Maynor's Departure from Uganda

Farewell gathering for Maynor with the youth.

A week and a half ago, Dennis and I drove Maynor to Uganda for his return flight to Honduras after serving almost six months in Sudan. The evening before the youth from our group gathered to thank Maynor, pray with him and say goodbye. We tried a new route, and crossed the border at Tseretenya on the Sudan side, Madiopei on the Uganda side. Fr. Pascal Oleo, on his way back to Uganda Martyr’s University, and Stella, one of the cooks in the bishop’s residence, also travelled with us. At the border crossing we were asked to carry two soliders who were very ill into Uganda for medical treatment at a clinic on the other side. One was too ill for us to transport, though, and we recommended he be taken to the diocese’s hospital in Isohe. Because it is a very small crossing, the customs post is not located at the border, but rather at the nearest small city of Kitgum. Unfortunately we arrived just a few minutes after the sole customs officer left for lunch, causing another delay of over an hour. All told it took us almost 15 hours to travel the 600 km to Emmaus Center, just 50 km north of Kampala.

Stained glass window of the Uganda Martyrs
at Cathedral in Kampala (below also).

The next day we did some errands in the city, and in the late afternoon took Maynor to the airport. On Friday we dropped the vehicle to be serviced off at a workshop run by a man whose brother is a priest in the Archdiocese of Kampala. Dennis took me back to Emmaus by public transportation for a weekend of rest and prayer. I was very happy to catch up there with Noelle Gornick, who had been part of the recent Sudan mission team and is now spending time in Uganda. I was also happy to reconnect with Fr. John Bashobora and Dan and Lyn Williamson, whom I met at last year’s Catholic charismatic renewal conference at the Shrine of the Uganda Martyrs.

Monday and Tuesday were spent picking up the vehicle and trying to track down and purchase some equipment and supplies for the House of Mercy in Torit. Last Wednesday we headed back to Torit, this time through Bibia, Uganda and Nimule, Sudan, about 60 km and 3 hours shorter!

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