They Come Back Singing: Finding God with the Refugees - Softcover

Smith, Gary

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0829427015 ISBN 13: 9780829427011

Publisher: Loyola Press, 2008

Synopsis

For years, Gary Smith, a Jesuit priest, led a familiar life in the Pacific Northwest. Then, one day in 2000, he left that life behind to spend six years among Sudanese refugees struggling to survive in refugee camps in northern Uganda. He traveled to this dangerous, pitiless place to be with these forsaken people out of a conviction that “Jesuits should be going where no one else goes.”
Smith’s journal is a vivid, inspiring account of the deep connections he forged during his life-changing experience with the Sudanese refugees in Uganda. Along the way, he discovered a suffering people who, despite being displaced by a brutal civil war, find the strength to let go of the many and deep sorrows of the past.
Ultimately, They Come Back Singing is a window to the spiritual life and growth of a priest whose generous spirit and genuine love allow him to serve—and be served—in truly extraordinary ways.

About this title

Book Description:

A moving and inspiring account of one priest’s
life-changing experience among
Sudanese refugees.
 

In 2000, Gary Smith, a Jesuit priest, left a familiar life in the Pacific Northwest to live among Sudanese refugees struggling to survive in refugee camps in northern Uganda. He traveled to this dangerous, pitiless place to be with these forsaken people out of a conviction that “Jesuits should be going where no one else goes.” But he also went to discover the answer to a question many of us ask: What is most important in life? For Smith, the answer came down to connecting with other human beings, to relationships—“to being loved and giving in love.”
Smith’s journal is a vivid, inspiring account of the deep connections he forged during his six years with the refugees in Uganda. Along the way, he discovers a suffering people who, despite being displaced by a brutal civil war, find the spiritual strength to let go of the many and deep sorrows of the past. Smith is both a witness to and a teacher of how the Holy Spirit’s power provides this spiritual strength to move forward.

Gary Smith, SJ, worked for six years with the Jesuit Refugee Service in Sudanese refugee camps in Uganda. He is the author of Radical Compassion: Finding Christ in the Heart of the Poor, an account of his ministry to the poor, disabled, and needy in Portland, Oregon.

From the Back Cover:

In a discouraging and dangerous place,
he found a people of amazing faith and forgiveness.

For years, Gary Smith, a Jesuit priest, led a familiar life in the Pacific Northwest. Then, one day in 2000, he left that life behind to spend six years among Sudanese refugees struggling to survive in refugee camps in northern Uganda. He traveled to this dangerous, pitiless place to be with these forsaken people out of a conviction that “Jesuits should be going where no one else goes.”
Smith’s journal is a vivid, inspiring account of the deep connections he forged during his life-changing experience with the Sudanese refugees in Uganda. Along the way, he discovered a suffering people who, despite being displaced by a brutal civil war, find the strength to let go of the many and deep sorrows of the past.
Ultimately, They Come Back Singing is a window to the spiritual life and growth of a priest whose generous spirit and genuine love allow him to serve—and be served—in truly extraordinary ways.

“Read this remarkable journal for an intimate look at one of the most
important humanitarian and religious issues of our time.”
—James Martin, SJ, author of This Our Exile: A Spiritual Journey with the Refugees of East Africa

Gary Smith, SJ, worked for six years with the Jesuit Refugee Service in Sudanese refugee camps in Uganda. He is the author of Radical
Compassion: Finding Christ in the Heart of the Poor, an account of his ministry to the poor and disabled in Portland, Oregon.

 

About this edition

• Publisher: Loyola Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0829427015
• ISBN 13: 9780829427011
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 248