Sunday was a packed day. It began with a trip to Mori (one of our satellite parishes along the banks of the Nile) after breakfast around 9:00am. I was asked to assist Fr. David with the baptism of about 20 children. About halfway into the journey, we picked up a few about 20 kids who were heading to the Mass. We had 28 people in the car for 15 minutes as we traveled through the bush, following the dirt road over massive bumps and mud pits. We were no more than 200 meters away from the church, when suddenly one of the mud pits was too big and too deep for our Land Cruiser; we were stuck! After trying to push and pull for a few minutes, we decided to wait until after the Mass to worry about it.
How many people fit in a Land Cruiser? At least 28.
Stuck in the mud.
The celebration began at St. Dominic Savio Parish around 10:00am in the brick and mud church. Upon taking my seat, Sister Antoineta asked if I could be the lector for the second reading, so I quickly looked over the Letter to the Hebrews. Young dancers led the procession and the choir sang beautiful songs in the tribal language of Bari. It was similar to the feast we had at St. Vincent de Paul a several weeks back. These people take their celebrations seriously! The Mass was said in a combination of English, Arabic, and Bari, and though I didn’t understand much (seems to be a theme), there is something to be said about being in the presence of the Lord in such a unique situation. After the readings, gospel, and homily, I helped Father with the baptisms. After each child was baptized, the congregation broke out into song, complete with drums, claps, and Africa yells. It was quite an experience to be a part of the celebration.
The Second Reading
Babies being baptized!
Step out of St. Dominic Savio church and you're on the bank of the White Nile.
After Mass, with the assistance of several parishioners, we were able to push the car out of the mud. We piled back into car and headed to Gumbo. Upon arriving home, I grabbed a quick lunch and took a nap so I would be well rested for our big soccer match. Our Salesian community decided to challenge my Don Bosco Senior team. I played with the Salesians for fear that I wouldn’t have a place to eat and sleep if I went against them. To be honest, I was worried about our Salesian team getting humiliated/injured, as many of our players had not stepped on the pitch in years. Fr. Mathew thought we would lose “no less than 0-6.” Our team was a ragtag bunch, consisting of two priests, one brother, five prenovices, three volunteers, one evaluator, and one solar technician, and we represented six nations- USA, South Sudan, India, Nigeria, Kenya, and Spain. We were outplayed in the first half and luckily only down 0-1, but at halftime we made a few adjustments and took the field determined to make a comeback. With the crowd on our side, we fought hard and scored three unanswered goals in the second half, and came away with a 3-1 victory. It was an amazing atmosphere to have all the sisters and villagers rallying around the underdog. I just hope I’m not kicked off of the Senior team for being a traitor. We celebrated the win with a feast in the evening. For a nightcap, Luke and I played Gin and chatted about life over a cold beer, a rare treat. As you can see, it was truly an awesome day!
Baboo and I before the game.
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