March 2005
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Mar 25,2005
Good Friday
FRUIT FROM WAITING;
Tiyi Ki Yi Oti Alo Tia
Dear friends,
Greetings once again from Arua, where we are in the midst of Holy Week celebrations. Palm Sunday found Philista
and me at St. Luke’s COU, Biyaya, which is in Adjumani. We had gone under cover of ‘sneakiness’, as I only
wanted to attend worship and sit in the back. Instead, we had to sit in the front as guests of honor, give speeches,
and participate in the procession around the church with all the drums beating and the Christians singing. You can
just imagine what a grand procession it was, and especially the music – no fancy electrical system and band
instruments, no power point presentations and words projected on the screen – just a whole lot of children with
their parents parading around the church and singing and dancing to the beat of a couple of big drums played by
the old ladies. Adjumani is in “Madi land”, which I suppose is where the ‘Madi’ in Madi/West Nile comes from. It is
a different language from Lugbara, and so a translator is necessary. Venerable John Lomondu, a Sudanese
fellow, was the preacher; and he preached in Gbari, while his translator gave us the Madi version. If you want a
Pentecost experience of people speaking in strange tongues, then come here for a visit!
Of course, you can figure out much of what they are saying, because of the context, and because they are speaking
about Jesus. And they sing many of the old hymns, such as Amazing Grace, When I survey the wondrous Cross,
Weeping will not save Me, Precious, Precious Blood, and When the Roll is Called. So if the words are available,
you can sing right along, which the people always love.
Last night, I attended Maundy Thursday services here at the Cathedral, this time in Lugbara. The church was
packed, as were the morning services. Today, we have a morning and evening Good Friday service. All the stores
are closed, as it is a national holiday (remember that, folks, when everything used to close in the U.S. and
everybody went to church at noon for three hours?). Tomorrow will also be very quiet in Arua town. On Easter
Sunday, I am preaching at Okavu Parish, which is out on the Congo border. My old friend, the former Bishop’s
chaplain, is now the archdeacon of Vurra archdeaconry (only 88 churches), and like several of the other árchis’, he
has openly defied the supposed Staff Board decision for me to “wait”, and threatens to carry me out to Vurraland on
his head, or at least his bicycle, and put me to work for him directly. As a prelude, he is having me preach on
Easter, and then help him commission some of his new church officers. Isn’t God good?
You will recall from the last newsletter that I anticipated an indeterminate time of “waiting”, while the politicians fight
it out among themselves as to who the next bishop will be. The Lugbara have a wonderful expression: tiyi ki yi oti
alo tia. This means “the cows are strangling themselves by fighting with each other and pulling on their pegs.” In
English, we have “the chickens are coming home to roost”, and “the rats are leaving the sinking ship.” The fellows
who thought they would steal the election and force a man of their own choosing are having a “slight problem”, as
we say here, and are gradually strangling themselves on the pegs hammered into the ground. In the meantime,
the Province and House of Bishops, who will make the final election of the next bishop, are under no illusions
about this chicanery. The bishops meet again in June, and are just waiting for two fresh names to be submitted to
them so that they can elect someone and then reconstruction can begin in the diocese.
So while I “wait”, plenty is going on, although unofficially. (For those of you who have volunteered to come and help
and provide technical assistance, the delay has been caused by my lack of official capacity for this period of time. It’
s possible to come to Uganda for 90 days as a visitor. But beyond that, you need something official from a
sponsoring organization, and Madi/West Nile is temporarily having “slight problems” until the bishop’s election is
sorted out). The work is the work: the mission is the mission. The Kingdom is waiting to be built, He who
promised is faithful, and He will do it in His own time.
We are reminded of the Lord’s words to Joshua at such times: “I command you, be firm and steadfast! Do not fear
nor be dismayed, for the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go.”
While being temporarily freed from administration, here is what I have been doing.
1) Preaching. This is always a great ministry, as it encourages the Christians in the small churches and their
pastors and church teachers (catechists). I don’t remember where I learned this, but it’s so true: the Gospel is
self-authenticating. If we preach Good News faithfully, the Spirit takes over and does the rest – and it’s exciting to
see what the Spirit can do!
technical books that I brought from the States for teaching purposes.
technical books that I brought from the States for teaching purposes.
3) Writing. I am rebuilding all the training materials for our approximately 900 catechists, who are really the
backbone of the diocese, hoping to get things standardized, and then to provide good training manuals for each
course. These catechists have to attend a training school, and cover Old Testament, New Testament, Pastoralia,
English, Theology, Worship, Christian Education, Church History, African Traditional Religion, Development
Studies, Preaching, Islam and Agriculture. Many of them are ordained later. In some ways, this project is déjà vu,
since I trained many groups of lay readers over the years in San Joaquin. But we ask a great deal of these
catechists, especially since there is a serious shortage of deacons and priests. So the more they know, the better
they can serve their Christians.
4) Cathedral project. I have been surreptitiously helping the project manager of the new cathedral by providing
him with materials to finish the interior roof, plastering, and electrical, so that at least the middle portion of the new
building can be used very soon. This would accommodate more than a thousand Christians, which is badly
needed, as the cathedral congregation is now over 5000. We purchase the materials in Arua, and have them
delivered directly to the building site, and then guarded 24 hours. This eliminates the perennial difficulty of getting
the funds to their intended destination, without being “eaten” along the way. The “eaters” are quite unhappy, but the
progress made in the cathedral in just sixty days is awe-inspiring. People are coming from all over Arua now to
admire the progress, and giving thanks to God that something is finally happening.
5) Tailoring/Garment business. Now that Arua has electricity 18 hours a day, Philista and I have begun setting
up a new business/ministry of garment making and custom tailoring. Labor costs here are ridiculously low – the
average income of a Ugandan is around $300 a year, and that includes the south of the country, which is much
richer than here in the north. Imagine making less than $1.00 a day, and still somehow living! The average diet
reflects the poverty here.
Philista has a two year diploma in fashion design from Evelyn School of Design in Nairobi, and has won high level
awards for her work in the past. We have found a business location ($35 a month rent), and some staff. She
already owns several of the needed machines, including an embroidery machine, and people in the town are
coming looking for work. I have prepared a business plan and am working on the financial aspects for her,
although this is a very low budget operation. I hope to have a marketing plan for her in thirty days also, as we hope
to sell garments in Kampala and eventually overseas.
6) Charitable works. This includes the usual school fees, medical expenses, and emergency assistance that is
a daily part of life here. I recently gave some iron sheets for a roof for a retired pastor’s house, and bicycles.
7) We are finishing plans to provide a boat for our Christians to cross the Nile at a very isolated location
(Obongi), to save them a 40 mile walking trip to Adjumani. This will also be a source of income for the Moyo
archdeaconry, as they can charge a small fare to use the boat. Moyo is the poorest archdeaconry of the ten, but it
has young, enthusiastic pastors who work very hard under terrible conditions and really bring Good News to their
people. If Moyo “catches fire” and begins to develop economically, it will have great impact throughout the whole
diocese.
I thank you for your continued prayers and support, and trust that you will have a blessed and peaceful Easter
season. It is always good to hear from you, whether by email or regular mail, which seems to take about a month.
He who calls us is faithful. When He calls us by name, as He called Mary, that is all that matters. In His call is our
resurrection.
Fr. Jim Short
PO Box 370
Arua, Uganda
yakoboshort@yahoo.com
jamesshort@infocom.co.ug
Good Friday
FRUIT FROM WAITING;
Tiyi Ki Yi Oti Alo Tia
Dear friends,
Greetings once again from Arua, where we are in the midst of Holy Week celebrations. Palm Sunday found Philista
and me at St. Luke’s COU, Biyaya, which is in Adjumani. We had gone under cover of ‘sneakiness’, as I only
wanted to attend worship and sit in the back. Instead, we had to sit in the front as guests of honor, give speeches,
and participate in the procession around the church with all the drums beating and the Christians singing. You can
just imagine what a grand procession it was, and especially the music – no fancy electrical system and band
instruments, no power point presentations and words projected on the screen – just a whole lot of children with
their parents parading around the church and singing and dancing to the beat of a couple of big drums played by
the old ladies. Adjumani is in “Madi land”, which I suppose is where the ‘Madi’ in Madi/West Nile comes from. It is
a different language from Lugbara, and so a translator is necessary. Venerable John Lomondu, a Sudanese
fellow, was the preacher; and he preached in Gbari, while his translator gave us the Madi version. If you want a
Pentecost experience of people speaking in strange tongues, then come here for a visit!
Of course, you can figure out much of what they are saying, because of the context, and because they are speaking
about Jesus. And they sing many of the old hymns, such as Amazing Grace, When I survey the wondrous Cross,
Weeping will not save Me, Precious, Precious Blood, and When the Roll is Called. So if the words are available,
you can sing right along, which the people always love.
Last night, I attended Maundy Thursday services here at the Cathedral, this time in Lugbara. The church was
packed, as were the morning services. Today, we have a morning and evening Good Friday service. All the stores
are closed, as it is a national holiday (remember that, folks, when everything used to close in the U.S. and
everybody went to church at noon for three hours?). Tomorrow will also be very quiet in Arua town. On Easter
Sunday, I am preaching at Okavu Parish, which is out on the Congo border. My old friend, the former Bishop’s
chaplain, is now the archdeacon of Vurra archdeaconry (only 88 churches), and like several of the other árchis’, he
has openly defied the supposed Staff Board decision for me to “wait”, and threatens to carry me out to Vurraland on
his head, or at least his bicycle, and put me to work for him directly. As a prelude, he is having me preach on
Easter, and then help him commission some of his new church officers. Isn’t God good?
You will recall from the last newsletter that I anticipated an indeterminate time of “waiting”, while the politicians fight
it out among themselves as to who the next bishop will be. The Lugbara have a wonderful expression: tiyi ki yi oti
alo tia. This means “the cows are strangling themselves by fighting with each other and pulling on their pegs.” In
English, we have “the chickens are coming home to roost”, and “the rats are leaving the sinking ship.” The fellows
who thought they would steal the election and force a man of their own choosing are having a “slight problem”, as
we say here, and are gradually strangling themselves on the pegs hammered into the ground. In the meantime,
the Province and House of Bishops, who will make the final election of the next bishop, are under no illusions
about this chicanery. The bishops meet again in June, and are just waiting for two fresh names to be submitted to
them so that they can elect someone and then reconstruction can begin in the diocese.
So while I “wait”, plenty is going on, although unofficially. (For those of you who have volunteered to come and help
and provide technical assistance, the delay has been caused by my lack of official capacity for this period of time. It’
s possible to come to Uganda for 90 days as a visitor. But beyond that, you need something official from a
sponsoring organization, and Madi/West Nile is temporarily having “slight problems” until the bishop’s election is
sorted out). The work is the work: the mission is the mission. The Kingdom is waiting to be built, He who
promised is faithful, and He will do it in His own time.
We are reminded of the Lord’s words to Joshua at such times: “I command you, be firm and steadfast! Do not fear
nor be dismayed, for the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go.”
While being temporarily freed from administration, here is what I have been doing.
1) Preaching. This is always a great ministry, as it encourages the Christians in the small churches and their
pastors and church teachers (catechists). I don’t remember where I learned this, but it’s so true: the Gospel is
self-authenticating. If we preach Good News faithfully, the Spirit takes over and does the rest – and it’s exciting to
see what the Spirit can do!
technical books that I brought from the States for teaching purposes.
technical books that I brought from the States for teaching purposes.
3) Writing. I am rebuilding all the training materials for our approximately 900 catechists, who are really the
backbone of the diocese, hoping to get things standardized, and then to provide good training manuals for each
course. These catechists have to attend a training school, and cover Old Testament, New Testament, Pastoralia,
English, Theology, Worship, Christian Education, Church History, African Traditional Religion, Development
Studies, Preaching, Islam and Agriculture. Many of them are ordained later. In some ways, this project is déjà vu,
since I trained many groups of lay readers over the years in San Joaquin. But we ask a great deal of these
catechists, especially since there is a serious shortage of deacons and priests. So the more they know, the better
they can serve their Christians.
4) Cathedral project. I have been surreptitiously helping the project manager of the new cathedral by providing
him with materials to finish the interior roof, plastering, and electrical, so that at least the middle portion of the new
building can be used very soon. This would accommodate more than a thousand Christians, which is badly
needed, as the cathedral congregation is now over 5000. We purchase the materials in Arua, and have them
delivered directly to the building site, and then guarded 24 hours. This eliminates the perennial difficulty of getting
the funds to their intended destination, without being “eaten” along the way. The “eaters” are quite unhappy, but the
progress made in the cathedral in just sixty days is awe-inspiring. People are coming from all over Arua now to
admire the progress, and giving thanks to God that something is finally happening.
5) Tailoring/Garment business. Now that Arua has electricity 18 hours a day, Philista and I have begun setting
up a new business/ministry of garment making and custom tailoring. Labor costs here are ridiculously low – the
average income of a Ugandan is around $300 a year, and that includes the south of the country, which is much
richer than here in the north. Imagine making less than $1.00 a day, and still somehow living! The average diet
reflects the poverty here.
Philista has a two year diploma in fashion design from Evelyn School of Design in Nairobi, and has won high level
awards for her work in the past. We have found a business location ($35 a month rent), and some staff. She
already owns several of the needed machines, including an embroidery machine, and people in the town are
coming looking for work. I have prepared a business plan and am working on the financial aspects for her,
although this is a very low budget operation. I hope to have a marketing plan for her in thirty days also, as we hope
to sell garments in Kampala and eventually overseas.
6) Charitable works. This includes the usual school fees, medical expenses, and emergency assistance that is
a daily part of life here. I recently gave some iron sheets for a roof for a retired pastor’s house, and bicycles.
7) We are finishing plans to provide a boat for our Christians to cross the Nile at a very isolated location
(Obongi), to save them a 40 mile walking trip to Adjumani. This will also be a source of income for the Moyo
archdeaconry, as they can charge a small fare to use the boat. Moyo is the poorest archdeaconry of the ten, but it
has young, enthusiastic pastors who work very hard under terrible conditions and really bring Good News to their
people. If Moyo “catches fire” and begins to develop economically, it will have great impact throughout the whole
diocese.
I thank you for your continued prayers and support, and trust that you will have a blessed and peaceful Easter
season. It is always good to hear from you, whether by email or regular mail, which seems to take about a month.
He who calls us is faithful. When He calls us by name, as He called Mary, that is all that matters. In His call is our
resurrection.
Fr. Jim Short
PO Box 370
Arua, Uganda
yakoboshort@yahoo.com
jamesshort@infocom.co.ug