Day 17: LIONS! Or...not...

Our day started early hoping to catch the lions before they slept. Last night we had the chance to see lots of different animals on our boat cruise, like hippos, elephants, buffalo, crocodiles, and others – but we were definetly wanting to glimpse the big cats. But alas – we did not get to see them; but we did see a herd of elephants cross the road right in front of us. Epic was the only word to describe the experience.
The disappointment of not seeing the lions was overshadowed by the opportunity (and great joy) to go to mass at a small country parish INSIDE THE NATIONAL PARK. This had been a struggle for us, because we thought we'd have to leave the park early for mass and then get back for a quick tour before leaving. In addition to serving the visiting tourists, this parish catered to the locals who lived inside the park. Yes, there were people who shared the space with the hippos, elephants, et all...and the proceeds from the park went to them in part. They were very happy to see us, especially the priest who had traveled a long way to say mass. He shared how the night before he was speaking to a fellow priest about the disouragement he was feeling that very few white tourists take the time to go to mass. He was very encouraged and invited us up to introduce ourselves and explain what we were doing in Uganda. There were only fifteen locals at mass but they sang and danced as if it was filled with people. You could feel their deep faith and joy.
We spend the afternoon enjoying a much-needed nap from which we woke up energized for an evening of singing and dancing and lots of laughter. Africa has changed the way we Canadians see “freedom” to be who we are and not worry about what others are thinking. It was very beautiful to see all of us growing so close. As one of us said, it was hard to feel sad or mad for any length of time when we were being surrounded by the authentic love and care of others. The explanation given for this love and unity was our commitment to a shared mission. We were being drawn together because our hearts were one.

Pray that the rest we experinced will give us the necessary energy to enter into our last week of mission. The upcoming week is very important for the establishment and contintuation of CCO-style ministry at Ugandan Martyrs University, which is becoming one of the leading universties in Uganda.