The Perils of Ssali

Letter received via e-mail from Fr. Hattie on Ash Wednesday (March 5, 2014).

Above is a letter I received recently from Fr. Hattie. I took the liberty of using some software to sharpen the image and to give it a bluish-green tint in order to hearken back to the airmail letters that he used to send from Africa.

Below is my transcription of the letter. If you'd like to write to Fr. Hattie, he can be reached at:
EHattie@Ymail.com.

See the "Fr. Hattie Page" for more contact info, including where to send donations.
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Dear Rick:         Peace of Christ!

Here it is Ash Wednesday & Lent is already on us. So, before we get far into this Holy Season, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your latest Gift of $xx.xx, appreciated so much more because it was the only Gift that came in for the 2nd half of February. I am hoping & praying that, after the Tax Date is over, friends will open their purses...

I had told you that 1 of my old 'street kids' that I picked up many years ago when he was just 5 and without a single relative...& had tried to jump in front of a truck several times...was accused of causing financial loss to the Bank where he was manager. His Case lingered on for 2-1/2 years with no end in sight. Well, on Feb. 28 the case was dropped with no conditions. The bank was furious because they'll have to begin all over again to catch the thief.

Anyhow, last Sat. nite, 3 men forced entry into his house, blindfolded him & knocked him out with a blow on the head with a gun. They dropped him in the middle of a thick forest many miles away. He woke up at 1 A.M. with no idea where he was & had to walk from 1-5 A.M. & no one would help him, thinking him to be a thief.

He had to sell his cell phone for practically nothing to get $ for transport home. In the meantime, they ruined $1500.00 worth of chicken food, but touched nothing else. Thank God, his 3 cows and 450 chickens were spared. But, the guy's Faith & courage have been harmed.

Please thank God for the cancellation of the Case & pray for Ssali Denis that his Faith will not be abandoned. We'll wait to see where to go from here after he has seen his Lawyer, for the same thing could happen again.

Tons of love & gratitude,

Fr. Gene, SJ
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Written Sunday 9 March 2014