Monday, April 2, 2018

 TRIP TO UGANDA 2018

It was on January 15th, 2018 when Daniel Bedard and Fr Dominic Tumusiime had our Trip together to Africa. The trip had both personal and team objectives. While Dan was very eager but nervous to enjoy his first African trip across the ocean to the unknown, I was going home. That said, our moods had variations at some points. We also had a common mission. We wanted to use our limited time to do the best possible to benefit my family, the school and the entire community of Rubanda. The mission was to share our different passionate experiences in the field of agriculture for Dan and Missionary life for me to improve life in the school and in the entire community of Rubanda. We arrived safe, praise God, and immediately embarked on business. We are very proud that all went well, more than we expected. Our healthy was good, the community reception and participation excellent. Dan did a fantastic job in getting himself acclimated into the Kiga community and never once did I see him feel shy because of lack of language and dialect skills for communication.  Love was the determinant in both the visitor and the hosts that shook-absorbed all the tensions. Our little time of about two and a half weeks was well spent to our satisfaction.  While Dan spent most of his time sharing about his passion in the agricultural fields mine was in administration in the school and hugs to the community friends. It was all fun. It was quite an adventure for Dan to live in an African home for the first time for almost three weeks, to meet with African children in a boarding school, to taste the African food and culture, Kigezi hills, human resource at work, religious liturgies, art, rough and left sided drive roads and night hangouts.  I am very grateful to you Dan for having accepted to take the risk to travel with me to the unknown and to love the unknown. You made my vacation incredibly grate. And your impact will never be erased from the minds of our Rubanda community people. To you all, please enjoy the gallery below and add a comment right at the very bottom of the post as your souvenir to us. 

From Boston to Brussels and over the liver Nile in Sudan, Africa

Arrival at Entebbe Int,Airport: 
Dan-R with Fr Dominic at Entebbe Intl Airport


From left Fr Dominic, Dan  and Fr Julius
From left, Barbra, Dan and Fr Julius our receptionists ant Cabana 


Nice time to be together at Cabana guest hse in Entebbe


Dan, and Dominic trying to buy a Ugandan sim card 
Enjoying the Ethiopia Coffee at the sisters h'se on Entebbe road




Unexpected cake at the sisters house for lunch
Dan's first farming demonstration
on African soil in Kampala





Dan manual tests the soils
Everyone is surprised of the simple
 and news  farming skills Dan is sharing





The two of the three community sisters:
 Marta -L and  Elizabeth-R
Fr Dominic pauses for a group pic 


         
Dan enjoys   the sight of the first
African Add caption

I love this mango
Add caption
Family size Ugandan mango
           

Fr Dominic-M, feeling at home already
It was so hot, we enjoyed a mango tree shade 



Look at Dan-R at the beautiful hand made Ugandan mat
Dan taking them thr. American Art as well

No journey without reminders of God's
protection. Checking the gas leakage 

 Day 2  in Jinja

The Apostles of Jesus Retreat center in Jinja where we met Frs Paul and Alex
                          
AJ Retreat center on expansion

The retreat gardens
Statue of St Francis of Assisi, lover of nature in the retreat garden
 


Nature and St Francis 


The retreat chapel, seen on the top of the hill
under the tel service tower is just amazing
Front view of the retreat compound


The back view of the retreat center


Long range view of the retreat center

Fr Alex in a cassock opens the gate of this sacred place to
visiting classmate, Fr Dominic n


The two chalices symbolize the
 Eucharistic adoration done
 on the top
 of the mountain chapel 

Statue of  in the retreat garden depicting Jesus in 
the garden of Gethsemane





Fr Alex in a cassock explains to
 Fr Dominic with extended hand
about the 3 statues depicting
the Uganda Martyrs killed 
for their faith in 1886
Pic more visible



The 3 Martyrs with tradition dress and spear
of the time on the top of the new
 baptismal  and holy dress of the Martyrs.

See the traditional dram of praise in the hand,
spear of authority and Holy Word of God the Bible
Fr Alex with a cassock demonstrates how the blood of the Martyrs of Uganda powered for their faith watered the Ugandan soil for the current christian faith



The traditional hut of the most of the
Uganda Martyrs portrayed now
to be hosting God in the Families
Fr Dominic peeps in the sacred
house at the retreat center as Fr Alex
 and Dan look on and take a snap


St Joseph holds a great place in God's holy men
The garden provides a natural canopy conducive for prayer
 Look at all these pictures below to the praise of 
traditional art brought 
to light by the christian faith



           Bellow is Frs Dominic, Dan and Alex
 in black touring the 
retreat center in Jinja





Day 4: Travel to Kabale/Rubanda-my home


                           
                     Dan and Fr Dominic
                     on the Equator line
Dan Stands at the Equator line
in Uganda for the first time in his life time




Dropping Fr. Wence Bazirake-R and meeting 
Dan on left with Fr Dominic-L with the mother
of Wence at their home

Day 5 in Rubanda taking the School tour

Fr. Dominic-4th from right pauses for a group pic with
 the school administrators: From left is Tr Joy (Nursery deputy),
Innocent (Headmaster), Dan(US visitor), Sr Brenda (Sch. Direstress),
Fr Dominic, Rogers (coordinator of projects, Kabananura (Sch. Bursar)
 and Tr Immaculate (Primary deputy)


Adm. standing at the gate of the Nursery section


                                  
                                           The school art by one of the school alumni
                                             on the gate wall to the nursery school
View of the nursery school
from the nursery gate added is
 the school engineer Robert 
The school admin pause for a group pic at the nursery offices



 





 

 






 
 

 







School time 












Kakihuma Controversy

 

 

 




Rubanda Religious and Priests Association