BARTON BROOKS-- An Update

Just a little over 21/2 months ago, Barton and a Ugandan friend Anthony were in a serious motorcycle accident. He spent a weekend with us at St. Francis Hospital –Mutolere, then a week in Kampala for surgery and rest, until his dear mother and brother came to “rescue” him.
After a bit of a horrendous trip in the friendly skies, he landed safely in New York City. More surgeries in a NYC hospital, followed by a little rest and lots of physical therapy. He writes that he is continuing his recovery in Utah with his family close at hand.

-----At the Kisoro airport seeing Bartons airplane take off were: Myself, Fr. Ignaius, Dr. Damian and Dr. Lou Coda

It may be a while before he is himself again (walking several miles just to reach the Batwa Village, before even starting the work to build a hut or start a garden) but I have no doubt we will see him here again in Uganda fulfilling his mission statement, that states *“Just go somewhere, do something and teach someone else to do it also ” If you care to learn more about Barton and his work just click on http://www.guerrillaaid.com/ or http://www.globalcolors.org/

Check out this video of Barton in action. Just heard from him that he hopes to return to Uganda this Fall to continue his work helping the Batwa People.

, http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=87939194378&ref=mf

-----Barton in Kenya, prior to coming to Uganda. Reminds me of Ramar of the Jungle (opps showing my age-smile)

Referring to his time at St, Francis Hospital-Mutolere Barton wrote in his web site: I stayed there for 3 days to stabilize and until we could arrange a plane to come get me, and while there I was incredibly blessed to have Dr. Robert, his wife, and my angel of mercy, Marie McGee taking care of me. Marie is a nurse from the U.S. in Uganda on a medical mission who made sure I was comfortable, bringing me food from home, helping me get painkillers, and overall just calming my soul. She was a complete godsend for me... She wrote of the experience on her blog “Who is Barton Brooks” March 2009 http://mariemcgee.blogspot.com/

His thank you note to me had similar sentiments:
I can never thank you enough for all your help, you truly saved my life, and as I watch the footage of me lying there in the clinic in Kisoro and start thinking what could have happened (surgery etc) and how by the grace of god I survived, well, it's amazing to me... YOU kept my pain down, brought me food from home, and the brightness of your smile made me believe i wasn't alone despite being about as far as I could be from my home, friends and family... You were truly an angel sent by God for me those few days, and I will be forever grateful to Him and to you for the miracles you performed for me following my accident..With much love and thanks,
Barton

-----A Collage of Barton being transferred from our hospital to the airsrip in Kisoro That's me in picture one and four and five)

Bless you Barton and bless your family as they help you through his time of recovery. We eagerly await your return to Uganda
-------------Marie

·*** Have you ever heard a more meaningful, simple, yet profound “mission statement” in your life? Talk about getting straight to the heart of the matter!!

---When Barton First arrived at St. Francis Hospial, he was is bad shape, but his hair looked great (our personal joke) Here he is with Nursing Student Edwinah, anoher one of my "kids", who was kind enough to call and tell me of Bartons accident.

--Celebrate My Natal Day with Me

----Dad and his girls: Heather, Marie, Mom, Jolie, Theresa and Coleen -about 1982

Waking Thur. morning, I glanced at the alarm clock calculating the minutes before it might ring with Happy Birthday's from my parents: Mom always called about 8:20am, the reported time of my birth and Dad chimed in with his deep resonant voice blazing across the airway. I felt warm and loved and remembered-----Could a daughter ask for more?.

It has been a long while since these physical calls, yet the memories of their unconditional love and sheer joy in being together as a family, continue to keep me warm and safe. Love, joy, acceptance, humor, forgiveness and tenacity---these are the parental seeds that planted in a garden of security and faith enrich us into becoming whole people of God.

My parents, Helen and Hugh McGee are my first thoughts when I wake to start a new year of my life and I expect until we are all together in God's great Heavens--it will remain so.

_________________________________________________________

Following a morning of immunizing babies and preg. women, I skipped around rain drenched puddles meeting Jackson, my driver, to pick up Michael from Potters Village, to celebrate my Natal Day with me.

He is 21 mo. old now and can walk from here to there but often choses to crawl if he think it will get him to his destination faster-smile (Don't miss the video on the bottom of this blog!)

John Coda helped me eat my birthday cake-Mmmm

------Happy Birthday to me-Happy Birthday to me-La La La-Thanks Marty


My American neighbors, the Codas(O, by the way check out their blog site at (http://codasinuganda.blogspot.com/ ) saw to it that I had my dream meal which for me was Marty's homemade white bread (so I could make two peanut butter and jelly (with butter) sandwiches. Followed by a chocolate cake that no bakery in Uganda could rival.

Dr. Lou and a trying to hide Anthony .

Then a short walk home by a moonlit sky and a click of my new Internet Modem and voila'---Birthday Greetings a plenty from friends all over the States, my Heather in NYC and new and old friends from as far as Sweden, Holland and even Bethlehem (no not Jesus, but one of his pals Br. Bob Smith). Thank you all for remembering my birthday and celebrating our friendships.

Video of Michael walking "Walk like a Man"

Bushera Island-Lake Bunyonyi----=Heaven On Earth

Here I go again, applauding the beauty of Bushera Island, Lake Bunyonyi-Uganda, as “Heaven On Earth”. But do we really know where heaven is or even where the Garden of Eden was? Is it not possible that it is right here in this spot where mans intervention has only made it more amenable to we wimpy humans without marring it’s exquisite beauty? Yes, I could dwell on that thought all day, but the answer to that and far more immediate questions lie in my being still and simply being in the Presence.

I arrived here yesterday about 1:30pm and will leave 48 hrs/ later with all the answers to all the problems that have eluded the world since creation. Ha, okay, perhaps I am over reaching a bit—how about “What does God want me to do with the rest of my life?”

I have been in Kisoro, Uganda, at St. Francis Hospital-Mutolere for 2 and ¼ years ,with my three year commitment ending early next year, so the time has come for me to consider if I will renew my contract with Lay Mission Helpers returning to Uganda after a brief visit to the States, go back to my little home nestled in the Arkansas woods or do something altogether yet un-thought of at this time?

I am so content sitting outside my tent, drinking mint tea and viewing the assortment of birds that are sharing my birthday bread that I feel I could stay here forever and perhaps write the Great American novel (or at least, read ” War and Peace”-smile). But there I go digressing again: Hum, let’s see where was I again? O, yes, “What does God see as my future?”
In order to see my potential future, I need to review my past right up to this moment in time. No fear, my dear friends, I shall not bore you with these ruminations but will take that journey alone with only Jesus as my companion to keep my thoughts from straying and my memories focused and clear.

_______MUCH LATER IN THE DAY:

Gorgeous, as always here, but a tad bit chilly, so black tights under my beige shorts are the fashion statement of the day. The Swedish girls wear this look all the time but at 24 yrs., they look cute, which I doubt can be said for me. I am warmer but wish I’d remembered those cozy socks.

In Sue Monk Kidds “When the Heart Waits” she relates various stories, biblical or personal, that helped her in the process of : “Letting Go”. I can personally bear witness that “Letting Go” often feels more like –giving up---or ---giving in---not quite as high falutin’g (as my mother used to say) as the spiritual concept of moving our ego-selves aside to make room for the Divine.

The included "Handing Yourself Over" spoke to me, so I've included portions of it should there be a word or two that speaks to your heart,:

I came upon an event in the Bible that also had the effect of moving me closer to letting go. Jesus' arrest in Gethsemane. Reflecting on it Henri Nouwen wrote;


.The central word in the story of Jesus’ arrest is one I never thought much about. It is “to be handed over”. Judas handed Jesus over……… the remarkable thing is that the same word is used not only for Judas but also for God. God did not spare Jesus, but handed him over to benefit us all (See Rom. 8:32). So this word “to be handed over” plays a central role in the life of Jesus.




I realized that both waiting and the life-giving transformation that came out of it began for Jesus at the very point when he handed himself over, just as they begin for us when we hand ourselves over. We are meant to live the Christ-life, including his waiting and his passion. We are meant to hand ourselves over, so that we can wait our own wait, hold our own tensions, enter our own suffering, emerge from our own tomb and know aliveness for the first time.
This way of thinking about and dwelling in Jesus’ passion unlocked new courage in me. I felt myself drawn into the deeper experience of waiting, of “handing myself over”, even though at times I seemed to be doing so in bits and pieces.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Driving home from Lake Bunyonyi was magical ; a true rainbow that seemed to stretch from the heavens, lit up the volcanic mountains and ended (I am sure with a pot of gold) deep within the terraced green fields
I didn’t wish FOR the pot of gold but rather wished ON it….that the land would bear fruit of all kinds, enough to feed the farmers, their families, their neighbors. With enough left over to afford to send their children to school! I wished Big, but then rainbows are a gift from an even bigger God.

.Leaving Lake Bunyonyi is always a bit sad for me, but today more than usual. The sights, the sounds, the being alone in communion with the Creator of it all, are already becoming memories. Although I love my home on the grounds of St. Francis Hospital and have far more comfort and conveniences than ever expected, privacy is not easy to come by. Ugandan think nothing of a 6am visit or staying endlessly when it is apparent that you are running late for an appointment. Their friendliness and generosity are legendary, but the price is I often feel torn between visiting and being where I am supposed to be at that time

So Bushera Island without the “shoulds” and “should – be’s” of my daily life, with its natural beauty, the sounds of children canoeing across the lake, native drumming from a church atop a neighboring island . All that and the melodious chatter of varied birds (Have I told you that “Bunyonyi” actually means “Land of Little Birds”?) .

Speaking of the chatter of birds; I was following one particular little bird, not an especially colorful one (most likely a female-smile); my eyes followed it’s movements from nibbling on a piece of bread I had supplied to sitting atop a brilliant yellow lily and then it hopping off the flower and sauntering over to where I was sitting. First, I thought, to beg for more bread ,but that wasn’t the case. It simply stood next to my chair, looking out at the same tranquil vista that I was enjoying. It stayed with me for several minutes: to give me a message, send greetings from God or just to hang out? Hummm. Yet as she effortlessly flew off into the billowy clouds, I silently said a prayer that she might send my gratitude to our mutual Creator for it all: the weekend of solitude, my continued health to serve the people of Uganda , but mostly for the renewed JOY I felt bubbling within me .
Then, as so often happens in the synchronistic world in which my spirit dwells , I opened a daily reading entitled “Healing After Loss” by Martha Whitmore Hickman, and savored a quote by Terry Tempest Williams---which read:

---------.I pray to the birds because I believe they will carry the messages of my heart upward.
----------I pray to them because I believe in their existence--the way their songs begin and end ----------each day
--------- The invocations and benedictions of Earth.
----------I pray to the birds because they remind me of what I Love more than what I Fear.
----------And at the end of my prayers, they teach me how to listen.