First Night in Uganda--Standing on the Shoulders of An Amazing 30 young women

Although I did not sleep more than a 5 minute nod off on any of my flights. I got a 3 hour nap tonight and ready to begin the latest chapter. Good night in NYC with Frank Hellwig who got up at 500 am to help me hail a cab. A 7 hour flight to London....there just enough time to buy 2 waters with the 5 pound note, I had saved from several years ago, then on to Uganda.... We arrived at 715 am Monday, and walked across the historic Entebbe tarmac. Soon got to see my good friend James our Kampala driver. Spent an hour in the phone store trying to get ipad internet access with Dana Larkin. We were not successful, but I loaded up more time on my stick and that should get me internet access in Atanga. We are going to the US Embassy tomorrow, and then home to Gulu... I cannot wait. After a tough year, I am so inspired by the 30 students I just spent a week with. They are amazing talented, but most of all the spread joy and love to everyone they touch. We did incredible things there, and most of them were done by the hard work of the students.... of course could not have done it without the adults either. For the first time in 13 months, I am ready for the classroom. I am going to work tirelessly to do my best, because Boo Yah, Aahahanana, Jump Around, and 27 others have shown me that hard work and love can make a difference. to see my Uganda blog www.mageeinuganda.blogspot.com

School's Out for Summer

As I transition to Uganda from the wonderful week in Biloxi ... I ran into Alice Cooper at the Gulfport airport. What a week !! Once again, we did amazing work here. I wish all of the parents who were unable to join us could see how amazing thee young women are. Each house, each little job was done with smiles and sweat. We made a house a homes and made it accessible to an elderly women n a wheel chair. We tore out a house and readied it so it could be rebuilt. Many of our student s at this fire gutted house reacted with tears as they could see that they were throwing a family's lifetime and memories into a dumpster. Horace WalPole famously said that everything in life is both comedic and tragic..those who think, cry.... And those who feel, cry. Although this week was filled with laughter, I cannot imagine anyone laughing about this fire. Sorry plane is boarding.

We were affected too.

Miss Ann, the epitome of a indepent strong southern woman, was who we were working for this week. Today we heard her survival story of Huricane Camille. The day of the storm she received a phone call from the handicap man she took care of. His house was better equipped to withstand the storm. So Miss Ann hopped in her self-proclaimed "hoopdy" with her only son and two nieces and went to her friend's house during the evacutation. When they arrived the water was waist-deep. The murky black abyss of sea water was described as "the entire ocean being dumped over in the house." To the escape the increasingly rising water Miss Ann and her family and friend hastily splashed to the attic. Her son found a rusty piece of iron carved a measly hole in the ceiling so they could breathe. The whole group continued to pray to God as the water rose within inches of the attic. Miss Ann attributes her survival to the Lord along with her current prosperity. After the Hurricane numerous family members, neighbors, clerymen and even strangers helped her get on her feet again after the total demolition of her home. Back Bay Mission with the help of their volunteers worked tiresomely to restore her house. Meeting Miss Ann and having her open up enough to tell her story helped us realize the tangible difference we are making in Biloxi. In return making us appreciate our lives at home. Peace, Love Meeko, Aahahanana, and A Kiss From a Rose.

Our Time with Larry

This morning Notorious MGG and I, Disco Queen, went to help Jill at the food pantry. She introduced us to Larry, who was in charge of bagging the food for the homeless and unemployed. We started by checking experation dates on the donated cans while Larry organized the food to be bagged. At first, Larry didn't say much, but once he got talking, he mentioned he had a daughter in North Dakota. He mentioned he was going to visit his daughter soon and that he hadn't seen her in awhile. Larry told us he recieved a check with a letter saying he can't get cocky. When we asked him why his friend would say that, he told us how lately his face has been in newspapers and on tv. That caught out attention, so we asked why he was in the newspaper. He told us the mayor had given him an award for how far he had come and his service to the community. Then, Larry told us when he lived in North Dakota, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and had to have surgery. He had rods placed in his back, so doctors encouraged him to move to a warmer climate. He was on his way to Florida, when he and his caretaker decided to stop for a meal at the Waffle House in Biloxi. While using the bathroom, his caretaker left with all of Larry's belongings, including his car and all of his money, leaving Larry homeless and stranded. Six months after becoming homeless, he heard about Back Bay Mission. They helped him out by giving him food and he eventually formed a bond with Jill. Jill helped get him off the streets and living on his own. Now Larry volunteers at the food pantry five days a week. He hopes to help others, just as Jill helped him. Although we only saw a few homeless people, we got to see the difference Back Bay can make in someones life. Working with Larry was a great way to start the week.

Our Adopted Momma Gaffney

For the past 5 years we have been blessed to be get to know and work side- by- side with such an amazing and inspiring woman. Terri Gaffney is an ever present leader at any and all sites and she completes each project with a smile on her face. Mrs. Gaffney is one of our greatest support systems, whether it be cheering us on or being the great instructor she is. She strives to make us stronger women in all aspects of our lives. If anyone needs a pick-me-up, she is always there with a hug or an impromptu karaoke song. No one is a stranger to Mrs. Gaffney, and there is never a dull moment when she is around! We have all appreciated her hard work and great influence for the past 5 years. She is the adopted mother to all of us kids at Back Bay, and we couldn't imagine the week without her! With love, Jump Around, Baba Laxxy, and Beanie (Photo to the right by: Caballa de Guerra)

Great first day !!!

We got up and running and accomplished a lot in just our first day. Newbies are no longer newbies, as we soon meshed into a cohesive crew. We worked on a house on Wisteria Lane, right next dooor to the house built by the Elliott-Barnes crew 4 summers ago. This crew was led by Mrs. Gaffney and Mr. Barry, and G Money, Katniss, and Tiger Time did outstanding work, and the whole crew was great. And we had our first ever Mom and Son combination. Mr. Kuehner, Mr. Jedlicka, and Mr. Gaffney jumped in with a great group of eager workers to a house where the woman of the house needs to move in quickly and will be working all week to make this happen. Sk8er Girl, Jackal, and Beanie worked in an added second floor in the heat, but painted with passion all day. Mr. Bokern and new guy, Mr. Pahic tackled another painting job where all the students chipped in in the heat, and got up on ladders and handled the difficult task of painting over their hear. Ms. Bannes and Cassidy joined in after some food distribution duties. Finally, Mr. Kempf and everyone's new favorite, Mr. Poth started and completed a painting job in their first day. Cor Jesu students soon learned the unique humor and weirdness of Nerinx' own student leader, Chimpf Chompf.

An Interview with Katniss

Abby Cunningham, better known as Katniss, is on the St. Louis Biloxi Back Bay Mission for the first time this summer.She is most excited this week to be wearing her embroidered bandanna. She, however, is not as excited to see Mary Grace Barry with a nail gun. Abby decided to go on the trip this year because she thought it would be a fun way to spend a week of her summer. Motto of the week "No day but today." -Dewon

Share Kindness

Here is what Father Boyle said to the Creighton Class of 2009 (shout out to our own Blue Jay, Caballo de Guerra) What Martin Luther King said of “church” could well be said of your time at Creighton (or Nerinx or Cor Jesu). “It is not the place you go to. It is the place you go from.” And you go from here to create a community of kinship, such that God might recognize it. You go from here to bend the world to grace. You imagine a circle of compassion. And, then you imagine nobody standing outside that circle. And, to that end, you walk to the edges of the circle and you walk with those on the margins. And, you stand with the poor and the powerless and the voice-less. You stand with the easily despised and the readily left out. You stand with those whose burdens are more than they can bear. You stand, in fact, with the demonized, so that the demonizing will stop. You stand with the disposable, so the day will come when we stop throwing people away. You seek, as you leave this place, a kind of compassion that can stand in awe at what the poor have to carry, rather than stand in judgment at how they carry it. And, a great many people will look at you, standing at the margins and will accuse you of wasting your time. The Prophet Isaiah writes, “In this place of which you say, ‘It is a waste,’ there will be heard, again, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voices of those who sing.” You go from Creighton University (or Francis Park in St. Louis) to make those voices heard – in a sense new belonging and kinship.