Fr. Patrick, Pray for us!

          On September 16^th Fr. Patrick Soreng, Salesian priest and principal of Don Bosco Senior Secondary School passed away at the age of 61.  Two Mondays ago Tom and I were walking to morning mass when we heard that Father has been found unconscious in his room and not too long after it was confirmed that he had died.  We found out later that it had been of a heart attack.  Though I only knew Fr. Patrick for a couple weeks before he passed away I feel very blessed to have been able to spend time getting to know him.  He was such as faithful and selfless man of God and his passing hit the community hard even though he had only been in Gumbo for a few months.  In that short time he had made a huge impact on everyone here and all had grown to love him.  Working at the secondary school Michael and I were able to witness his love for the youth firsthand.  Fr. Patrick was a true Salesian and gave all of himself to the students at Don Bosco.  He believed in them more than they believed in themselves and devoted everyday to letting them know he loved them and wanted the best for them.

        The week of his death was probably the longest week of my life.  Not because we were necessarily always that busy even though there was lots of work to be done with the planning of his funeral but purely because it was just a lot to take in.  I think the day of Father’s death had to have felt like a week in itself.  Yet with all tough situations God’s light shined in Gumbo more than ever during that long week.  It was so beautiful to see everyone come together after the death of Fr. Patrick to honor his life.  The night before his funeral and burial a few of us drove out to the gravesite to help dig Father’s grave.  When we arrived most of the digging was finished but I was able to witness something amazing.  Among the gravediggers were a handful of students from the secondary school.  They had come to the graveyard at 9pm on a Tuesday night to help dig the grave of their principal.  I don’t think I have ever heard of anything like that happening in my life and I will never forget that night.  

          That Wednesday Fr. Patrick’s funeral was celebrated at St. Theresa’s Cathedral in Juba followed by his burial in Rejaf, South Sudan.  He was buried along with other religious of the Archdiocese of Juba though he had only been in Juba for two months.  Yet in only two months he had impacted the community here with selflessness and a joy that will stay with the people of Gumbo and the Salesian community here forever.  I am convinced that with the loss of Fr. Patrick we have gained an intercessor in Heaven.  So Fr. Patrick Soreng, please pray for us!

                                                                                       Fr. Patrick Soreng, sdb

The New Air Brothers

     It has officially been two weeks since Mike and I first arrived in the beautiful land called South Sudan.  However to me it feels like we have been here for much longer than that.  I already feel very at home here in Gumbo and have gotten used to the schedule here for the most part.  Three days after arriving at Don Bosco – Juba Mike and I started working at the secondary school here ran by the Salesians: Don Bosco Senior Secondary School.  We were told to go in the morning on our first Monday here and meet with Fr. Patrick, the Salesian who serves as the principal of DBSSS.  Within five minutes of arriving he handed me an old English workbook and told me that I would be teaching S2 English (high school sophomore level) in twenty minutes.  As if the idea of teaching high school with no training or experience whatsoever was scary enough I found out that I would be teaching my first class within half an hour of my first day at the school.  I came in expecting to shadow some classes for a few days (or weeks!) at least before jumping right in.  If I have learned anything on mission so far it is that when God throws you challenges you have to step up to the plate and pray that He will grant you the graces to make it through.  He has definitely walked very closely with me through these first two weeks of mission and I know I wouldn’t have been able to do it without Him.

          I made it through that first class without totally humiliating myself and I think I might actually be getting the hang of this whole teaching thing after only two weeks.  I have taught a dozen or so English lessons and two geography lessons so far and I am really enjoying it.  Though my students are sophomores in high school for the most part they are my age or older (22-28 or so) because most of them were not in school for many years due to the war and some of them even fought in it.  I feel very blessed to be teaching them and pray everyday that I will be able to serve them well in and outside of the classroom because they deserve so much. 

           My other job at DBSSS is assisting Fr. Patrick with administrative duties around the school, which mostly consists of typing up old records and making scheduling charts and such.  Currently I am working on designing a report card for the school, which has been really fun. 

        One of my favorite parts of the day is the hour or two after school and before Oratory time (from 5pm to 7pm when we play with the youth).  Tom, Mike, and I have coined this time Refectory Time since the room we have it in is known as the refectory (smart!).  During Refectory Time we relax and listen to music and do work on our computers…I use the term “work” here loosely.  When Oratory time comes around we gather up some basketballs and soccer balls and head out to play.  I love soccer so I have really enjoyed being able to play everyday and it a great way to bond with the people here.  Afterwards we meet outside of the parish church and say a rosary which is one of my favorite parts of the day as well.  We get to sit with all the little kids and pray to Our Lady with them and it is such beautiful thing to be a part of.  The little kids always get a kick out of us white folk which is really funny.  They do not see white people very often and so they will turn their seat towards you during rosary and just stare the whole time we are praying.  Last night I made some buddies before rosary and they wouldn't stop rubbing my forearm hair...it amazes them because Africans don't have any.  

        After Oratory we shower, say Evening Prayer with the Salesian community, and then eat dinner before heading back to the volunteer house.  Once we go back we usually hang out in the refectory for an hour or two before heading to bed.  Last night we started planning for our debut rock album with our band “The New Air Brothers” (based off of the South Sudanese tribe of Nuer) so keep your eyes and ears open…as you can see our refectory discussions can get pretty deep.  I also enjoyed my first Nile Special last weekend, the official beer of the New Air Brothers!  Anyways that’s all for now, stay tuned and God Bless! 

Welcome to Gumbo

          On Wednesday, August 28th my journey to South Sudan began as Mike, Ariel, Theresa, and I flew from JFK to Cairo, Egypt.  After a long 12 hour flight we arrived at the Cairo International Airport safely for our 22 hour layover in the Egyptian capital.  When we went to the Egypt Air desk to get our hotel vouchers we discovered that for 40 extra bucks instead of taking a shuttle from the airport to our hotel immediately, we could take a shuttle to the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx which are about 45 minutes from the airport.  Though we knew there is a lot of unrest in Cairo we decided that we couldn't say no to the opportunity to see these famous landmarks of Egypt and so we quickly signed up for the tour.  It was amazing seeing the pyramids and the sphinx but after hardly sleeping on the plane and then going on a four hour tour out in the heat of Egypt we were exhausted and passed out on the drive to the hotel.  Our hotel, Le Meridien, was a five star hotel and was easily the best I have ever stayed at in my life.  We spent the night there and then woke up at 5am to leave for the airport at 6am.  Our flight left at 9am and then we were off for Juba.

          We arrived in Juba a few hours later and were met at the airport by our fellow site mate Tom Kelly who I mentioned in my last post has been in Gumbo for the past year, and by Michael, a lay volunteer at our site.  After driving through Juba and across the Nile River into Gumbo we arrived at our site, Don Bosco - Juba.  As we entered the compound and drove by the parish, schools, the volunteer house where we are staying, and the house where the Father's stay, it finally hit me that I was in Africa and I am going to be here for a whole year.   We moved in to our rooms in the volunteer house before going to the Father's house for our first meal in Gumbo.  We relaxed for the rest of the day and then most of Saturday after the girls headed out for their site in Maridi.  

        On Sunday we went to the end of the 9am mass at the parish church to introduce ourselves to the people and then went to the 11am and introduced ourselves at the end of that mass as well.  It was great to get to meet the people we will be living with and serving here in South Sudan and they got a kick out of my attempt at greeting them in Arabic....something I will definitely be working on.  On Sunday we also experienced our first rain storm here in Gumbo.  That night we also went to oratory for the first time, when all the children come and play in the compound followed by a rosary and goodnight talk.  Thanks to the rain only about 50 youth showed up opposed to the usual 200 or so.  It was a great first few days in South Sudan and I look forward to the days to come and getting more involved in the community here.  I still can not believe I am in Africa, and I thank God for bringing me to this beautiful land to serve His people.  I don't think I will ever get used to waking up and getting out of my bug net surrounded bed and walking out of the volunteer house and seeing Gumbo and the distant mountains beyond Juba but I am enjoying every second of it.