respectful children who are so happy to have the opportunity to build a future for themselves.

Yesterday, we returned to St Monica's in Gulu. We saw some elephants on the way after crossing the Nile. Uganda is really a beautiful country. We'll have our final meeting with the orphans in Gulu this weekend then I will begin to prepare to come home.

Thanks again for all your prayers and support.
Peace to all.
Monique

The Road to Moyo

Travel to Moyo was set to begin on Monday morning but in typical Ugandan style, the plans changed. Sr Rosemary had so many meetings and unexpected visitors that we decided to delay our departure till Tuesday. That day I succeeded in riding a boda boda sidesaddle because I had on a kitenge (traditional Ugandan wrap skirt). At first I was holding on to the driver and could hear audible laughter from onlookers as we were passing. I got my bearings and did it the right way....another small victory.

Tuesday AM we left for Moyo and our week long trip to the villages with the car packed to the brim and multiple passengers. No gas is wasted here. Any trip is maximally utilized. The trip was uneventful. We stopped in Adjumani for lunch with Sr. Mary, a most welcoming and jovial soul. She runs a primary school there with 840 children grades 1-7, and a nursery school with over 300 children. She takes all of this in stride with a smile on her face. Each teacher has 50-60 children--a task only made possible by the incredibly good behavior of Ugandan children. We were welcomed with songs and smiles. We distributed books sent from Liberty High School in Columbus and Project Hope--a very generous project spearheaded by Hope Latiak´s sister Julie who is a teacher there. The children were so happy to recieve the books. When they got them they immediately sat down in the grass and started reading. One child in 4th grade stood up and started reading aloud with amazing fluency. We later distributed balls and the mayhem began. Any small thing means so much!

We are now in Moyo, visiting the Sisters´ provincial house and the Redeemer Childrens´Home. The orphanage for the children 4-teens. 65 children live there and 60 others are in boarding schools but return on holidays as this is their home. So far on this trip I got the loudest singing welcome from them. On arrival, the children poured out of the home and started singing before we could get out of the car. They are loving and curious and sweet. They all come to greet us at once, with so many around it can be hard to stay on your feet. This is a poor but happy place with constant activity. The children were even singing as the did chores. Here we met 2 young women from Spain who are hear for a month or 2 to live with the children and spend extra time. I am so lucky to meet selfless people like this along the way. Three of our Tree of Wisdom children live at this home--Sharon, Patience, and Samuel. They are being well taken care of by these loving Sisters. Tomorrow we will go to the babies home to see Elijah.

A word about the bombing in Kampala. First of all, we are very far away from that area and we are safe, so please do not worry. The country is in mourning for the victims of this tragedy. We are all saddened by the far reaching and long lasting effect that terrorism has on our society at large. Every day we need to continue to pray for peace in our world.

Once again, thank you for your prayers and support. Tomorrow we go further in to the villages and will not have electricity at all until we leave on Monday. I hear that in town there is electricity and an internet cafe, so I will do my best to stay connected.

Love and prayers,
Monique

Tree of Wisdom Atiak

Greetings to All!

My days in Gulu have been full of life. Flexibility is definitely the key here as you never quite know where the next hour will take you. Earlier in the week we visited Lacor Hospital. Sr Rosemary's 2 y.o. nephew Timothy was admitted with malaria. Wow--what a difficult experience. The hospital was incredibly overcrowded. In some areas they had 2 children to a bed and there were family members all over the floor. Each room had 10 beds in it. I walked around feeling so helpless and wondering how they all are able to cope. The patients and family members were patient and quiet. They bear their burdens very quietly here in Uganda. I can't imagine what it must be to practice medicine in a world like this. With a doctor:patient of 1:25,000, I can't begin to comprehend how overwhelmed they must feel at times. No matter how much we think our medical system is broken in America, we should never forget how lucky we are. In Uganda, life and death is a daily grim reality.

We spent much of the week planning the Tree of Wisdom activities for this month. The staff that Sr Rosemary has put together is great. Mr Komakech follows the 61 children in Atiak, Brother Bede Beda follows the 40 children in West Nile/Paidha district, and John Kennedy follows the 15 childen in the Gulu region. We also have 4 orphans in Moyo at an orphanage being cared for by the Sacred Heart Sisters. So as you can see we are approaching 120 children. The Tree of Wisdom is growing strong and tall. We are working out logistical issues, visiting schools and trying to find the best ways to meet the needs of our children.

Today was the first big TOW celebration since my arrival. It was awesome!! We left for Atiak at 7AM with the car full of 9 people and lots of gear over bumpy roads for 2 hours. We got there a bit early and visited the site of the new St. Monica's Tailoring School in Atiak which sits on 12 acres of land. They have 2 classroom blocks erected and have begun building the hall/kitchen/restaurant building. The compound is on a very busy road from Sudan to Gulu. Their eventual plan is to open a restaurant to serve travellers and tour busses. This will provide training for the young women in the school and also help sustain the campus.

The day began with Mass at 10 am. It was beautiful! Atiak is one of the hardest hit areas from the war. We saw obviously malnourished children and people dressed in their ragged Sunday best. Out of their poverty comes a richness of spirit and faith that is truly overwhelming. After Mass we began the TOW festivities. Robert Komakech is such a soft spoken humble man with such a big heart and a love for the children. Unknown to us till now, he has bee meeting with them every Sunday, trying to teach them practicalities of life and build community. On this day, we met with the children and all their guardians. The children were clean and well cared for. The guardians have formed a co-op and are trying to support one another in many different ways. There was much singing and dancing. The dancing kills me because every time they do it they drag the visitor up there and you have to shake your booty as fast as you can in the traditional Ugandan style, and let me tell you...this white girl can't dance!

After the laughing subsided, we all ate lunch--complete with meat. The children played with the balls, frisbees and jumpropes provided by all of you. They had a GREAT time! Later we drew pictures, wrote letters, and distributed the great beanie babies, matchbox cars and snacks sent by all of you kind hearted people in the US. Afoyo!! You have no idea how much they appreciated all of it. They are truly destitute people. Every small kindness is one step closer to a more promising future.

This evening Sr. Rosemary and I sat and reflected on our day. What an amazing blessing Tree of Wisdom has been for so many people. It gives the children a brighter future, the guardians a greater sense of commuity, and for those of us in America, a way to help that is direct and relevent. I told those children that they each have a Mom or a Dad in America who loves them very much and prays for them every day. Please pray for the people of Atiak. They have endured such terrible suffering from the war and are now falling prey to a 3 year drought. Throughout the day I choked back tears and thanked God for all the blessings in my life. I never imagined that this tree would be so strong so fast.

On the other side of the planet, I get reports that bead sales at St. John Festival of the Arts have been great. Thank you so much to all who participated.

With tremendous gratitude to all of you. Thank you for all your prayers and support.
God bless!

Monique

Back home in Gulu

What a great homecoming we received on arrival to St. Monica's on Sunday night! The sisters sang us a beautiful welcome and prepared a beautiful meal. It was so great to see everyone again.

Over the past few days to see the unfolding of the Tree of Wisdom project. On Monday, we had a meeting with the 3 people who are in charge of following the children. They had great reports. The children are for the most part thriving and doing well in school. Mr. Komakec who follows our 61 orphans in Atiak has been meeting with the children every Sunday. How nice to see his initiative! They gather together and talk about different topics and share community and belonging. The basic thing these children lack. Tomorrow we will travel to Atiak to see some of their schools, meet the children and get a general assessment. This Sunday we have planned a great celebration with the children there. We will start with Mass, then have lunch, a gathering and medical assessments. We plan to take balls and other toys that can be left there so when the children gather they can play together. Thanks to the generosity of many, we are able to give each of the children their own toy to take home, toothbrushes and toothpaste. I can't wait to meet these children, hear their stories, give them hugs from everyone back home and see their smiling faces.

During this week at St. Monica's I have had the joy every day of meeting some of Tree of Wisdom children and their guardians each day. Many of the guardians are now employed at St. Monica's so it has become the focal point for them. The children are adorable and so appreciative of having the chance to go to school. Most of them are very small for their ages due to long term malnutrition, but they are now happy and hopeful. Patrick is a boy who we wrote about on the website. He is a 7 year old orphan who was brought to St. Monica from Atiak where he was living with his aunts, working as a child laborer, and basically starving to death. He is now happy and thriving. The nuns are his new family--they love him and he loves them. He has been with them since November and none of his family members have inquired about him. I am amazed at the impact that TOW is having on these children. My gratitude goes out to all who have participated. I feel blessed to get to experience it first hand.

Afoyo matek! (Thank you very much!)

P.S. Sorry about the technical difficulties. Ugandan computers!!!

Happy Landings in Kampala

Hello to all! Greetings from Gulu!

I apologize for my extended silence, but did not have internet access until today. The things we take for granted in America take more effort in Uganda. Because of the long delay, this is probably going to be a lengthy one so sit down, relax and let my try to transport you to another world.

The trek to Uganda is always a long one (about 25 hrs in all), but it went once again without a hitch. Flights were on time and pleasant. To my great relief, I was once again completely ignored by customs and made a run for it through the "nothing to declare" line. I attribute this good fortune to the wonderful ladies at Holy Spirit who pray that my smuggled medicines will become invisible. It worked again---phew!!!

The first few days of my visit were spent in Kampala at the house of Sr. Rosemary's biological sister, Catherine. I must admit, this was a very far cry from "roughing it". Ugandans, even in difficult circumstances, give hospitality a whole new meaning. Catherine has many adult daughters who were constantly at the ready. One was kinder than the next. Although there was no running water, there was always water heated over charcoal for bathing, they brought me coffee in bed, and one night Harriet even washed my hair for me! I felt so spoiled that I developed pangs of guilt about everyone worrying about me back home.

One day driving down the road outside Kampala, we came upon a construction area and found a policeman making people turn around because the road was closed. The taxi driver asked to go through anyway, the police said "what about my soda (i.e. bribe)?", then the driver leaned over as if to get some money and said "I'll be back!" and sped off through theconstruction zone. Everything is negotiable here it seems.

The next day we travelled to Jinja, to Bujugali Falls, which is the "Source of the Nile". From here the Nile winds north through the continent of Africa. What a beautiful area! The birds are amazing--huge and beautiful. We also saw rafters and kayakers on these class 5 rapids. Nobody was injured on that day but many did not remain in their boats.
On Sunday we had a beautiful Mass at Catherine's home, thanks to Fr. Don, and began the long journey (or so I thought) to Gulu. It seems the year before the elections those in power decide to spruce up the place a bit to garner support. The road to Gulu was completely paved! Instead of 8 hours on back-breaking, bumpy roads, it was 4 hours of smooth sailing. We bought pineapples, roasted corn, and enormous mushrooms along the way, but in the interest of our gastrointestinal health, decided to refrain from the street meat. The car was so packed that upon a sudden stop, Sr Rosemary got a pineapple to the coconut. On the way across the Nile we not only saw baboons but monkeys too. It's great to be back in Africa!

New Adventures

Time is running quickly as I am preparing for my next visit to Uganda. I will be going for the entire month of July again. This year I am traveling alone, without my better half, so I can focus on the organization of Tree of Wisdom. Fear not, our dear friends in Uganda have promised to keep me safe!!

Attempting to pack for such an adventure is always interesting. The things that seemed hard last time are easy--visa, travel, immunizations, etc. The hard part is what to bring...actually, what not to bring, because they need everything. Evading insects in every way possible has also become a major focus---watch one episode of "Monsters Inside of Me" and you'll know why. ALL of those organisms congregate in Uganda.

Great thanks to all my dear friends who have donated so many items for the trip. Medical supplies, toothbrushes, beanie babies, matchbox cars, clothing...the list

goes on and on. The outpouring of generosity is truly humbling. One woman, after hearing about the "garbage balls" that the children play with during one of our talks, sent me a check for $150. She said, "Buy as many balls as you can with this, children shouldn't have to play with garbage." I am blessed to have the opportunity to see the goodness of people on a daily basis because of this project.

Stay tuned. I will try to update as often as internet access and electricity allow.

Thank you for your prayers.

God bless you all!

Monique