Megan's Shower

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Molly's Trip to Africa

Molly's Trip to Kenya Part II

Dear Friends of Embu People, Kenya:

 

Greetings.

At last, I am happy to report to you that our trip to Kenya is on: May 23rd to June 6th. 

The political situation in Kenya is now normal; the elections were peaceful and there was no worrisome violence apart from isolated incidents of scattered,  mild protests by a few followers of the loser in the presidential vote. 

The United States Government has sent messages of congratulation to Kenya's President-Elect who will assume office on April 9th.

There is peace in Kenya.

I have arranged for us to stay for two days in Nairobi before moving to Embu: the nights of May 24th and 25th. This will help us rest and recover from the jet-lag. It took Chelsea, Taylor and I much longer for our bodies to adjust to the sudden change of environment and culture: Kenya is 7 hours ahead of Ohio and our bodies find it hard to adjust to sleeping and waking times. That is the most difficult experience for me, when I arrive in Kenya and when I return to USA; hence, the need for us to rest on arrival in Nairobi and also when we return back to USA before resuming our normal duties. I am contacting some hostels run by Catholic nuns for our accommodation while in Nairobi; their prices are fair; Chelsea has the price rates. 

Our work in Embu will revolve around the following areas: 

1. Helping with numbering and cataloguing books

2. Tutoring children in the village (math, English): K-9. 

3. Visiting homes of  the children whom we educate for familiarization with conditions of life for their surviving relatives-the poorest villagers- about 30 families).

4. Visiting an orphanage that The Japanese Missionaries-Shintoists- have opened in Embu. I am liaising with the Director of the orphanage to take us there in their school bus.

5. Visiting the Sisters of Mother Theresa Orphanage in Huruma slum, Nairobi. ('huruma' means compassion; I lived in that slum before coming to USA; that is the origin of the name for my organization). 

6. Since we have nurses with us, we may include taking some health data for the families and children with whom we shall visit: blood pressure, nutrition, sanitation, clean water needs etc.  This exercise will provide us with the baseline for our work in future. Huruma has plans to help the poorest families-where our children come,-diversify their nutrition in order to ward off malnutrition and essential vitamin deficiencies. Our success in this health/literacy/nutrition efforts will act as a pilot project with the potential for replication by other surrounding villagers. 

7. This being the first visit to Kenya by a majority of you, I strongly suggest that we set apart some time to go out on Safari. It is very draining to spend time with needy people. The visit with animals will be relaxing. Unlike the children in the streets and in the village, the animals never beg; nature feeds them well. Monkeys might be the only animals that might try to steal your perfumes-I have seen this on many occasions. Monkeys like to deodorize their babies with perfumes; they are known also to steal cameras and climb up tall trees to take pictures! Guys, you are in for a real exotic shock! 

So please, in view of the foregoing, I suggest the we carry with us school supplies, pencils, erasers, mathematical sets, rulers, pencil sharpeners, pens, papers, exercise books, calculators; beads (to teach the village women how to make necklaces, etc).

As for clothes, you may want to carry clothes that you might want to leave behind. I do this always. T-shirts are handy. Jeans and pair of shorts are okay as forms of wear in Kenya. One long skirt for a formal Sunday wear may come handy. Kenya is very Westernized; Nairobi is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Africa; some parts of Nairobi are just like any city in USA.

This information is not exhaustive; please, feel free to write to me for more information. My only advice to you all is that you leave behind your hearts locked in unbreakable vaults. Africa is notorious, especially Kenya, for stealing the hearts of those who set their feet there; that ancient continent has an irresistible, raw, magical power that steals the hearts of those visitors who do not stay alert when they are there! Now that you are fore-warned, you are saved!

Blessings

Aloys 

The Paradox of Honesty...thoughts on Holy Week

How do you know how to live your life?  Do you really shape your own life, or does the mundane and unexpectedness of living shape you?  Lots of thoughts about honesty this week.  Personal, professional, incidental....I took this picture at the Cincinnati Art Museum.  Pinocchio is the epitome of dishonesty. Only Jiminy can keep him on the straight and narrow.  I recently read a disturbing posting a friend left on my facebook page.  She shared a posting by a prominent Christian evangelist.  In the post, he suggests that if you "mess with the postings of the ten commandments in Odessa, someone in Texas might make an exception to #6...you know, the do not murder one.  Somehow I don't think that would fit on a WWJD bracelet.  I didn't comment back.  I'm not sure why.  Am I being dishonest in not agreeing with this? I have found that being honest makes me more vulnerable.  It can also leave me feeling broken when others around me feel whole. So why do it?  Why strive for honesty when many don't or don't even feel it's important?  Why should I be honest when others around me consistently are not and don't even see the necessity of  it?  Why do I strive for honesty when many who are not honest receive rewards for deceit?   How do I show the love of Jesus to the dishonest?  Tied directly to that is how do I stay humble and hubris-less in my own life and within my own call?   Is it possible a righteous person in the eyes of God might consist of more than morality and rule following? This Lenten season has made me curiously empty, patient and watchful.  I think maybe my call to honesty is to live as authentic a life as I can, knowing that I am saved by the grace of Jesus.  Knowing that even with my mistakes and fumbles and shortcomings and failings I  am loved and  worthwhile.   Jesus never said that to be his follower would be easy...as a matter of fact he was very honest when he said,

"Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?"  

Matthew 16:24

(The Message)

St. Patrick's Day

I am in the midst of planning a great adventure.  I am planning a pilgrimage.  To my Mecca.  The sacred  isles of Iona and Lindisfarne in Scotland and Northern England.  I am currently reading The Spiritual Traveler-A Guide to the Sacred Sites and Pilgrim Routes in Britain. I am planning to walk my way along the ancient pilgrim trails.  As I ponder more, I find I am also interested in King Arthur's Route, which runs from Glastonbury to Tintagel in Wales.  As a mountain-hearted woman, my identity resides and was shaped by my Scottish ancestors who made the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina their home, coming primarily from 1700-1750.  The roots of Celtic Christianity, first planted by St. Patrick in 650 AD , and nurtured by Sts. Cuthbert, Aiden and Adrian ( to name a few) in the years after, shaped the hospitality, wisdom, love of nature and spirituality of my mountain culture.  St. Francis of Assisi, five centuries after St. Patrick, lived a  life of simplicity and spirituality based on the teachings of the Celtic Christian movement.

.........In contrast to Western Christianity, the Celtic church celebrated grace and nature as good

gifts from God and recognized the sacredness of all creation.  It had a love of mysticism and poetry, and included women in its leadership.  Its society was rural, hierarchical, family based and tribal in nature, with each tribe ruled by its own king.  Monasteries were family based, not celibate.  They wanted to center their thoughts and lives totally upon God, to be as close as spiritually possible to the Creator....

Cincinnati Museum of Art

A favorite thought....

“I am one of the searchers. There are, I believe, millions of us. We are not unhappy, but neither are we really content. We continue to explore life, hoping to uncover its ultimate secret. We continue to explore ourselves, hoping to understand. We like to walk along the beach, we are drawn by the ocean, taken by its power, its unceasing motion, its mystery and unspeakable beauty. We like forests and mountains, deserts and hidden rivers, and the lonely cities as well. Our sadness is as much a part of our lives as is our laughter. To share our sadness with one we love is perhaps as great a joy as we can know - unless it be to share our laughter. 
We searchers are ambitious only for life itself, for everything beautiful it can provide. Most of all we love and want to be loved. We want to live in a relationship that will not impede our wandering, nor prevent our search, nor lock us in prison walls; that will take us for what little we have to give. We do not want to prove ourselves to another or compete for love.

For wanderers, dreamers, and lovers, for lonely men and women who dare to ask of life everything good and beautiful. It is for those who are too gentle to live among wolves.” 
― James Kavanaugh, "There Are Men Too Gentle to Live Among Wolves"

Valentine Baby

Last year I observed Valentine's Day with a wonderful tribute to my awesome nieces and nephews.  I am happier now that I am a great aunt again, this time to Brooke Elizabeth, who appeared on the scene this October.  I was thinking about some of the commonalities in my extended family.  One, we love each other. Two, we have amazing children (and grandchildren.) Three, we are decent human beings, pay our taxes and go to church.  But, as I gave those thoughts a Valentines' Day twist, I thought about the insane, crazy love we have for our dogs.  They truly are family too.  Now that Kate and Molly are semi-gone, Winston fills a large part of my life.  He is truly a "people person" to those he cares about.  If he doesn't like you, you're not getting within fifty feet of us.  He's no pushover.   He loves to be with David and me, and would love to be our lap dog if we didn't have new furniture.  He keeps our feet warm at night and our hearts warm all the time.  Recently, as Maggie (our 13 year old border collie) has begun to age, he has become her special companion-guiding her through the yard and reminding her that it is time to come in.  He even lets her get on the bed at night.  It was a lucky day when he chose us as his people!  I don't know that I will ever rescue another dog.  I think as I get older, I may have to have a dog tailor-made for me.  Smaller, no-shed,  friendlier, something suitable for our "golden years"....you get the drift.  I will always be grateful for the many gifts Win brings to me.  It was my lucky day when I rescued him.  So, this Valentines' Day, kiss your spouse, hug your kids, and give your dog an extra walk.  And, if you're looking for a fur-ever friend, think about rescuing a dog.  The shelters and their residents would love you forever.