01 August 2017

SUSAN AND FRIEND ON PEACE WALK

KENYA ELECTIONS 8 AUGUST 2017

PEACE IS THE WAY OF LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING

    

Greetings from Urbana Illinois where I am enjoying sweet corn and beautiful summer weather with my family and friends.  I've had some challenges with cross cultural issues.  The air conditioning in the grocery stores, churches and restaurants almost gives me frost bite. I go everywhere with my light Mombasa wrap to cover my neck and shoulders.  Everything here is BIG!!!  I couldn't find a green pepper smaller than the size of my foot. But the up side is that people are so friendly and courteous.  It is a joy to drive on roads where people follow the rules and vehicles stop for pedestrians.

     At the moment, my thoughts and prayers are with my friends back in Kenya, especially Mombasa.  The elections for the President, as well as governors, senators, Councillors and others will be held on 8th August.  The news my friends send me by email is not good.  In 2007/8 there was terrible post election violence while I was in Kiminini/Kitale.  Issues of land rights, negative ethnicity and corruption caused many problems.  Those issues have not been resolved and seem to have increased.  Kenya has a democracy but it is fraught with dangerous politics.

     The Kenya Council of Catholic Bishops printed a prayer card which we have been praying regularly for peaceful elections.  In June I participated in a peace walk from our Cathedral sponsored by the Association of Sisterhoods of Kenya and wore my Maryknoll T-shirt.  It uses a swahili proverb for peace and has the word PEACE written in English, swahili (AMANI) and Arabic (SALAAM). The first of every month we lay missioners in Kenya always pray especially for peace.  This month we are most concerned with Kenya.

PAUL MARY SUSAN MARTY

     While visiting my family in Minnesota I was able to meet up with former lay missioners Mary Oldham and Marty Roers.  Mary's husband Paul is also with us and we had a lovely evening together remembering our times together in mission.  Many people in Kenya and Sudan still ask about them and a picture is worth much more than poorly descriptive words.  In short, they are all very happy and healthy.

     I will be in Illinois until 6th September when I will return to Kenya.  By then I hope the country has a president and functioning government so we can get on with the important tasks of caring for each other with love.

MAY THE PEACE OF SUMMER BIRD SONG

AND

MOONLIT NIGHTS BE WITH YOU