There is an appointed time for everything,

And a time for every affair under the heavens…

Friends and Family, as I have kept up with the recent news of the corruption and uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa, I wish to share with you a few links so that you too may keep yourselves informed. Being here in Uganda while much of the world on this side seems to be troubled, lost, and provoked, I feel that it has come to my attention that I do not spend enough time praying or listening to those who are in severe danger in their daily lives. Please feel free to comment and share these links with others, while being reminded that we are truly blessed in countless ways.

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-15

…A time of war, and a time of peace…

Mark 13: 3-8

…When you hear of wars and reports of wards do not be alarmed; such things must happen, but it will not be the end. Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes from place to place and there will be famines. These are the beginnings of the labor pains

From the bottom of my heart dearest loved ones, I pray for you to help me to pray for those in dire need of our devotion in prayer to them. We should also keep in mind that the Lord asks us to Love our Enemies (Luke 6:27-36, Matthre 5: 43-48)…let us pray for those who are persecuting innocent men, women, and children.

Much Love to you always,

Anne Therese

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/03/19/libya.civil.war/index.html?hpt=T1

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/03/20/libya.civil.war/index.html?hpt=T1

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/20/libya-live-blog-allied-airstrikes-continue-against-gadhafi-forces/

...you are very smart

Greetings All! And Happy 2^nd Sunday of Lent

Yesterday I went with my host family to their cousins introduction celebration.  An introduction celebration takes place when a woman and a man proclaim their love for each other and after the man is accepted by the woman’s family, they announce their engagement.  The celebration began around 3pm and we sat until 9pm through speeches, dances, songs, gift giving, etc. As the entire day was in Lusoga, I was not entirely sure what was being said, but it’s funny, the longer you are around a language understand, the easier it is to make some sense of what is going on. I wore a traditional gomesi dress, Margaret gave me one to borrow…everyone kept saying…”you are very smart” which is an expression, meaning “you look nice!” All of the women dress in their best and the men all wear kanzu (long white dresses over nice slacks) and a blazer over their kanzu. Many gifts are given by the man and his family to his bride’s father including: a cow, furniture, produce, money, drinks, meat, etc. Margaret was telling me that this tradition of “offering” is in some ways trying to become abolished because at times, it can lead to an increase in domestic violence.  The man has often been reported to say, “you are now my property, because I bought you;” therefore, leaving him with the “right” in his mind, he can hit her.

However, on a more happy note, the celebration (though long) was a wonderful experience, and it was nice that I was able to spend time with all five of my host brothers.  The family is so open and welcoming.

This week will be one busy week for us Lazarus Community founders. Tuesday we will head to a demonstration garden just outside Kampala, which is nearly 1.5 hrs away with 10 of our members.  St. Francis has offered us this opportunity and is providing a small meal and transport for our women. The garden is about 7 acres and will take us about 4 hrs to walk through.  We have chosen 10 of our members who are the best at mobilizing, communicating, and leading the other women. We hope that the following day, Wednesday (our crafts day) we will have a few of them present to the women what they learned so that we can increase their knowledge on how to improve their own production.

Then Thursday we will travel to Nakasedhere (1hr drive) to visit a majority of our women in that sector of our program.  We will stay the night there in Nakasedhere where Henry and Fr. Jenga grew up and conclude Friday evening.  The women of this village are a bit different than the women on Ntinkalu for example, they are much younger, and there are about 40 more members which means about 2x more children in need.

After this week, I will take the time to organize the information and experiences gained throughout the week and begin to draft a more complete project proposal for a better understanding of who and what exactly Lazarus Community is working for and with. A brief overview of what I did this past week, developed a draft of how the project proposal shall be completed, researched for donors, read much information regarding our vulnerable population, and created a draft of a brochure for our crafts program that I hope I will be able to distribute while I am home for a couple of weeks in September.

Much Love for you all!

Anne Therese

...to discern what is of value

This weekend I joined my new friends on another sunset cruise Saturday evening and spent the night at the Nile River Explorers (NRE) campsite.  The NRE is a beautiful place, tucked back where the view of the restaurant/bar is the Nile and the people are just as wonderful.  Many folks come from all over the world to spend time there to “explore” the Nile…we’ve met people who come for days, weeks, and months at a time to truly experience the Nile River; their daily lives while staying in Bujagali Falls is full of adventure, risks, and good times.  This was my second time at the NRE and as much as one can try to expect the unexpected…this weekend was overwhelming emotional and I would like to share with you this vulnerability because for some reason, I was there in that place, on that day, and I saw with my own two eyes, the fragility of life.

There we were Sunday afternoon the group of my new friends and I spending a few hours on the “beach,” taking it all in, the breeze, the sun, the laughter… and then we realized that there was a group of people just sitting, just waiting…and finally we were told why they were sitting there with much intensity in their posture and silence among so many…they were patiently searching…

It seems that on Friday afternoon a young boy around 12 years old was swimming near shore, people were present, it was sunny, the sky was blue and all of a sudden…

There are a few different pieces of this story that I heard, but we put them together once we spoke with one of the NRE employers (kayak guide) Andy.  Just under where the group of people was waiting there are a few very small rapids, and apparently this boy was swimming in that area.  What I didn’t understand at first was how strong the current is in this particular area especially if you are an inexperienced swimmer. 

People saw him start to struggle, flaring his arms and popping his head in and out of the water, while quickly being taken off by the current.  People saw him fight for his life, up and down, up and down.  Two men were trying to swim against the current towards him, but were unable to reach him and all of sudden they saw him go under…and he never re-surfaced.

These people that were waiting…were waiting for his body; they had been waiting for 2 days. In my mind I thought, “he’s gone, it has been two days” but my friend Matt, who is a frequent kayaker explained to me that since the current carries in such a way, they believe that his body would be found in the same parameter where his life was lost.

As I was trying to cope with this news of being right here, in the same spot where my friends were swimming, a young boy lost his life.  As the time carried a bit, I decided to stand at the edge and put my feet in the water.  Sitting there, feeling the water that so many people come to explore, the same water that so easily took a boy’s life suddenly, we heard screaming.  Men and women were yelling, pointing, and a canoe with two men sped towards a small island about 200 feet from where we were…someone from above had spotted his body…and right then and there while the water was splashing against my legs, his body re-surfaced.  I cannot explain the feeling that came over me as I even today, try and work my way through the overbearing emotions.

As we watched as on-lookers, people started crowding together on the small island, and not too long after did we head back up the hill.  On our way up we looked over and could see…we could see the people there, gathering, holding each other, lost in mourning and grief.  I am not sure why I was there to experience this event, but I was and here I am sharing with all of you this surreal story. 

And not to take away from what this has brought upon me, 30 minutes later we were sitting there with Andy and another experienced kayaker came up to us and was telling us that this morning, he and his group went for an adventure.  Apparently while they were out on their route their van driver (who could not swim) decided to bathe in the water, he slipped, and drowned.  The kayakers name was Steven and he said that it was beyond bizarre the way his drivers’ drowning was recorded. He said no questions were asked of him or his group and that they were actually transported back to the campsite in the very same van that their driver drove them in that morning.  It is difficult to even try to comprehend how these events have affected me, so I am sure that just by reading these words you too are affected.  A young boy enjoying a sunny day and a man trying to make a living; both taken and swallowed by the Nile.

My prayers and my thoughts go out to the families of these two who so unexpectedly lost their lives.  I am not sure how to ever expect the unexpected…however; I do find it vital to understand the fragility of life.

Please, do not set limits on your love.  As the Lord says, give to anyone who asks of you…and try to discern what is of value…what you can do without and who can you not do without.  Live. Laugh. Love. Because you never know what the next moment, the next day, or the next event may bring your way.

“There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens.  A time to be born, and a time to die…a time to mourn, and a time to dance.”

Rest in Peace

CJ Wires

Charlie Loyd

Maurice Stroude

Robert Stroude

Stephen Kyle McNulty

Patrick Andrew Trainor

And all of whom we have known to go before us.

Much Love to you always,

Anne Therese

view of the group from the hill

True Fasting

Isaiah 58: 6-9

"This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am."

Well Sure, you should always expect the unexpected



A slice of Heaven...a place of God's hand



A new lesson I learned this weekend..."expect the unexpected" every single day. We traveled deep to Fort Portal...8 people (plus a baby) in a van and 2 hours later a car of 4 left Kampala and headed towards Fort Portal. I was one of the passengers in the car...after being on the road for one hour we heard from our fellow travelers that their van had broken down on the side of the road...Long story short, a local mechanic was brought to our van, we thought it was the timing belt...we were told that it would be a 3 hr wait for the part to reach the van because it was coming all the way from Kampala...no such thing as AAA around here, no sir. So, those of us traveling by car headed on our way, thinking that in a few short hours the others would be following. Well, our other brothers did not arrive in Fort Portal until 5am Saturday morning...The battery was dead, the timing belt didn't fix the problem and so on...However, while eating breakfast the others came in slowly by slowly, each with a huge smile on their faces, praising God for a beautiful morning, and a good side of the road experience...their spirits were never down.

We then attended a 4 hour mass where Sr. Theresia vowed to serve God for the rest of her days...beautiful, but long, ceremony. That afternoon we shared a meal, many speeches were given, and songs were sung in celebration of her day...she was the "Bride" now married to Christ.
After celebrating we drove a little up the way to Lake Naka where we shared in good fellowship, sat on the dock of the bay, and watched the sunset. The Sisters of the Holy Cross prepared popcorn/sodas/beer as appetizers before our delicious meal of beans, meat, rice, potatoes, etc.
This morning we woke, those 12 of us that traveled together, Fr. Jenga said Mass for us in a tiny and comforting room. All weekend I have been blessed to be around such beautiful souls, young men so in love with their faith and full of the Spirit...truly inspiring to say the least. After Mass, we hit the road...and made good time!
Now I am in Kampala, here until Tuesday morning, as I look forward to the time of rest, peace of mind, running water, an actual toilet, and good company! This Wednesday is already Ash Wednesday, and I am beginning to prepare my heart for the Lenten Journey.
I hold you all in my heart!
Love always
Anne Therese
 ps- I have posted a few pictures from this weekends trip :)

Matt sitting by the broken down van...i love this photo

our car/the road did not look like this all the way there...gravel, dust, and huge speed bumps mostly!

snap from the car window

alter where the Celebration occured Saturday morning

children sing/dancing for Sr. Theresia

only wild animals I've seen thus far!

Lake Naka...the after party view

Road Trip

Greetings! Just wanted you all to know that this weekend I will be traveling to Fort Portal for the weekend...it's a nice little 5 hr drive from Kampala with a few people from the Holy Cross Ministries. I look forward to the time, good company, and new views of the country. I will post pictures and more soon!
Much love to you all,
Anne Therese