Friday, August 5, 2022

CN | August(s) in Uganda: "I've Seen What Hope Can Do"


Sister Rosemary with Child, Sewing Hope Foundation

"I've seen what hope can do. And I've devoted the rest of my life to being that hope for as many people as I can." + Sister Rosemary, one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World


I have the privilege every first week of August to remember Uganda. Seven years ago, I was able to step into some of her history, be welcomed into her country, be loved by her people, and be blessed by children I know by name and face that my family gets to pray for as we support them and help provide their education from afar. 

To read about some of my unforgettable moments with some of these beautiful people along with others from Worcester who are part of Emmaus City Church and The Journey Church, you can check out these previous posts:

+ Uganda: The Boy on the Road to Lira 
+ Uganda: The Memory of Massacre in Barlonyo 
+ Uganda: Meeting Daughters and Sons of the King  
+ Uganda: Praying for Crazy Things Only God Can Do


In anticipating stepping back into those memories again this summer, God blessed me with another insight and source of wisdom from Uganda while I was reading When Faith Fails by Dominic Done. If you've read some recent posts, you might have caught other excerpts from Done's work that I've appreciated including "Days of Song on Spot of Scorched Earth" and "Wrestling with God in Doubt".

This post is in honor of a trip Done himself took to Uganda when he had the privilege to meet Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe who he describes as "the most remarkable woman I've ever met in my life." The Sewing Hope Foundation provides a brief bio and intro to Sister Rosemary along with the pics featured in this post:

For the last 30 years, Sister Rosemary of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus based in Juba, South Sudan, has answered the call to serve the least among us from the epicenter of a bloody and violent civil wars that decimated northern Uganda and South Sudan. Armed with only a sewing machine, Sister Rosemary openly defied Joseph Kony and the rebel soldiers and commanders of the Lord’s Resistance Army in their 20-year reign of terror. Since 2002, Sister Rosemary has enrolled more than 2,000 girls who had been previously abducted by the LRA or abandoned by their families. Anyone who steps foot on the grounds of the Saint Monica campus in Gulu, Uganda, will instantly recognize there are few other places on earth where a community of women learn to become self-reliant and change agents for peace and prosperity. Sister Rosemary has taught these brave girls to make their own clothes, grow their own food, learn a valuable trade, and show mercy to others that are less fortunate.

Sister Rosemary with Children, Sewing Hope Foundation

Below is the story of when Done himself met Sister Rosemary.

Sewing Hope in Uganda | Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe

The city of Gulu in northern Uganda has a tragic past and is still reeling from the devastation and chaos of war. Signs of trauma are everywhere. Beginning in the late 1980s through 2006, a violent, cult-like militia called the LRA, led by Joseph Kony, sprang up and ravaged the city. Homes were obliterated, people were murdered, 1.9 million were displaced from their homes, and 30,000 children were kidnapped.

Thirty thousand.

The number is staggering. These are young, innocent lives violently robbed of childhood and forced to become soldiers.

In recent years, Kony's army has been decimated and is no longer as severe a threat. Some say he is hiding somewhere in the jungles of the Congo. Most of his soldiers are either dead or have returned home.

The challenges for these former child soldiers are indescribable. Some of the boys, when they were first abducted, were forced to kill members of their own families. Some of the girls, now young women, have returned home with babies. The've known nothing but violence and bloodshed. And now, back in Gulu, they're trying to adjust to "normal" life.

But how could life ever be normal after that? How do you heal? How do you come to terms with your own pain? We met some of these former child soldiers and heard their stories. Words cannot express how tragic they were.

On our second night in the city, I was introduced to the most remarkable women I've ever met in my life: Sister Rosemary. In 2014 she was called one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World. In 2017 she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Her life is one of boundless sacrifice, forgiveness, hope, and courage. While Joseph Kony was terrorizing the region, she bravely and quietly fought back. She opened her convent for thousands of children who were seeking refuge. She refused to leave even when her life was in danger. She loved the city, serving it selflessly through its darkest days. She then started an all-girls school for former child soldiers. These women, shattered by the desolation of war, are now loved, mentored, and equipped with practical skills to help them readapt to life in the community. 
Sister Rosemary Carrying Child, Sewing Hope Foundation
Sister Rosemary radiates joy. It's like it can't be contained. It sparkles, flashes, builds up, and explodes out of her. She smiles and laughs constantly, and it's unbelievably contagious.

We sat down for a simple meal of rice and chicken, and within moments I was laughing too. And then it hit me. How could a woman who has personally experienced so much and witnessed unimaginable depths of suffering exude such authentic joy? How did she reconcile her faith with the brokenness of her city?

I had to ask her.

She, still smiling and with eyes beaming, began to answer. I'll never forget what she had to say. As I sat with her in Gulu, bearing all the questions and weight of the stories I had heard, she sat down her fork and told me that while ... 

she didn't know why there was so much suffering in the world, she still believed in a God who could restore what evil and sin had torn apart. 
She told me that love is greater than hate. 
She told me that forgiveness is stronger than bitterness. 
She told me that kindness can heal even the most devastated heart. 
She then said, "I've seen what hope can do. And I've devoted the rest of my life to being that hope for as many people as I can."


+ an excerpt from Chapter 7: Why Is the World So Broken in When Faith Fails by Dominic Done

For some more background as to why Sister Rosemary's story is so profound and powerful, please check out:

+ Time 100 Honoree Inspires Africa's Young Women (5+ minutes)
+ Sewing Hope Documentary Trailer (1+ minute)  
+ Sewing Hope | Rosemary Nyirumbe | TED (14+ minutes) 
+ Sewing Hope Biography by Reggie Whitten and Nancy Henderson

And for some more introductions to recent women in history who have profoundly impacted the world, check out glimpses into the lives of:




With presence, peace, and many blessings,

Rev. Mike “Sully” Sullivan


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Location: Worcester, MA, USA

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