Thanksgiving - Ushukuru

This year has brought many changes for me - moving to a new country, learning a new language, and relocating to a new home are the big ones. I spent this Thanksgiving with the seven other Maryknoll Lay Missioners in Kenya.

John led a morning of reflection which was really helpful for me. We spent time reflecting on the challenges and then on the accomplishments and moments of joy in 2010. I know some of you will appreciate my list. First - the challenges:

• Feeling insecure, unsure of direction and competence
• Missing people
• Building new relationships
• It's HOT! Adjusting to a new place
• Not understanding conversations going on around me
• Not understanding conversations I'm involved in
• Not meeting my own expectations
• Understanding complex situations and people's realities
• The disparity between the rich and the poor
• Quieting myself
• ANTS

When we were reflecting on our challenges, another person mentioned seeing challenges as the art of the possible. I realized at the end of this discussion that I need to stop trying so hard. Easier said than done.

Accomplishments and moments of joy ... hopefully you can guess which are which:

• Sunrises
• Colorful lizards jumping up and down our outdoor stairs
• "Mungu Yupo" - God is here.
• Being able to sing along in Swahili, even if only for the refrain
• Making people laugh
• Peacefulness, when it comes
• the breeze
• Seashells and sand
• Driving (definitely an accomplishment, not a joy)
• Forgiveness
• Honesty
• Feeling deeply
• Meeting people at home, where they are at
• the drums beating at Mass, the rhythm reverberating within
• New relationships with my co-workers
• Persistence in continuing to try in Swahili (they say it will get easier?)
• Letting go
• Basil (the only plant still surviving from my "long rains" garden)

Here's a few moments in November that I'm thankful for ...
Sunrise at Mombasa Beach Hotel - I was invited there for a three-day meeting on Governance and Board Capacity Building. It was much more interesting than the title sounds ... and a real blessing to fall asleep and wake up to the ocean.

Friends! We were able to see Sr Genie who was in our Orientation Class last year. Cindy and John have been my family here in Kenya and I am grateful for every moment with them.


Being able to make my mom's bran muffins. A taste of home.

The "short rains" garden on the stairs ... and thanks to Julie sending me 3M non-slip tape, I hope not to fall down these stairs for the third time!

Watching the sunrise from my roof


Walking on the beach with new friends and colleagues

Rain, the waves, and watching the ships come in and out of the port.

The long-awaited driver's license ... 7 months after I applied. The temporary paper one worked in between. I am still asking people to "pray me home" when out driving. Its' a jungle out there on the main streets of town.


Our Maryknoll community in Kenya

Finally, I give thanks for all of you who are staying in touch, remembering me in your thoughts and prayers, or continuing to love and support me in spite of the distance.

With much gratitude,
Mary

Mitihani - Exams!

This week is the week of exams for students across Kenya. Two groups of children are taking their exams: Std 8 (8th grade) and Form 4 (Seniors in High School)

The Form 4 students are finishing up three weeks of testing on all their subjects this week. The combined and subject scores will determine whether they can 1) get to go to the university and 2) which subject they can study - too low or too high can disqualify you for your subject of choice. If you are over-qualified, the Joint Application Board for the Kenyan universities will suggest a different line of study for you. Unless you have money to pay extra (which the children we are supporting don't), you have to take the course you are invited to. We have six students taking their KCSE.

Please remember them and send your best wishes for their future our way:
Benson
Collins
Mirriam
Mwanzara
Dennis
Victor

Standard 8 students are taking the KCPE exam Tues to Fri this week. The overall score they get will determine if they can continue on to secondary school (high school) and which school they can attend. Thus, this is a time of great stress and importance for them. We have thirteen children taking the exam this week. Please pray for them:
Ali
Boniface
Bonaventure
Caren
Emmanuel
Gift
Joseph
Joyce
Lucas
Mwangangi
Neema
Stephen
Valentine

Next week I am meeting with the board of my project. We will be looking at finances, governance of the project, and selecting which new students we will support next year. We have had over 40 requests for assistance. Based on our finances, I am hoping we might be able to help half of them, but it might be more like one third. I realized this past week I need to not take myself so seriously, as I've been stressed about trying to get the most information for us to make the best decisions.

It seems as though each day I'm working out a puzzle. Sometimes new pieces appear, others become more clear, and sometimes I realize I've been putting them in the wrong places and that the puzzle is much more complicated than I thought.

The solution seems that it might not be solving the puzzle. What I keep running into is the word compassion. Dorothy Day said "The only solution is Love." Sr. Joyce Rupp wrote in the daily reflections I've been reading that her life goal is to be a compassionate presence in the world.

May we all be more compassionate.

Home Visits - Kuwatembelea watu nyumbani

These past few weeks I've been doing many home visits.

We are preparing for our annual board meeting where we will discuss how many new children we can assist next year. We already have 44 new families looking for assistance - most of them for secondary school, as that is when school becomes out of reach for many. The average we've paid for a student to enter a public high school this year was almost $200, including school fees, uniform, and basic reference books. Most of our clients live in simple mud homes or are struggling to pay rent of $10 to $20 per month and put food on the table.

Since many things are still new to me, including this process, I am struggling to get as much information as I can to help the board in what will be a very challenging discussion - which ones we will be able to support, and which we will put on a waiting list until we get additional funds, and which ones we believe can manage without our support.

This visits give me much to think about - from the conversations about shared responsibility, the hope of not giving false impressions or making promises that cannot be kept, attempting to understand the situation, the struggle to find the right words in Swahili and not to forget to ask one of the many questions I have.

The larger HIV-support program I work with, CBHC, Community Based Health Care, had visitors this past week from a donor organization. As I was working with the social workers who accompany me on the home visits, I was surprised and disappointed by the arrogance and unprofessional behavior I saw from the visitors. It made me wonder how I can be a better guest when I visit people in their homes.

I didn't have anyone come trick-or-treating this Halloween, since it isn't celebrated here. In honor of the festivities back home, I thought I'd post my first recipe from Mombasa. Sorry it doesn't include chocolate. Cashew nuts are grown here along the coast of Kenya.

Cashew Nutty Green Beans by Mary

Ingredients

fresh green beans, 1-2 cups, cleaned, ends trimmed

fresh ginger, about ½ inch square after peeled

onions, 2 medium size or 1 large

sherry or red wine, if you have it, 1 Tbsp

soy sauce, 2 Tbsp

sugar, 1 tsp

oil, 2 Tbsp

water

unsalted cashew nuts, 1/3 cup or more if you like them

honey, about one big spoonful

Directions

1. Clean the green beans so they are ready to go.

2. Chop the onions into thin rings or small pieces.

3. Chop the ginger into small pieces. If you have a garlic press, you can use it, too.

4. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onions, and stir. After a few minutes, add the ginger.

5. Mix the soy sauce, sherry/wine, and sugar in a bowl.

6. Add the green beans to the onions and saute. After a couple minutes, add the soy sauce mixture.

7. If the onions, etc, seem to be sticking to the pan, add a little water and cover to allow the green beans to get to desired texture. I like them a little crunchy.

8. In a separate pan, heat the cashew nuts until they start to brown. No oil is needed, but keep stirring them or shaking the pan. Add the honey to cover the nuts and continue to stir until they are well-covered.

9. Add the cashew nuts to the beans and serve.

Enjoy a piece of Halloween candy for me!

Gratitude - Shukrani

It's October and I am missing the season of fall.

Here in Mombasa, the weather is getting hot. Jua ni kali is often said now - the sun is hot. But I'm told the heat is yet to come ... December, January, February should be the worst of it.

Tonight I am feeling gratitude. For many things, here's a few to share:

For the ocean breeze

• For the price war between phone companies that made it affordable to call my little brother on his birthday today
• For being allowed into people's lives and homes
• For being here in Mombasa
• For friends
• For the time to learn a new language
• For the patience of many
• For a comfortable home
• For the children I am getting to know
• For the many people who volunteer their time for others
• For the children's counselor who doesn't give up hope
• For the donors who enable me to be here
• For those sacrificing to pay school fees for children not their own
• For faith to believe in possibilities

• For the kids living with HIV who have the courage to talk about it

• For the unique and interesting cultures in Mombasa and throughout the world

Oct 17th was Vijayadashami, the Hindu celebration of good over evil.

• For peaceful moments to marvel at the goodness around me

Happy Birthday to all the October people!
Mary

Dreaming and a Bucket Brigade

Dreaming of Peace - with a "problem tree" with root causes and the resulting branches

I've had some crazy dreams since arriving in Kenya, but last month I was part of a strategic planning meeting where we were asked to do a bit of day-dreaming. We were to dream of what we saw as the ideal church - and not meaning just the church building, but the church as people, as what we experience, who we are, and what we offer. After dreaming, we shared our dreams with each other and talked about what we saw as priorities.

I heard many commonalities and exciting suggestions, some of which are already in the works. I could also see within the vision, the work I am doing in serving vulnerable children and helping them grow to be self-reliant through education.

Part of my dream didn't have such a clear connection to my work. In this dream, I see the church as to be a place of reconciliation, and we, as church, using the grace that allows us t0 figure out how to have right relationships, to be compassionate and understand each other in spite of our differences. Something more for me to think about: in our world full of disparity, seemingly endless conflicts, and differences among people for so many reasons, how can I be a person of reconciliation?

In my work, I am now doing a number of home visits, which I'll talk about another day. One local product which one of the community health workers had in her home was a lantern made from a tin can and a piece of a rubber sandal for the switch. Impressive!





Last weekend, I participated in a Children's Mass with over 1000 kids. It was pretty amazing. They had one little guy directing the choir, girls carrying pots of burning incense on their heads, and boys dressed as traditional warriors with cardboard shields in the procession. Afterward, they served all with pilau in what you could call a "food brigade." There were two lines of 30 adults passing hundreds of plates of food hand to hand until everyone was served.

The conductor was standing on a table so everyone could see him,

the girls were dancing while they processed,


and these guards took their roles very seriously.

the bucket ... or food brigade

Other interesting sights from Mombasa: Fire dancing! A group of young men are trying to make a living by performing with balls of fire on chains.
It's beautiful, mesmerizing, and a little stressful for those in the front row.


Tonight I'll be dreaming of an ant-free kitchen - at least free of ants that bite. I suppose I have an unfair size advantage, but they appear to be winning. Tomorrow I'm buying chili powder to see if that works.

Wishing you all pleasant dreams!

Connections

I'm not always sure what's noteworthy or rather blogworthy, but tonight three moments captured my thoughts as I was preparing to call it day.

They both revolve around connections. Life here sometimes seems not so different than life in other places. I wonder what I'll make for dinner, what's clean to wear tomorrow, or where time went since I once again didn't get as much done as I hoped. In other ways, life is very different. The reminders of the disparity between the rich and the poor. Leprosy in faces on the street bringing stories that seemed of old to be in the here-and-now. Challenges of living in a different culture.

Tonight I was reminded of the things that ground me, that make me remember who I want to be and why I am here. It has something to do with connections.

The first connection is to the earth. I love watching things grow. I am trying once again in my garden, since the first attempt during the long rains was not so fruitful, to put it lightly. The short rains are upon us, with morning downpours filling the streets and dousing any daring to be out. I am planting seeds from three different people who know me well and their love reminds me of how blessed I am.

The other connections today were brief moments, but just as significant.

I went with a Focolare group to visit a home for children rescued from situations of sexual violence. It was the first service trip planned this year and we were working from the seat of our pants with what to do to entertain the twenty children once we were there. I was impressed by the impromptu stand-up comedy skit and poem recited bringing laughter and lessons on life. I offered to lead a game and had everyone make a circle "duara" - today's new word. Before I could even explain the rules, the little guy next to me was hanging on to my hand as if I was his new best friend. Here he was not even up to my elbow and had experienced what no one should. We had gone there to show these kids love. Instead I was reminded of how simple love can be.

This evening I was able to help our property owner with a small favor as she prepares to leave the country tomorrow to see her sister. Her sister is not well with emergency surgery planned to see if they can save her life. As I offered my condolences and prayers with a brief hug, the clinging response was a reminder of how precious life is. Her words went something like "we stay together" - different words, different languages, different backgrounds and different generations but we stay together and hold each other up when we can. Please remember her sister and all who are suffering with your thoughts and prayers.

Our group today, visiting Mahali pa Usalama - Place of Peace
Visiting friends from Los Angeles bring connections home. Asante sana kwa kuja! Thanks so much for coming, Pia & Anselm! Read about the Varni's visit by clicking here.
And finally, comic relief.
Sometimes you have to really look to see the connections.

Thank you to all my connections. Wishing you enough of what you need.
Mary

Back to School - Wamerudi shuleni

It's back to school time here in Kenya, too! It's not a new school year, but the students have had one month of break. The school year starts in January, with three month-long breaks in April, August and December.

This was the first such break since I settled into my work here in Mombasa. I really enjoyed getting to know more of the kids. All of them live with family members or "well-wishers", so I usually only see them when we have a workshop or when they bring their report or come to the office with a request.

When the project has had funds available, workshops have been held during the break time on issues relevant to their lives as orphans. We have two trained facilitators who lead sessions in self-awareness, self-esteem and life choices - called Adventures Unlimited.

This month we had a one-day workshop for the children in primary school. In the afternoon, the children were split into groups based on their age. The younger children met with counselors to talk about issues they were concerned about.

Mrs Mary Bahati listening to the children in a small group session.

This month I added a Career Talk with the Education Coordinator for the older students who will be taking their final exam in primary school next year. Early in the year they will need to preference which school they want to attend, if they meet the entrance requirement.

Education Coordinator Angela Mumo talking about career choices.

I was really fortunate that my fellow missioner Dr Susan Nagele was available to attend this session as well. She told them her story and encouraged them to believe in themselves.

Counselor Elizabeth Mugo met individually with the children to give them an opportunity to talk about any concerns they have.

One of the joys this month has been the students who come to the office for studying. Theresia is working with me on a trial project of making note cards. We weren't able to finish before she went back to school, so we'll try again in December.

We have an old donated desktop computer which the children can use to practice typing or learning computer basics. It was fun teaching them about how to create files and get started typing. One of the boys (pictured below) kept working on typing - even after the monitor died. I hope to get another used one donated, since my priority for donations is to take another child into the project over having a new computer.

We also have a small library with used textbooks and reading materials the students can check out. It's been helpful to have review books for courses the children are struggling in.

Many of our children are struggling in school. I am still learning about all the factors that affect their performance (for example: lack of electricity or oil for lamps to study at night, household chores, poor nutrition, stress, bad home situations, etc.) I know many of these are out of our reach, but hope to see what we can do to help the children reach more of their potential.

Last Friday I had a woman who is HIV+ come with her son, who got the disease at birth and now has learning difficulties. He is now in a special school nearby the office that I hope to visit and find out more about his situation and how we might be able to assist him in either education or skills training. He is a really sweet boy, quick to smile and good-natured in spite of challenges in front of him. They came late in the day; I had almost left earlier and missed them. His mother is so committed to caring for him and certain that God is caring for us all. It was hard for me to listen to her thank God for me being here, knowing that what she does for her son is more than I could ever do. Although we only spoke in Swahili so I missed some of what she said, I could feel more than I could hear about her strength and her faith.

Wishing all children an opportunity to reach their potential this fall - and for those of us who are still learning in other ways to see new possibilities.
Mary