01 January 2014

Susan, Judy and Fr. John Garry

Greetings to all on this the last day of 2013.
     I was very fortunate to spend two days with two very good friends at the Sunbird lodge.  For those who know me, you know I love birds and a fire in the fireplace when it is cold.  This year I am missing the cold of Illinois where I was with my birth family last year. But this year I am still with family in front of a fire place because Naivasha is much colder than Mombasa!
     As I spend these last few moments of 2013 in reflection I am thinking of family. I know how blessed I am to have you as part of my extended and world wide family.  I have all my basic needs met and far more than I need.  My calender from the Sisters of St. Joseph of LaGrange has a quote for today, "I am restored in beauty", from a Navaho prayer.  Our sharing of a meal around a table in front of a fire place was full of beauty, laughter, good food and we restored one another for another day on the journey.  I hope that each of you can be restored by beauty as we move into a new year.
     But our world is often full of pain, suffering and the farthest thing from beauty.  Such is the case with S Sudan, the newest nation on our planet, born on 9th July 2011.  On 15th December fighting began and continues until now.  It looks to me like civil war and genocide but I don't hear others using those words.  Maybe I am wrong.  I hope so.  I worked in the Catholic Diocese of Torit, in what is now S Sudan, from 1991 to 2003.  I still have many friends there and we all had such hope for the future...until two weeks ago. So, if it is possible, I ask that you help to show solidarity with our family in this new nation by signing on to the petition below:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/Leaders_of_Civil_War_in_South_Sudan_stop_random_killings_of_civilians_in_South_Sudan/sign/?aSplydb

I clicked on the link and was the 308th person to sign up.  It was easy even for me who finds these things challenging.  Tomorrow is the International World Day for Peace and it would be a small thing each of us could do to work for peace.  It is also the feast of Mary, Queen of Peace.  Let's join our prayer with her, and all mothers everywhere, who know that when we forget that we belong to one another... that we are part of one family...it is very hard to find peace.

Peace of the glow and beauty of the flickering flames to you!  

22 December 2013

This is a special posting.  For those of you who don't know, fighting has begun again in S Sudan and the fragile peace has been broken.  Below is a message my friend, who is a doctor in the south, just wrote to me:

My guys are so bummed - so depressed, so dispirited.  We were finally starting to make progress and now - even if there is peace tomorrow, it will never be as good as it was last week.  No one can forget.  The targeted killings…  I've a post paid thuraya (phone) - and every day there are people who come with a tiny piece of waste paper with a telephone number scribbled on it - just a quick call to hear the voice…  Most are still alive.

But so many hopes are shattered.
They said, we will not have Christmas this year….

On the home front, yesterday I sat down with Martha (not the real name of the woman who helps us clean in  our home).  I wanted to pit some dates to make cookies and asked her to help me.  For the hour we were together she started talking about her children.  Her oldest daughter who is in University got pregnant and isn't coming home for Christmas.  Martha is afraid the girl won't finish school and will bring the child to her to raise.  Martha is trying to support two other children and a grandson who has HIV/AIDS.  (His mother, her daughter,  died of AIDS many years ago).  Her husband long since left the family.  Martha is the sole bread winner and can hardly make ends meet. 
     Next, two weeks ago her younger daughter age 14 was moving with a bad crowd of people. Martha told the daughter to stop associating with those people and the daughter started yelling and wailing.  This upset Joseph, her son who is about 20 and has brain damage from a motor vehicle accident.  He picked up a kitchen knife and went after Martha and stabbed her in the chest and back four times.  All were superficial but she had to go to the hospital for treatment.  The government health workers are striking so she had to go to a private clinic and had to borrow money for the bill.  Because of all these problems Martha was unable to sleep and started drinking alcohol.  Last week she found herself awakening from a drunken stupor at 4am outside her house.  She said she has no one to talk to about her problems.  When she talks to her neighbors they laugh at her.
     I thanked God that I had asked her to sit down and help me pit the dates.  I prescribed some medicine for her pain which will help her sleep at night.  I told her if she felt like drinking again to call me and we would talk.  I gave her her pay, her Christmas presents and told her we would increase her pay starting next week.I called her this morning and asked her how she slept last night.  She said she slept better and her voice sounded less strained.  

This morning I wanted to make more Christmas cookies but asked myself how I could do such a superficial thing with S Sudan at war and Martha struggling with such problems.  Then the thought occurred to me that I could pray for them while making the cookies.  So I started cooking.  I wonder why some people must suffer so much and what my role should be in addressing their suffering.  At the very least, and perhaps most importantly, I can listen to them.  It was the Christmas cookies that led me to sit down with Martha and listen to her.  And they gave me the opportunity to pray for those in need.  I guess baking Christmas cookies is not such a superficial thing.  Thanks to you for listening to me.  Merrcy Christmas.   

01 December 2013

Bethany, Rehema, Coralis, Judy, Susan, Anita, Curt
Maryknoll Lay Missioners Mombasa

Dear Family and Friends,

     This has been quite a year of ups and downs. The Kenyan presidential elections were held on March 4th and because of concerns for safety our travel to the different health units was restricted in February and March.  Fortunately the process was peaceful, despite long lines that caused people to wait up to 11 hours in the hot sun.  Kenyans are to be admired for their patient determination to perform their right to vote.  The men chosen to be President and Vice President are both charged with crimes against humanity for violence that occurred in the elections in 2007.  Currently the Vice President is on trial in the Hague and the President will be tried next February 2014.

     In July my 20 year old nephew, Alex Vitalis, drowned of cold shock syndrome in a tragic river accident.  I was able to arrive in Minnesota for the wake which gathered over 1000 people.  He was a wonderful young man and we are grateful for the time we had with him.  Still, we are trying to adjust to the reality that he is no longer with us here on earth.  The family asked that donations be made to my mission account in lieu of flowers.  People have been extremely generous.  With those gifts we have already completed renovations to the pharmacy at Giriama dispensary and have begun to renovate the lab.  I will give a full report early next year.

     While I was in Minnesota I also had an unfortunate accident and fractured my sacrum (tailbone).  In order to recuperate I had to extend my stay in the US but I have healed completely.  I returned to Mombasa in October.  This allowed me to spend more time with family, especially my parents.  I am very grateful for all the support I received from Maryknoll and the Archdiocese during these difficult months.

     Kenya has been beset by numerous problems.  In August the arrivals hall at the International Airport in Nairobi burned to the ground.  In September a large shopping mall in Nairobi, Westgate, was attacked by terrorists and closed down for four days.  At least 70 people were killed and over 200 were injured.  In October a Muslim Sheikh was killed in Mombasa along with three people in his car and four bystanders. Each incident increases fear and it becomes more difficult to know who to trust or how to make plans for every day activities.  As Sr. Pauline, our health coordinator said, "We are all traumatized".

     Lastly, our beloved Archbishop, Boniface Lele, retired on November 1st for health reasons.  He is a caring, pastoral man who has been at the forefront of ministry to people living with AIDS.  The door to his office was always open and we rarely needed an appointment to meet him.  He welcomed all with a gracious smile and genuine humility.  We were blessed to have him as our shepherd these past eight years.

     As we wait for the birth of Jesus I have my own mother and child story to share.  In April Asha brought her one year old son, Seif, to the clinic for vomiting and diarrhea.  He had stopped growing six months earlier and could hardly sit up, let alone stand.  I was afraid he had some type of muscular dystrophy but wanted to check his thyroid function too.  I sent him to the provincial hospital and told them what I suspected and what tests needed to be done.  Ashsa tried her best but the first time she went to the hospital the doctor wasn't there.  The second time the doctor didn't have time to see him.  Someone wrote for lab tests to be done at a private hospital which would have cost two weeks of the father's salary.  The third time she went they were angry that she hadn't had the tests done and refused to examine the child.  So, when she brought him back to me I just took the mother and child to a lab that I know well and paid for one test to check his thyroid.  It was abnormal and we started him on treatment for low thyroid.  In just two weeks he was starting to get stronger.  The Sister at the clinic continued to treat him with my advice by email while I was in the US and he continued to improve.  The Sister also encouraged the mother to keep breast feeding, only to find out the mother was pregnant.  She delivered another child in September!  As you can see from the names, the family is Muslim and the mother wore the traditional long black robes.  We had no idea she was pregnant.  Seif continues to improve and now he has a little sister. 

     So, let this season of hope for new life encourage each of us.  God came into our world to live among us.  No matter what our challenges, struggles or sorrows we are never alone and God is with us...Emmanuel.

PEACE OF THE NEW BORN CHRIST
CHILD TO YOU!!!

A tree that blooms in December
 Called a Christmas tree here!
MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR

SUSAN 

01 November 13

Giriama Pharmacy Completed

Happy Feast of All Saints  

Greetings from Mombasa!!!  

     I arrived on the 18th of October after a long but basically uneventful trip.  I met with Sr. Veronicah of Giriama dispensary and she has completed renovation of the pharmacy and all the medicines are off the floor!  I gave her more money from the memorial fund for Alex to begin renovation of the laboratory.  Again, she asked me to convey her gratitude on behalf of the staff and all the patients for this assistance.

     On my trip back security was tighter. During my absence from Kenya the arrivals hall at the airport in Nairobi burned down.  The Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi (very large and often frequented by expatriates) was attacked by terrorists and 67 people were killed.  A Sheikh in Mombasa was killed along with 3 people in his car and 4 bystanders. There have also  been reoccurring incidents of violence in Mombasa, sometimes thought to be hooliganism, taking advantage of terrorism and unrest in the country.  The Vice President is in the Hague attending his trial for crimes against humanity.  The President was to due go to the Hague for his trial on Nov 12th.  His trial is postponed until Febrruary at his request.  Prices for everything have gone up, especially since the value added tax was raised from 14 to 16%.  Our salaries stay the same and those who live on the edges are falling off more frequently.

New Orbis Book about Mombasa

                      But there's hope!  Pope Francis has been talking about wanting a poor church for the poor.  Here's a new book written by one of our lay missioner's, Coralis Salvador and a Franscican lay missioner, Susan Slavin.  I highly recommend it as it will give a good picture of our ministries in Mombasa.  Coralis currently administrates Kikambala Primary Health Care facility where I do a clinic once each month.      
                      I've also just finished reading a new book Pope Francis Untying the Knots by Paul Vallely.  Towards the end it quotes a speech by Cardinal Bergoglio given at the conclave before the elections began.  He said, "The Church is supposed to be the mysterium lunae - the mystery of the moon is that it has no light but simply reflects the light of the sun.  The church must not fool itself that it has light of its own; if it does that it falls in to what Henri De Lubac in The Splendour of the Church called the greatest of evils - spiritual worldliness.  That is what happens with a self-referential Church, which refuses to go behond itself.  Put simply, there are two images of Church; a Church which evangelises and comes out of herself or a worldly Church, living within herself, of herself, for herself.  The next Pope should be someone who helps the Church surge forth to the peripheries like a sweet and comforting mother who offers the joy of Jesus to the world.               
                                                                             After that speech Cardinal Bergoglio was the person chosen to be our next leader.  The moon is waning at the moment but it will be full on 18th Nov.  Keep an eye out and let's head for the people on the edges and be mysterium lunae.

                         Peace of the Harvest Moon to you and Happy Thanksgiving!                                  

01 October 2013

Staff at Giriama Mission Dispensary

     Greetings from a beautiful fall in Illinois. Last month I described how the donations given in memory of my nephew Alex would be used.  When I wrote to Sr. Veronicah to tell her that we could do all the projects she had requested for Giriama Dispensary she said they had already begun and sent some pictures which are attached.  They have started with renovation of the pharmacy as that was the most urgent.  We couldn't have medicines and supplies sitting on the floor. She asked me to express her gratitude to all who helped make these improvements possible at the oldest mission parish in the Archdiocese.

                                                                                  

Sr. Veronicah - Administrator

Renovating the pharmacy

     Today I attended my fifth funeral in ten weeks...this one for one of my high school classmates who was diagnosed with lung cancer in August.  In addition to these deaths there was the terrorist attack at a mall in Nairobi in which 67 are known dead, hundreds were injured and 61 are still missing. As one Kenyan wrote to me, "We are all traumatized".  After that Pakistan had 78 people killed by suicide bombers in a church and over 500 killed in an earthquake.  I am wondering how new life will come from all of this death and destruction.
    I am doing well myself and planning to return to Kenya the middle of October.  It was definitely the right decision to improve my health before traveling and I am very grateful to all who gave me support to do this.  I draw a lot of strength from those who have faced adversity, like the men in this picture...the common person struggling to put food on the table.  If they can do it we surly can continue on with courage and hope.

Peace of the falling leaves to you!

01 September 13

Ali, Susan and Jim - St. Patrick Parish Urbana, Illinois

Happy Labor Day tomorrow!  Summer is ending and the leaves are beginning to fall.
     This picture was taken at the Time and Talent event at my home parish in August. The Justice and Peace group had displayed an article that was written about our ministry in the LAS Alumni News from the U. of Illinois as well as the Maryknoll Book Lives of Service from Maryknoll.  As always, it was a homecoming for me as these are the people who have nurtured my faith and supported us over so many years.
     I saw my doctor yesterday and I am doing fairly well with my recovery from the sacral bone fracture.  However, she recommended that I postpone my return to Kenya for six weeks and so I will arrange to return in midOctober.  I realize that I received excellent care.  The CT scan didn't show the fracture but they could do an MRI and that was diagnostic.  If I had been in Mombasa there is only one place that does these two exams and the MRI machine has been 'down' for weeks and months at a time. I am so grateful that I didn't suffer a permanent spinal injury and should recover fully.
     There has been over $12,000 donated to our ministry in memory of Alex Vitalis, my nephew.  We are very grateful for this generous tribute to a wonderful  young man.  I have talked with the family and we will use the money to make renovations in Giriama dispensary to the lab, pharmacy, staff house and install a soak pit.  We will also provide the salary for one nurse for one year at the new maternity room at St. Patrick's Dispensary in Bangladesh informal settlement in Mombasa.  I would like to place a remembrance plaque at each site to honor Alex.
     With all the difficulties in Syria and more talk of war let us redouble our work and prayer for peace.

Deep peace of the shining stars to you

15 August 2013

Greetings from Urbana, Illinois.
     Mom and I drove back from Minnesota and arrived here yesterday.  We are both tired but happy to be 'home'.  We went to the river with Carol before we left Minnesota and had a lovely prayer service to remember Alex on the fourth Monday after he drowned.  We read from the scriptures, dropped some dying cut flowers that friends had sent into the river and Carol sang a lullaby that she would sing to her children before they went to sleep.  We are learning to live with our new reality and now we will try to move on...just like the flowing river.
     Today is the Feast of the Assumption.  It is also the 38th anniversary of the beginning of the Maryknoll Lay Missioner program and the 19th anniversary of the founding of the Maryknoll Mission Association.  It is also the feast of Loa Parish in South Sudan and the Diocese of Kitale, Kenya...both places where I worked in the past.  So, it is a day for me to remember many good things that have happened to me on my life's journey and so many of you have have been so supportive and encouraging along the way.  The gospel in today's liturgy is Luke 1:39-56.  Mary goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth and sings her song...the Magnificat.  She gives me, as a woman, the example of how to meet challenges and think of others...to serve where there is need and praise God for everything.  With gratitude I remember all of you too.

1st August 2013

Wade, Alex and Carol Vitalis at the Confirmation ceremony for Alex

Alex William Vitalis

April 26, 1993 - July 15, 2013

Our family is remembering the life of this wonderful young man and below they have written what they would you to know of Alex.  The family had requested in lieu of flowers that contributions be made to our health care ministry in Kenya.  For those of you who have chosen to do this you can read other posts describing what we do.  I will talk with the family later to find out how in particular we can use your gifts to honor the memory of Alex.

     Thanks to the many who have poured their love on our family.  The loss of a unique and vibrant young man has almost been more than we can bear.  Here is what we would like you to know about our loving son, Alex. 

     Alex always had a smile for you a mile wide - no kidding!  Alex competed three times at State in swimming and diving.  He loved football and track and set the pole vaulting record his senior year.  He displayed amazing athleticism in every-thing he did.

     Alex loved the Lord and living on the St. Croix River.  He had an intimate knowledge and respect for the river, 

teaching classmates and friends how to canoe while also sharing with them his joy and passion for river life; God's majesty revealed to him.  After graduating from Chisago Lakes High School, Alex traveled to Norway.   He studied Norwegian 

culture and outdoor adventure at a traditional Folk School.  Among his adventures he climbed the second highest mountain in Norway.  He completed his first year at the University of St. Thomas pursuing a degree in engineering and learning 

Norwegian at Augsburg; he was a brilliant mind.  He was unassuming and never boastful.  Alex loved strong coffee, and 

his French press; music, hunting, fishing, reading and planning his next adventures - always!       Alex was his father Wade's right hand man, his 'buddy';  dedicated  and  dutiful.        

Alex inherited his passions for travel and the St. Croix River from his Dad.  Alex loved his sister Gwen; they were 

inseparable and often had what Gwen called 'twin telepathy'.  Alex was a role model for his brother Peter, sharing his 

music and spending time loving on his little brother.  And Alex adored his mother Carol with whom he shared a very 
special bond.  He loved and was loved by his family and us all.  We will miss him and never forget him.

                                                                                                  The Vitalis Family

     I am still in Minnesota and we are expecting my brother Paul and his family to arrive on 2nd August for several days.  I am slowly recovering from my fall and cracked tailbone.  The pain is less and strength is returning to my legs.  Hopefully Mom and I will be able to return to Illinois in the next week or two.  My father in Illinois is needing more nursing care and we are looking for a facility that can provide that.  It has certainly been a challenging time for our family and we are all grateful for your support, prayers, concern and love.

     Peace of the gently flowing river be upon you as we continue to pray for peace on the first of each month!  susan

24 July 2013

     I last wrote the afternoon before the wake was held.  The service began at 4pm and went until 10pm.  About 1500 people came to be with us in the First Luthern Church in Taylors Falls, MN.  I was particularly attentive to my nieces and nephews.  They had been with Alex enjoying a well deserved Monday afternoon off after a busy weekend working at the restaurants the family owns.  It was a big shock for them to deal with watching him drown.  We shared so many memories and stories.  Jordan, Alex's cousin, told us that when she was sleeping in the tent by the river during the night they hadn't found his body she was troubled and asked God to give her something.  She fell asleep and dreamed that just as Alex jumped into the water his spirit burst forth into the atmosphere and was dancing and playing among the tops of the trees with golden streams following him.  He was very happy.
     Gwen, Alex's 17 year old sister had been dreaming about death a lot this summer.  A few weeks ago when she and Alex were sitting my the river she talked to him about it.  He told her that if he had a choice of how to die he would prefer drowning.  There are many other blessings and stories that have comforted us all in our sadness.
     After the wake we drove to the cabin where I was staying with my Aunt Lynn and I was trying to help her walk up the stairs.  She misstepped and started to fall down.  We were holding hands and when we tightened our grip she pulled me over and I landed on my left sacroiliac joint.  I was able to stand up but eventually found out I fractured my sacrum.  I spent Saturday night in the hospital and Marty Roers came by to see me!  I am now staying in my mother's cabin and using a walker.  I have a lot of muscle spasms when I try to move about but I'm able to get to the bathroom and walk slowly.  Unfortunately, I missed the funeral but they made a video. Mary Oldham stopped by on Monday morning and she was a breath of fresh air...as always.   My brother Paul and his family are coming on Aug 2nd so we can all watch the funeral together then.
     This is an unexpected turn of events once again but I'm sure we will see the blessing in it too.  For now Mom and I are just enjoying being together and supporting the family as best we can.  Carol came down for supper last night and we had a good heart to heart talk.  Once again, I and all of our family are very grateful for you concern, support, love and prayers.  We send out love too...susan

Safe arrival

19 July 13
Greetings to all,
     I arrived well in Minneaopolis last night and Mary Oldham was at the gate to welcome me.  I am so grateful to Judy Walter, Sr. Pauline and all my friends at the Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa and in Kenya who made this sudden trip possible.  Golden Rule Travel company was just fantastic.   I had my ticket 14 hours after I called them.
     My aunt and namesake, Lynn, and her daughter Lori, arrived at the airport 2 afters after me and my brother Steve drove us all to Franconia on the St. Crois river near Taylors Falls.  It was 8pm and the sun was slowly setting as all my family came out to meet us.  It was so quiet in the valley and a few birds were gently chirping and singing.  I was so grateful for all of them.  The valley is filled with the spirit and love of God because of Alex.
     Steve told me more about cold shock syndrome.  It was a very hot day and Alex hadn't yet been in the water.  When he jumped in, the water was quite a bit colder and apparently there are receptors on the trunk and buttocks that can be triggered by the sudden temperature change.  That caused him to gasp and he could have inhaled as much as a liter of water all at once.  It is a rare condition but there was nothing that anyone could have done to save him.
     I am pretty much wiped out but surrounded by so much love.  This entire community has enfolded all of us in their love and we don't even need to ask to receive.  The wake will be tonight from 5-8pm and the funeral will be tomorrow, Saturday at 4pm in the Lutheran church.  There will be something afterwards at Wildwood.  I will keep in touch this way as it is easier for me.  Already I have received many messages of condolences and I am very grateful to each one of you for your kind thoughts and prayers.  I send our love to you too...susan

Alex

I am waiting to depart Nairobi and have found out that the body of Alex was found last night, thanks be to God.  The autopsy showed nothing of struggle or injury.  He jumped feet first into very deep water.  His body was found at 41 feet in a crevice near where he jumped in.  The coroner surmises that it was a very hot day and the water was very cold down deep.  The difference in temperature may have pushed all the air out of his lungs. 

    The arrangements for the funeral are still pending but at least now we can make our plans.  I am tired but OK.  I will be happy to finally be with my family soon.

17 July 2013

     It is with a sad and heavy heart that I share with all of you a tragic accident.  On the 15th July my 20 year old nephew, Alex Vitalis, died in a diving accident on the St. Croix river.  He was a joy for all of us with his zest for life, care and concern for those in need and his many gifts and talents that he shared with all.  The search teams are still looking for his body.
     I will fly from Mombasa at 5pm today and from Nairobi at 11:50pm to arrive in Minneapolis at 4:30pm on Thursday the 18th.  Sr. Pauline, the health coordinator of the Archdiocese, has been very supportive of my going home to be with my family and taking my leave now rather than in October when we had planned.  I will try to update this site to make communications easier for myself.  Our family is very grateful for all the prayer and support we have received from so many during this difficult time.

03 July 2013

     I left for a medical trip on 30th June and just got back home yesterday.  I see that 7 people have already looked to see if I'd written something new for this month so sorry for being a bit late!
     TheKenyan papers have had some interesting health statistics recently:
1. The number of people newly infected by the HIV virus has decreased by 40% in the last 5 years.
One third of these infections are in prostitutes, homosexuals and fishermen.  44% occur in steady partners as they trust one another and don't use condoms.  Five years ago only 36% of those infected knew they had the virus.  Now 70% know as more people are getting tested.
2. The number of new HIV infections in children has been reduced by 50%.  More pregnant HIV positive women are receiving drugs and the number of children on treatment in Kenya has doubled but still only 3 out of 10 children receive the treatment they need.
3. Multidrug resistent TB has risen from 255 people last year to 600 this year.  Mombasa has the highest number of TB cases in Kenya because of 'rasping poverty levels'.  Kenya is ranked 15 amonth the 22 countries with the highest TB cases.
     The little boy that I put on thyroid medicine at the end of May came back 19 days later and was already starting to sit up better, smile and vocalize more.  His mother sees good improvement and we are hopeful that he will make good progress quickly.  These children can have intellectual impairment so it will take time for us to see how much damage was done before we got him on treatment.
     A two year old child came to the clinic in Bangaladesh with blindness.  He had been diagnosed to have retinoblastoma (cancer of the retina) at one year of age in Kenytta National Hospital.  The mother is a high school teacher and she has already lost two of four other children.  The doctors couldn't agree on whether to remove one or both eyes.  The mother, in her fear and paralysis, did nothing for one whole year.  Finally her sister coaxed her to come see me.  We got a CT scan which showed there were masses in both eyes but they hadn't spread to the brain.  So, I contacted a  British opthalmologist who has a charitable clinic on south coast and she has a specialist visiting next week who will see the child.  They think he has Primary persistent hyperplastic vitreous (PPHV) a noncancerous growth that I've never even heard of!!!  This specialist will see him for US$3.00.
     The day before yesterday I saw two patients in the same clinic with advanced cancer.  The 47 year old man had lung cancer spread to his liver and hip.  The 57 year old woman had abdominal cancer of unknown origin which had spread to the lymph system and other sites.  Both of these people were in great pain and weren't taking any pain medication.  The usual scenario is for the doctor to say he can't do anything else.  The patients and their families then travel around from place to place looking for treatment.  The woman had just come back from a hospital in Tanzania.  There is so much work to be done on educating everyone about palliative care and good pain managment.
     President Obama bypassed Kenya on his African tour and that was probably a wise decision.  The government here still has some very serious allegations to answer for.  Today I read an article in the Daily Nation newspaper graphically describing atrocities that men have admitted to committing on Mt. Elgon in 2008.  These people fled to Kiminini where I was working at the time and I heard their stories myself.  I'm glad that finally the truth is starting to come out.  Peole have lived with some very heavy burdens and they deserve to be heard and find some restorative justice.
     While all of you in the northern hemisphere are enjoying summer it is winter here.  The temperatures get up to a high of only 80F = 27C and it's easier to sleep during the cooler nights.  The new moon will appear on the 9th or 10th of July and with it the beginning of the Holy Month of Ramadhan for our Muslim neighbors.  At least their fasting will be during the cooler season this year.  Tomorrow will be the 4th of July and we from the United States are very blessed and have a lot to be grateful for.  But it would be good for us to humbly admit that we still have things we can do better.  Let us see ourselves as part of a much bigger world and committ ourselves to making life better for everyone with special attention to those most in need...with liberty and justice for all.

01 June 13

Happy Madaraka Day!!!  Today is the 50th anniversary of self governance and freedom of speech for the country of Kenya.  In 1963 the British turned over responsibility (madaraka) to the Kenyan people on this day.  On 12th December they will celebrate complete Independence...the day the British flag came down.  This picture is of the people from our 19 health units who attend a meeting together every four months.  I salute them and all the health workers of the Archdiocese of Mombasa who try to provide good quality health services to all, especially those in need.
Kenya still has its struggles.  On 28th May there was no electricity in the entire nation for five hours.  The clinic I worked in on Friday was without electricity for two whole days.  On Thursday the national hospital of 2000 patients in Nairobi had to stop doing surgery because they had no water!  The exact reasons for these problems are not entirely clear.  But if we are clever we can find a way around some of them.
     In April a mother, Asha, brought her one year old son, Seif, for two days of diarrhea.  This is her first child and she and her husband are doing their best.  But the child had been losing weight for 6 months and now weighed only 12 pounds.  Despite bringing the child to be weighed every month no one had done anything about his failure to gain weight. His muscles were so weak he could hardly sit up and he couldn't stand at all. I was concerned about several serious problems and referred the child to a pediatrician at the provincial hospital.  The first time she took him the doctor wasn't there.  The second time the doctor was in but had no time to see him.  The third time I'm not sure exactly who saw the child but they told the mother that she had to go to a private hospital with 4000 shillings ($50) for lab tests because the lab couldn't do them at the government hospital.  So ,she trusted me enough to get in my car and we went to a lab that I know does good work and I spent 1240 shillings ($16) to do one test that gave me the answer...the child has low thyroid hormone.  I thank the pathologist who gave me a 10% discount on his charges.  On Friday we began giving him thyroid hormone and hopefully he will start improving.  And I thank each of you who contribute to our ministry so I can find a way around some of these challenges!
     I will try to make an entry to this blog on the first of each month. We lay missioners in Kenya have also committed ourselves to focus on peace on the first day of each month through our prayers and our actions. So when I go to Mass this evening I will not only be praying for the people of Kenya who are celebrating their freedom but especially for continued peace...despite the continuing challenges!

22 May 2013

Full moon over Indian Ocean Mombasa

     This beautiful picture of the full moon was taken by Mary Oldham on her last night in Mombasa one month ago.  It has been a month full of rain and new growth in the fields.  I also have a wonderful story to share.
     Many years ago when I worked in Kitale, Kenya Russ Brine, another Maryknoll Lay Missioner, came to our hospital with a request.  He overseas the Bosco program for rescuing children from the streets and he had a boy named Ben who wanted to be a doctor.  Ben was from Turkana, north of Kitale, a very arid desolate land of people who herded cattle.  Bosco rescued him from the streets of Kitale and sent him to school.  He graduated first in his class.  So Russ asked us if Ben could volunteer at the hospital and we found him to be a very kind and gentle young man.  Next Russ found a donor for school fees but they were only enough to be trained as a physician assistant.  Russ remembers me saying under my breath...I hope he goes back to Turkana.  Well, he did!
     Last month I received an email from Fr. Tim in Sudan asking me about a medical problem for a young girl from Toposa in Sudan who was studying in Turkana.  I needed someone to examine the girl and wondered how I could contact Ben.  A few days later, just by chance, I received a text message on my phone from Ben asking me about a medical problem.  I now had contact with Ben and between the phone and the email the girl has gone to the hospital where Ben works and we have been working to solve her problem.
     Never in my wildest dreams could I have envisaged practicing medicine using technology to assist a young health care worker in a very remote place.  I am so happy to see younger people caring for one another in this way.  The Toposa and Turkana are historically enemies who raid each others cattle.  But now they are helping one another to heal their illnesses and go to school.
     On Friday 24 May we will see another full moon.  Look up at the sky and enjoy the beauty of our world and thank God for the good people who are trying to make life better for others...each one of you included!

28 April 2013

     I have a calender of the Sisters of St. Joseph from LaGrange and today the saying is "grieve over loss".  That is appropriate for Judy and I as Mary, our house mate and co-missioner for the last three years has returned to the US on Friday.  She worked with the HOPE = Helping Orphans Pursue Education program and did a wonderful job under very difficult circumstances.  She will now go for her Master's degree and although we will miss her very much we know that it is the right decision and wish her well.
     A friend asked how we didn't get stuck on the muddy roads below and the answer is that we had a good driver and a good vehicle with four wheel drive that took us through the bush where the ground wasn't so muddy.  She also asked how we haven't gotten sick with Dengue fever when the people downstairs have.  We are very vigilant about killing mosquitoes and making sure that we don't get bitten by them.  It's a challenge but so far we've succeeded.
     I saw a two year old child at the Likoni clinic last week for follow up.  The little boy only weighs 16 pounds (8kg) which is the size of a one year old child.  His mother has taken him to the clinic every single month of his life and the health workers just kept writing down his weight and watching it fail to increase.  When I examined him last month I thought he might have muscular dystrophy and referred him to the provincial hospital.  They could do only the most basic tests and told the mother to bring him back to see the specialist.  When she returned the specialist wasn't in the clinic.  They told her to return in another week and when she did they told her that the specialist didn't have time to see the child and to return next week.  Such are the struggles of people  who can't afford private health care.  I will follow up on the child and use my mission money to get the tests that he needs if the government doesn't do them.  His prognosis is not good but at the very least the mother deserves a diagnosis and support to help her care for her child.

20 April 2013

Road to Taveta

Trucks stuck on the road to Taveta

I finally got my pictures of the trip back from Taveta to show the kind of roads were had to deal with.  The rains continue and the farmers are happy but there is flooding in many parts of the country and as you can see it makes travel difficult when there is no road.  This Class A International Road connects Kenya to Tanzania and travels through Tsavo West National Park.
     The week long trip was very needed and we found lots of problems to deal with.  The renovation of the maternity unit in Eldoro is still not complete and we could not return to Eldoro on Thursday as planned because the road was impassable.  It didn't matter as the contractor who had told Sr. Pauline he would meet with us on Thursday was no where to be found.  We talked to the foreman and told him the work must be done in one month or we will hire another contractor to get the unit open and functioning by 1st July.
     This past week in Mombasa we were told by the government that there are at least 57 cases of confirmed Dengue fever along the coast.  Three people in the family downstairs and a Sister on South Coast have all been very sick.  It is a virus spread by mosquitoes that are breeding with all this rain.  I haven't seen any public health announcements in the papers or on the radio.  It probably would not be good for their tourist industry for this to be publicized.  So on Friday I traveled to Mrima and began our teaching for the staffs in outlying areas.  Fortunately the road was paved and we came and went in the same day!!!

10 April 2013

     Yesterday 9th April 2013, the government of Kenya spent Kshs300 million ($3.6 million) on the inauguration of the new president and vice-president.  It was a public holiday but Sr. Pauline and I chose to work as we had already planned a week long trip to the villages.  Let me give you a perspective from where the common people live.

     On Sunday we began our trip and met a huge traffic jam at a weigh station outside of Mombasa.  The machines for weighing the trucks broke down and I counted 440 trucks backed up for miles.  It took 4 hours, more than double the time it usually takes to reach our first clinic. The clinic went well but on Monday night the electricity went out all night long.  On Tuesday morning we left Voi early in the morning to travel to Taveta on the Tanzanian border.  This is a class A international road and half way there we met two trucks stuck in the mud.  The road used to be paved but now all the pavement is gone and it had rained causing great piles of mud.  I felt like I was having deja vu of traveling in South Sudan many years ago.  Fortunately our vehicle could slip slide its way around the trucks.  When we reached Taveta we found the road to the village of Eldoro was full of water so we took a different side road.  There were patches of mud but with four wheel drive we could get through.  We reached Eldoro and spent 3 hours at the dispensary.  On leaving at 6pm we tried to take the normal route but found a truck stuck in the mud.  So we backed up and returned on the small muddy path we had come through earlier.  We reached our next village destination of Chumvini at 7:30pm last night.  As we traveled at night I noticed that there was electric lighting in the distance where Tanzania is.  There was no electricity on the Kenya side we were driving through.  Sr. Pauline explained that rural electrification still hasn't reached this part of Kenya.  I did a clinic here in Chumvini today but the lab technician had trouble reaching the clinic because the road was muddy.  Another vehicle tried to go to Eldoro today and failed because a truck was stuck in the road.  We have planned to return to Eldoro tomorrow to follow up on the building of the maternity unit but our success will depend on the rains and the trucks!!!

     All of this is to witness to the fact that while the leaders of the country can afford to spend plenty of money on the inauguration the common person still lives in the dark and has trouble moving themselves and their goods from one place to another.  I hope that we can give them good quality health care services to make their lives less difficult.  So far, I'm really glad we've avoided getting stuck in the mud!!!  I wanted to take some pictures but the camera on my phone had run out of charge due to lack of electricity.

1st April 2013

     It is a cool rainy morning here in Mombasa and we had a lovely Easter celebration with 11 friends in our home yesterday.  All is calm and we are grateful for the peaceful acceptance of the court ruling Saturday evening.  The court made the unanimous decision that the elections were free and fair and that the two men elected president and vice president will be inaugurated on 9th April.  This is the end of discussion and there will not be anymore appeals or legal challenges in Kenya.
     Judy works in Bangladesh slum and I will go there for a clinic tomorrow.  In 2008 this slum was the center of post election violence and many people were hurt and killed.  This month the priests (St. Patrick Fathers from Kiltegan in Ireland) report that some police came and beat up youth with sticks while they were playing on the football field and prevented other gatherings of people.  But the people didn't fight back and there was no escalation of violence.  The parish has been working diligently to help people channel their anger nonviolently and they have succeeded.  In addition, all three priests are older than me and live in the slum with their parishoners.  I suspect that Pope Francis would be approving of their lives of service!
     Most people I have talked to just want to put the election process behind them and get on with their lives.  They want to make a decent living and send their kids to school.  For me, the concern is for those people who suffered during the violence in 2008.  I heard many of their stories and know how much they suffered at the hands of people well known to them.  I hope that they will be able to tell their stories at the International Criminal Court in the Hague.  But recently the court had to drop charges against one man because the witnesses had died, been killed or changed their minds and refused to testify.  The Hague also said that the government of Kenya was not cooperating in providing what was necessary to determine the truth.  Now, two of the three men still charged have become the government of Kenya!  I doubt they will do a better job of 'cooperating'.  I feel very  sad for the future of these people and the country as a whole.  This is not a very joyful Easter for me.
     But I will go to work tomorrow and do my best to serve the needs of the people who come to the clinic.  I'll take heart in knowing that there are many of you who are keeping us in thought and prayer and admit that I can only do my little part.  Wishing you all a very Happy Eastertide and the arrival of Spring as soon as possible in Illinois!

23 March 13

     One week ago today the opposition filed a petition in the Supreme Court contesting the election results and claiming rigging and fraud.  The Court will begin to hear the petition on Monday and will return a verdict by next Saturday...Holy Saturday. They can throw the petition out and the President elect will be inaugurated or they can call for another election process.  There is tension but so far people are peaceful and waiting patiently.
     On Friday we found out that Msambweni District, where I do a monthly clinic near to the Tanzanian border, has no immunizations and no medicines to prevent the transmission of HIV virus from pregnant mother to her unborn baby.  A pregnant woman came to the clinic this past week having already been to two other clinics.  Our clinic didn't have any medicine, which is provided by the government, and she was sent to a fourth government dispensary right on the TZ border.  I'm sure they won't have the medicine either.  The District hospital does have vaccines but they don't have the special one shot syringes used to give the vaccines and they won't allow health workers to use regular syringes...which were used for years before these syringes became available.  The male  clinical officer at our dispensary who is from the coast has resigned because of 'family problems'.  The clinical officer we offered the position to is a woman from another part of the country. We doubt that she will stay and I'm not sure she should stay, being a woman from 'upcountry' who may be a target of people with bad intentions.  These are problems that no one hears about in the news.
     Now for the good news...This past week I found out that a young Turkana man who was rescued from the streets of Kitale many years back by Bosco Street Children's program (run by Russ Brine, Maryknoll Lay Missioner) has started his first job as a clinical officer in Kakuma Mission hospital in his home district of Turkana!!!  Ben was the first in his high school class and wanted to be a doctor.  There wasn't enough money to do that but he came to Kiminini Cottage hospital when I was there to volunteer and chose to go to clinical officer training school, similar to physician assistant or nurse practitioner in the USA.  He is a fine young man and the people of Turkana will be well cared for by him.  The same night I heard that news I got a text message from Teresa, a nurse who has completed her training and had just finished her first day working at Kiminini Cottage hospital.  We had funded her training through money from my mission account with the agreement that she would return to work at the hospital for three years.  She is a lovely woman who has been very hardworking and conscientious over the years.  There is another young man, Anderson, who came from Bosco and is also in nurses training with one year left, funded by my mission account.  He is doing well and when he finishes he will go to work at Kiminini too.  With all of the difficulties at the moment these three young people are really hope for the future...hardworking, compassionate, capable and trying to do their best.  It is a real privilege to to have been able to assist them and to watch them reach their potentials.
     So we begin Holy Week tomorrow and it will be a very special week of prayer with the courts proceedings moving forward.  At the moment the judiciary seems to be the one arm of the government that most people feel has some integrity.  Keep Kenya in your prayer!    

10 March 13 - 2pm

     It is now 24 hours after the official announcement that Uhuru Kenyatta was elected the next president of Kenya.  There have been no violent incidents in Mombasa and I haven't heard of problems elsewhere in the country.  Mary and the Kluegs are preparing to return to Mombasa on Tuesday and we will be very happy to have them back with us.
     The opposition will go to court with the evidence they have of violations of the election process.  This is great progress for this country as this was not a viable option in 2008 and people took to the streets in what they saw as their only chance to right the wrongs.  Credit goes to all who stood in the blazing hot sun for many hours to participate in the voting process.  The vote seems to have been on ethnic lines rather than issues so there are still many difficulties to face in moving the country forward as a nation.  Justice is important and change is difficult.  I just hope that in some small way I can be helpful and supportive, especially to those who are on the margins and most in need.
     I don't plan to be writing such frequent blogs from now on.  Still, from time to time I will make ssome entries for those of you who find this site helpful to keep in touch.  Blessings, susan

09 March 13 - 3pm

     Yesterday when I went to the Cathedral the funeral of one of several police officers killed while trying to bring voting materials to the polling stations was just finishing.
     The electoral commission has just announced that Uhuru Kenyatta has been elected the next president of Kenya.  He and his VP have been indicted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity during the elections in 2007.  His trial will start on July 9th in the Hague.
     Mombasa is quiet and all celebrations have been prohibited.  Many people have had great fear this past week and some may have been too afraid to vote.  And as the funeral reminded me, some have given their lives and leave behind family and children.  Now we wait to see what will happen. The biggest difference I see today is that there is a functioning judiciary with a Chief Justice whom people respect and feel is a man of integrity.  In 2007 the only recourse was to go to the streets.  Hopefully this time around their grievances will be heard in court, peacefully.

08 March 13 - 3pm

08 March 13 - 3pm

     Yesterday evening I went to 5:30pm Mass and met up with Cecilia, an 87 year old retired teacher born in Kenya of Goan ancestry from India.  She told me that her Muslim neighbor offered to give her a lift to church.  But she was a bit nervous, saying that there weren't any cars on the road and she didn't want Fr. Correa to give a sermon.  To his credit he was finished in 20 minutes!

     This morning it rained heavily, 41mm or about 2 inches.  One of the Muslim truck drivers for the family downstairs says they haven't had any work all week because of the slow down in business and people fear to go out very much.  But he is confident that the presidential vote will be decided in this round and that there will peace. He also told me that if I ever need help with my car (I've had several punctures lately) he will always help me and he doesn't want me to pay him anything because we are neighbors.  (I do pass along our old newspapers to him.)  All this just goes to show you that we live together quite happily and look out for one another.

   Meanwhile the manual counting continues and the two candidates are still close together with Uhuru in the lead.  The presidential tally must be announced by Monday.  There were more people out and about today when I went to Mass at 1pm.  The priest didn't mention anything about International Women's Day which is celebrated today.  Kenya has a little bit about women in the paper but it's overshadowed by all of the politics.

     Yesterday I heard Bishop Paride Taban on the BBC.  He received an award from the UN for his peace village in Kuron and his life long quest to bring peace to what is now South Sudan.  I was grateful to be able to work in his diocese and hope that peace will prevail in Kenya no matter who is elected president.

07 March 3pm

Have been in touch with Judy and Coralis and they are in their dispensaries carrying on as usual.  They are really remarkable women.  I've been around town and it's about the same as yesterday...some tension and some shops open but not as many as usual.  A couple of hours ago Musyoka, the VP for Raila, held a press conference, alleged there was rigging and called for the counting to stop.  The returns up to that point were still showing Uhuru ahead by about the same amount as yesterday.  I'll go to Mass in the evening and see if anything has changed.

06 March 3pm

Have just returned from Mass at the Cathedral.  Not many people were there and while there were some people on the streets and shops open it is less than normal.  The voting returns in the presidential election have slowed down and people are wondering why.  There is more tension and more talk that the process is not proceeding properly.  Coralis is fine in the clinic in Kikambala.  Judy went to the clinic in Bangala and only one other staff, the clinical officer, came to work. They have seen 16 sick patients but decided not to do the vaccination clinic because of short staffing.  I am working on my financial reports for last year...very boring but necessary to account for all the money we received and spent.

05 March 2pm

     Our neighborhood is very quiet.  The polling was extended last night to allow anyone in the polling station at 5pm to vote.  Bangala finished voting at 9pm by gas lights.  People waited for hours in the scorching sun...this one of the hottest months in Mombasa.  Sr. Pauline left her house at 5:45am and didn't get home until 3pm.  There were problems with electronic voting as some places the batteries ran out and if the station didn't have power and a cord to hook up to it they had to use manual procedures.  Women with babies were allowed to move up in line but when some women started 'borrowing' babies to take advantage of the perk the officials required the women to breast feed their baby.
     The trouble in Mombasa on Sunday night was a very serious coordinated attack in three places (Likoni, Miritini and Kilifi) to disrupt the voting process.  The Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) has been accused of trying to stop people from voting.  They want the coast to secede from Kenya.  There was a huge number of people (hundreds) who overwhelmed the police who were trying to distribute voting material the night before the elections.  Some very senior police officials were killed.  We know a woman who lives in Miritini and she heard the shooting at night time.  But she got up at 5am to vote and her home has been peaceful since then.
     I am so impressed with the committment and peacefulness of the people who voted.  The questions now are two:
1. Will someone win in the first round of voting?
2. If someone wins will it be accepted peacefully?

     Judy and I are at home today and Coralis is in the clinic at Kikambala.  We are all fine.

04 March 9pm

All is quiet in our neighborhood.  Those who were still in the polling stations at 5pm will be allowed to vote.  Bangala still has 2-300 people to vote by gas lamps but all is calm there.  Our electricity has been off and on three times today but it seems it's a problem with a transformer next door that has occurred before.  At the moment we have lights and all is well.

04 March 2pm

     The voting has started but many stations were late in opening.  We went to Mass at 7am and our neighborhood is quiet.  There has been a report by the Chief of Police in Kenya that an ambush occurred in Mombasa killing 6 police officers, one of whom was the OCPD (Officer in Charge of the Police Department) and 6 attackers.  They have flown re-inforcments to Mombasa.
     It is not clear exactly where the attack occurred or who caused the attack.  There are many rumors.
     One of the parishes, St. Patrick's in Bangaladesh slum where Judy works in the clinic, reports that the voting started late, 10:30am, because of these problems.  It is taking people about 5 minutes to vote and they can have about 96 people per hour vote according to the lines they have set up. There are 3000 registered voters in Bangala so that would require 31 hours for everyone to be able to vote.  People were standing in lines from 5am and the sun is very hot.  The stations are suppose to close at 5:30pm.
     Judy and I are at home and our neighborhood is quiet.

03 March 2013

     Greetings on this last 'normal' day before the Kenyan elections.  Things will certainly change no matter what happens.  One good thing is that President Kibaki will still be the president even if the elections are contested by the candidates. In 2007 it was unclear who the president really was and that caused lots of problems.  Also, Kenya has new Chief Justice and many people see him as a person of integrity who will be able to address legal questions that arise.
     "Kenya remains the anchor state and the geopolitical pivot of the East African Community" according to a well known economist.  It means that whatever happens in Kenya will have repercussions in the surrounding countries, especially those like S. Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, who depend on the port in Mombasa for commerce.
     "The elections will just be the beginning of a long and difficult process for Kenyans".  The country will be instituting a new form of government which will devolve power from the center to the 47 counties.  This will require financing without undermining national development.  It could be that people with ancestral inheritance in these counties will want to control all the government and development and exclude ethnic migrants.  It could lead to increased negative ethnicity and weaken national cohesion.
     One statistic that has really surprised me is the number of women in the parliaments of these countries.  Rwanda leads with 56%, then Tanzania 36%, then Uganda 35%, then Burundi 30% and lastly Kenya with only 9.8%.  
     In order to win a candidate has to get 50% +1 of the popular vote and 25% of the votes in 24 of 47 counties.  It is unlikely that will happen tomorrow which would mean that campaigning will continue with the two top candidates until a run off election on April 11th.  For the moment all is calm here in Mombasa and we hope and pray it stays that way!!!

1st March

All is quiet here except for the blaring music that continues to travel around on the vehicles for the politicians. Mary and the Kluegs went to Nairobi on the train last night and had a good trip arriving safely this morning.  The country seems pretty divided and this is what I am hearing:
1. The elections will take time since there are 6 ballots to fill out and many people aren't well versed in how to do it.  Some one just told me that the Constitution says that the only person who can extend the elections is the chairman of the Independent Board of the Electoral Commission and voting can't extend for more than one day
2. People are saying that they want this over with in one vote because it is disrupting schools, business and life in general.  So people are advising others to vote for one of the two top candidates and hope that one of them wins outright.
3. Most people think there will be peace for the most part and that where there is trouble will be in small pockets, maybe not having anything to do with the elections.  There are always those that want to take advantage of the situation.

A friend just sent me a message saying that this is Women's World Day of Prayer and his calender says, "When sleeping women awake mountains will move".  With men like that I think we could really make the world a better place!

27 February 2013

     It's only 5 days to the elections and the second debate was last night.  Commentators felt the candidates had prepared themselves better this time around.  This morning I asked Joseph, our local newspaper man, what he thought.  Joseph is in his 60s and has a polio deformity of his left leg.  But each day he is at his corner making a decent living and keeping tabs on the welfare of the neighborhood.  We appreciate his advice and opinion.  He told me that he was most impressed by Dida, the least likely candidate to win!  Why?  Dida said he would cut the salaries of the big people because the little people were being crushed by the huge bureaucracy.  Dida is a 38 year old Kenyan of Somali descent. Joseph just might vote for him because he feels like Dida will advocate for the little people.  I'm impressed that Joseph is looking at issues rather than ethnicity.  That is very big progress in Kenya.

     I have been asked to join the committee of the Archdiocese to prepare for potential emergencies arising from the elections.  So far all signs point to a peaceful process during elections on Monday.  Many people have already traveled to their home areas and store keepers have moved their stocks and will close up shop before the weekend, including Nakumatt and Kongowea market!  The mock elections last weekend didn't have many people turn up but there were no incidents.  The rallies and loud music on moving vehicles continue to interfere with meetings and sleep but it only shows how much money they have to waste and otherwise no ill will.  Almost everyone is predicting that no single candidate will garner enough votes to win on Monday and all of this will continue into a run off election in April.  If it all stays peaceful I can certainly hang in there and feel like my Lenten process is challenging enough!      

     We recently had visitors and took this picture at Fort Jesus, a World Heritage site built by the Portuguese in the 1600s.  We're hoping NCR might agree to print it.  If not you can always say you saw it here!  From left to right we are Fr. Peter Ryan, Diocese of Long Island, NY, Judy Walter, Susan Nagele and Coralis Salvador.