Fwd: Last Update from Uganda (Week 9)

HELLO!!!!

My, how time has flies. This is the last update I am sending before
leaving for the States!!! I can't believe that I have been in Uganda
for over 9 weeks now and that I am currently preparing to return home.
Before I tell you about our week, I want to share with you our travel
plans.
Regina and I are scheduled to leave here late Thursday night (Aug 1).
We will arrive in Amsterdam on Friday morning (Aug 2). We have a 10 ½
hour layover in Amsterdam and plan to go out into the city to do some
exploring. We will then leave Amsterdam around 5:00 pm on August 2
(which is 6 hrs ahead of east coast and 7 hrs ahead of central time
zone); we are scheduled to land in DC around 7:50 pm on the same day.
Regina's family will be picking her up at the airport and I will be
spending the night there until my flight to Little Rock Saturday
morning (Aug 3). I will be back in Arkansas around 2:00 pm on August
3rd!! At this point, I am VERY excited about being home.
Unfortunately, my time in Arkansas is limited; I will be heading back
to Durham around the 14th. But, I am very much looking forward to
seeing everyone very soon!


Now to share a bit of what's been going on since my last update (we've
been busy!):

First of all I want to say a huge THANK YOU to Gina Miller and Banks
United Methodist Church in Franklinton, NC for the package we received
last week filled with over 30 lbs of art supplies for the kids. When
Regina and I arrived in Uganda, we brought some supplies with us;
however, we were NOT prepared to have 180 kids for art. Needless to
say, we did not have enough supplies. Gina so graciously asked us if
there was anything we needed because she wanted to send us a care
package. I immediately told her about our need for art supplies due to
the number of kids we were teaching and she shared the need with her
congregation. Their response was an amazing act and outpouring of love
as they began to gather supplies to send to us—over 100 lbs of
supplies was collected!!! (This is a church that averages about 75 at
worship on Sunday mornings! "It just shows you that even small
churches can make big waves" –William Lucas) Praise God for that! We
were sent just over 30 lbs of the collected supplies—it is CRAZY
expensive to send stuff here, as you can imagine. We have been
awaiting the arrival of the package since June 19th and were VERY
excited when it was brought to us. I was shaking with excitement as I
opened it and marveled at all the surprises I found. SO MUCH LOVE PUT
INTO THAT BOX!! They truly went above and beyond with this and we
cannot thank them enough.
On Thursday we presented the gifts to the whole school. I was so
happy to be able to deliver the package to the school and to reveal
what was inside the box! The excitement on the kids' faces was
priceless. They are very thankful for the gifts and the love that
accompanied them. Little did we know that we were also going to be
presented gifts from the school; some of the students presented us
with A LOT of gifts including sugar cane, pineapples, mangoes,
avocados, jackfruit, ginger, and maize. We had several present us with
letters they wrote us. I decided I was going to wait until I am home
to read the letters—I can't wait!!! There is no doubt that these kids
love us and are going to miss us.

On Tuesday night we were invited for dinner at the Bishop's residence
again! It was a dinner to say a final farewell to the chancellor of
the diocese, who left for Rome last Wednesday. Little to our
knowledge, the Bishop also honored Regina and I since it would likely
be the last time we were all together with the Bishop. We even got to
help cut the cake. We also met two other Americans, Dean & Chris, who
are from Colorado. They got here the beginning of July and will be in
Uganda for a year. They are sponsoring and helping in the construction
of a secondary school in one of the villages, which cost about
$40,000. This is their fourth year coming to Uganda and they normally
spend their time in the States finding sponsors for children's school
fees and raising money for the school building. They are very aware of
the challenges villages face, such as no electricity, very limited (if
any) access to drinking water, and a limited amount of qualified
teachers. All of the teachers want to teach in schools that are in
towns, like Luweero, that has access to drinking water and
electricity. While the challenges are many, the three I listed are
probably the biggest. Plus, people in the villages are very poor, so
sponsors are needed in order to ensure that the children in the area
have access to an education. I'm very thankful we got to meet them,
but regret that it was so late in our stay here. They seem like a
wonderful couple and very clearly have a passion and calling to here
serving in this capacity. They will even be staying in the village for
the majority of their time in Uganda. I ask that you keep them in your
prayers as they face the many challenges that are ahead of them.

Last week was our last week to teach in the schools. It was a very
emotional week as we began to say goodbyes. Yes, I cried. Yes, I am so
in love with the kids here. And yes, it is going to be difficult to
leave. This place will forever have a special place in my heart. As I
was saying goodbye to my Senior 1 class at the secondary school, I was
really touched at some of the things they had to say. They sang songs
for us and some of them made speeches thanking us for the work we had
done. It was wonderful to be able to hear about some of the fruits of
our labor. There were a couple of boys, who I would have guessed
hadn't learned much of anything due to their lack of participation and
seeming interest, thanked us for teaching them how to be able to read
the Bible. It was very touching and made every frustration completely
worth it. Regina and I were also told that the Senior 1 classes, which
we teach, have consistently had better Scripture lessons/reflections
and prayers during assembly every morning. We were happy to hear that!
Saying goodbye to the kids at the primary school was not any easier.
In fact, I think it may have been even more difficult. We also
experienced a closer relationship with the teachers at St. Jude, so
saying goodbye to those we had worked so closely with for nine weeks
was no easy task itself. We have had such a wonderful experience at
St. Jude and the last week was no exception. Between the gifts, the
letters, and the love we received there was no better way to spend our
last week than just enjoying it all. Last week we had some P4 kids
braid our hair, complete with flowers!!! One commented that they were
"decorating their mzungus." It made me laugh; they really do claim us
as one of their own. We have gotten so many questions as to when we
will be back and I wish I had an honest answer for them. While it
would be wonderful to return to Uganda, the reality of it is not as
accessible and it breaks my heart to know that I will probably never
see them again; I have come to love them all very much.
We will be visiting the school on Tuesday to say our final goodbyes
to the kids. I am expecting that there will be some tears from both
ends! It will not be an easy nor a fun task, but unfortunately the
time to say goodbye has come.

Last Thursday night we had dinner with the Sisters and with four
Germans who help sponsor a few children at the secondary school. It
also turned out to be a farewell dinner for Regina and I!! Sister
Goretti and Sister Agnus were the hosts and most all of the teachers
were there. There were also some students who sang and dance for us!!
We had a great time meeting the Germans, who raised enough money to
insert a well (about $5,000) not far from the parish. There were some
speeches made thanking us for our time at the school and lots of
laughter. We stayed a bit after and found ourselves dancing with the
teachers and with the children. My favorite moment came at the very
end; after the event was over the students had an opportunity to eat.
I noticed that there were three students who were serving everyone
else, so I gather Regina and told them to get in line to eat. We
continued serving the students their dinner. I could tell they were
surprised by our actions but also so very excited to be receiving part
of their dinner from us. It was most definitely a special moment for
me!

On Friday night the parish community in which we have been staying had
a farewell celebration for us. There were speeches, gifts,
entertainment by both St. Jude and St. Cyprian, and food! St. Cyprian
even used one of the songs we taught them in their presentation; that
was a pleasant surprise for both Regina and I. Fr. Joe presented us
with African dresses, which we changed into for the rest of the
celebration. We ended by dancing the night away with the some of the
kids and staff of the schools and, yes, even the priests!! I even got
to teach Fr. Matthias how to slow dance. The kids LOVED that we were
dancing with them and were having such a wonderful time. I don't think
I've ever had so much fun dancing!!! I also don't think I've ever been
in an atmosphere where this white girl's dance moves have been enjoyed
so much. Haha.

We have continued to play Dutch Blitz and I am still kicking butt!!!
I'm just over 12,200 points and Regina is at about 10,400. I'm sure we
will continue to play this week and the scores will only continue to
grow!!

That's all I have to update you with for my last update from Uganda.
We do not have anything else planned before leaving except to spend
some time in Kampala and Entebbe before heading to the airport on
Thursday.
Be looking for a final update that will come to you sometime within a
few days of returning home. Thank you for all of your prayers and your
support during the past ten weeks. I do ask that you continue to pray
for us as we travel back home. I also ask that you continue to pray
for me during the transition back to life in the States. I am not sure
what to expect but I imagine (and have been told by many) to expect
some culture shock. I pray I can be patient with myself and pray that
those around me also find patience with me. I'm a bit nervous about
returning, but feel like I am preparing myself the best way I can
prior to leaving. Thanks again for your tremendous amount of love and
for being a part of my life!!!!! I love you all and can't wait to see
you in just a few short days!


All my love,
Corey Namata

Fwd: Uganda Week 8 Update!

Hello, Dear Friends!!!!

I cannot believe that I am writing you about my 8th week in Uganda.
This means that I only have two weeks left here. It's a bittersweet
thing for sure. Anyhow, I hope this update finds you all very well and
that you are enjoying your summer. I am looking forward to seeing you
all in about TWO WEEKS!!

Here are a few things I want to share with you all from our week:

One highlight of my week was sharing my love of peanut butter banana
sandwiches with Brother. For breakfast we always have bread, and
usually peanut butter, jelly, and/or honey is available. Peanut butter
it is for this week! So, using the wonderful Ugandan bananas and the
"gnut butter" (groundnuts=peanuts) I made a peanut butter banana
sandwich for breakfast this week. Brother Christopher saw us eating it
and I challenged him to try it; he enjoyed it and said it was "very
good!" :)

On Wednesday we attended a celebration for the resident priest at St.
Cyprian College. He will be leaving next week to spend the six years
in Rome teaching at a seminary there. This is a HUGE honor, as you can
imagine. They were not only saying goodbye to him, they were also
congratulating him and celebrating this wonderful accomplishment. It
was only six years ago, that he helped support the Sisters' vision of
starting St. Cyprian College and is viewed as the main reason the
school exists today. Without his support and hard work the school
would not have taken the shape it has to become the school it is
today. It was a wonderful celebration to attend and great to see how
much he meant to both the students and the staff there.

On Friday we took the opportunity to walk around the village just
outside the parish walls. We didn't have much interaction with the
people we visited, which I found to be a bit disappointing, but it was
nice to get out and to see how people are living in the villages. Most
people in the villages are peasant farmers, that is they grow what
they eat and likely do not have any other source of income. Some of
them sell their produce at the market in town, but many of them live
far enough away they cannot reach the major streets so they rely on
neighbors to buy produce from them. It isn't uncommon to walk around
the village and see a stand, made from thick sticks, with produce
ready to sell. Some also sell chapati (the flatbread type stuff that
Regina and I like so much!) and samosas (a fried shell, often with
some type of bean in it; we like these too!). Though, the further into
the village we walked, the less of this we saw and the more we saw
women and children working in the fields. Most of the men were gone, I
suppose they had jobs elsewhere or were tending in a different area.
It was a hot four hour walk, but it was good to be able to experience
a bit of community life. With every person we met, we were welcomed.
From my observation, most were not aware we were coming; not all the
homes we stopped at were Catholic parishioners. Some were
Presbyterians, some were Catholic, and some were Anglican. Despite
them not knowing we were coming ahead of time, they were all very
receptive to us and welcomed us without hesitation.

That's about all. The electricity has been out ALL day here (Literally
from 6:30 am to 6:45 pm). Needless to say, I've gotten a lot of
reading done today!

I can tell it is going to be difficult (and exciting) to leave Uganda
in just a couple of weeks. This week, I kept looking at the kids and
couldn't help but think about how much joy they have brought me and
how I will miss seeing them. Next week is our last week to teach; our
last week will be spent reflecting, resting, packing, and saying our
final goodbyes.


I cannot thank you enough for all of your prayers, your words of
encouragement, your emails, etc. I could not have made it through the
past 8 weeks had it not been for all of your support. I'm looking
forward to seeing you all when I get back to the States. Be looking
for one more update before we leave!

All my love,
Corey Namata

Fwd: Uganda Week 7 Update

Hello to you all, my dear friends!!

Another week has passed us since the last email and I hope this update finds you all well!! I can't believe that in three weeks we will be heading back to the States! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited. Though, I know it will be no easy task to depart from such a wonderful place.
 

Here's what our week looked like:

Last Saturday (7/6), we had dinner with the Sisters. Unknown to Regina or myself, it was a celebration for St. Gorreti's Feast Day. That is, yesterday marked the death of Saint Maria Gorreti, who was only 12 years old and is who Sr. Gorreti is named after. In Uganda, Feast Day's are the big celebration, not birthdays. In fact, many people do not know their date of birth; the country has just recently begun to keep records of birthdates. It was a wonderful night of celebration and even included a cake! To have a cake is rare and a marks a very special event. We even got to help cut the cake!

On Sunday, we traveled to Luweero sub-parish. I'm not sure if there is a difference between a sub-parish and a mission. This place was very special in that the church building is not complete. There is a foundation and four walls, but the walls are not finished and there is no roof over the building. Like all of the missions we have been to, the Spirit was very much alive. I have been so delighted to see the joy and happiness in the people of Uganda's hearts no matter where we go. One thing I have noticed, especially in these mission churches, is that the children sit very close to the altar. With the exception of the priest, the catechist, and the choir, the children sit closest to the altar. Sometimes they get as close as they can without actually touching it. I'm not exactly sure why, but this makes me so happy!! In so many churches, we remove children from worship (not saying having children's church is a good or a bad tihng); but here, they are at the front of the building, watching and listening to the liturgy up close. I can't help but think of Jesus inviting the children to come to him as he blessed them. Watching them watch the priest bless the elements is probably my favorite part of the service; they are very attentive and seem to be eager to learn and participate as much as they can in the service.

Today we spent the morning preparing clay soil for this afternoon with P4. By this, I mean that we watched the kids prepare the clay soil! They used hoes to break through hard soil and then mixed it with water to make the clay soil! We then spent this afternoon molding the clay soil; I made a cross and a shallow bowl and Regina made a vase and a bowl. I really enjoyed seeing the kids' excitement as they showed us how to model with the clay soil and as they molded it into different objects. Of the objects were bowls, people, crosses, helicopters, and some even made a camera! Basically, we had a chance to get dirty and share some laughs with the kids! It was a fun and laughter filled afternoon!


I have to continue in my honesty. This week has been hard. I've been craving American food and am beginning to get antsy about returning home. No, it isn't the fact that I've been craving American food, whatever you consider to be "American food" that has made this week hard, but it's that I have been doing some reflecting on my time here; I am having a hard time seeing and really understanding why I'm here and what the purpose of the past seven weeks have been. It isn't that I haven't seen God working, but I just feel frustrated by it. Maybe I had some expectations that I wasn't aware of that haven't been met; maybe I'm closing my mind and heart to some of the possibilities; maybe I'm just frustrated and ready to be home. I'm not sure. I am still frustrated by the lack of opportunity I have had to work in the church. Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed teaching and spending time with the children here, but it isn't as satisfying or fulfilling as I hoped it would be. Something is still missing. And I think it is the church. I feel disconnected from the church. Not disconnected from God necessarily, but from the community of the church. I HATE this feeling. I woke up several days crying, feeling angry, and yelling at God. This may be something that I won't have processed in my final weeks here, and in fact it may take several years to process it fully. But I can tell you that my frustrations, while they have brought about some joy and affirmation, are getting the best of me this week. Through it all, I believe I am maintaining an overall positive attitude and am working through my frustrations. And yes, I am even thankful for them.
            When I was expressing some of my frustrations to Regina, she asked me what some of my joys have been here. So I'd also like to share some of those with you. I may have already mentioned some of them in previous emails. Here goes!

• I love spending time with the children, especially outside of the classroom. I feel like this is when we really get to know them and their personalities. It is also the time we have the most laughs, especially when I am attempting to speak Luganda!!
• I love when my Senior 1 class asks questions about the Bible. And sometimes very good, deeply theological questions. It is not only reaffirming that I am able to provide some answers (I will admit, I do not have an answer for everything!) but it is also very much life-giving. I was even asked a Trinitarian question this week; I hope I answered it in a way that would have made Dr. Smith proud. :) I also love it when they want to sing songs together; sometimes they are in Luganda, but most of the time they are in English and often they are praise/worship songs that I am familiar with. This brought me a great amount of joy this week when I needed my spirit to be uplifted.
• I love visiting the sub-parishes/mission churches. Even though we cannot understand the local language, the Spirit of these churches is very much alive and has become very precious to me. I have to admit that it can be uncomfortable at times, but there is no doubt in my mind that the Spirit is working in these churches.
• I love the conversations I have been able to have with the community of people I am staying with and working closely with. These conversations have also been life-giving and have been a true blessing. Some of them have been theological, some of them have been informative, and some of them have been completely silly. But I have cherished every moment I get to share stories, information, ideas, and beliefs.
• I've really enjoyed the slower pace of things. Well, sometimes. Normally, I like to keep busy with something even if it is a small task. Here, I have had the opportunity to rest a lot and to be pretty leisurely with my time. (This is both a frustration and a joy, depending on the day, haha)
• Even though I really miss my parents, siblings, and friends I have experienced a reliance on God that I don't know I would have experienced any other way. I no longer have access to the things I normally rely on such as the internet, facebook, phone/texts, face-to-face conversations with people I know, etc. And I think I needed to learn this lesson; I needed to learn to be fully dependable on God and not on other things or people. I am thankful for this.
• I love hearing "Bye, mzungu" every time we walk outside of the parish gates. On our way to and from St. Cyprian Secondary School we are always greeted this way by children we pass. I can hear the joy in their voices as they yell at us, trying to gain our attention. It means quite a lot to them that we take time to wave back, smile, and speak to them. But it brings me a great amount of joy to see them happy!

 
That's all I've got for you this week! Thank you all, again, for the continued support, love, prayers, and words of encouragement! I am so blessed to have you all in my life.


All my love,
Corey Namata

Fwd: Uganda Week 6 Update

My Dear Friends,

Hello & Greetings from Uganda!!

I hope this email finds you all well and I hope you had a good 4th of
July holiday. Though I don't normally do much to celebrate the fourth,
I must admit that I missed being in the States for it. Somehow, it
took on a different and more special meaning by my not being in the
States. I hope someone ate an extra burger, just for me because I was
surely craving one on the 4th! Haha. Another long email, but I
promise, it will be worth the read!


I'm not sure if I have mentioned these things before or not, but I
wanted to mention them to you. If I have already mentioned them,
please forgive me, but here are a few of my observations about the
Ugandan culture:
--Women typically kneel or bow when greeting men, as a sign
of respect. The children have even done it to Regina and me when they
present us with gifts or even give us back a crayon.
--Clapping is very common. They clap for everything! They
even clap after the elements have been presented and blessed.
--Women are not allowed to whistle. Seriously, it is
considered taboo. In fact, Br. Christopher almost had a stroke last
week when he heard me whistling. He told me I can't whistle since I am
a woman and found it funny/appalling that I was doing such a thing.
This made for an interesting dinner conversation; apparently when men
are "looking for love" they whistle to get the attention of and
attract women. So I've been warned not to whistle while we are in
town. Though Br. Christopher and Fr. Ambrose have both had fun with it
around here and whistle at me as they greet me. I've told them both it
is going to take a lot more than a nice whistle to get my attention!
--It is pretty typical for men and women to do things apart
from one another. In the schools, the girls and boys make separate
lines when we take them outside/inside for PE (and at other times).
Even in the church, oftentimes wives will not sit with there husbands.
Though there is not a clear separation in the church, there is
definitely a noticeable pattern as to where the women and children sit
compared to where the men sit.
--The women and children outnumber the men in church. In
every church/mission we have been to this has held true.
--The spirit of giving is no issue here. It is true that the
amount of money coming in can probably not compare to most churches in
America, but the fact of the matter is the giving is abundant here!
During the offertory in Mass, a basket is not passed around. Instead,
a person (or a few depending on the size of the service) stands at the
front of the church holding a basket. Friends, they even walk to give
their money to the church. They get up and walk to a basket and give
what they can. We've been to a few services where some, who I assume
don't have much money at all and are peasant farmers, bring in food as
their offering. They bring in bananas, tomatoes, potatoes…you name it.
If they have it to offer it, they bring it. This spirit of giving is
very much a result and act of faith.

Not something I have mentioned before, but at 5:45 every morning I
usually wake up to a Muslim prayer being broadcasted over speakers. If
that doesn't wake me up then the church bells at 6:30 do (I am usually
awake before these go off!). There are also a ton of animal sounds and
other noises that wake me up and even keep me up late at night!



Now, here are some key events from our week!

Last Saturday marked the 100th year of the ordination of the first
priest in Uganda. In fact, it was the first ordination of a priest
south of the Sahara Desert!! For this celebration, we attended a 4 ½
hour Mass, which was then followed by lunch, cake, and entertainment.
Since it was such a special year, ordinations of priests took place
all over Uganda yesterday. It doesn't normally happen on the same day
across the country, but this year was special. Unfortunately, we did
not see any ordinations; however, we did get the chance to see about
12 seminarians be initiated into the next phase of their ordination
process. 99.9% of the service was in Luganda, so I have no idea what
was going on but it was a wonderful moment to witness. Our friend
Thomas, who accompanied us on our first trip to Kampala, was one of
these seminarians! During the .01% of the service that was in English,
Regina and I were introduced and welcomed to the service. This time we
were introduced with our American names first and our African names
second, so I was introduced as Corey Namata. The whole congregation
seemed to love that we had been initiated into the community with
African names. We had several people come up to us and greet us, using
those given names. It was a long day, but a really cool experience.


We had another long day on Sunday, unexpectedly so. We went to
Chilbula, one of the missions, with Fr. Matthias. As usual, we were
immediately greeted and welcomed by a large number of people. Both
times we have been to a mission with Fr. Matthias he has made a point
to give us the Scripture verses ahead of time and even spends about
five minutes of his message in English so that we know the general
idea of his message. Regina and I both really appreciate this gesture.
One of the Scriptures was from Luke when Jesus tells a man to "let the
dead bury their dead" and then tells another man not to return home to
say farewell to his family. His message had to do with denying things
in order to follow Jesus. I really felt that in this moment, all the
things I had struggled with (especially in the beginning)—missing
things from back home including my car, my computer, good internet
access, and especially my friends and family—were things that I needed
to go without for a while. I needed to learn to depend on Christ
instead of depending on things and people that I normally depend on. I
needed to learn to be able to love God more so that I can love others
more fully. And though I don't think I have to live the rest of my
life without those things, I do think that I (we) have to be willing
to sacrifice those things in order to follow Christ. We must be
willing to go where the Spirit leads us and calls us, even if that
means going without things that normally give us comfort and going to
places that are WAY out of our comfort zone. God has promised us that
the Spirit will be with us wherever we go; this is a truth that I have
learned/been reminded of and have found a new kind of reliance and
trust in God. For that, I am thankful.
I mentioned in my last email that Fr. Joe had a friend coming in that
lives in the Durham area. We met Donna on Thursday night and spent
most of the weekend with her. She is such a joy and I am thankful we
have another connection in North Carolina. They were getting ready to
leave to head back to Entebbe, where Donna stays while she is here,
and she invited Regina and I to ride with them. We took her up on the
offer and made the 3 hour trip to Entebbe, where we had lunch at
Bethany House, a guesthouse that Fr. Joe's brother owns. We even got
to meet Fr. Joe's brother, Fr. Emmanuel. Up until January, Fr.
Emmanuel taught at Duke Divinity (12 years) and is the reason the
connection exists between the two places. It was great to meet him and
to spend a bit of time with him and others at Bethany House. I hope to
be able to reconnect with Donna once we are back in Durham.


On Monday we took the opportunity to go to the market, which comes to
town on Mondays in Luweero. Br. was delighted to take us and show us
the busy and fast-paced area. They sell produce, clothing, shoes,
suitcases, etc. Some of the shoes and clothing is secondhand and some
of it is new. Most of the people here seemed to focus their buying on
the secondhand items; I imagine they are much cheaper than the new
items. Of course, because we are "mzungus," everyone kept trying to
get us to buy stuff. They assume that because we are white we are
rich. Br. had to tell a few people that we were students from America
and are not rich! Br. bought a jackfruit for us, which we have been
waiting to try. It is a local fruit (I will have to show you pictures
later); before opening it up it is green and a bit rough and bumpy on
the outside. The size varies. When we tasted it later it had a bit of
a rubbery consistency and tasted a bit like a honeydew melon. It
wasn't a bad rubbery consistency, just different, and the flavor was
pretty good!
On Monday we also received some gifts from one of our classes. They
brought us flowers (a sign that they love us), made a cow (before they
knew what my clan was!!) out of a banana flower, and made a doll out
of banana fiber. I LOVE the doll out of banana fiber! The cow is also
special. They were very delighted to find out what African names we
had been given. I even met a girl in P4 whose name is also Namata!

As we are walking to and from classes throughout the day, we often
have children run up and greet us. Sometimes they give us the sweetest
hugs and sometimes the grab our hands and walk beside us. These are
some of my favorite moments. As I was thinking about this and really
appreciating these moments, I envisioned a moment where Jesus sees us
returning to him; the moment when the lost soul finally surrenders
their heart to Christ; the moment when the lost sheep is found; the
moment when the prodigal son returns home. I just had this picture of
Jesus running up to us, embracing us in the sweetest most victorious
hug we have ever received, and then taking us by the hand and walking
right beside us. What a sweet picture to envision; at least, it is for
me.
On Wednesday, as we were walking back from teaching at St. Cyprian,
we walked into a soccer game between St. Jude and another school. We
were IMMEDIATELY greeted by some of our students, who were calling out
our African names!! We spent some time watching the game. I somehow
ended up sitting on the ground with a circle of students around me;
some were playing with my hair, some were touching my skin, and others
were teaching me Luganda. There is no way I will remember all the
words they threw at me, but I will keep this joyful moment in my heart
for a very long time. St. Jude won, by the way!!


I felt my first earthquake!! Two actually. According to the US
Geological Survey's Website, the two earthquakes occurred in Lake
Albert, which is a couple hours west of us. The first one occurred at
10:30 pm on July 3rd and the second occurred at 1:30 am on July 4th.
(So both on July 3rd USA time). The first one registered as a 5.7
magnitude and the second a 5.4 magnitude. I was awake for the first
one and woke up to the second one. We also felt a small aftershock
about 30 minutes after the first quake. It was an interesting
experience. Luckily it was not strong enough to cause any damage or
need for us to worry. As we were reading the paper for Friday, there
were apparently 25 other countries affected by minor earthquakes, all
this past week.


Yesterday (Friday, July 5th), we headed to Jinja! We left the parish
at 6:30 am and didn't return until almost midnight, so it was a very
long day!! Jinja is home to the source of the River Nile; it is there
that the River flows out of Lake Victoria, its main source. It took
us about 3 hours to get to Jinja; once in Jinja we headed to Bujagali
Falls. When we arrived at Bujagali Falls we were quite disappointed.
Not too long ago a Dam was constructed and this caused the falls here
to be covered up. There was very little movement at this point; in
fact, the only fall we saw at this point was me! That's right, ladies
and gents, this girl slipped and fell, belly down, into the River
Nile!!! I had given my camera to Regina to take a photo of me standing
just in the water (I was wearing my chacos, which inevitably failed
me); I saw some rocks that looked promising and began to step into the
water. It wasn't long until I was slipping and couldn't catch myself.
I'm not sure if there was just that much algae on the rock, if I took
a wrong step, or if I stepped too fast. Regardless, I was going down.
Pretty much my entire body from the stomach down was submerged, but I
managed to catch myself with my wrists and keep a good part of my
chest and head above water; I was just trying to make sure I didn't
hit my head on the rock. I finally got a good grip on the rock and
Bro. Chistopher was there with his hand extended waiting for me to
grab hold of him, so I finally reached out for help. Once I realized
that I was able to stop myself and began to get out of the might River
Nile, I couldn't help but laugh. I even told Regina to take a picture
of me climbing out of my ridiculous situation. We had a good laugh
about it, after examining me to make sure I was okay. Brother was
concerned about my ribs and kept checking to make sure they were okay.
My ribs are fine. However, my whole body is pretty sore now. My wrists
are sore, where I managed to catch myself; I have a decent bruise/knot
on my shin, a few bruises on my knee, and a few scrapes on my feet,
legs, and arms. But, really I am fine!! It will make for a good story,
to be able to say that I fell into the River Nile. Who does that?! I
promise, I'm not normally accident prone. In fact, I'm usually the one
to go off the trails when hiking, to step into water, etc. But put me
in Africa and things like fainting and falling into rivers happen.
After the disappointing view at Bujagali/Corey Falls, we headed to
Itanda Falls. These falls did not disappoint. I believe they said they
were grades 6-8. They were pretty intense, but they were beautiful to
watch and to listen to. We spent some time taking in the view,
enjoying the coolness next to the river, and even watched a young man
fish in the rapids. After Itanda Falls, we headed into town and walked
a bit. Pretty much every town looks the same, with the various shops
and supermarkets. After our time in town, we headed to the Source of
the Nile Gardens. The most touristy spot is on the east side of the
River, at a Leisure Center. However, after doing some research and
talking with our friends here, we decided to avoid that. Basically, it
is way over priced and then they want to take you on a boat road to
the actual source where Lake Victoria meets the River Nile; however,
we were told that it was very disappointing and not worth the money.
We were also told that the Dam had affected the bubbles (yes, you go
to the spot and there are bubbles; this is where they say "here's the
source of the Nile!") and they are very little if there at all on some
days. So, we decided to take in the view on the west side of the
River. I think we had the better view. We were at a higher elevation
and could see Lake Victoria emptying into the River Nile. This is were
the Speke monument is (he's the guy that first named the source back
in the 1800's) and there are steps leading down into the River. Yes, I
did stand in the river at this point and yes, Brother stepped in ahead
of me to make sure it was safe!! We even saw some monkeys running
around the area, so that added some excitement to the already exciting
day.
We headed out from Jinja about 3:30 pm, which would have put us back
at the parish between 6:30-7:00 pm, depending on traffic. About an
hour outside of Jinja, Fr. Ambrose's car started to make a squealing
sound (this was after hitting a pretty large pothole in the
road—Ugandan roads are HORRIBLE!!). So, we pulled over to see what the
problem was. Two and a half hours later, two mechanics showed up (they
came from Luweero, which was about two hours from our location). It
took three and a half hours for them to fix the problem, a water pump
and the timing belt, and then we were finally on our way back to the
parish. It was a bit frustrating and tested both Regina and mine's
patience. We did manage to catch a beautiful sunrise that we might
have otherwise missed. However, the main problem came when it started
to get dark and thus very difficult to see the engine. No streetlights
in Uganda!! There was the occasional vehicle passing by, but the road
we took was a less driven road as we were trying to avoid the traffic
jams of Kampala. At one point, I looked up and noticed a sky filled
with beautiful stars. And while I know that all of Uganda could likely
see these stars, it was like a dome of stars had been placed over as
to provide a little bit of light (the moon was nowhere to be found)
and to remind us of God's presence with us. It was a sweet, sweet
moment in the midst of frustration and tiredness. Once the vehicle was
fixed, the mechanic stayed with us until we had reached Luweero to
make sure the problem had been fixed. We arrived at the parish just
before midnight and were greeted by Fr. Matthias, who had waited up
for us to return. They even kept the food from dinner warm so we could
have a bite to eat; Regina and I were very thankful for this as we had
only had a pack of crackers and a fiber one bar to eat all day.

So, that has been our week!! This was a rather exciting week between
the earthquakes, my River Nile fall, and the car breakdown alone. I am
thankful for all of these experiences and am VERY thankful for today's
day of rest. The only thing we have on the agenda is dinner with the
Sisters!


Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your prayers and well
wishes these past 6 weeks! I can't believe that I will be home in just
4 weeks. Though, I am pretty excited about this!! I look forward to
updating you again next week and to hearing from some of you!!

All my love,
Corey Namata

Fwd: Uganda Week 5

This is a copy of the email I sent out on June 27th, as my "Uganda
Week 5 Update." Enjoy!!



Hello Dear Friends & Greetings from Uganda!!

I hope this email finds you all well. Regina and I have had another
busy week and we are finding it hard to believe that we have already
been here 5 weeks; this means we only have 5 to go!

So, I've figured out the joke, "Why did the chicken cross the road?"
…Ready?! Because it didn't want to get hit by a boda-boda! Haha, okay
so that probably wasn't as funny to you as it was to Regina when I
said it. (A boda-boda is a motorcycle taxi!)

Here are some events from our week:

Last Friday we took the opportunity to visit the hospital that is run
by the parish. It does receive government funding, as pretty much any
service in Uganda. I was quite impressed with the facilities. It is
mostly run by Sisters. Currently there are three doctors, but they
hope to soon have at least five working in this hospital. They have an
administration wing, an out-patient wing, a couple of pharmacies
(different for different types of medication), a women's ward, a men's
ward, a children's ward, a maternity ward, a surgery room, and a
recovery area for post-surgery patients. It seems to be in good hands.
There is also a government-run hospital not too far from here. Fr.
Matthias told us that it is not very good and does not have the
medicine most people need. Those who visit the government-run
hospitals are sent to clinics to get their medication. Better care is
provided at the church-run hospitals. We also saw two of the Germans
we had dinner with working at the hospital! One of the things I was
less impressed with was the way they handled medical waste. We
witnessed waste such as used needles and blood samples be gathered
into a wheel barrow. I'm not sure what happened to it after that, but
I was a bit appalled, yet not completely surprised with the handling
of the medical waste.


On Saturday, we woke up very early and made our way to the Equator.
Br. Christopher accompanied Regina and me on this journey! We took
public transportation to get there and it took us about 3 ½ hours.
Here, the most common form of public transportation is called a
"mini-bus." This is a taxi bus; imagine a 15 passenger van that is at
least 15 years old and you've pretty much got it. I'm not even sure
how to describe our experience other than insane. There are taxi parks
in Kampala where probably 50 taxis in a small, unpaved parking area
with different signs as to the destination. It was an interesting
experience to say the least. Once we were at the Equator, we took our
obligatory photos at the spot and then looked around a bit. In
addition to taking some photos, I took to opportunity to call the
Hogs! I know you Arkansas fans will be proud. And yes, I even have a
few photos of the event!  Once we were finished at the Equator, we
made our way back to Kampala. Once in Kampala, we met our friend
Cosmas (one of the seminarians) and his mother cooked us lunch! When
we were walking up the hill to his mother's house he told us how
honored they were to be able to have us for lunch. He then warned us
that it is just a simple home and shared his hope of being able to
provide for us everything we needed. He was right; it was simple home.
But it was filled with so much love and hospitality. It was probably a
9x18 ft (at most) room, with one window and a door. It was made from
brick and concrete and there was a curtain hung to separate the bed
from the rest of the home. She has seven children all together and
there are still a few of them living at home. I could tell that she
was by no means wealthy and yet we had a meal that, based on what I
have heard people say, was no cheap meal. It was not necessary for
them to welcome us in, but Cosmas knew we were going to be in town and
they wanted to be able to provide a place for us to rest and have a
meal. I have always enjoyed getting together with people over a meal,
but I am beginning to see meals as something that is holy. (I guess
everything in our lives should be holy…but what would it look like if
we viewed our food and our meals together as a type of spiritual
discipline?). After eating Regina, Br. Christopher, Cosmas, and myself
went to "the beach." Okay, so it isn't really the beach but that is
what they refer to it as! We went to Lake Victoria! It was already a
pleasant day in Uganda, but walking next to the water gave us some
much needed breeze and the view was beautiful!! Next, we made our way
through Kampala to visit another set of craft markets. After spending
another day traveling, particularly in and through Kampala, there is
one thing I can tell you for sure: I would NOT want to be in Kampala
by myself. It is HUGE, it is DIRTY, and it is CROWDED. The people
don't care if they run you over by foot, by car, by boda-boda, etc. as
long as they get to where they are going. Luckily the two times we
have been we have had wonderful friends who make sure we are with them
at all times. They are very protective of us and we are both very
grateful for that! It was a VERY long and busy day, but it was a great
one filled with adventure! To give you an idea of how long it was, we
left the parish at 5:30 am and returned at 8:45 pm (just in time for
dinner!).
While in Kampala, I had my first experience with a public restroom.
They are known as a "pit latrine." It is literally a concrete hole in
the floor; men, you have it so easy!

On Sunday, we went with Fr. Matthias to another mission. We love the
mission churches!! They are so welcoming and, even though the services
are in Luganda, it is clear the Spirit is moving in the lives of the
people who attend. Fr. did translate part of his message into English
and what he said struck me. He was referring to the passage in Luke
where Peter names Jesus as the "Messiah of God" and a few of the
following verses where Jesus tells us that we must lose our life in
order to save it. In his translated portion of his homily, Fr. said
that we must first give up our selfish desires to be able to be truly
happy in the community that we are surrounded by. This struck me,
because I feel like it is true. And while, correlation may not mean
causation, I felt this sentence was true for me during my first few
weeks here. These were the weeks I struggled most. And when push comes
to shove, it was probably because I was being selfish in my
discomfort. I am happy to report that I do not feel like that is any
longer the case. I am very happy here and I am LOVING the (new) ways
in which I have seen and felt God at work. It hasn't been and isn't
easy, but I know that the presence of God is with me always. Sometimes
that bit of truth is all I need to be reminded of. Unfortunately, it
is something I often forget.
Service was supposed to start at 9am, but we are operating on African
time, which means that we never start anything on time. When we
arrived there were only two people there, so the catechist informed
Fr. Matthias about a sick man who had requested that a priest come and
pray over him. So we went to this mans house and witnessed Fr.
Matthias praying over the sick man.
We also witnessed several baptisms! This was very cool to see. I am
unfamiliar with traditional or American Catholic baptismal liturgy,
but here there were five steps.
1) Anointing on the chest, over the heart. The purpose of this
is to drive out any demons the child may possess and to instill the
word of God in their hearts.
2) Pouring of water.
3) Anointing on the head. The purpose of this is to pray that
the word of God would be instilled in their minds and that they grow
up understanding the faith.
4) Lighting of a candle. As new members of the Body of Christ,
all are called to be disciples. This represents them carrying the
light of Christ into the world.
5) Laying of a white cloth over the child's head and face. The
purpose of this was to drive away sin and prepare the child for a pure
life.


I was not feeling well earlier in the week and actually took Wednesday
off from teaching to rest. I feel much better, though I am not yet
feeling 100%. However, the improvement is very much welcomed. Regina
told me that my class at St. Cyprian asked about me and was praying
for healing. It warmed my heart to know that they were concerned about
me! I have really enjoyed teaching here and building relationships
with the students. One of our P1 students came up to me this morning
and said "Thank you for teaching me." I almost teared up; it was one
of the sweetest "thank you's" I have ever received.


This week we were also given African names!! As if the amount of love
and hospitality we have received wasn't enough to welcome us in, this
is a way they show their official welcoming into the family. The name
I was given is "Namata," which comes from the word "mata" meaning
milk. Here, when one thinks of milk they think of a source of
goodness, it is life-giving and the source of life, and it is very
valuable. I also learned that if you are a part of the Ente Clan,
there is a rare kind of cow (not sure which one) that, even if it is
killed, you do not eat the meat. The cow is respected and cared for.
Names are associated with certain clans, and this name comes from the
"Ente Clan." "Ente" means cow (William & Quinten, you will appreciate
this). So I am now apart of the Ente Clan in Africa! Regina's name is
Nonyonja and comes from the Enjange Clan, which is a type of white
bird. They chose these names because of the clans they come from; one
of the comments at our reflection meeting was that we work well
together and the love of Christ is clearly shown when we are together.
The bird of Regina's clan is most commonly found in the field with
cows, and oftentimes sitting on the cow! They wanted to give us names
that reflected that nature of us based on their observations.

Teaching music here has been one of my favorite classes to teach. For
me, music is an important part to how I worship, relate to, and
express myself to God. It has been so wonderful to see the kids get
excited about learning new songs, particularly ones that are about
Jesus! Today, while we were singing, "Jesus Loves Me," I teared up at
the sound of the 80-something beautiful voices singing about the fact
that Jesus loves them. It was an incredible moment. A few minutes
later, while singing, "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands," I had
an incredible time being able to point to the kids, make eye contact
with them, and smile during "he's got you and me brother/sister in his
hands." Both of these moments were so very special to me and have
helped remind me why I am here!!

Tonight we are expecting a friend of Fr. Joe's from Durham, NC to come
in. She has been a huge supporter of St. Jude Primary School and is
here for a visit for the next few days. Regina and I are both looking
forward to meeting her and to being able to get to know someone else
who has a connection with Uganda!



That's about all I have for you this week! Tomorrow should be a pretty
restful day, which I am looking forward to! This weekend we will be
celebrating with the Diocese the centennial anniversary of the first
ordained priest in Uganda! During the Mass, there will be some who are
commissioned and some who are ordained. I am looking forward to
experiencing this side of the Uganda/Catholic faith.



I want to thank all of you, again, for your support, your prayers, and
your love over the past five weeks and beyond! You all are a true
blessing to me and I hope you know that I treasure each one of you
dearly! Have a great weekend and I look forward to hearing from some
of you soon!!


All my love,
Corey