Dear Friends,
I have been known to write “this will just be a short note” and then go on to write a long letter. But this evening I will be true to my word if for no other reason than that I only have 2 days to go before I have to be ready to leave for home in my parish of St. Peter in Nkololo and there is still much to do.
I will go to Janesville, Wisconsin, sometime Wednesday afternoon or more likely evening. Usually last minute things to do delay my departure. When my mother was here, it was difficult to say goodbye to her, and now that she isn’t here, it is difficult to say goodbye to the house and be sure that I have closed it up properly.
I will fly out of Chicago at about 4 p.m. on Thursday 27 September and arrive in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania about 22 hours later. The thrill of flying that I had long ago is gone but I appreciate being able to arrive home in a very different world in such a short time.
Our Dr. Helena Sindano will be there to meet me. She will be in Dar es Salaam looking for a small ultra-sound machine and to get prices on operating theater equipment. Sad to say, I am returning without any funds to complete construction of our large building that will house two major operating theaters and one minor theater plus other necessary rooms. We will spend the weekend in Dar and on Monday fly to Mwanza, which is located in Tanzania at the foot of Lake Victoria.
Very good news is that my bishop assigned newly ordained Father Emmanuel Kahabi to St. Peter Parish. We worked together for 6 months when he was a seminarian last year. He did wonderful work. The parish has grown much too big for me to serve by myself.
My apologies to people who I did not contact by phone or pay a personal visit. I have good intentions when I arrive home but then run out of time.
Please visit our web site roadstolifetanzania.org where you can find more information about St. Peter Parish and our Divine Mercy Shrine.
Love and prayers to all,
Fr. Paul
pefagan@gmail.com
