“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Last semester, as we sat for our first exam, a classmate who had been experiencing episodes of depression couldn’t sit for his papers. We had prayed and hoped for his return. He didn’t make it back. Focused on this sad moment, we forgot about another student who was missing. I vividly remember the cloud of sadness that descended upon the exam room when we eventually noticed. How could we not have seen this earlier? We had forgotten about someone struggling just as much. This student, burdened with a considerable debt and having collected some money, had lost hope and switched his phone off. He was later found in his hostel, simply sleeping through the exam period, possibly praying, hurting, or trying to self-soothe. These are but some of the numerous hard times we find ourselves going through.

Njangali was ordained as the first female deacon in East Africa on September 10, 1973. This outraged a number of lay people and priests who believed it not biblical to ordain a woman. Although she was never fully priested, her ordination broke the ecclesiastical glass ceiling, paving the way for future generations of women in ministry, and in 1983, Bishop Festo Kivengere of Kigezi ordained three women as priests.

My first encounter with real, emotional pain was on the day my dad called me and my brothers together to tell us our mum was going to a private mental health hospital in Sydney to get better. Very simply put, Mum battled with feelings of depression.

Mulangira explains to the congregation that they too are part of the bus and should be careful in how they live their lives. The drama portrays how short life is and the importance of being pure within. It also teaches us that not everyone in a position of power and influence is living a sincere life. 

“As you nurture yourself, family and friends spiritually, it is important for us to remember that the purposes we have need a healthy body.”