: John Shimer
: Turn Right at the Dancing Cow A Miracle in Uganda!
: Book Publishers Network
: 9781937454708
: 1
: CHF 4.60
:
: Biographien, Autobiographien
: English
: 148
: DRM
: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
: ePUB
In one of the darkest, most hurting, and often overlooked corners of the world, one woman is showing a way out of misery, poverty, and pain. Holding up a beacon of light, Maggie Josiah offers an all-too-rare ray of hope to Ugandans grasping tenuously at the subsistence level. Carrying her own scars, Maggie knows suffering but also knows, regardless of one's past or current circumstances, anyone can transform his or her life. What she and her students do every day bears brave testament to her unwavering belief in the power we each hold. Through rough a chance encounter, John Shimer learned of Maggie's struggles, recovery, and fierce determination to help others. With her vision always before her, after visits to Africa and mentoring in fund-raising from John, Maggie made her dream a reality. She established African Hospitality Institute, or AHI, in Uganda to teach young people the skills needed to succeed in the hospitality industry. Continuing his support and remaining in touch with Maggie, John finally visited AHI. Turn Right at the Dancing Cow records John's two-week visit to AHI, looking back at how it came about as well as revealing incredible transformations-in Maggie, the students, the country, and even himself. With sensitivity, insight, and a sharp eye, John introduces us to the people of Uganda, especially the students at AHI who are so intent on succeeding that most secure positions in the hospitality industry even before graduation, this in a country with 30 percent unemployment.

Chapter 1 - In Search Of Lost Treasure


August 22, 2011

On July 26, 2010, I left this Earth for a period of time and went somewhere I had heard others talk about but never really believed in. While mountain biking that morning, I became dehydrated, passed out, and crashed, hitting the earth at thirty miles per hour—headfirst. A jogger found me unconscious. When the paramedics arrived, they began the drama of saving my life. But the drama of losing my life had just ended for me.

While away from“here,” I experienced something truly indescribable. That’s why it’s so hard to write about it. Others who have gone“there” will tell you they felt completely surrounded by unconditional love. It’s true. I felt it, too. I also experienced an inner peace and harmony that was beyond anything I had even imagined up to this point in my life. While the paramedics fought to bring me back to consciousness, I fought to remain where I was.

Where was I? Where had I just been? Here’s what I can tell you with certainty. I was not unconscious. I was very much aware of myself. I could see a bright light off in the distance, and I was traveling toward it. There was no fear and no panic. Just peace and a type of happiness I have never known on this Earth. I was also aware that my body was down there somewhere, and I was speeding away from it. I didn’t even want to look back at it. And then, with a tremendous shock, I was pulled back by the voice of someone asking me if I had a cell phone. That’s when I became unconscious and was yanked back into my badly damaged earthly body.

Weeks of ambivalence followed. I did not want to be here. I wanted to go back“there.” At times, I would actually experience my spirit leave my body. The medical team working with me said I had a severe brain injury. I was pretty sure I would never persuade them that what I had experienced was real. So I buried my thoughts and feelings about dying and what came afterwards to avoid repeated putdowns. It was frustrating enough to remember the experience of being“there.” Out-of-body episodes plagued me for weeks, and they were driving me crazy all by themselves. I didn’t need my medical team and family members piling on by reminding me I was brain-injured. So I avoided the topic after a few tries and seeing their skeptical reactions. Only my wife proved someone I could talk to without judgment.

***

This world’s stories about the search for hidden treasure have always stirred my imagination. I loved the Indiana Jones movies and have always read with relish books about ancient civilizations and their lost treasures. I never have known why. Then, this accident happened, and I discovered pure gold in a spiritual experience that no one really wants to hear about and I can’t even begin to adequately describe. Secretly, I wake up every morning still wistful to reconnect with“there.”“There” is now my lost treasure.“There” is really where I want to be. Not here.

But here I am. And I believe I am supposed to be here for a reason.

***

“We’ve been waiting for you.”

Even in her soft-spoken and welcoming words, I sensed a gently chiding, unspoken question:“What took you so long?”

I had just told Maggie Josiah, my friend and ten-year mentee, I was coming to graduation at African Hospitality Institute in Uganda, her amazing healing community. It was August 22, 2011.

“How far is African Hospitality Institute from Kampala?”

Maggie thought about this before answering.“About two hours by car or truck,” she said.“The first forty miles or so are on a fairly good road, but then you come to the dancing cow and have to make a right turn, traveling on a bumpy dirt road for about eleven miles. It’s really not a bad