This little light of mine

The song "This Little Light of Mine" has taken on new meaning for me in the last two weeks. I knew it as a children's song from Bible school many years ago. Now it is a joyful memory of Coralis, my mentor and friend, who left Mombasa today for another chapter in her life story.

After returning from the airport , I was doing a bit weeding-therapy in my shamba (garden), about which I will post on another day, and reflecting on some of the things I learned from Coralis about mission.

+ Sometimes people just need someone to listen.
+ Things take time. Don't rush them.
+ Be present.
+ We can come to know God more deeply in all we do.
+ Be one with the car.

I will add more as they come to me. It has been an incredible privilege to know and work with Coralis. She is a woman of deep faith, many versatile talents, and great hospitality. She will be greatly missed in Mombasa.

It's common for women to be called Mama here, usually followed by the name of the mother's first child. Coralis is fondly called Mama Paulo. For me, we decided that my new name would be Mama Bado ... or Mama Not-Yet.

Coralis with some of the children in the AIDS Orphans Project

Nenda salama - Go in peace. I know your light will continue to shine.

Moments of Life - Maisha

I was thinking tonight of several moments from the past days. I don't know of an equivalent phrase in Swahili, so I am sticking with just maisha, which means life.

• having a police officer help me move the car off the road by directing nearby men to Sukuma! (Push!)
• being told by a Kenyan "that's life!" and being humbled in realizing that my challenges are so small relative to those I serve
• drinking uji (porridge - like liquidy malt-o-meal) this afternoon in the support group for pre-teen kids that have all been HIV+ since they were born, laughing with them as we said "cheers" in as many languages as I could come up with
• singing songs I don't really know and somewhat out of tune with new friends
• making my new colleagues laugh
• being honored to hear someone's story

These have been some of the moments that give me hope. There have been challenging moments, too, especially realizing that there are not easy answers.

Photos of life in Mombasa:

Joyful faces of our kids, showing off the prizes of lollipops from the Education for Life workshop

Most days I take a matatu, or mini-bus like these to work. They conveniently stop anywhere on their route - which is hazardous for a new driver like me trying to avoid a collision.

Tuk-tuks are also available for a ride - 65 cents will get you most anywhere in town, & another group of vehicles to watch for while driving.
Behind the tuk-tuk, you see a hand cart, which men earn a living by transporting goods, an incredibly demanding line of work.

Most of our children live (with their guardians & families) in rental units that would be one room of these structures. If you look at the spacing of the windows, you could see how big one room might be. The clothes drying on the line made me think of everyday life.

Being on the coast, every once in awhile, there's a glimpse of incredible beauty and the wonder of creation.

Another image of life in Mombasa. Many people try to make a living selling items along the street. Here there are tomatoes on the bottom right and coconuts heaped in the bottom center.

My heart has been heavy this week as one of my cousins was laid to rest after a fight with cancer. My thoughts are with his mom, his siblings and his wife.

Life is so precious.

The Visitation

Yesterday we celebrated what we call in English, the Visitation, reading the story of a pregnant Mary going to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, who was also pregnant. This story is one that I find moving for a variety of reasons.

The idea of the two of them supporting one another. I imagine them drawing strength from each other. They both were facing unusual circumstances, one pregnant in her old age and the other out of wedlock. I find myself grateful for all those who have supported me in my transition here in Mombasa.

The second idea that really struck me yesterday was the time of expectation - the time in which change has already begun but also knowing that there is more to be - the time of preparation and of growth that happens during a pregnancy. So while there are many differences in their story and in mine, I saw those parallels. My work has begun, but I know it will be evolving. I am still preparing for more, learning my way around town, trying to improve my language skills, reading the family history of the many children in the project and hoping to remember their faces when they come to the office at the next term break. I know there will great life and growth in this experience for me.

A couple other moments to share accompanied by photos:

Tabitha

One of the joys of the project I am working on is seeing young people succeeding. Tabitha is one of the success stories of the project. She graduated from high school this past year, scored very well on the national exam, and is hoping to study Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Kenyatta University next year. The Archdiocese prepared a video about her and we visited her family home. As she told me on the way, it's a simple home, but it's theirs. I am so proud of her and hope she finds a way to reach her dreams.

At home with Tabitha and her family. Her nephew has a beautiful smile that the photo didn't capture.

A week ago, my new parish, the Holy Ghost Cathedral, celebrated Mass outside, as Pentecost is the feast day of the Holy Spirit. Three different groups of children danced.


After the service, the bishop invited us to the front to introduce ourselves. He told everyone that Coralis is leaving (and tried to make her commit to coming back!) and welcomed Susan & I to the archdiocese. I managed to give a speech that sounded like I know Swahili ...

Another lesson I've been shown here repeatedly is hospitality - Both Fr Kengah (far right) and Coralis have been taking foreigners under their wings and teaching with their gentle ways.

Eating Swahili style - on the floor with our hands

This photo shows my fellow missioners, Pat and Ilona, with our newpaper guy, Joseph. Joseph told me on Sunday that it makes him happy to see me. I didn't tell him that I got all emotional the week before that when he gave me the Swahili newspaper as a gift to help me learn more. He has been a patient Swahili instructor so I always chat with him when ever I am passing by his stand.

And by request, a photo of our backyard. The tree with the palm leaves is a coconut tree with the neighborhood crows who serve as my alarm clock. The large tree in the back right is a mango tree (laden with many large mangoes), and directly beneath it, with the thin straight trunk is a papaya tree. The bushes in front right are jasmine, which the owners harvest as buds to sell locally.

Wishing you a wonderful June!

My new project work - Kazi yangu mpya ya mradi

After months of packing, traveling, studying, and unpacking - it's time to get to work!

My new work is coordinating a project called Maryknoll Fathers AIDS Orphans Project in the Archdiocese of Mombasa. It was started in 1999. I am assuming it from another missioner who has worked on the project for the last 9 years and has been a great inspiration and role model for me.

Coralis saying farewell to the children at a community center near the project office.

The mission of the project is be a sign of hope to families and especially the children afflicted or affected by HIV/AIDS, that God does care, and has not abandoned them.

One of our teens leading the others in a song during our recent workshop.

The project addresses the educational needs of children who have lost one or both parents to AIDS. They come from marginalized families who have very limited economic opportunities and live in slum areas surrounding Mombasa. Many of the guardians are living with HIV/AIDS and have other children to care for. Some of the orphans in the project are living with HIV/AIDS themselves. Majority of households live in one room unit, with no access to running water nor electricity. Some households have orphans as the head of household.

Emma, a social worker, teaching the children about their rights.

So how does the project work?

The AIDS Orphans Project operates in ten parishes and collaborates with the volunteer services of 400 health workers who belong to the parish small-group faith communities. These community volunteers identify the orphans, bring them to the attention of the project, and assist in the monitoring of the orphans after their acceptance into the program. The project provides school fees, books, uniforms, and supplies so that the children can go to school.

Based on the progress and personal aspirations of each student, placements are arranged for the students in vocational training schools or secondary schools. Students are currently placed in computer training, tailoring, hair styling, welding, and mechanic training programs. The project has also been able to help a few children in the program attend special schools for children who are deaf or have mental or physical disabilities.

Our annual Education for Life Workshop includes life skills and group discussions.

And for the younger children - a few games just for fun.

The project collaborates with the Archdiocese of Mombasa Community Based Health Care clinics to provide support to the families of the orphans. Many of the guardians are members of a support group for people living with HIV/AIDS. I have just started meeting with the support groups associated with the ten parishes and hope to assist them in the future in the micro-finance and their incoming-generating activities.

I am really fortunate to be working on a project that is well-organized and where I can see the benefits directly for the families I serve. It is still going to have its challenges. I realize already that my level of Swahili is limiting me in my conversation with the kids and their guardians. It is constantly humbling how much I have to learn.

For now, I'm listening and learning as much as I can.

Kutembea na Kutembelea - Walking & Visiting

Hello all. This will be a first draft that I'll update later ... so come back sometime if you want to read more.

I've been in Mombasa for 2 weeks now and the days are becoming full. My first assignment is language practice. I've been walking (kutembea) with community nurse, counselor or social worker. And the reason they walk the neighborhoods is to visit (kutembelea) people. Most of the people they see are clients, which mean they have already been tested for HIV and are positive.

Mary (community nurse), Mama Kamau (counselor) and I back in the clinic office after walking in Chaani.

It has been really powerful experience, which I'll write more about later. Yesterday we walked in the rain, crossing a ravine on boards, wading through pathways that became streams, and jumping over puddles. We sat in dimly lit rooms, with smoke from a charcoal fire heating the room for a frail older woman, on benches around a room where a client sell drinks, and in cushioned chairs across from a couple having marital problems. It has been humbling and mystifying. I am hoping my presence doesn't make people uncomfortable. When asked for my opinion yesterday on a situation, I had to just offer an apology that I didn't understand everything that was said.

Every day has it's heartbreaking stories and welcoming faces I hope not to forget but they are already blending together.

You might notice that the Swahili word for visiting is almost the same as walking. It's not a coincidence. Kutembelea (visiting) is the prepositional form of kutembea (walking) - which means visiting means walking to, at, for, or with.

I'm grateful for this time of walking and visiting. Even though I don't have much to offer yet - besides a few simple sentences, I know this has been a sacred time of being allowed a small window into others' lives.

Today I meet many of the children in the AIDS Orphans Project, which I will take responsibility for in June. They are on term break and the project is hosting a 3-day seminar, called Education for Life.

More later! Peace to you all and to our world.

Ninaondoka Nairobi - Leaving Nairobi

Greetings from Nairobi for one last time! Tomorrow morning I will begin another transition and travel to Mombasa.

This past week has been full of many great moments, but also with a bit of sadness as it is time to move on. I passed the Beginner's Exam for Swahili, but the true test begins tomorrow as I try to use my language skills in Mombasa, where Swahili is much more prevalent than in Nairobi.

I thought today I would post a few faces that I will remember fondly from the past 3 months.

First, my Swahili class:
And the Maryknoll community

And some other creatures ... who could not love this face?
On a fun note, John, Cindy & I celebrated finishing classes by visiting an elephant orphanage on Saturday. It was delightful! They allow visitors one hour each day for the mid-day feeding (with bottles!).
I was surprised how playful the elephants were.
And even more surprised that one walked by me & gave me a kiss ... if elephants kiss with their trunks?
Another highlight this weekend was meeting my new housemate & co-missioner, Susan Nagele.

Faces I will miss ...
Benedict - long known as "the mango guy," Ben works across the street from our hostel and was extremely generous since we "didn't have our own farm". As you can see, his smile can light up a room and a rainy day.
Josephat was one of my patient Swahili tutors, while he selling handcrafts to visitors at our hostel. He wouldn't accept the title of teacher in Swahili and suggested that he be called assistant.
Moses! Moses is the day guard at our hostel, a constant friendly face, source of wisdom, honest advice and kindness.
Fr Leonard is a Tanzanian priest who has stayed at the hostel almost as long as we have, but for treatment of his ankle. He is the one I would take my Swahili questions - as one who speaks Kiswahili sanifu ... pure Swahili.

And Charles and Damianas, the night guards who always provided a bit of entertainment for us as we called it a night. My heart broke a little tonight for Damianas' family. Yesterday they buried his 22-year-old brother, who was killed in a car accident. He was in the last year of university, and a great hope for his family. May their faith sustain them as they grieve.

And finally, the faces I will miss the most are the two who have been my dear friends and companions for the last 3 months. We now head in opposite directions as we begin our work.

It's go time!

Wishing you a Happy Easter - Mfurahie Pasaka Njema

Posing with Victor, center, who designed a tall cross

from palms for me to carry on Palm Sunday.

Mfurahie Pasaka Njema! Happy Easter! The time of waiting is over … whether it was waiting for Easter or waiting for spring – and for me – waiting until I knew where I wanted to begin my work with Maryknoll Lay Missioners.

I had hoped that I would instantly know where I wanted to live and work when I visited Kitale and Mombasa in February. However, I found both places to have great people and great opportunities for work. I found myself torn between two unique places and a variety of project ideas. A week ago, I was visiting a center for people living with HIV/AIDS, and it was there that I found my answer. It is a beautiful facility, focused on providing a high standard of care and individual treatment. It is a place of hope.

One of the opportunities I was considering is working with children who have been orphaned by AIDS. And so, although the AIDS clinic I visited last week was unrelated, it was there that I knew I wanted to work with these young people. I will be part of the AIDS Orphans project that was featured in the last issue of Maryknoll Lay Missioners' Voices of Compassion magazine. This project identifies children who have a lost one or both parents to AIDS and are unable to go to school. I will be helping them get into an affordable school and supporting them along the way.

It will be a new endeavor for me, giving me much to learn. Another Maryknoll Lay Missioner has been working on the project for many years and will leaving in June so I will have a great mentor for my first few months. I will also be meeting with women's groups for those living with HIV to learn how I might be able to serve them, and I hope to help with the diocese micro-finance work, as time allows.

An African image of the Last Supper

As Holy Week came this year, I have had much to reflect on. I was surprised to find the priest washing twelve people's feet during the Holy Thursday service. He spoke of how Jesus turned things upside down and how Peter first refused to have his feet washed. My decision to work in Mombasa and to serve young people whose lives have been forever changed by the loss of a parent to AIDS is still fresh in my mind. I wonder how my views will be turned upside down in the coming years. I hope for the grace to both allow myself to be changed as Peter had and also for the grace to follow the example of Christ in whomever I serve.

Whatever your faith, I hope this time of year brings you new life. For those who share my belief in the Resurrection, I pray that our faith be strengthened, our hearts opened, and our lives recommitted to Love.

With joy, Mary