I am looking back at the spring just behind us with gratitude for the many gifts, including these May gifts:
- A beautiful BLI USA board meeting: a celebration, first for the opportunity to meet face to face–after over a year–thanks to the Covid 19 vaccines; secondly, and most significantly, celebrating the formal launch of the BLI program! Much to be grateful for. It was also an opportunity to review BLI’s 5 year strategic plan! See some pictures from the board meeting below. And check out this album to see what is happening on the ground at BLI. Remember you can follow BLI or sign up for our newsletters at https://bethanylandinstitute.org/.
- The incredible surprise of finding myself featured in the May Issue of Global Briefing – a monthly newsletter of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) UN office, which is run by my friend and former colleague, Chris Rice!
- Emma Ziegler, my research assistant’s graduation from Notre Dame! Congratulations Emma!! I will very much miss Emma, and her gifts, but I am happy to know she will remain connected. Emma is planning to spend some time at BLI in Uganda later this month, and then moving to New York City, to work with Catholic Migration Services before hopefully joining law school!
Finally, summer is here. I am heading to Uganda, while continuing to monitor the situation on the ground there. With a recent spike in Covid 19 cases, the country has been placed under partial lockdown for 42 days: schools are closed, faith and other gatherings prohibited, interdistrict travel is suspended. What is sad is that while in the US, companies and organizations are appealing, enticing and in some cases, even paying for people to get vaccinated, no vaccines are available in Uganda. (The first 18 million doses of AstraZeneca having run out!) I would love to see all the unused vaccines in the US shipped to countries where they are most needed!
While in Uganda, I plan to take some much needed rest, work with BLI, and participate in the East Africa Great Lakes Leadership Institute, where I will be speaking on “the work of lament for such a time as this.” (See below.)
May you have a blessed and restful summer.
EK
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