What A Curious Man Learned About Love In Uganda By Jim Hanson

Transcription

1 What A Curious Man Learned About Love In Uganda By Jim Hanson

2 Why Did I Go? I am a little like the Apostle Thomas. I need to see some things to understand the situation. I went to check out the who, what, why, where of East Africa to understand the man (Fr. Bill) and see what motivated him about this country and its people.

3 What a Curious Man Learned about Love in Uganda Africa By Jim Hanson 1

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5 This is not a story of how I found a new girlfriend or discovered feelings of love for Uganda. It is a love story but not a made up story, the kind some people read. This is about the love that the Ugandans have for God and the faith that carries them through each day. It s about the Vincentian priests, deacons and seminary students who minister to them. It is about the legacy of Father Joseph K. Bill s love for Uganda and its love for him. It s about the love from the people that seemed to surround me at each venue I attended and the wonderful people I traveled with that worked for Father Bill and now Father Anthony who traveled to honor Father Bill on the 1st Anniversary of his death. I am only naming first names and the Christian names the priests have taken for simplicity. I am naming Bishops and some others so I will remember their names because they loved Father Bill too. The people and the things I am relating are real. Regarding Uganda, I am not mentioning the negative aspects of the country unless it relates to the text and clarifies the picture I m trying to convey. Uganda is a very poor third world country with the same problems as any poor third world country. 3

6 Why did I go? That is the question that puzzled many, what was my motivation to go? It is two 8-hour flights and it costs a lot to fly there. I had heard that it is in a civil war, you must get a battery of injections to ward off deadly illnesses, you can t drink the water, and you need to carry diarrhea medications just in case. I knew nothing about what I would find in the country or what I would eat. To say the least I was hesitant! I had an accident in 2003 that paralyzed my right arm and gave me back problems that cause me to be unbalanced and a slow and unsteady walker. I had fear that I would not be able to handle the physical demands of the trip or the other difficulties I might have with the food, water, disease, jet lag and anything else I could use to excuse myself from the trip. I ll only state the obvious. I went because I loved Father Joseph K. Bill, he was my friend, and I love Father Anthony (Saji George Vadakkemury) and promised him I would go, so I have to go, he is my friend! And, I love my wife Rita and wanted to see what she saw in Africa when she went for Father Bill s funeral in March

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8 Look Who s here! We drop from 37,000 feet and plop in on the famous Entebbe airport. We walk up to customs and to our astonishment who is waiting for us inside customs? None other than the man we promised to come and see and to celebrate with, - his name: Father Anthony. Father is there to greet us, hug us and welcome us to Uganda. He has a pass issued from Airport security that has a large letter V on it. In customs!! This area is where you see guards with automatic weapons, dogs sniffing for drugs, bombs, and other contraband. Usually you don t meet your friends until you are through customs. No one is allowed to wander freely in this area of the airport. Yet, Father is there to greet us. Thank you Jesus. I guess either he owns the airport or built it himself. He also has some friends with him. One of them has a picture of Father Bill on her shirt. What a welcoming site, Fr. Bill the man whose life we came 8,000 miles to celebrate is there on her shirt.fr. Anthony the man anointed and appointed to take his place is there for us to see us safely to our home away from home and has assembled an army of priests and helpers to move our luggage to vehicles in the airport parking lot and transport us to our haven. We are staying at St. Agnes Convent only a few minutes drive from the airport. 6

9 The Parting of the Fed Sea! We head for the queues to get our visas from the Ugandan customs agents. We stand in the first line and are told we are in the wrong line, and the Irish citizens are not required to pay an entrance visa fee so the Irish in our group scamper through. The rest of us shuffle to the next queue. This lasts about a minute, as the line next to us is shorter but again wrong! We move to the next line over, then back, then over again. We are now at the longest line in customs and wait for our time in front of the man. Father Anthony approaches a Ugandan customs official and in a very short time Father Anthony is collecting passports and the visa entry fee from each of the remaining pilgrims in our group. Then the sea of travelers parts and we are directed to claim our baggage. All the other travelers are still in their queues waiting to be processed. We float past all the Federal red tape as Father Anthony has outstretched his arms directing us to hurry and we pass through the protective barrier usually known as Customs. We shortly receive our passports with the necessary stamps and happily get our baggage. How did Father Anthony do that? He is a very persuasive and loving young priest and I m sure his reputation is on the line here for us. I also believe that Father Bill s touch was at work. This incident reminds me that Fr. Bill was a very special man and loved by all. 7