Monday

Monday, the 24th

Our Monday began again with still no power.  If we are to get power consistently, it is at night, but even then, it comes and goes.  I might sit down to call the children, and it goes out.  And then it comes on as soon as they leave for school, and then it is out all day.  And then when I am ready to post my blog it is on, but while it is uploading it goes out.  We are pretty used to it though, and now are pleasantly surprised when we have power.  I would say that I am even used to several things by now, like using hand sanitizer after I wash and dry my hands.

We spent the morning just gearing up for the week.  Father Michael had told us that today would be a free day.  Paul had hoped to conquer work emails but we had no power and his email system for work needs a laptop or desktop with internet, not a tablet.  He was going to get Benny out of the hotel room and out to play soccer, but it had rained a great deal during the night and this morning, so that idea went out the window.  I packed up the toys and school supplies that we were supposed to bring to Arthur’s school on Tuesday, but because it was overcast, it was difficult to see anything in the room in great detail. 

And suddenly, out of nowhere, Father Michael appeared, a knight in a white Land Cruiser, to steal us away.  Originally, we were just going to run to the gas station and get waters, and then we were just going to run and get gifts for the women in Paul’s office.  But while we were at Café Frikenellen shopping in the Children’s Crafts store, we were introduced to a woman named Brenda, who was a friend of Fr. Michael’s.  Brenda works for an NGO that runs orphanages and child sponsorship programs throughout Uganda.  She used to work with World Vision as well.  Father thought it might be best if we ask her some questions about orphanages and adoption in Uganda, and then asked her to let us go to one of the orphanages. 

She informed Father that he would need to write a letter and get approval for a tour, or he could go upstairs and discuss it with her boss.  Well, he must have convinced the boss, because 10 minutes later, we were in the car with Brenda headed towards an orphanage.  This orphanage had 19 children 0-6 years of age, squeezed into maybe 5 bedrooms.  Each bedroom had multiple bunk beds and multiple cribs.  There was a small playground that had been recently purchased through donations, and a central common room where the children gather.  When we showed up, we had a chance to meet the women who work there, and as the children were being woken up from their naps, they were plopped down around us, or better yet, on our laps.  The children were so cute; sleepy, dreamy eyed babies and toddlers padding around us.  There were two in particular that were fat and happy- Timothy (not Timothy, but pronounced Tim-O-thee) and Winni.  They were all just darling, but I loved the way that they just came up to us and plopped their wet little rear ends right on our laps, like this was totally natural to them to have muzingos in their common room.

The children that they take in are orphans, but some of them do have family members that they try to reunite the children with.  Some of them have been given up or abandon, quite like Benny Michael’s case, where the parents just leave the child and sign away rights.  And then parents pass away, and the family does not want the child or cannot afford the child.  If a family cannot afford the child, and that is the only reason for not taking them in, they try to financially assist the family with things like school fees.

After maybe half an hour of playing with babies, we departed the orphanage, and headed off to two all-girls boarding school so that Brenda could make some contacts.  One of the boarding schools is the Mother house to the Daughters of Mary. It also happens to be home of one of the sisters whose cause is up for beatification.  While walking to her burial place, to pray for all of you, we had to walk through a sea of saints, all quiet, and beautiful under piles of rocks and stones.  How glorious their eternal reward must be, serving Him on earth, spending eternity adoring Him.  The beauty and peace there was amazing.  My soul was just so still – standing feet from Sister Ameneda’s head stone.  I remember thinking “Dear Heavenly Father, you know the needs of my friends, their special intentions in my heart.  I need not say a word, just sit here, my soul at rest”  I continued thanking God for the gifts that so many of you are to myself and my family, thanking God for the gift of service that these head stones represent – that their sacrifice bring hope and glory and healing to each of you.  And even Benny Michael was quiet and patient during this time.

We met with several sisters, but one of my favorites is quite experienced in placing children.  She talked to Michael, and the rest of us and went through the pains of adopting.  She reminded us that we can never let someone refer to him as African American.  He will never be African American she said.  He will be Ugandan, and his line will be Ugandan American forever.  Father Michael started laughing and said, “Oh, he is soooo UG.”  She said many other things, walked us through the history of Hedwig, another little girl that we had considered adopting as well. In fact, Anna begged us to adopt her so she would have a sister. 

Hedwig’s path is both easier and more difficult that Michael’s she said.  “Is it easier to be abandon and then be given a family, with never knowing who abandon you or why, if you have a parent could be alive and suffering somewhere?  Or is it easier to have a parent, and know of their existence, and dealing with the pain in knowing that they are living a decent life, but did not want to be burdened by your presence, that your presence caused them shame?  One is an orphan, caused by death or mental illness, a lost child whose parents are most likely dead.  One is an orphan, caused by abandonment, caused by a mother that is too young to care, and a family that predominantly sees you as an embarrassment.  There are orphans all over the world, with so many different stories.  Your job is to tell them their own unique story, without lies and fabrications, and help them heal and see God’s hand in His plan for their beautiful lives.” 

Paraphrasing now, ‘It may be easier when Hedwig is older, to go back to Uganda and meet her mom and grandparents and thank them for giving her a wonderful life in the United States, for not aborting her at the age of 14, for letting Father Michael take her and raise her when nobody else wanted to, if she is raised well, and gets help in seeing these as good and positive things. 

Michael will not be able to go and find anyone – if you, the probation officers, the police could not find a soul from birth until now, how much more likely will it be it 20 years for that to happen, especially with a Ugandan’s life expectancy in the villages?  He will need to see this as a good thing as well.  The mother left him in the grass between a minor seminary, a major seminary and Fr. Michael’s home.  She was most likely dying and knew that someone holy would find him and give him a life.  She probably had no idea who the father was, so this was his only chance at life.’

This sister was a wealth of knowledge and understanding and she brought a great deal of peace regarding the growing up and “how much knowledge is too much knowledge” questions.

We went out to a late dinner at the hotel on the top of the hill.  Jeff, Nap and I had eaten there almost every night when we were at the Maria Flo, but things have changed, and I would not go back.  We ordered a flat bread pizza that we had gotten before, and it was horrible – the cheese had gone really really bad, it took 1 1/2 hours for the food to come, etc.  Father Michae said, “Haha, food taking 2 hours to come, so UG.”  The rest of the night, we amused ourselves with UG’isms.  A woman carrying a basket of bananas on her head – that is so UG.”  “4 guys on a boda boda carrying a pig – that is so UG.”  “Being excited about a day with power – so UG.”  “Looking forward to cold showers, so UG.”

I promised Father that I would get a tee shirt made for Michael that said, “So UG”, with the UG in strips of yellow, black and red.  Does anyone own a monogram machine who would want to do this for me?!?  What an awesome coming home present that would be for Michael.

Notes from my prayer journal:  Everyone should be blessed by family, but this world is in a fallen state, and that is not possible for so many. Family is supposed to be a place of faith formation, moral and character development, discipline, love and forgiveness.  It is where we learn to serve, be responsible, and witness God in all things.  I wanted to pray especially for all families who have adopted or will adopt, that they give the gift of a family, in the truest sense of the word, to the child they are welcoming into their home.  Let them not propagate the feelings of abandonment, pain or suffering that these children have already experienced.  Let them embrace all that God has in store for them, and help us all teach each other to love and serve Him in all things.

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together will all of the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all of the fullness of God.”

-Ephesians 3:17-19

Soundtrack song of the day:  Wake me up - Avicii


Consecration to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, part 1, Day 5