One of the things I love about being in Uganda is that you're always part of a family. When I worship at the cathedral, they always introduce any clergy in the congregation, which is simultaneously welcoming and mortifying.
This morning, I decided to worship at UCU, and the Vice Chancellor gave an announcement about GAFCON, which begins tomorrow. As he was talking he said, "oh, and I see Jessica... welcome back!" which caused many to turn to see who this Jessica is. Then he asked all of us who are going to stand, and fortunately, many of us were there.
No one ever said that family isn't occasionally embarrassing.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Changes
Before I left for the US, I had been working with Felix, my gardener, to remove a hedge that was in front of my flat. It was visible in the gap between a similar hedge and the fence, and I loathed it. I wanted something pretty, flowery, and colorful.
Apparently, I never took a picture of the front hedge, so please ignore the dustbins that are out for cleaning in this picture, and note the hedge on the left (which apparently also needed trimming), and picture it in front of the blue wall, but only coming to waist high. Not inspiring.
The Dennisons have a tree in front of their garden with gorgeous flowers, and I have become rather enchanted with it; when it blooms, it resembles a lily. Mary Jane thought it was called a moonflower, and so I asked Felix to acquire a few so that they could replace the front hedge. He tried, going to several roadside nurseries, and couldn't find it.
So, I gave Felix some more money, and left him with the charge to find something pretty, flowery, and colorful to put in place of the wretched hedge. This is what I came home to:
Not pretty, flowery, or colorful. I was a bit disappointed, but I had given Felix carte blanche, so I had to trust that whatever this was would grow into something. However, the wretched hedge was gone, so that was good.
When I saw Felix, he was rather jubilant. As it turns out, those little shoots ARE the moonflower! Felix told me that he didn't know whether I was on Facebook, and it's a long story, but he was so excited to find them, and he wanted to let me know that he had purchased them, but didn't know how to find me on Facebook. I have to say, I never thought I'd hear those words from him, though he does listen to the BBC while he's working.
All there is to do now is wait for it to grow into something pretty and flowery, which delights me to no end.
Apparently, I never took a picture of the front hedge, so please ignore the dustbins that are out for cleaning in this picture, and note the hedge on the left (which apparently also needed trimming), and picture it in front of the blue wall, but only coming to waist high. Not inspiring.
The Dennisons have a tree in front of their garden with gorgeous flowers, and I have become rather enchanted with it; when it blooms, it resembles a lily. Mary Jane thought it was called a moonflower, and so I asked Felix to acquire a few so that they could replace the front hedge. He tried, going to several roadside nurseries, and couldn't find it.
So, I gave Felix some more money, and left him with the charge to find something pretty, flowery, and colorful to put in place of the wretched hedge. This is what I came home to:
Not pretty, flowery, or colorful. I was a bit disappointed, but I had given Felix carte blanche, so I had to trust that whatever this was would grow into something. However, the wretched hedge was gone, so that was good.
When I saw Felix, he was rather jubilant. As it turns out, those little shoots ARE the moonflower! Felix told me that he didn't know whether I was on Facebook, and it's a long story, but he was so excited to find them, and he wanted to let me know that he had purchased them, but didn't know how to find me on Facebook. I have to say, I never thought I'd hear those words from him, though he does listen to the BBC while he's working.
All there is to do now is wait for it to grow into something pretty and flowery, which delights me to no end.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
In absentia visitors
The guest house has been in exceptionally high demand of late, so the hospitality coordinator asked if people could stay at my place while I was away, assuring me that they would be upstanding citizens. I agreed.
When I returned, they had left me this sweet gift, adding that I am free to regift the compact. Heck no. While the nail polish is liturgically appropriate at present, that one has already been regifted.
Well be back!
Upon arriving at a destination, one either says it hears, "welcome back!" Sometimes that comes out "well be back," which may be a translation of a local term.
Regardless, I had a wonderful time in the US, though it's good to be back in Uganda.
I'll write more later; I'm having issues connecting my laptop to the internet and to the printer, and Monday morning we leave for GAFCON in Nairobi.
Please pray for safe and ease of travel and logistics. We've been informed that security will be tight at the conference, which is good.
Well be back!
Upon arriving at a destination, one either says it hears, "welcome back!" Sometimes that comes out "well be back," which may be a translation of a local term.
Regardless, I had a wonderful time in the US, though it's good to be back in Uganda.
I'll write more later; I'm having issues connecting my laptop to the internet and to the printer, and Monday morning we leave for GAFCON in Nairobi.
Please pray for safe and ease of travel and logistics. We've been informed that security will be tight at the conference, which is good.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
A different way to pray for a parishoner
At the women's clergy retreat in February (yes, I know... this is stream-of-consciousness blogging), one of the priests was sharing that one of her parishioners went into the theatre (surgery), and asked her to come to the hospital to pray.
I thought that was about right. Then she shared that the patient/parishioner wanted her to pray IN the theatre. I thought there was no way that would happen in the US!
The surgeon allowed her to get into scrubs and stand in the theatre and pray after asking that she not get all loud and Pentecostal (stereotypes are rather strong in Uganda). She assured him that she could pray silently, and proceeded to pray for her parishioner and the team.
HOW COOL IS THAT?!
I thought that was about right. Then she shared that the patient/parishioner wanted her to pray IN the theatre. I thought there was no way that would happen in the US!
The surgeon allowed her to get into scrubs and stand in the theatre and pray after asking that she not get all loud and Pentecostal (stereotypes are rather strong in Uganda). She assured him that she could pray silently, and proceeded to pray for her parishioner and the team.
HOW COOL IS THAT?!
Friday, October 11, 2013
Happy find
I think we can all agree that moving isn't a lot of fun, particularly when one moves an extreme distance, say 8,000 miles, and it involves a large body of water and multiple continents. (Yes, I know you must have all those conditions to have multiple continents when originating from the United States.)
Perhaps because of my involvement with the liturgy committee, last year I became obsessed with finding the prayer book I received at confirmation. I was certain that it was packed in the boxes I had shipped. I was positive. I was so excited when my boxes finally arrived, partly because it was lovely to be reunited with my stuff (which only emphasized what an American I am), but partly because the boxes contained my prayer book.
Except that they didn't. I wondered if someone broke into the boxes and stole it. The boxes certainly weren't in the pristine condition in which I had shipped them, though they held up well across the distance and oceans and continents. Why someone would take a prayer book is beyond me, but hey. Stranger things have happened.
One of my missions in Virginia was to obtain my recipe box, which I knew I had left here, and search for the prayer book. Now the search was a matter of principle, and no small bit of sentimentality. In searching my mind, I thought perhaps it was in a certain bag.
Except that it wasn't in the bag. I was so disappointed, but kept on with my visit here, and realized that soon I have to leave, and if I wanted my recipe box, I needed to get it out.
Guess what I found! My prayer book! Hallelujah!! And a beautiful pashmina, and a Biblical Greek cheat sheet, and a bunch of other things that I wish would fit in my suitcase.
Perhaps because of my involvement with the liturgy committee, last year I became obsessed with finding the prayer book I received at confirmation. I was certain that it was packed in the boxes I had shipped. I was positive. I was so excited when my boxes finally arrived, partly because it was lovely to be reunited with my stuff (which only emphasized what an American I am), but partly because the boxes contained my prayer book.
Except that they didn't. I wondered if someone broke into the boxes and stole it. The boxes certainly weren't in the pristine condition in which I had shipped them, though they held up well across the distance and oceans and continents. Why someone would take a prayer book is beyond me, but hey. Stranger things have happened.
One of my missions in Virginia was to obtain my recipe box, which I knew I had left here, and search for the prayer book. Now the search was a matter of principle, and no small bit of sentimentality. In searching my mind, I thought perhaps it was in a certain bag.
Except that it wasn't in the bag. I was so disappointed, but kept on with my visit here, and realized that soon I have to leave, and if I wanted my recipe box, I needed to get it out.
Guess what I found! My prayer book! Hallelujah!! And a beautiful pashmina, and a Biblical Greek cheat sheet, and a bunch of other things that I wish would fit in my suitcase.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Busoga ordinations
I am horridly late in posting this... in Uganda I was either proctoring, marking, or recovering from exams before I came to the US, and in the US I've been enjoying my holiday. However, I thought it wise to take advantage of this nifty internet speed and post photos while it doesn't take long!
In August, one of my students was ordained in Jinja, which is in Busoga Diocese. Jinja is about one and a half hours east of Mukono if there's little traffic, which is certainly true when one leaves at 7:30 on a Sunday morning.
The lighting is terrible here, but the view of Lake Victoria from the cathedral is stunning!
I must have been seated during the end of the first service (though honestly, there wasn't much turnover after the service ended). However, I'm fairly certain that there WERE two services because after the first ended, these gentlemen came out to sweep the altar area. Having the altar in the center means that technically, no one has a bad seat - it's an interesting concept. I was seated "behind" the altar, and had a lovely view of everything.
David, my student, is in the center. There were five more ordinands on the other side of the aisle.
I think the vicar (rector) was introducing the bishop. The entire service was in Lusoga, though it was pretty easy to follow along.
Full house! I love the gomesi material on the woman in the bottom right of the photo. It was gorgeous, and the skirt had a slightly different pattern with the circles, which had to be how the material was made, because the dress is only made from one pattern.
David is our newest deacon!
It was rather difficult to get a picture of this, but there was a row of children in the front dancing, and the row kept growing.
My favorite part, however, was when the bishop pulled this girl from the end to come and dance front and center. See the priest on the right also taking pictures?
Christ's Cathedral has stunning views of Lake Victoria.
The architecture of the building fascinates me; I wonder whether it's windy on the hill, and that's what prompted the steeple to be architecturally transparent.
With our newest deacon, Rev. David!
The people in the trucks were preparing to leave, and I assume they arrived the same way. Busoga Diocese is quite large, and people will travel huge distances to attend important functions.
Even though the text is in Lusoga, I bet you can find key phrases that indicate that this is the Nicene Creed (hint: look at the beginning of the third line in the first paragraph, then five lines up from the bottom of the same).
In August, one of my students was ordained in Jinja, which is in Busoga Diocese. Jinja is about one and a half hours east of Mukono if there's little traffic, which is certainly true when one leaves at 7:30 on a Sunday morning.
Even though the text is in Lusoga, I bet you can find key phrases that indicate that this is the Nicene Creed (hint: look at the beginning of the third line in the first paragraph, then five lines up from the bottom of the same).
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