From Angelina Jolie to George Clooney to Bono, celebrities from every bent have alerted us to the critical situation of violence, poverty, starvation, and the AIDS epidemic in Africa.

Fr. Gary Smith, a Jesuit priest from Oregon, is not of celebrity status, but that did not stop him from listening to the plight of the African people and spending six years living among and serving the Sudanese refugees.

They Come Back Singing, by Gary Smith, SJ, is his vivid, inspiring journal of the deep connections forged during the years he spent as a missionary with the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in Northern Uganda.

Smith knew from the outset that Africa was uncharted territory for him and a risky journey riddled with abject poverty, war, the terror of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), and a limited supply of essential resources. He saw first-hand the hopeless situation of the refugees and their unexpected strength and hope even in their most dire situations. Through the eyes of Gary Smith, SJ, we meet modern heroes from Africa who teach us that the most important gift of life is to give love and be loved no matter what suffering we endure.