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

Good Friday - Ijumaa Kuu

The Way of the Cross - Njia ya Msalaba

Following the Cross with the Kenya skyline in the backdrop.

Good Friday was yet another powerful experience this week. I walked in the mud through a slum, accompanying church members on the Way of the Cross. Fourteen times along the way, everyone stopped to remember a moment of Christ's suffering. A brief prayer was spoken over a portable loudspeaker. Kneeling down to just above the level of the mud, we bowed our heads and prayed before proceeding, singing along the way.

The Way of the Cross in the slums.
Gum boots are common during the rainy season.
John captured this image of my borrowed pair & silhouette in a mud puddle.

There was a man directing us from behind, and later I found that he had been chosen to watch over us, as visitors, and guide us so we wouldn't slip along the way. I cannot help but think of all the challenges that we people we joined yesterday encounter on their way, in their daily lives. Whether it be the mud, the lack of funds for their basic needs, or the many other challenges of living in a slum. And yet, they were watching out for me.

Arriving at the church for the final station.

Another Farewell

Good Friday brought a happy farewell for us - and an early Easter gift from Angela. She has been one of my friends at the hostel. Angela has been studying English, in preparation for going to Kampala University for a degree in counseling. She has been a joy and a great Swahili tutor. She was elated last night to be traveling back to her family in Tanzania for a month before her program starts in Uganda.