Day 11 Uganda: Honoring Maureen

We finally figured out how to use both the stove and the hot water heater, so we started this morning with soft boiled eggs and hot showers. We are living “up town.” We love this little apartment in this quiet area with friendly neighbors greeting us as we come and go. By the way, breakfast included baby bananas and fresh slices of mango too. I’m really going to miss the mangos.

Phoebe picked us up and brought us to her church service. We had asked her if we could do this, and she was happy to come get us and share her faith community with us. Phoebe is Catholic so though the mass was not in English I could mostly figure out what was going on and “think” the prayers in my head. The most amazing part for us was how quiet the children were and how they mostly stayed in their seats. A few tiny ones escaped and wandered about, but I loved that. Helen and I were asked to come to the altar and say hello to the congregation. This was totally unexpected, but we managed to say something cogent, I think.

We went back to the sewing center and packed for tomorrow’s school visit and for our departure tomorrow night. The tailors had made aprons for The MoonCatcher Project to sell and lots of napkins too. They will continue doing this after we leave, and we’ll find a way to get these goodies to the US. It’s such fun to have some new merchandise to sell.

While we were cleaning the office and getting ready for Father Francis to come it started to pour. The banana trees swayed furiously, and the rain came down sideways drenching everything and coming in through the office door. Father Francis arrived but had to stay in his car while waiting for the storm to subside. Later, on our way to dinner, we saw downed trees, missing roofs and signs toppled. It was as though a mini hurricane had passed through the area picking and choosing what to destroy. Everyone was out cleaning up the mess.

This was the day Father Francis came to dedicate the new sewing center in honor of Maureen Fernandez, my dearest friend and fabulous traveling companion. Maureen died two years ago in February.  Her friends and family made donations in her honor and the funds were used to help build the sewing center in Wakiso, Uganda. Maureen loved Uganda and did so many generous things in partnership with the people here. Father Francis read a beautiful passage about Jesus being a carpenter and the value of work and we responded with “Lord, graciously guide the work of our hands.” That seemed perfect for a place of work for these gentle tailors. Phoebe and I hung a plaque in Maureen’s memory with pictures of her with Ugandan children. The sun came out as we finished our little service.

Dinner was lovely, outside at the Kavumba Recreation Center. It was such a treat to get time to talk and catch up with Father Francis. I know how busy he is so it felt extra special to get this time with him. We’ll see him briefly at his school tomorrow when we do a MoonCatcher class and present the school’s sewing center with some supplies for 200 MoonCatcher kits and two sewing machines donated by the Rotary Club.

The MoonCatcher Sewing Center in Wakiso, Uganda.

Tomorrow will be our last day here. I will try to post another blog entry before I leave, but if I don’t have access to the internet, we will post it on Tuesday.