Rubanda Solidarity

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

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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)