01 October 2017

CLIFFS OF EAST BOURNE                          

SEASON OF CREATION

     We have been celebrating the Season of Creation since September 1st.  It will end on the feast of St. Francis on October 4th.  The Global Catholic Climate Movement has been asking for pictures of the beauty of creation to post on their website and I was enjoying looking at them the other day.  This picture of huge cliffs overlooking the sea with tiny people standing on top caught my eye.  I find great pleasure in the beauty of nature.  The size of the people in contrast to the size of the other features of the picture helped to remind me of the place we humans occupy in the vastness of nature.  It helps me to come closer to God and keep the difficulties of life in perspective.

   

KILIMAJARO IN TANZANIA

So I spent some time looking through various pictures of nature that I have taken in East Africa over the years.  I thought I would share some of them with you too.  Credit for the picture of the full moon goes to Mary Oldham who took this picture on her last night in Mombasa a few years ago.  If you look closely you will see that there is a small boat in the water!!!!

LILY SOUTH SUDAN

     Politics in Kenya continue to disrupt our lives daily.  The nurses have been striking since June 5th.  The Clinical Officers (Physician Assistants) have been striking since the beginning of September.  Last Monday the Lab technologists started striking too.  Hardly anyone is working in the government health facilities.

FULL MOON OVER INDIAN OCEAN KENYA

     All of our health units in the Archdiocese are trying to keep up with the extra needs of so many sick people who have no money for private care.  The government health workers have legitimate grievances but the government isn't functioning.  No one will address the issue of the strikes until the government starts to function again.

     I have asked so many people what they think will happen this month.  At the moment elections are scheduled on October 26th.  One person said that he doesn't think the elections will be held and the presidency will go to the Speaker of the Parliament.  One person said that the best thing for the country would be a transitional government...whatever that means.  Other people say that there will be elections on the 26th.  Some say they will be peaceful and others say there will be violence.  Yet another said he didn't really know what will happen.

     So, I have scheduled my last clinic for Oct 25th and have started to stock up on food, fuel and phone credit.  I plan to just stay in my house and work on medical and financial reports while we see what unfolds.  There's no use trying to guess what will happen.  No one really knows.

     Last night Heidi got the best news of all...she passed the Illinois State Bar exam!!!  I am now living with a fully qualified lawyer.  We celebrated with a half a chocolate bar left in the fridge.  But tonight we went out for dinner and to a music concert.  At times like these, when there is so much uncertainty, it's essential to deal with what is absolutely certain.

MAY THE PEACE OF THE CERTAINTY OF GOD WITH US

BE WITH YOU

21 September 2017

THE ROAD TO BAMBA

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE

     Yesterday I was not very much at peace.  I had to travel through 17km = 10 miles of mud in 4 WD which took an hour and ten minutes.  We made the trip there and back and only got stuck twice.  I have a good driver. I had no idea what I was getting into and with all the rain there were only three patients for me to see.

     When I returned to the Sisters' house the TV showed the reading of the full text of the ruling which declared the presidential election on August 8th invalid, null and void.  It took 12 hours for the judges to read through all of it!

     The day before yesterday there had been demonstrations and trouble in the streets of Nairobi with major disruptions of traffic.  However, yesterday when the demonstrators gathered outside the Law Court the police tried to disperse them (both sides) with tear gas.  They scattered but returned...and so did a swarm of bees!!!  That dispersed everyone permanently and there was no more chaos.  Today has been peaceful.

     The BBC has announced that the rerun of the elections will be on October 26th rather than October 17th.  This fits in well with my schedule and I won't have to change anything again...I've already changed clinics once!!! 

     Just to let you all know that now I am at peace and all is well for the moment.  We're still not quite sure what will happen when.  But my next clinic for Bamba is scheduled for November 8th and by then this stretch of road should be tarmacked and I expect we'll fly over it like we did the first 25km = 15miles.  I look forward to that!

19 September 2017

     Greetings from Giriama, deep in the rural interior on north coast.  I am quite fine except for the heavy rain that came today after I arrived.  This is my first clinic here since June and they had been needing rain.  So, I could take credit for bringing this important blessing along with me.  Tomorrow I am supposed to travel to Bamba, even more interior.  The road will be muddy so I'm planning to take a different route and hope for the best.
     Please note the new picture on the right of this blog page.  We are now three lay missioners in Mombasa and you can see all of us in our radiant beauty!  We are so happy to have Heidi join us.  She is our lawyer in residence and we are helping her to hone her constitutional law expertise.  The date for the rerun of the presidential election on Oct 17th is in doubt.  The IEBC doesn't have a contract to do the next election and the company that did it last time said it can't be ready before the end of October.
     Today there was chaos on the roads coming into and out of Nairobi.  For those of you in the US in particular who may be concerned, I will use this vehicle to keep people updated about my whereabouts.  Tomorrow the details of the judicial ruling which annulled the elections will be made public.  We can expect more violence. I have just heard the Chief Justice on the BBC.  He said the he is ready to pay the ultimate price to protect the constitution of Kenya and the rule of law.

PLEASE JOIN WITH US IN PRAYING FOR PEACE

10 September 2017

Now we are in Mombasa after an 11 hour bus ride yesterday.  It was overcast and cool so that made the long trip easier. Heidi got to see a lot of the country and plenty of dust at the same time.  I hope she doesn't' have to do that again!  I return to work tomorrow and all is calm and quiet here.  We expect it to stay that way.  No one is talking about any fear of violence and it was completely peaceful during the first voting in August so that shows a lot of progress and maturity.  But I have to rearrange my clinic schedule as the next voting day will be a holiday and we can't work at that time.  Hoping for the best!

08 September 2017

Greetings from Nairobi at the Maryknoll Society House!  Heidi and I had a very safe and pleasant trip from Chicago and we leave for Mombasa on the bus tomorrow. 

We've been listening to all the Kenyans we've met to learn about the current feelings regarding the 8th August election and the rerun of the election, currently scheduled for 17th Oct.  Every Kenyan has said that they will vote in the rerun...even one who said he didn't vote in the first election.  The country is deeply troubled by negative ethnicity (tribalism).  The IEBC, Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, performed very badly on the first election process according to everyone we have listened to. All are concerned for the future of the country but very committed to participating peacefully.  So, we continue to pray and work for peace.  I will make periodic updates on this blog to keep people informed from this side.

01 September 2017

BACK IN ILLINOIS, USA

     This past month has been busy with mission education about our ministry in Kenya.  This picture as taken at St. Peter Catholic Church in Geneva Illinois.  It is the parish of my sister and her family.  They have been supporting us with donations every month for many years.  It was the first time I was able to meet them and thank them for their generosity.

     It is a small world and this woman had already been to both South Sudan and Kenya so she was very interested in our outreach.

     I also spoke at my own parish, St. Patrick in Urbana, at the invitation of the Women of St. Patrick.  I was amazed at how many people showed up as it is August and time for taking vacations.  Not only did they come but they asked excellent questions.  It is difficult, even for me, to get information of Kenya or other news from overseas.  But somehow they had kept up and knew about Al Shabaab, the vaccine disagreement between the Kenyan Bishops and the Kenyan government and the recent presidential elections.  At this point, the elections, which were held on Aug 8th, are contested by the opposition and the courts will give their ruling on September 1st...after I publish this blog.  The violence that occurred after the elections has caused the deaths of over 20 people, one a 6 month old baby and another a 9 year old girl caught in cross fire.  This sounds like a volatile situation and analyses of the democratic process are quite critical of how the polls were managed.  UPDATE The Kenyan Supreme Court has just ruled the elections invalid. They must be rerun within 60 days.  I am shocked and hopeful.

     I also participated in the ministry weekend at my parish.  There is a whole booklet of possible ministries for people to use their talents in service.  I have always been welcomed by the J and P commission to answer questions about Maryknoll and invite people to consider joining us.  It is a huge parish with frequent turnover of parishioners who come and go from the University.  There is now only one priest but the laity are so active the services just seem to grow and grow.  I feel so blessed to have come from this parish and to go with their prayers and loving support.

     All was not work this past month.  On August 21st I traveled to Carbondale Illinois with my brother Michael, his family and Heidi Cerneka to view the solar eclipse.  I have two nieces who live in Carbondale and we gathered at their house for food and fun.  At 1:20pm the sky became very dark and a lone cloud drifted over the moon.  I kept my eyes glued to the place of the sun and the cloud parted for a few moments and I could see the total eclipse of the sun by the moon.  The planet Venus could be seen to the north and Jupiter to the south.  The birds stopped singing and the insects started chirping...just as they do at nighttime.  The sky was a deep blue and it was cooler with a bit of a wind.  It lasted at total of 2 and a half minutes and at the end I could see the diamond as the eclipse began to end.  

     I felt very privileged to see such a magnificent site.  Nature is one of the most clear manifestations of God for me.  It helps me to keep the perspective of my place in such vastness and encourages my faith that despite all of the difficulties and challenges we face I am not alone and all will be well.

     I leave to return to Kenya on Sept 6th, travelling with Heidi, an experienced lay missioner. She will come to do some research for the next year on women in the criminal justice system.  Coralis and I are thrilled to have her with us.

     Today begins the Season of Creation sponsored by the Catholic Global Climate Movement

https://plus.google.com/103310982641750280650

I will attend an interfaith prayer service for the environment at my church, St. Patrick, today.  The season will go until the feast of St. Francis on Oct 4th.  Hope each of you will find a way to celebrate this season too.

PEACE OF THE WAXING, SOON TO BE FULL, MOON TO YOU!!!