Communication from Kenya

To give you all a feel of our wonderful host I have included her most reticent e-mail.  Enjoy.

Once again I say, Welcome to Kenya. I am excited and looking forward to your arrival and stay with us.  You will not inconvenience any one.  You are coming home.  When we were planning for this trip I was not in any leadership position therefore I had planned that you stay with my brother and his family. Now that I am in the key decision position, you will stay with me. You will be in Nairobi for a few days to recover from the jet lag. 

At this time I will be attending the Superior Generals' workshop in Nairobi. But you will be in company of our sisters. Sister Rosa (remember sister Rosa during my graduation - she was more senior to us; she is the assistant superior general and she will be in Nairobi too waiting to receive you home). Sr. Rosa will be with you while I will be in the workshop.

 

 Then we will go to Asumbi where we have the generalate and our mother house.

 

We  go to my home. On the way home we will stop at our convents for you to share in the life of our sisters and communities. On each stop I will be working with our sisters since I have been out for one month in Germany and Holland. We will stay at my home and visit our communities around home. While at Mbaga, Stanley will have a visit with our project coordinator. he will begin to have a feel of our needs. 

 

On the 19th of June we will have a meeting with about 30 sisters. They are project committee members, finance committee members and farm committee members. You will have a whole morning with us. Whatever you do we will appreciate.  The afternoon I would like Stanley to listen to our discussion because that will help us out working together the rest of the time. There is just so much I would like Stanley to do with us (attached please find the first seminar by Fr. Ben Kiriswa from April 26th to April 30th 2010)

 

I plan that we go to Mount Kenya. I also plan that we see Safari and some cultural dances.

 

 We will see the project I so much want to work on "blood and bleeding."

You will also work with the sisters due for their final vows, the novices, and aspirants. 

 

I don't want you to be tired - you will need some holidays too.

 

You will visit our Bishop

 

You will visit my sister's home - you remember my late Vincent? His home - about 60 miles away. We will stop there on our way to visit some of our communities.  Remember part of home coming is rest and play.

 

I am on my way to Holland and as I write  I too I am missing home.

 

I will wait for you in Nairobi and meet you at the airport. YOUR HOME COMING IS A GIFT.Blessing and love.

 

 

Sister Margaret Aringo, fsj Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph

Assisi Convent

P. O. Box 21197

Nairobi

Kenya

 

As you can tell we are being well cared for.  All is now in the the hands of the Lord.  

Kenya, the next adventure

Yvonne and I are setting up this blog so you can follow along with our adventure.

As most of you know Stanley and I have been invited to travel to Kenya by Sister Margaret Aringo, a friend that I met at Church Divinity School of the Pacific. We will be getting to know Kenya and its people as well as helping Sister Margaret with St. Clare's, a project to train village elders (mostly women) in leadership and public health techniques. St. Clare's will also set up a scholarship program to send young people to nursing school. This ambitious project is a result of her PhD research and will necessarily be a long term project. We will be teaching and supporting her efforts in ways that we do not really know at this point. (It is understood that Stanley will be doing a little plumbing and household maintenance for her convent, Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph, Assisi House. He is really along as labor and support personnel.)

We leave on June 3 and will fly to Dubai and spend the night. We think that we will get to see a little of the town but who knows. We will let you know when we know. Then off to Nairobi to arrive on Saturday. We will probably sleep for two days and then you will hear from us again.

Pray for us and Sister Margaret.