It  is Sunday, the Feast of the Epiphany. There are two masses at the parish, the 7 am in English and an 8:30 in the native Acoli language, that is if the first mass ends in time.
Attending mass in Padibe always lifts ones spirits to the heavens! The music is wonderful, the mass is a real celebration of grace, and the faith the of the people is so strong, honest and visible that is it humbling to us Westerners. It always seems that in all that I do when I make a visit to Padibe, attending the Sunday Mass is always the highpoint. Celebrating with a people who have so little and work so hard, and yet participating in their joy and faith at mass is an amazing event.
 Tommy & Chirstine with three of their children and one one the way! After the first liturgy I greeted Tommy and his wife with child, Christine along with three of their children. Tommy has made two visits to Three Holy Women Parish in Milwaukee, composed music for the liturgy on his first visit, and been a friend and major project manager for most of our projects in Padibe.
Here is short video taken during the second mass with the people celebrating in song. What a joy it is to stand at the altar seeing over 400 people with such faith.
 Bringing forth the gifts of money, millet, rice, vegetables, and ground nut paste (peanut butter) After mass Fr. Charles and I had breakfast together and then it was off to my first meeting with the actors in the Collaborative Drama which will be performed at the Cultural Revival Gala. I will say much more about this in future posts.
After that meeting I hitched a ride on a small motorcycle with Francis Okot, the new General Manager of the Sunflower Press, to spend the afternoon at the homesite of my very good friend Francis Onek.
 My very good friend Francis Onek with drying sesame seeds, a small storage hut for ground nuts and a larger storage hut for different grains. Francis is an elder in the community and we hit it off on my first visit and have become close friends for these past eight years.
We sat and chatted for a long time, walked all around his farm, visited the two pigs I bought in June that his son is raising in his piggery, and I fell asleep in a chair and took a short nap while he was talking to me!
 One of the little grandchildren getting a change of pants I tried playing cards with his sons and that brought me out of my slumber.
 Playing a great game of hearts with Francis’ sons Then it was time to eat.
 The two elders sharing a wonderful meal of traditional local foods. We enjoyed sharing a meal and since I had been there for four hours I decided it best I begin the long walk back to the the rectory. Francis was only going to walk half way with me, but our conversation was so engrossing that we were soon in the town center, greeting more and more people, many who had seen me at mass that morning.
We ran into Dennis who was on his way to sit with his friends and sample the local brew. Since I am on a Cultural Revival project, I decided to take a look at how them make it and how they drink it.
It is basically cooked from local grains and fermented rapidly, then served in a clay pot with lots of fermented froth all over the top. They create long straws out of a local weed/reed and sit around sipping and talking. I DID NOT do any sipping but took the following video, with permission.
Since it is in the upper 90’s to low 100’s every day, by the time I reached the rectory a shower was  more than in order. Fr has been in a meeting for the past several hours with some parishioners, quite the normal activity all day long, giving me time to write this post.
You will notice that much of the activity revolves around relationships with the people, the projects come second. But tomorrow is Monday so I will set my daily program more concretely and then add in all the home visits I have already been invited to. It looks like it will be a wonderful, activity filled, three week visit!!
The journey to Padibe goes through Kitgum on a completely unpaved dirt road usually filled with deep ruts, horrific bumps, water logged sections of pure mud. However, the Chinese have figured out an ingenious way to get paid: build a road, use most of the money to help their own economy by importing Chinese workers, and the Ugandan Government doesn’t seem to care. The chines are building an actually really good road, with many bridges, from Entebbe airport to Kampala to Gulu to Kitgum and finishing at the South Sudan boarder. Uganda pays them a lot of money, the Chinese bring over Chinese skilled workers paying them a good wage, and hire very few locals only as “unskilled” laborers. Horrific in terms of justice, totally not empowering the locals, and not aiding the local economy one iota.
But . . . the road, even under construction is the best I have ever seen in Uganda. It was a great drive to Kitgum with no ruts, mud, or stone bumps. We would have made good time to Padibe if not for TIA (This is Africa!)
The Coordinator of the Acoli Cultural Revival Organization lives in Kitgum and called to insist that we stop just for a moment to meet him on our way. Now you must realize that in the Acoli culture, when anyone “invites” you to meet it almost always mean you must eat. If you do not, you would be very very very rude.
 Traditional Dinner Foods We met George Nyeko, who is one of the best project and people managers I have ever met in addition to being an incredible man of integrity, honesty, and humor. I had already had two breakfasts, but that is another story, and he invited me to have lunch. I knew I would soon be dining with Fr. Charles in Padibe, but like a proper visitor I said I was delighted to have a bite, knowing that we were already two hour behind the time of our expected arrival in Padibe. After lunch, George insisted that we stop just for a moment to meet his wife and small child since it was only on our way. They are a very lovely family and she invited me to have another lunch, and being a proper visitor, I was delighted to have a plate of traditional food. The sauce she had made out of ground nuts and other ingredients was particularly good and went very well with the very tasty brown millet bread. The meal was topped off with a large glass of wine, the first of which I have ever been offered in Uganda.
 Banana street in the Kitgum local market  George at home, eating with the visitor.  George and his lovely wife who prepared our delicious meal.  Friends sharing bananas and a glass of wine. We then made our 30 minute drive to Padibe and were met with a wonderful and heartfelt welcome from Fr. Charles, Doris, the chief housekeeper, Hellen her helper, Hellen’s father, the chief catechist Tom, and many other old and new friends. Fr. now has an amazing appliance in his dining room, an actual freezer that cools off beverages in addition to other useful foodstuffs. Since the temperature here is 102 degrees, a cold drink of beverage from the source of the Nile was much appreciated. Of course you never know when or if the electricity from the power grid will be working or not, but there was a cold one about 50% of the time.
 A most wonderful welcome from my brother, Fr. Charles. After visiting for awhile, I decided to take a walk after sitting in airplanes and cars for the most of two days. For the next two hours I greeted many people in the town center, most of whom are also parishioners. and recognized me, although I remembered only a few names. They readily forgave me with a bright smile and a very warm welcome back to what they call “my second home.”
It is wonderful rekindling all the old friendships, the discussions and laughter we shared together, and just continuing to build our parish relationships through individuals. After all, isn’t that why we go so far from home anyway: to build friendships in the name of Christ with those who have much less possessions, but often more hospitality and love than we do?
Upon my return, after I had turned down two phone invitations to just stop over to say hi, and being walked home in the dark by Augustine, we sat for awhile and visited some more. Then Fr. asked if I was ready for supper. Of course, I said, and actually I really was hungry now at the end of the day. We always have wonderful meal conversations, and I promised to be ready to go for the 7 am mass. After all it is Sunday and my first full day in Padibe.
Landed late on Dec 31 after 24 hours in airplanes and airports, but friend Bob Okello picked me up and we made it to the hotel just in time for the fireworks to go off all over Kampala celebrating midnight, the New Year 2016 beginning. I guess it took me two years to get here (I left the US in 2015 and it is now 2016 :). Since the band outside my hotel window played at full volume all night there was no sleep to be had, and I was totally exhausted after the drive to Gulu the next day.
 An exhausted Deacon and friend Bob Okello sharing a snack at Churchill downs in Gulu. However, after the snack we made it to Lacor Minor Seminary where I had another light snack with Msgr. Sebastian who I have visited with on many of our trips. He is a delightful and insightful older priest with a rich history of the North and the Acoli people.
I slept for nine hours, being awakened only once about 4 am by a group of Italian visitors who, at the end of their visit, were up early to drive to Murchison Fall National Park. After the 7 am mass with Fr. Ronald the two of us had breakfast together and talked about many things while laughing a lot. When ordained, he was the youngest person ever be ordained in the Archdiocese of Gulu. He also has the reputation of being one of the brightest priests in Uganda.
As the vice rector of Lacor Minor Seminary and all the duties now on the shoulders of Msgr. Odong, who is the rector, but also serving as the assistant bishop without the title, most all of the work running the seminary falls to Fr. Ronald. I had a very good talk with him about the student whose education Three Holy Women Parish is supporting. He very much likes Onencan Simon Peter, who just finished his studies and is waiting to hear if he will be accepted into the major seminary. Fr. Ronald said that in addition to passing the examination 17 people vote on whether to accept a student. It turns out that 15 of the 17 voted yes for Simon Peter. Now he is waiting to hear about his final examinations. We will all pray that he does well on the exams!
My new driver to Padibe is Robert. Bob has a holiday today and took his family to the park. Robert and I stopped at the Coffee Hut downtown Gulu where they have free wi fi and I am able to write this. Then it is off to buy some brown bread and jam, and then a short two hour trip to Padibe. Since it is the dry season the roads are very good. Next post from our Sister Parish in Padibe!
 A shot of a typical street outside the Coffee Hut in Gulu. They try to model themselves after a Western Coffee Shop serving lattes and cappuccinos along with free wi-fi. This is where the mzungu (white people) hang out. And the bakery next door is very good also. Â
Greetings to all who read this, friends in Milwaukee from Three Holy Women parish, my Facebook friends, and all my friends in Gulu and especially in Padibe, Northern Uganda. This is my seventh trip in eight years to Padibe building relationships with a people who suffered so much for so long during the 24 year armed insurgency of Joseph Kony.
 Chalice Gift from Three Holy Women Parish Now I look forward to serving at many Sunday and weekday masses with my friend Fr. Charles. The masses are full of music, worship and great preaching! After mass we visit outside the church for at least a half  hour, greeting old friends, meeting new ones, seeing new babies, and in general building relationships as sisters and brothers in Christ.
 Padibe Boys School children are excited to see the visitor! I will visit Sr. Josephine at Padibe Boys School (actually co-ed since the war) and greet as many children and classrooms as I can. There are around 1,200 students at her Primary school. But she is a fearless and compassionate leader!
Nyeko George is the Coordinator of the Acoli Cultural Revival Organization.
 Nyeko George & Deacon Rob The main reason for my visit is to help celebrate our three year project of the revival of the Acoli culture because  so many customs, traditions, rituals, artifacts, values, etc. were lost during the war. Toward the end of January and most exciting is the very first Acoli Cultural Gala/Exhibition where many elders will display Acoli cultural artifacts, rituals and traditions; and many groups will  perform traditional dances, songs, and storytelling.
There is a special Collaborative Drama that we have been working on together for four years now. Oyet Tommy is the co-director along with myself, and I am very interested in the reaction of the people to seeing a drama that is a combination of local and Western dramatic structure.
But it is all about friendship as this video shows!!!
Oh Happy Day  (CLICK HERE)
 Butterflies at Milwaukee Public Museum
Sr. Josephine and Augustine visited the Milwaukee Public Museum with Deacon Rob one day along many other visits to other locations. Notice the large bright, blue butterfly on his shirt! The room was filled with thousands of butterflies of all varieties, colors, and sizes.
They did many things and visited many many sites and peoples homes while on their visit. Please ask them to tell you their favorite stories.
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