The Rhythm of my Heart

                                                                                                                    “Tereza, you first come…”

Yesterday Kaaja Henry, Aiida, and I headed to our weekly Ntinkalu visit which resulted in an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction, happiness, and pride.  There were over 35 women present diligently working on their crafts and discussing various issues.

Watching these women meticulously work on these crafts: table mats, floor mats, baskets, hand purses, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings I could sincerely see the fire in their eyes that is becoming increasingly brighter.  I have noticed that as time goes along, the women seem to feel more confident, self-satisfied, and proud of the work that they are accomplishing individually and as a group. 

For those of you who are not aware I will be heading to the US for nearly 4 weeks during the month of September…so the reason for this welcomed pressure results in the fact that I have asked them to produce as many crafts as they can so I will be able to carry them back to the US to sell.  The women were beyond alert, asking questions, showing me their success in how many they have made thus far…ah, the environment was itching with the desire to create.

As the women continued to work they were also holding their weekly meeting discussing other events that are happening in the Community.  This past Saturday St. Francis Health Care Centre donated 4 goats to our group and it turns out two of the four are pregnant!  Now, St. Francis (who is not directly partnered with Lazarus Community…at least not yet, as I like to say) has donated 6 pigs and 4 goats.  As I was talking with the women yesterday I said…and look at us, our group is growing with new members…oh how the women cheered! They then said….”and Tereza, you have been here nearly 6 months…you are truly becoming a resident of Ntinkalu!!!” Ah, I tell you, I could not have been more flattered.

One of the main topics discussed was who would take turns caring for the goats daily…as we have around 25 Muslims in our group, they are not keen on looking after the pigs so after much debate and expressed opinions, the group decided those who were not taking turns looking after these pigs, would be responsible for taking care of the goats.  They also discussed constructing a very simple shelter for these goats until we have enough funding and our own land to build a more stable infrastructure. 

Another subject deliberated regarded their loan development scheme.  They presented to Kaaja Henry (one of the founders) and me their constitution: “The Constitution of Ntinkalu Jaaja’s Loan Development Scheme NJLDS, 2011” One of the mobilizers, my namesake Tereza actually went to pick up the Constitution from a locked space where they keep special documents…and you should have seen her smiling face when she handed it over!  I was beyond impressed.

The proud feeling did not stop there…last week I had asked if a few of the women would feel comfortable writing a short biography of themselves in order to better tell their own stories.  I told them that even when I could try my best to tell their positions in life, they themselves could do it much better than I.  About an hour or so into our visit, the Chairperson was handed several papers at once…and slowly slowly (mpola mpola) all were collected and handed over to me…38 of the women had written on small notebook papers the information in which they are willing to share with the rest of the world…I was beyond honored that so many had taken the time to write these letters.  Ninety-eight percent of these letters were written in Lusoga, so as I will need help translating, I will also be brushing up on my Lusoga speaking skills! You may find some of these letters both in Lusoga and English on our website once it is up and running!

As if this wasn’t enough, they told me they have selected a Loan Committee and a Garden Management Committee…so as I was taking pictures of these proud women, we decided to take a couple of group photos. “Tereza, you first come, we want you in the middle so we can surround you with our love and blessings”…ah, the smiles that were present were sincerely priceless.

It is challenging for me to put into words how Blessed I feel…how far we have come as a group, the potential we have to expand, and the strength that is renewed to keep pushing forward…My heart is truly filled with comfort, bursting with joy, and overcome with pure honor to be part of such a dedicated group of women.  These women, more than they have come to realize, have inspired me, motivated me, and helped me to realize with full certainty that the rhythm of my heart is and will always be one with theirs. 

I pray that each of you finds such comfort in the various fields in which you are working.

Thank you for your continued interest and support in Lazarus Community!

Much Love,

Anne Therese

My namesake Tereza!

Organizing goat upkeep

Available for purchase!

Garden Committee

Loan Committee

Kaaja Henry

 Floor mat mid-process 

Collecting the letters

Love and Blessings

Foster the People

As for me, my cup overfloweth

Talk about unexpected blessings….with each new day something new and beautiful comes my way…and I believe that if each of you were to look you too would find that this is true.  Somehow I have been blessed with forming such wonderful relationships and it seems with each new friendship formed, a seed is planted, a perspective is gained, confidence grows, the heart expands, and love presents itself as unconditional.

Just yesterday I was invited to join some of the candidates, Priests, Sisters, and Brothers for a lovely picnic right by Lake Victoria.  The scenery was beautiful, the environment was booming, and everyone was intertwined …it was incredible.  Instead of coming prepared to eat, they brought all the materials needed to prepare the meal.  Each candidate, Sister, Priest, Brother had their own set agenda…the compound broke off into different sections…those preparing the goat meat, pork, fish, matooke, chips, rice, etc…we even were graced with a candidate’s DJing talents, so the music was thriving.  People were playing football, dancing, a few people went for a swim…pictures were taken, jokes were told, and laughter filled the air…”my cup overfloweth”.

When I was on the ride out to the picnic with a coaster full of seminarians yesterday, I sat next to Paul who is the youngest candidate of all present…who wisely told me at 19 years of age…”You have to choose what you want to do with your life, otherwise, someone will choose for you…” Which, as we all know is true, however, how often do these words come to us.  For me, it was a perfect time to reach my ears and enter my heart once again.  His wisdom rekindled me in such a way that I was filled with confidence that I have chosen the right path for my life…if you give, you begin to live.  

I have also tried to make connections with two different local organizations here in Jinja town, I find it vital to form such partnerships with people right here in Uganda…I only pray something beneficial comes from our meetings…however, it seems that I have crossed paths with these two organizations in the same week for a reason! When there is a Will there is a Way.

The women of Ntinkalu have been also blessed with 2 unexpected goats…so now we sincerely are growing! We now have been given 6 pigs and 2 goats…the women are also working towards saving for a dairy cow…they were given 200,000UGX but need between 350,000-400,000UGX for a dairy cow….hopefully we will soon find a way to purchase this beast of potential to generate some small income! It is beyond impressive to see these women come together, to share their ideas, and to watch them work.  They are coming a long way with their crafts as well! I have asked them to try and design mats the size of table mats to try and market a product that could be original to Lazarus Community…I plan on coming home with as many as they can produce and while I am visiting the U.S. in September you all will have an opportunity to directly support Lazarus Community!

May we all support one another!

Many Blessings and Much Love,

Anne Therese

Brought to my attention

So, it has been brought to my attention that I made a pretty serious mistake in one of my last posts in regards to how much land per acre costs here. I have just been given an estimate today directly from the members of Lazarus Community.  In the village of Ntinkalu (where we have our weekly meetings) the prices could vary in regards to who we are looking to purchase from...
However, it seems that an estimated one acre of land will cost us around:
7,000,000 to 9,000,000UGX which equals $2,800.00 to $3,600.00USD ($1.00USD=2500UGX)
...Therefore to reach our goal of purchasing around 5 acres of land it will be quite costly (roughly $16,000USD; keep in mind this doesn't include equipment for tilling or seeds for harvesting).  Our new vision may be, although we do not want to hinder our ambition of one day owning 5 acres of land, is to perhaps start with aquiring one acre at a time...the challenge with this approach however, is that when we are able to purchase another acre+ of land it will more than likley not be directly associated with our first plot; yet, we still will pray to be fortunate enough to reach our goal.
Ode to Lazarus Community: you are filled with endless potential!
Thank you all for your support!
Love and Blessings,
Anne Therese

Not the typical blog post

The Power of a Human Being

These days it seems time is rushing, I am not sure how I have already been here for five months. I look back and I feel like a totally different person (in the most positive way) since I first arrived...all of my experiences thus far have truly helped me realize all the potential that we have as human beings in the way we can relate to each other, help each other, benefit each other, work with each other, and be with each other.

Sometimes in life it seems we are blessed with unexpected people or events that even if we tried we ourselves could not have better planned the timing.  This past week I have been staying with a dear friend of mine in Kampala for the initial reason, I thought I may have had “the malaria” whereas it turned out it was only “worms.”  However, as we were slowly walking from her flat to a place with a free wi-fi connection we stumbled across this banner posted on the fence outside of the Ugandan Museum.  As I was winded and weak from the walk, my friend walked in to inquire about the upcoming week events where she learned that later on in the evening a short lecture about literature in Uganda was going to take place.

Walking home for our day of “work” we stopped by the Museum to check out the event for the evening.  We listened to Ugandan writers give public dialogues of their own short stories and poetry and we were then introduced to a professor from Lancaster who was there to lead discussions in writing workshops throughout the week.

When I first heard him speak about his passion for writing and his love for Uganda I was beyond inspired…I wrote down direct quotes and took notes as he spoke and little did he know that right then and there he was positively impacting my approach regarding research and ignited a new passion for writing.

Two days later we went back to the museum for a book launch where we came in more personal contact with the professor and experienced another unplanned event.  We were invited by another “mzungu” who has been living in Uganda for ages now who was attending a dinner party and he invited us all to join him.  So there we were, driving along to a restaurant where we met a Prince and Princess of a tribe in Uganda, the oldest mzungu living in Uganda (96 years old), and other beyond welcoming people.  We were served a delicious dinner and entertained by live music.  Throughout the night we enjoyed one another’s company, questioning and being more open with each other than one would expect. Perhaps it was because our meeting circumstances were so unique and we were all open to sharing our life stories with each other, that throughout the night even more lessons were taken away.  Throughout the week we met a couple more times and each time I took more away from our time together.

It’s beyond powerful when you meet someone you never knew existed who can sincerely impact your life in more ways than one.  The conversations throughout the week have brought a renewed sense of self, new ideas, endless possibility for potential, etc.  If only I carried around a tape recorder I could have been able to more fully invite you into this past week and my current thought process would more than likely make much more sense to you.  However, because of this week, I have made some significant decisions in my life, become more calm about the unknown, and open to a much more open future in research, work, and writing.

The Professor quoted, “there is no story that is not true…” and this line continues to stick out to me, because even if we know that what we are reading may be based on opinion, fact, be-it non-fiction, or fiction, fable or article, perspective or idea, etc. somewhere to someone that is how the story unfolded.  It makes so much sense to me that here I am writing to you about my experiences that I have had here and there you are reading and interpreting my time here in your own way and to each thy own we all take away something different.  This is true in any situation in our daily lives.

Another beautiful note I took was “going from observation to a relationship with a country…” and at first I was an observer, an outsider, a visitor, but now I am here, I am involved, and I am known among my current contacts, networks, and friends…I have gone from observing to having a relationship with Uganda and this is a relationship that will always be within me.  When I was younger I knew I was where I was, growing up where I was growing up, attending school, learning new things, meeting new people, but my mind was also wandering off to foreign countries, foreign ideas, and foreign passion of other cultures and here I am in one of those distant places that I only used to day dream about…it has become a process of exchange; an exchange of formulating thoughts, perspectives, and [distance] learning. 

After this week, I feel now more than ever that time is racing…that the endless possibilities we all have seem to be overlooked because of the limited time we have to even try and reach the potential of what we can do.  I feel that I have been elated with the thought that I will never be finished…that my work doesn’t have to focus on one area of interest, that my mission in Uganda and in life in general can be a mixture of odds and ends that make me who I am…the fact of the matter is, is that I have the opportunity here and you have the opportunity where ever you are to truly impact the lives of others…and the way we can impact each other can improve our own way of approaching challenging, difficult, overwhelming, or even enjoyable situations or scenarios.

A quote I picked up from one of my professors while studying abroad in Rome was this: “the power of a human being….” And I continue to replay that over and over throughout my life and its beyond true…the power of a human being is beyond our knowledge or even our acknowledgement…I feel beyond blessed for this random intervention of a thoughtful, well-spoken, professor from Lancaster who probably will never know how much his presence and words of advice were needed and much obliged.  The thing is we too have the ability to leave such an impression on others just by being ourselves; by being open to sharing thoughts, experiences, wisdom, success, and failures.  To share our talents and gifts with each other or with strangers, we have the ability to sincerely cultivate change.

I always believed that I could “change the world…” then it went to “change the world one person at a time…” but now I realize it’s not necessarily that I want to “change” people, places, or lives, it’s that I long to contribute what I can by simply being who I am to those who are open to receiving and also willing to contribute to me as well. 

I realize this is not a typical blog post, but this is where my thoughts are currently.   I have mentioned before that I want you all to partake in this journey I am living and now that I have been refreshed with the idea of becoming truly intimate with people in a sense of digging deeper than the surface level I was comfortable taking this route.  In fact I am realizing that digging deeper is one if not the only way to truly live…to truly connect…to truly impact.

As I continue to work on project proposals and researching the best way to help Lazarus Community, I am still trying to connect with greater organizations who are willing to help Lazarus Community reach our ambitious goal of purchasing land to start our own community garden and to eventually move into the market place...I pray that somehow in some way we will be blessed with such funding.   

It's hard to believe that I will be home in less than two months...hardly seems as if it could be true...although in my heart (even though I am nervous and anxious to head to the US for a few weeks) I can settle my anxiety with the fact that I know I am coming back to Uganda after a short visit at home...I know for a fact that if I were leaving UG for more than a few weeks I would be trembling...I truly have fallen in love with this country, the people, the experiences, and the way of life... I honestly believe that I am meant to be here at this time in my life...and I could not be happier with the way things seem to be panning out...

Thank you all for your continued interest in following my mission as well as for your prayers and support.

My love is with you,

Anne Therese

Donations are always welcome!!

If you are willing and able to contribute to the mission of Lazarus Community you may make your contributions to "Land for Lazarus" at any PNC Bank location or even online at www.PNC.com
The account no. is: 4804541193


From the members of Lazarus Community:
 "May God bless you and your families.  Thank you for believing in us."