Fr John
我從未想過自己會有一天參與如此深刻改變生命的事件。今年九月初，我正在布武馬島的家鄉村莊休養。一天晚上，當天色已暗、四周靜謐，我正準備休息時，手機突然亮起。我收到一則訊息，請求我回撥。原來是維多利亞湖齊魯島的教理講授員勞倫斯。他十分焦急，說有一位產婦正面臨臨盆，急需送往本島的醫院，他希望我能協助安排交通。
感謝天主的眷顧，我認識島上兩位擁有船隻的朋友。我立刻撥通其中一人的電話，但他剛結束一天的捕魚，正熟睡中。我對他說：「馬修，我需要你的幫助。請你立即用你的船，送一位產婦到本島醫院。」馬修雖然迷迷糊糊，但立刻答應了。他說：「我可以幫忙，但我沒有引擎，平常需要租用。」於是我又撥通另一位朋友史蒂芬的電話，他有引擎，但缺汽油。我請他設法找到汽油，他立即聯絡朋友，最終三人合作，成功準備好船隻。
我再次回電給勞倫斯，告訴他船已準備妥當。他卻接著問：「那摩托車怎麼辦？」我不解地問：「用來做什麼？」他解釋道：「這位產婦住在離海岸約兩英里的地方，她無法自己走到那裡。」聽到這裡，我又聯絡了島上的一位教友，他擁有摩托車。這位教友毫不猶豫，在黑夜中騎車上路，沿著崎嶇不平的道路，按勞倫斯的指引，將產婦接送到海岸。當時已是深夜，漆黑無光，但他們成功將產婦安置在船上，開始了約一小時的船程。
然而，事情還沒結束。我聯絡了住在坎帕拉的一位朋友，他擁有一輛日產皮卡車。幸運的是，他車上還有柴油，立即從首都出發，開了一小時趕到海岸。當他抵達時，船隻剛好靠岸。利用車燈的光，他們小心翼翼地將產婦送上車，準備駛向醫院。不料，剛上路沒多久，孩子已迫不及待要出生了！
情急之下，他們找到了一間小診所，正巧有一位助產士在附近。凌晨兩點半，這位助產士順利協助產婦迎接新生命——一個健康的男嬰誕生了！孩子出生後，助產士建議他們儘快前往設備完善的醫院，因為診所無法提供後續的照護。我的朋友再次載著母子及兩位助手，顛簸地行駛一小時，終於抵達穆科諾鎮的醫院。在清晨五點，他們順利抵達，母子都得到了完善的醫療照顧。感謝天主的恩典，母子平安，小男嬰取名為保祿（Paul）。
這次救援行動的成功，全靠天主的聖手引領，讓許多善心人協力完成。每一位被聯絡到的人，都毫不猶豫地伸出援手。無論是船隻、引擎、汽油、摩托車，還是最後的皮卡車與助產士，他們都成為天主安排的工具，在需要的時刻奉獻出自己的一份力量。
第二天，我聯繫了所有幫忙的人，感謝他們在這場愛的行動中所做的一切。每個人都充滿喜悅，為能參與這場救援感到光榮。這次經歷讓我深刻體會到福音的呼召依然鮮活有力。我們每個人都受召去愛與服務他人，而有時候，只需要那一通電話，就能喚醒我們內心的信仰，轉化為具體的行動。
我相信，這一切都源於天主的計劃。祂用祂的聖手，將不同背景、不相識的人串聯起來，完成這場愛的奇蹟。每個人都盡了自己的那一份本分，而天主讓這份努力結出了美好的果實。這讓我想起《若望福音》第二章，耶穌在加納婚宴上行的奇蹟。當酒用盡時，人們找到聖母瑪利亞，然後她請求耶穌。耶穌吩咐僕人把水缸注滿水，最後將水化為美酒。
在這個故事裡，我們每個人都像那些僕人一樣，做著自己力所能及的事——倒滿水，而天主則負責讓這水化為美酒。當我們將自己的信德付諸行動，天主必會透過我們完成祂的旨意。願光榮歸於天主，因為祂的愛，無時無刻不在我們中間運行。
Hold on tight, Help is on the way !
I never thought for a minute in my life that I would be coordinating a life changing situation. It happened early September this year while I was on sabbatical in my home village in Buvuma Island. When the lights were just off and I was resting for the night, I saw a light on my phone and a message asking me to call back. It was Lawrence, the catechist from Ziiru Island in Lake Victoria. He was asking for help. A pregnant woman was in labor and needed to be transported as soon as possible and the catechist wanted my help to get transportation for her to go to a hospital on the mainland.
I happened to know two guys who owned wooden boats on Ziiru island. I called one of them and he was in a deep sleep because he had been fishing all day. “Mathew, I need your help. I need you to get your boat and take a lady to the mainland right now." Matthew responded, “Ok, but I have no engine. I just have a boat. I usually rent an engine from someone. I have the boat though." Then I called another guy Steven, whom I knew and he had an engine. He answered and said he had the engine but no gasoline. I asked him to find gasoline. He called a friend, and in the end the three men connected and made the boat ready.
I called Lawrence back and told him the boat was ready. He asked, “What about the motorcycle?" I asked, “for what?" “Well,” Lawrence continued, “the woman in labor lives about two miles away from the shoreline, and she is in no condition to take the long walk.” I called another parishioner on the island, who has a motorbike. He was able to wake up and ride to the village, in the darkness on bumpy roads where he was directed by Lawrence, and brought the woman in labor to the shoreline. Here they found the boat. It was about midnight, as dark as darkness can be on a moonless night. Once they arrived, they put the woman in the boat for the about an hour boat ride. So far so good.
My job was not done yet. I called my friend from Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, who owns a Nissan pickup truck. Luckily he had diesel fuel and he woke up and drove an hour from the city to the shoreline. When he arrived, the boat with the woman in labor and three people had just landed. Using the headlights of the pickup, they carefully put the woman in labor on the back of the truck and started their way to the hospital. In less than ten minutes, they said the baby could not wait.
So they looked for a nearby clinic and luckily there was a midwife nearby and came to their help. But all she could do was to deliver the baby. The baby was born around 2:30 am, but the facility was not equipped for further assistance for both the newborn and the mother. They were discharged from this makeshift clinic and my friend drove both the newborn and mother, and two helpers to the hospital about an hour away in the nearest town called Mukono. The ride there was rough because there were plenty of potholes on the road. Luckily with the help of God, they arrived around 5 am to a facility where they were able to receive proper medical care. As of late, both the baby and the mom are doing well. The baby boy was named Paul and he is doing well.
The success of this entire drama was made possible through the coordination of many people. Everyone who was contacted offered some assistance. If they did not know what to do they knew someone who knew. My role was to make phone calls to coordinate these people and finally we all made it possible. The next day, I was able to get in touch with all the people who helped and everyone was joyful for being able to do their part. It was a team effort of love and care. It was a situation whereby people heard of the need and woke up in the middle of that night to do something about it. In a way I learned a lesson that the call of the gospel to be present to one another is still alive. Sometimes, all we need is that phone call to awaken our faith and put it into action. I can see it was God’s handwriting in the night that connected all these dots of strangers to come together for the common good. Each individual was called into action, and did his part willingly without prior knowledge of what was to come. Lawrence the catechist, the boat owner, the engine owner, the gasoline vendor, the truck driver, the motorcycle owner, the midwife, and other helpers were all guided by the hand of God, to accomplish something beautiful. I believe when each one of us does our part, that’s all we have to do. It reminded me of the story of the miracle at Cana in Chapter 2 of John’s gospel where people saw that there was no more wine. They went to Mary the mother of Jesus. Jesus responded. The people poured the water and in the end wine was created. In a way, all we have to do is pour water and God will make the wine happen.
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