Merry Christmas from Uganda...

Brother Sun…Solar Light

“Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace…Where there is darkness, LIGHT…”

 St. James Secondary School students receive solar lights

If St. Francis of Assisi were alive today, in addition to fire, would he be using solar light at night as a form of fire -- charged by the natural resources of Brother Sun?

Through Brother Fire and its illuminating flame, St. Francis spoke of “the mystery of love that transforms the human heart, raising it above all doubt and fear.”

In talking with students over the past several years, in which Dean and I have worked in Uganda, one of the biggest challenges students face in relation to their success in school and broadening their knowledge, are not having the resources to study and/or read at night (therefore, homework assignments and reading of books at night which would reinforce their class instructions, and broaden their knowledge, were not possible). 

When asked by our Into Your Hands-Africa (IYH) Executive Director, Brenna Vaughn, what our wish list was for their visit this past week; it was a no brainer -- we requested book lights for all of the students knowing that they could be purchased inexpensively.  But… our donors are absolutely AMAZING and that mystery of love was shown, by their example, to students at both St. James Secondary School and St. Denis Secondary School, through the wonderful surprise of solar lights hand carried over to them by a group of IYH donors that were here visiting from Colorado.  They are truly the paradigm of Matthew 5:16 (“…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”).

Thank you, thank you, thank you our IYH donors!  You have just brought these students (and their families) to a new level of life not only school-wise, but in general, which is beyond imagination!  Thank you for your love and generosity!

Kris & Dean

 

Nativity High School Grand Opening Celebration & Blessing



View event photos by clicking here!

  
This past Friday, October 25, 2013 we traveled about 20 miles, from the Kasana-Luweero Diocese to the village of Kibengo, to celebrate with the Kibengo community the official Grand Opening of Nativity High School and the Blessing of the school.  Although not fully completed, students began having classes in the new building at the start of the 2013 school year this past February.  The students are currently in Term 3 and will complete their first school year in the new building on December 6.

The celebration began with Mass at the school for students, parents, and the community.  Mass was celebrated by Bishop Paul Ssemogerere along with several priests of the Diocese.  At the conclusion of Mass, Bishop Paul blessed the school starting with the people, then the building -- both inside and outside.  The school was presented with a framed Nativity picture to display at the school.

Following the Mass and Blessing, an auction was held to try and raise some funds for the school.  The community enthusiastically participated and managed to raise 650,000 UGX (roughly $257.00) for the school.  Auction items included: a framed photo of Pope Francis; a framed photo of Bishop Paul Ssemogerere; and food items such as cabbages, matooke, and papaya.  The event ended with speeches from select individuals (including the two of us); entertainment; and the planting of trees to help beautify the school grounds and to help protect the school from high winds.

This was truly a day of celebration for the Kibengo students and community as they thanked God for the support of Nativity Broomfield donors, Bishop Paul Ssemogerere, and others in Kibengo community who made this day possible. 

The next phase of construction will be a 4 classroom block.  The uncompleted building they are using now is called the multipurpose block.  It is two big rooms that can be used as a dining hall or place for group gatherings.  In the future, we will put in a moveable partitioned wall similar to the one in Wiebel 1 and 2, at Nativity Church, so that the rooms can be used to separate the classes.  Currently, it is difficult to have two classes going simultaneously in each open room -- you can imagine trying to have baptism class going in Wiebel 1 with RCIA in Wiebel 2 with no wall separating the two rooms!  When the new school year starts in February 2014, yet another class will be added, and the need even greater for building another classroom block!

Yes, the school is open, but is in need of many things…  Desks, text books, laboratory equipment, paper, caulk, and lunch, etc.!  It is not so difficult to understand how this school operates when you use the model of our own Nativity School.  What pays for everything?  Tuition!  These children do not have the option to go to public or private secondary school, Nativity High School is the only secondary school for over 10 miles.  Most of the families cannot afford to pay the full tuition and must do without what we consider very basic needs in order to make even a partial payment.  For many, they try and supplement school fees with bring in what food they may have -- sugar, toilet paper, etc.  It’s a great effort, but leaves the teachers without salaries, the school without supplies needed to operate the school, and the children without food in their bellies!  Imagine how our kids would complain if they had to go to school from 8:00 AM unit 5:00 PM with nothing to eat!

There is hope!  You and your family can be the link between a student and the school by sponsoring a Nativity High School student.  For more information on NHS and/or how to sponsor a student simply download a brochure available on the Nativity High School tab of this Blog.

Kris & Dean

 

“To teach is to touch a life forever…”

Students take mid-term exams



Almost everyone has heard the saying: “To teach is to touch a life forever.”  Most likely, just about everyone can remember that one special teacher, who touched their life and made an impact in some special way, that to this day they recall that teacher with fond memories and gratefulness.

No matter what country one lives in, one can always find two types of teachers.  For the first, it is simply a job – a way to make money and pay the bills; they are not so much interested in the student or in going that extra mile unless there is additional pay involved.  The second type is there because they love kids and want to make a difference in not only the life of a child, but also long-term… both in society and for the greater good of the world; they are there because that is their vocation and what they are doing is their ministry – those are the teachers who make the difference!

Now imagine a teacher, especially in the U.S., oftentimes going several months on end without any pay because there are no funds available for salaries.  How many teachers would be devoted enough to the cause of teaching to keep working?  How many more would leave to find somewhere else to work where they would be paid?

This is the situation we are dealing with here…  Student sponsorships are few and provide very little assistance when it comes to making an impact in offsetting the actual cost of school operations.  In addition to the sponsorships, parents are required to make a contribution to the school as well; however, due to the poverty level which has been even more so impacted by the drought; very few families are able to meet their contribution requirements.  Currently, there are no other means for funds, so the school’s operations budget unrealistically becomes as close to the exact amount that is being received from sponsorships; although realistically much more is needed to run the school effectively/successfully.

The situation is beyond what one could ever imagine; all of the cutbacks schools in America have experienced (including salary cuts, elimination of positions and classes, etc.) do not come close in comparison to what these schools do without and yet cheerfully, and without complaint, move forward striving to achieve something better.

There is no money to purchase textbooks for the classroom, no power/electricity at the school, and the teachers do not have computers.  Moreover, even if the teachers had handouts to provide to the students, copying is expensive there are no funds available to do photocopying.  How, then, do the students learn?  Some of the teachers have old donated books from the 1960’s in which they use as a mere resource; they lecture and handwrite bits and pieces of information on the blackboard for the students to copy into their notebooks for studying.  This leaves out much needed information, and moreover, opens the door for great error when a student has only their own written notes to study (which often are copied incorrectly).  Even tougher is chemistry!  There are no test tubes, no slides, no burners, no chemicals… Experiments are written on the board.  The outcome of the experiment is purely “virtual”.  You have to trust the words of the teacher instead of seeing the results of chemical reaction with your own two eyes!

Education is truly key in Uganda and in life!  It is the path that will ultimately mold the upcoming generation and help lead them out of poverty by providing the knowledge and skills to transform an individual and their family with a ripple-effect that through their efforts will in turn change the society.

However, this process is slow… and at times can be overwhelming and discouraging.  Without funds for the school, recruiting good, full-time teachers is impossible – especially when the current teachers aren’t being paid!  However, when scholarship funds are received, each Term, the staff sits down together and discusses what is going on in each of their lives and agree on who needs pay more than another at that time.  They decide together how much is needed to accommodate teachers and then the remaining funds go towards school operations such as lunch for the students (lunch is oftentimes the only meal a student gets each day, so providing lunch at the school is extremely important). A teachers day begins at 7:30 am, and school is dismissed at 5:00 pm. Teachers are expected to come in on Saturday’s and supervise the students as they work the school garden and tend to the compound. No building engineers here, students care for all aspects of their school.  Many of the teachers go home each night having only a cup of tea and a piece of chapatti (like a tortilla) for their supper. 
In talking with one of the teachers and thanking him for his dedication to both the students and the school, and apologizing that they had not been paid, he simply replied, “this is what we are all called to do – to serve.”

These type teachers are making a difference, and in spite of the many challenges, a small percentage of students have scored very well on the government required exams which will allow them the opportunity to move on to higher secondary school education.  This type of victory reflects that lives are being touched and changed by the ranks of “Teachers” here in Uganda.

Kris & Dean

 

In Loving Memory…

 Prossy Kisiiki, June 2012

It is with sadness that we write about the death of one of our former St. James Secondary School students -- Prossy Kisiiki.

We first met Prossy in 2010 during our first trip to Uganda, and she was one of the four students we personally began sponsoring that same year.  Following our initial introduction, we had the privilege of getting to know Prossy, through our communications with her, over the next three years and watching her grow up into a delightful young lady.

After completion of S4 in 2012, unfortunately, like so many other young girls today, Prossy’s life became prey to unwed motherhood.  Sickle Cell Anemia complicated her pregnancy which led to her death, at 8.5 months along.  The baby also did not survive.  Her funeral was held Monday afternoon, in Jjaga.

Please keep Prossy, her family, and the whole Jjaga community in your prayers.

Kris & Dean

 

Being Content With What We Have

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation,
whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."
(Philippians 4:12)

On the left, a scholarship student and her family we recently visited; they are standing in front of their home.  A typical Uganda family can have up to 10-12 children.  On the right, is a typical Ugandan child from another home we visited – kids at this age are required to do chores.  The small yellow gerry can of water she is carrying weighs about 24 lbs filled with water (children must fetch water from a local water hole and carry it back to their home, a large gerry can weighs roughly 40 lbs).

As we travel from one village to the next going to our destination, a group of children are playing football (i.e., soccer) by the dirt road with a homemade ball made from old plastic grocery bags and banana leaves/fibers.  One little boy, playing happily, is wearing a pink and light blue pair of Cinderella pajama bottoms as a pair of pants.  Society has not trained him to know that “pink is for girls and blue is for boys.”  He only knows that he has a pair of pants to wear in which he is thankful.

It is quite common here to see men adorning a flowery woman’s blouse which only an American would notice, or for men to carry old donated tote bags which most in the U.S. would classify as girly – especially since it is pink.  But all they know is that they are thankful to have something to wear and carry their papers in.

It is also very ordinary to see very young children running around without any clothes on, or for school children to wear old worn out clothes with missing buttons and large rips in them.  Mismatched shoes are also normal… or shoes that are way too big or perhaps too small, or for girls to wear ‘boys shoes’.  For these, who are less fortunate, it is not a matter of fashion, or having the most stylish trendy clothes or shoes – they are simply happy to HAVE, as many walk around with nothing at all.

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26).

It is amazing for us to experience and to live with such incredible people who are so loving and giving.  We go on student home visits where the families clearly have nothing and are only making it from day to day; but without worrying they go and cheerfully pick the best fruits or vegetables they have and give them to us as a gift of appreciation for caring enough to come visit their home.  The culture of joyful servant hood reminds me of Biblical days – when guests arrive, even unexpectedly, you always serve them regardless of time of day.  If it is during meal time, you set an extra plate, or two, or three… or four… and feed them.  If it any other time of day, you serve them something to drink and a snack.  To not demonstrate hospitality is considered impolite. 

This is a good time to say that when we left Colorado this past July, we wanted for nothing – literally.  We came with suitcases full of things we ‘thought’ we had to have, only to have never unpacked many of the items.  Although God prepared us well in advance for this move as we packed up our house and began to get rid of things, we never imagined the lessons that would be forever engraved in our hearts.

We are truly a work in progress and God is not finished with us yet.  The people here, along with the Holy Spirit of God, is molding and forming us to better serve.  We are slowly being released from the chains of material things we used to believe we had to have, and are learning to be content with the simple things we have – one does not need a lot to be happy.  “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  It is an attitude also expressed in a French proverb, "When you die, you carry in your clutched hand only that which you have given away."

Kris & Dean

Join us in a Day of Prayer for Rain, Thursday, Sept. 5th



Here in the Makondo area, the last rainy season ended abruptly in May, a few weeks earlier than expected, and there has been no rain since.  In the last weeks of July, the people of the area begin to prepare the grounds for planting of gardens.  No tractors, no rototillers, just good old manual labor digging up the dry parched soil from the dry season.  However, the fields are full of song and praise as the hard work is being done -- all in anticipation of the rains coming to revive the land and crops to grow.  Crops mean food, and hopefully money.  It is how the people of the village survive.  There are no King Soopers or Safeways around the corner -- food is all grown, harvested, and consumed by the family and what is left over is potentially sold as income.

Each person you meet here will tell you that the rains always come on Aug. 15 -- The Assumption of Mary, followed by two more weeks of sunshine to finish the planting, and then the rains come!  We still do not know quite what to expect during the rainy season, but it has been described to us as 2 to 4 hours of monsoon type rain each day.  The average rain fall here, in Uganda, during the monsoon season according the Internet is about 30 inches.  However, as of today in Makondo, there has been less than 1 inch of rain since May -- the worst drought that the people here can remember!

This Thursday, September 5, there will be a special prayer service held here at the parish along with adoration.  The people of the Makondo area truly believe that they have committed sins to the point that they are being punished by God.  They will gather together to pray and ask for forgiveness.  Let us join with them on Thursday asking God to send the rain to Makondo Parish and throughout Uganda. 

Kris & Dean

Milestone 50



(CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE SJSS CONSTRUCTION PHOTO ALBUM)

Hello Friends! Kris and I apologize for the delay in putting up fresh new material on the blog. For our Nativity family, please look at the Nativity High School link for some new additions.

Today is day 50! Wow! It seems very hard to believe that we have been living in Uganda for the last 50 days. It seems to be much less. We are starting to get into a normal routine. Well, as normal as it can be living in Uganda. For instance, we live at the rectory with 3 priests. Fr. Pasqual, Fr. Joseph and Fr. Andrew. Our room is 12 x 11. In that 132 sq. feet, we have a full sized bed, two desks, two chairs and 5 suitcases that we use as dressers. We do have a small storage room inside of our room, 5ft x 1ft that I made into a closet for hanging clothes. That made Kris happy! The bathroom is down the hall and we all share it. We are in a drought, the water harvesting tanks are empty. Water is carried in 5 gallon “jerry cans” from a natural spring about 1 mile away. That means, no running water! Showers are taken using a basin and bucket, cold showers unless you take time to heat water on the fire! I am getting used to cold showers, especially after a run. Here we do have the luxury of electricity. 1 outlet in our room. You can only imagine how it looks with a power strip and about 6 things plugged into it!

We have a small motorbike we use for transportation. It is also used as our truck! So far, I have carried a 5 ft. piece of metal bar on it from Kiwangala (closest trading center) about 3 miles away, a full case of water and a bunch of bananas! Kris is sitting side saddle the bike. Women do not “straddle” the bike like the do in America. Kris has mastered the side saddle riding and is now more comfortable that way than straddling it. I think because now she can jump off more quickly. She had to jump off the day we were carrying the case of water! We were climbing a very steep hill with the water on the very back, I had to shift down half way up the hill! Well, with the extra weight of the water on the back, and the lower gear, the front tire came up very nicely making for a perfect wheelie! Kris had to bail off! We laugh now but it was a learning experience!

Kris and I are a team here in Uganda. My part as most of you know is the construction of the Fire Alarm Services Science Lab at the St. James Secondary School. All I can really tell you is that construction is going great and is ahead of schedule and a click under budget at this time. I take no credit for this! The Head Mistress Juliet and Vincent, the Chairman of the Board of Governors are watching every penny spent. The “Building Inspector” for the diocese is Fr. Kizito. He is looking at each phase of construction and bringing many great ideas to the project. So far, Fr. Kizito is very happy with the progress and the craftsmanship of the lab! Here are some pictures of phases 1-5 of the lab. The lab has a total of 9 phases, so we are almost half way done! The rains are coming soon, and that will slow progress.

I hope you enjoy the photos and please respond! We love to hear from all of our friends at home!

God Bless you all, and please keep us in your prayers!

Peace and all good,

Dean & Kris

A Celebration!

 

Friday was graduation, and Saturday was a time for celebration for several privileged young adults throughout Uganda who received diplomas.  We had the honor of attending the graduation party of Robert and Lydia, two Into Your Hands-Africa, Hands of Hope Scholar Students who received their diplomas from Kyotera Vocational Institute.  Robert received his diploma in Business Administration and Planning, Lydia received her diploma in Guidance and Counseling. 

As we celebrated this special day with them, they talked about their plans for the future, how they can possibly make a difference in their communities, and frequently spoke of how grateful they, and their families, are for their sponsors who helped them to achieve this day through their ongoing support.  The community also expressed their appreciation for the support they receive from Into Your Hands.

The party was at Lydia’s home as Robert’s parents were unable to attend due to illness.  He shared with us that his parents were very proud of him but are in the hospital.  We did not ask for him to share the reason on his special day, but only assume it is possibly AIDS – an illness which still impacts much of the Ugandan community and leaves many of the students, our program supports, as orphans. 

However, this day there were no grim faces in the crowd as the whole community joined in the celebration of this joyous occasion – one that is only recognized by a select few who are lucky enough to receive sponsors.  

Dressed in their best second-hand clothes for this special day, look at the faces of Robert and Lydia and imagine being there with them… and with us – truly a Kodak moment! 

 

Kris & Dean

Otyano? (How are you?)

The first part of our move has been getting set-up and oriented into the culture, learning the language, and establishing a daily routine.  Of course this will all change once we head for the village (Makondo/Jjaga), but for now, we have been staying with Bishop Paul Ssemogerere and working around the diocese and at Nativity High School in Kibengo.  The Kasana-Luweero Diocese is only about 1.5 to 2 hours from Kampala (compared to a 4-5 hour drive from Jjaga), so it is slightly more advanced when it comes to accessibility of items that usually can only be bought in Kampala.  The “shops” here have much more of a variety than the village trading centers. 
 

Luweero, Uganda 

This week we are preparing for talking to the classes at Nativity High School.  Kris has been asked to talk with the girls about girl things – staying in school and getting an education, and saving one’s self until marriage (or possibly for a vocational calling).  It is quite common here for girls to marry young at the ages of 12-14 (or to be given in marriage), and start a family, as they feel like that is their only hope in being provided for -- but education changes everything!  Now instead of being pheasant famers (which simply provides for “today”), education provides knowledge and skills to fulfill the realization of dreams, and breaks the cycle of poverty formally created by an uneducated society by extending advanced job opportunities and possibilities of entrepreneurship.  We have personally witnessed change taking place over the past four years in our travels to Uganda! 

Friday will be a “fun” day for the students and we have been asked, if possible, to provide a variety of sports equipment for the school.  The request includes footballs (i.e., soccer balls), volley balls and nets, and basketballs – these are the sports played here in Uganda, and currently the school does not have any of this equipment.  We will be traveling to Kampala tomorrow (about a 2-hour drive one-way) to see what we can afford to purchase out-of-pocket prior to Friday.  It is also to be noted that the need for new sports equipment is ongoing due to the rugged terrain, fields are not like those in America – they are hilly and rocky with lots of pokey sticks that tends to wear a ball out in no time at all and damages the equipment.  We do not have the money ourselves to purchase a lot, so if anyone is interested (or knows someone with a passion for sports who might be interested) in assisting with the purchase of sports equipment, for Nativity High School, a donation can be made to Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church (note on the check what the donation is for and send it to the attention of Carol Sullivan). 

Omukama abakuume (May God be with you), 

Kris & Dean

 

Our First Day: The Earth Shook

Following a fairly uneventful journey from America to Uganda, we arrived the evening of Tuesday, July 2, shortly after 11:00 PM.  Bishop Paul Ssemogerere of the Kasana-Luweero Diocese, along with Father Hillary, greeted us at the airport and got us settled into our room at the St. Paul Guest House around 2:00 AM on Wednesday morning.

We joined the Bishop for breakfast later that morning and then spent the day getting organized.  That evening, for dinner, Bishop Paul held a BBQ for us and a group with another non-profit organization from Pennsylvania.  It was during the BBQ that it happened…

THE GROUND SHOOK!  Uganda experienced an earthquake which registered 5.7 on the Richer scale.  Shortly before the quake began, the animals began to go ‘crazy’ -- there was loud fluttering and squawking of birds, an alarming barking of dogs, and the loud baaing and running around of the goats.  The animals knew something was wrong!

Although we were sitting in chairs it felt like the ripple of ocean waves, or like one might have had a little too much wine!  While we would like to jokingly say that the “earth shook the day we arrived in Uganda”, we are quite sure the event was not a greeting.  And we experienced yet another occurrence which woke us from sleep around 1:20 AM – this one being 5.4 on the Richer scale.

Those of you on Facebook noticed a brief posting from us on Thursday letting you know that we had successfully gotten our phones set-up and that we were working on getting Internet for our computer.  It is not perfect… like going back to dial-up days, but we are getting things worked out.

Again, thanks for following our post and for keeping the prayers coming… and if you feel compelled to throw in an added favor to your prayer, please ask God to help us get the Internet issues worked out so that we might be able to effectively upload pictures and videos for you to fully enjoy the experience of this journey that you have so kindly joined with us.

Until next time…

Kris & Dean

As I write this Blog, we have approximately ONE day, TWENTY-TWO hours, and TWENTY-FOUR minutes before we board our plane with a one-way ticket taking us to Uganda for the next year.  I have updated the Blog with a couple of new tabs/pages which highlights the work we are doing in the Masaka Diocese (i.e., St. James Secondary School) verses the Kasana-Luweero Diocese (i.e., Nativity High School).  In connection with the Sisters of St. Francis, we are hoping to also travel to Tanzania to visit and assist the Sisters at the St. Clare Mission.  We will be doing our very best to keep the blog up to date with details, photos and much more as we are able. It is our hope that you will join us on our journey and we look forward to hearing from you, as well, with your input and comments.

Hello All! As promised the blog has been born..thanks to Kris! This is where we will be communication back to you all . Please subscribe and check back often. 16 days and counting! Keep us in your prayers always...Dean