The Dancing Nuns & AIDS Orphans Outreach
Dear Friends April 15, 2007
Greetings from Mutolere, Uganda: home of St. Francis Hospital , a bunch of people who work and live here ( something like Sunshine Acres in Mesa Arizona) and home of yours truly. It actually is beginning to feel more like home every day and the sense of community that was so much a part of (often too much so) of Sunshine Acres Children’s Home, is now finding it’s way back into my life. Examples would go something like this: being gifted with a pineapple by two visiting religious sisters and fresh garden vegetables from Julianna, a lovely woman who as a retired school teacher is often called upon to help with translation from English to Rufumbria and vice versa.
I really wasn’t quite sure what a couple of the vegetables were so my helper Grace cooked the pumpkin, not like Halloween orange pumpkin, but more like a huge green cucumber and with butter and salt---yummy. .
The less appealing side of community living are the unexpected early morning knocks on the door, this am from the neighbor children who apparently felt the need to return a couple of clothes pins that had been left on our shared clothesline –smile.
Quite a busy week starting with Easter Monday; yep another unbelievable moving Mass. All seem to attend the nine am service and this time I had my camera. No Olivia as she was a bit under the weather( must have been that sat. night dancing at the Easter Vigil Service),but the Religious Sisters made up for her as the church was decorated so festively and Fr. John encouraged them and all of us (including me ) to surround the altar in song and dance. I, not quite ready to join in the dancing, took pictures and a few priceless mini vidio’s that I so wish I could include in this blog. Until my brilliant Cuz George Tague( calls himself the Keystone Cop when commenting to my blogs) teaches me how, just let me know if you would like to see “The Dancing Nuns” and I’ll email it to you-smile.
I have been on two outreach programs where we go to a village a distance away and educate the people about HIV-AIDS. Then we distribute lined notebooks to each head of the household, sometimes being an 11 yr. old boy or a 16 yr. old girl, caring for several younger siblings. We distribute 10 books and one pencil or pen, per child and bar soap to wash their clothes. This week , in Kinanira (on the border of the Congo) it started to pour rain and since we were all somewhat trapped for an hour, the woman entertained me with song and dance (I also have mini vidio’s of this should you care to see them). This was particularly meaningful to me as these woman are HIV+ and though doing comparatively well were limited in their energy.
Then school was out and we were joined by a million (ok, seemed like a million) children who braved the rain storm to see a real live amuzungu (that would be me).How I wish I’d had a bag of candy to distribute (yes I know it would have had to have been something I didn’t like-ha).
Enclosed a photo of a family of three boys, with the eyes of the eldest showing the weight of being the head of the household. They are dressed alike as, although education is free in Uganda, uniforms are not and are required.. You have probably heard how much Oprah has helped with uniforms and education in South Africa, well it seems these HIV programs and uniforms come primarily through the kindness of the Dutch people. We, Americans can be very generous, but as my dear friend * Carol Balderree wrote in a recent article entitled “ The Inconvenient Truth” for our local paper: “Despite being the largest single donor, US assistance development represents only .22% of gross national income, making us the second-lowest which gives an average of .47%. In real dollars the US gave $27.5 billions in 2005, compared to the $55.7 billions given by the European Union, a comparable sized economy. While the EU is on track to achieve its goal of .7% by the year 2015, the US has made no such commitment.
At the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000, the heads of all 189 nations signed the Millennium Pledge, agreeing to work together to make the world a better place for all by the year 2015.
* If you are interested in reading this or any of Carol’s insightful articles and you do not have access to: The Sun Times “Progressive Voice” column, Heber Springs, AR. Please contact Carol Balderree at cbalderree@suddenlink.net
Perhaps this has not been as inspirational as my recent blogs yet hopefully the photo’s will inspire you to keep your heart open to our brothers and sisters around the world.
Blessings,
Marie
. .
Greetings from Mutolere, Uganda: home of St. Francis Hospital , a bunch of people who work and live here ( something like Sunshine Acres in Mesa Arizona) and home of yours truly. It actually is beginning to feel more like home every day and the sense of community that was so much a part of (often too much so) of Sunshine Acres Children’s Home, is now finding it’s way back into my life. Examples would go something like this: being gifted with a pineapple by two visiting religious sisters and fresh garden vegetables from Julianna, a lovely woman who as a retired school teacher is often called upon to help with translation from English to Rufumbria and vice versa.
I really wasn’t quite sure what a couple of the vegetables were so my helper Grace cooked the pumpkin, not like Halloween orange pumpkin, but more like a huge green cucumber and with butter and salt---yummy. .
The less appealing side of community living are the unexpected early morning knocks on the door, this am from the neighbor children who apparently felt the need to return a couple of clothes pins that had been left on our shared clothesline –smile.
Quite a busy week starting with Easter Monday; yep another unbelievable moving Mass. All seem to attend the nine am service and this time I had my camera. No Olivia as she was a bit under the weather( must have been that sat. night dancing at the Easter Vigil Service),but the Religious Sisters made up for her as the church was decorated so festively and Fr. John encouraged them and all of us (including me ) to surround the altar in song and dance. I, not quite ready to join in the dancing, took pictures and a few priceless mini vidio’s that I so wish I could include in this blog. Until my brilliant Cuz George Tague( calls himself the Keystone Cop when commenting to my blogs) teaches me how, just let me know if you would like to see “The Dancing Nuns” and I’ll email it to you-smile.
I have been on two outreach programs where we go to a village a distance away and educate the people about HIV-AIDS. Then we distribute lined notebooks to each head of the household, sometimes being an 11 yr. old boy or a 16 yr. old girl, caring for several younger siblings. We distribute 10 books and one pencil or pen, per child and bar soap to wash their clothes. This week , in Kinanira (on the border of the Congo) it started to pour rain and since we were all somewhat trapped for an hour, the woman entertained me with song and dance (I also have mini vidio’s of this should you care to see them). This was particularly meaningful to me as these woman are HIV+ and though doing comparatively well were limited in their energy.
Then school was out and we were joined by a million (ok, seemed like a million) children who braved the rain storm to see a real live amuzungu (that would be me).How I wish I’d had a bag of candy to distribute (yes I know it would have had to have been something I didn’t like-ha).
Enclosed a photo of a family of three boys, with the eyes of the eldest showing the weight of being the head of the household. They are dressed alike as, although education is free in Uganda, uniforms are not and are required.. You have probably heard how much Oprah has helped with uniforms and education in South Africa, well it seems these HIV programs and uniforms come primarily through the kindness of the Dutch people. We, Americans can be very generous, but as my dear friend * Carol Balderree wrote in a recent article entitled “ The Inconvenient Truth” for our local paper: “Despite being the largest single donor, US assistance development represents only .22% of gross national income, making us the second-lowest which gives an average of .47%. In real dollars the US gave $27.5 billions in 2005, compared to the $55.7 billions given by the European Union, a comparable sized economy. While the EU is on track to achieve its goal of .7% by the year 2015, the US has made no such commitment.
At the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000, the heads of all 189 nations signed the Millennium Pledge, agreeing to work together to make the world a better place for all by the year 2015.
* If you are interested in reading this or any of Carol’s insightful articles and you do not have access to: The Sun Times “Progressive Voice” column, Heber Springs, AR. Please contact Carol Balderree at cbalderree@suddenlink.net
Perhaps this has not been as inspirational as my recent blogs yet hopefully the photo’s will inspire you to keep your heart open to our brothers and sisters around the world.
Blessings,
Marie
. .
posted by Marie McGee @ 7:06 AM
1 Comments:
At Fri Apr 20, 11:30:00 AM ,
Anonymous said...
Dear beloved friend, Marie,
This little place in the world,where you peaceable tred is filled with it's own challenges, yes, but from all you witness to in word, deed and picture confirms the grace of a simpler and more authentic rhythm. There are few inuendos. What is experienced and seen, cuts through to the heart and soul. No thick vaneer or psyco babble. This must free up a tremendous amount of energy to focus on what is real and essential.These are simple souls, struggling, celebrating, grateful and able to share.It is so evident you are adjusting to the rhythm and contributing your dance as well, even if it isn't on the Altar, like precious Miss Violet. Thank you for bring to the rest of us this incredible reality. What lessons for me and my family.
Here, in the US, we face so much ongoing trauma, and our attention spans are so short lived. It is shameful, but has become a means of surviving what seems out of control. We pray, we sacrifice, we examine and adjust our lives and we hope. But where you are, the need to be fully present to the immediate, seems to allow you to avoid so many distractions.
Marie, as my little life, among all my belove K-6th graders and the school community, unfolds each day, it is as I am on a paralel track to yours. Only in the sense that so much love is required here, so much attentiveness, listening and wisdome, so much compassion. It is truly the simple things, the little words, gestures, homemade tokens of affection, unexpected joy and things to laugh about. It is the ouwies and booboos, the tragic home lives, the struggles so many immigrant families face that makes us kindred spirits. We make little 'Sunshine Acres" /Kisoro communities wherever we are, when we along the Love of Christ to infuse/grace every thought, word and deed....It makes a difference. Even if only in ones own home or workplace. We each simply must 'bloom where we are planted'...It is the common call we can each respond to. It can be as far away as you are, or right where we are. So, as all of us who are blessed to know you, go about our moment to moments, we too, will try alittle harder to 'practice the presence of God' in the most ordinary task.
My mornings are your evenings and as I greet the day, with joy, you are tucking yours in, having spent yourself for others and ready for sleep to hopefully bring renewal. On my work days, just before our little school starts, from 7:00 am -7:30am, I walk twice (2 miles) around the park near here and sing praises with the morning birds. The mornings I can go to communion, my prayer is for a true sense of being a part of the Body of Christ, along with all others that day. And my prayers are especially united to yours at that time.....peace my friend, love ya and thinking your little community there and all the people who will touch your life....Mary J.
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