At times there seems to be nothing much to write about, then all of a sudden, there is too much and we aren’t sure where to begin or how much to say without boring our readers! So, here is our best effort… It is divided into sub-headings in case you can only read a bit at a time!
Anniversary
On December 6, 2010, we celebrated 2½ years in Gulu. According to the original plan we would be returning in another 6 months. However, the Archbishop didn’t sign a contract with us until January of 2009, so our commitment of 3 years extends until January of 2012. At that time Pat plans to return home, but Jo and Marion are still hoping that others of you will be interested in coming and that they would be able to remain here longer. HOW ABOUT YOU???
Advent prayer gatherings
For Advent 2008 Marion and Pat (Jo was in the USA) had invited the Sisters in the area in small groups to join them for Sunday Advent prayer followed by “tea,” an afternoon custom here. In 2009 Pat was rushed 
to the USA at the time this would have been organized, so there was no time to prepare. But this year we decided to try again. We invited the gentleman in the photo, the driver of one of the sisters, to join us. Since we would only be here for three Sundays of Advent, we hosted the folks in this compound for a dinner on December 8. We had hoped to have better attendance, but those who did come seemed to truly appreciate the different approach to prayer, and commented on the depth of insights it brought. Already we have decided to do this again next year based on the positive response this year!
Church meeting regarding the coming elections
One Saturday (December 11) there was a meeting for all the religious in the Archdiocese to point out the role the Catholic Church should play in the elections of this coming February. President Museveni has remained in office for 23 or 24 years, and has kept changing the Constitution so he could stay there. He has said that he should be allowed to stay for his lifetime! (And the good old USA thinks this government is a democracy???) It is known that the elections have not been fair and that he plans to keep his position this time again regardless of the actual results. Our people need to understand their own responsibility; they need to be helped to know how to become informed about the candidates; they need to form groups to give them the courage they need to vote their conscience in spite of the intimidation tactics being used. Whether the church leaders will do anything after this meeting remains to be seen….
Kampala trip
A few days later Jo and Marion headed for Kampala for the American Embassy in Uganda. Both of their passports will expire in 2011, and not knowing the timeline (everything here seems to be in slow motion), wanted to be sure to get the renewal done in ample time. What a surprise! They had early morning appointments the following day, and had the task accomplished that very morning! After a bit more shopping they were back home, having only been gone less than a day and a half.
Visit to Arua
Another few days l
ater all three of us along with four other local people traveled to the city of Arua, just west of our place in Gulu. Bishop Sabino, whom we know well from eating at the Archbishop’s table for nearly two years, was being installed as Bishop of the Arua Diocese. The photo at the left shows OUR view of the installation ceremony! We could see nothing!
However, we were in for a real treat! First of all, we arrived the day before the ceremony. Marion had made housing arrangements 
with Sherry Meyer of Radio Pacis, a woman she had known many years ago when they were both Principals in Indianapolis. Sherry has been in northern Uganda for over 20 years, and now has quite a lovely setting. Our housing was just across the yard from her home in a structure that has room for 4 separate guests. Each of us had our own self-contained room. There is a Comboni Missionary priest, Father Tonino, who is also in charge of Radio Pacis, and he uses one of the guest spaces when he needs to stay nearby. He was also an important part of our visit.
Now get this… all of our meals were prepared for us by Sherry in her house! Tonino brings back foods each time he visits in Italy, and these were part of our royal treatment!
There is a very large evergreen tree on one side of the house, and the workers had just finished decorating it… This is the only tree we have seen in Uganda decorated like this…. It must be 20 feet tall, and Sherry estimated that there are about 25,000 small lights on it! So on Friday night after a wonderful dinner, they had a trial run of lighting the tree to be sure it was ready for the staff party she was hosting on Sunday! We were able to leisurely sit on her screened in veranda and enjoy the scene without worrying about the mosquitoes!
Sherry is known as the queen of the machines… Over the years she has accumulated nearly every western/European gadget imaginable. She made homemade breads and ice-cream among other things. It was so much fun!
We were taken to various places for tours… Christus Centre was their original ministry, but that has been turned over to the Diocese. Radio Pacis is a gigantic project, which produces and broadcasts two different stations 24-hours a day, and in 5 different local languages! They are responsible for all of the programming! They never seem to be “off duty,” since their phones ring often. They have three levels of electricity: a solar "garden," the electrical company (not much more reliable than ours here in Gulu), and a generator when the other two sources are unavailable. All of this is necessary for the radio to be guaranteed sufficient power. This also allows Sherry to run all her appliances!
This coming Tuesday we will have an opportunity to reciprocate Sherry’s hospitality! She and Father Tonino will be coming to Gulu overnight. Tonino will stay with his Comboni community, but Sherry will stay with us. While our meal and accommodations will be less elaborate, we look forward to having her with us!
Christmas
The three of us had a lovely small-community Liturgy in the chapel across the y
ard from us. There were about 20-25 of us celebrating. We harmonized on Silent Night, Lo How a Rose, and Joy to the World in English. The proper parts and one song were sung in Acholi.... A nice mix! The homily was also a mix. Amazingly, we could actually follow much of what Fr. Joseph said. When he and Evelyn (the young lady Pat tutors) came to breakfast, he told us he had spoken slowly, hoping we could follow.
Then Christmas afternoon we walked up to the Comboni Sisters' place for a scrumptious dinner. (On their veranda was this Nativity scene, with five "fingers" of land representing the five continents!) First we were treated to a platter of cheese bites, olives, and some sort of vegetable native to Egypt. As an Italian community (however, they have one young-professed from Sudan, and an aspirant from Egypt!) we had an entree of homemade ravioli in a soup and a glass of wine, followed by all sorts of 
things from their yard: chicken and rabbit, greens and relish and pumpkin and..... can't even remember all we had! Even the vinegar in the salad was homemade! Then we had their own version of tiramisu along with fresh pineapple slices, and another kind of wine; cake followed all of that. We went to watch the Pope on the TV where they served Italian coffee... The stuff that makes your hair stand on end. We had brought brownies made from a box mix that they like.... What an exchange! Our final picture shows Marion and the cake-cutting ceremony!
Jo and Marion went back in the evening to watch a TV concert from Milan. Pat chose to stay home; she just couldn't "go" any more in a single day!
Our weather has been warm, although Christmas evening a breeze picked up; we thought we might get just a bit of rain, but it never materialized in spite of some thunder and lightning. This is the dry season and we would LOVE to get some rain. Fortunately, ours wouldn't be changing into ice!
We hope the rest of this season is filled for you with Christ's ever-newly-birthed presence!
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