HI, Friends, I am writing to you on a warm Sunday afternoon at 5 PM. The sun is rather quickly moving toward its place in the west and beyond the rolling mountain range that beautifies our southern view. Off to the left, looking southeast is the big city of Nairobi at about 500' below us. I am sure you are aware of the horrible tragedy that has happened here over the last week. A small, violent group of people who call themselves Al Shabaab, an offshoot of Al Quieda, did tremendous damage to a high-end shopping mall on the other side of the city and murdered dozens of people in the process. They sought revenge for the military occupation of Somalia, their country of origin. Two years ago Al Shabaab went public in Somalia and attempted a coup against the government there and terrorized many of the citizenry. The desperate people fled to the west into Kenya, which had to foot the bill for providing emergency care: tents, port-a-johns, food, electricity, etc for these people. With our neighbors to the west, the Ugandans, and those to the north, Ethiopians, this three-nation contingent has gone into Somalia and occupied about a third of it--what is to the immediate east of the Kenyan border. Al Shabaab is bent on setting up a strictly (fundamentalistic) Islamic state. It is most likely being funded from Qatar or Saudi Arabia or another Arabic state that wants to chase out all non-Muslims and establish this part of the world just for Muslims and then those who want to live Sharia Law with a nomadic lifestyle where men are strict chiefs over small tribal groups of young men, women and children, cows, goats, and burros. The mall they targeted was built and funded by an Israeli couple. It is a total loss, looking like some of the buildings in World War II time that were leveled by aerial bombing. At the final stage of the showdown between Al Shabaab and Kenyan military, the army took a shoulder mounted bazooka and shot it into and through the wall where some of these terrorists were hiding. This was done after a terrorist sniper killed two Kenyan troop[s trying to enter the room through the door to it. One wonders whether that wall-piercing shell killed hostages along with terrorists. Right now forensic agents from Kenya, Israel, the US, Britain and one or two other countries are combing the rubble to get DNA samples and check on possible identification of the over 60 people who are still unaccounted for. The newspapers here have been filled with stories about this tragedy: many, many stories of heroism but also charges of incompetence and blame for letting this event happen. It is now public that the Israeli embassy warned the authorities here that a strike was coming between the 13th and the 28th of this month. Security agents even checked the Westgate mall one or two days before the event began. So someone ignored the warnings, maybe one of many before, and was asleep at the switch. I have heard it said that guards can be bribed easily, so poor is this nation, and that guns, grenades and other military related paraphenalia could be brought in the backdoor of the mall and stored until they were to be used. One item that scared me from newspaper stories I read yesterday was the report that Al Shabaab had originally targeted, along with the Westgate Mall, the Catholic church in the city, Holy Family Basilica. Why they did not follow through is anyone's guess at this time. A great story emerged from the shootings about two children, a 5 year old boy and his two year old sister standing next to their mother who was lying on the floor of the mall. She had been shot and was bleeding in front of her children. The man who did this was looking at the children and the boy said to him: "You are a bad man!" With that the terrorist gave to the boy a piece of wrapped candy and walked away, letting them live, perhaps stirred somewhat with feelings of guilt. I think the mother survived. The other news item to mention here is that I am back into gardening. Those who know me from my Manresa years know that it is one of my favorite hobbies and favorite ways to relax (swimming too). The garden here is about the size of two football fields. It is just huge and is the source of much of the food for the Jesuit community but especially for the people coming on retreat here. I asked the caretaker for a portion of it and he gave me a plot about 100 feet long and 30 feet wide. This is two and a half times more space than I had at Manresa. So...I started on Thursday to work the plot. It has to be done entirely by hand; there is no rototiller or such. The soil is a dark red, rusty colored clay. It can be loosened best by an instrument whose blade is wide like that of a hoe but is swung over your right shoulder like a pick or axe. It claws the soil well and loosens it. Right now the soil is very dry and dusty. In the last three days I have finished preparing two rows, 100' long, and planted corn, beets, peas and tomato seedlings. That last item is a roll-of-the-dice gamble. I will see whether I get sprouts that I can plant later as small tomato plants. All of the watering is done by a huge irrigation system; each row has its water tube or soaker hose with pin-holes in them to allow the water to soak into the area where one has planted. Before watering I put by hand compost all along the rows. The most demanding part of this work is the breaking up the soil, and to do this in a strong, direct sun. (I am careful to wear a long-sleeve shirt and hat with a brim over my ears, gloves too and then sun-screen on the part of the neck and face not covered by the clothing.) I do this for about 15 minutes and them puffing and panting walk over to the edge of my plot and sit down under the large leaves of the banana grove. There I can rest and view the beauty of the garden space full of veggies that are growing so well. Again, this plot is as big as two football fields put together, Imagine what it must take to care for a thing this this . There are three men who are full time doing this six days a week, while caring at other times during the day for mowing the grass and taking care of the flower gardens and trees around the retreat buildings. The grounds and surroundings here are remarkably beautiful. They are well cared for. Anyway, I am so glad to have this outlet here. I am expecting corn just before Christmas and peas and beets around American Thanksgiving time. We are moving into spring now and I am told the spring rains should be coming rather soon. I need to move on now. I have to walk up hill to the garden area and turn off the irrigation valve where I have been watering my plantings. Dinner is coming soon, preceded by a 45 minute social. We do this on Sundays, when there will be a gathering of Jesuits and guests around some peanuts, beer, scotch, soft-drinks, etc. Till later. Kwa heri. (Goodbye in Swahili) Uwe na siku jiorni (Have a good evening in Swahili) Bernie Owens

Dear Friends, I hope this is read by someone. It will save me lots of individual email replies! Anyway, Nairobi right now is tense with Al Quieda idiots at a mall not too far from here. They have killed almost 60 people so far. So surreal! I had two family members visit me last Tuesday afternoon. We went to visit and feed the giraffes at a nearby refuge for giraffes and warthogs . . . yes, warthogs. It was fun to feed the gentle giraffes and see them up so close. Then we went to the Karen Blixen museum which is only 3 miles or so from here. She is the one who ran a coffee plantation from 1912 till the 1930s, failed in doing that, but wrote a number of very successful books. The movie Out Of Africa with R. Redford and Meryl Streep, was based on the book she wrote about her life and marriage while on the plantation. One great surprise for me was to learn that she also authored the book on which the movie, Babette's Feast, was based. That movie is one of the all-time greats for me. I have seen it three times and am deeply moved each time! Her building and plantation, now a national museum, are gorgeous, and our guide around the place was outstanding. I would recommend the tour to anyone visiting here. Last Thursday around 5 PM I had my first encounter with a snake. It had been raining rather heavily, a chilly one at that, and as I was waiting to start the mass for the retreatants, I saw on the floor of the sacristy a black object with white colored rings every inch or so on it. It was about a foot long and not very thick. I thought it was a piece of cloth, since it lay there so motionless. After I finished the mass I stayed in the chapel to pray for 20 minutes, finished and got up only to see this same object under my chair. It was then I realized that this was a snake and that it had crawled out of the cold rain, into the sacristy, and later wiggled its way across the chapel's wooden parque floor. I did not know how to react, so I just left it there. I went to the dining room and during dinner told the other Jesuits about this incident. They told me it is poisonous. I asked what should one do in such a situation. One responded strongly, "Kill it!" Sadly, one of the nuns on retreat killed it later that evening after she had come to the other side of the chapel and found the snake had crawled to where the Blessed Sacrament was exposed and people were gathering for an hour's adoration. Retreat work is often profound and very touching to see how God moves people to new freedoms and joy. I wish more people discovered such an opportunity. I spend my mornings listening to and offering guidance to 5 retreatants, 45 minutes for each of them. Then in the afternoon I try to take the next step in my getting situated here. I still don't have a driver's license. I have to first get my visa upstaged to a more permanent status. To do that I have to get proof of the college degrees I have earned. What a pain to try to get such from archives back in the USA and then to find a way to pay in US money for the service. My tourist visa is good till December 19. I am able to follow Tiger baseball and Lions football on the internet and a little of Michigan news on mlive.com, national stuff on the headlines of the NYTimes. Lastly, the interview that the new pope gave for America magazine and published earlier this week is truly amazing. This man is so frank, so down-to-earth, so disarming and human. It augers very well for the church his time of leadership. He has some major decisions to make in the coming months. God be with him! I will close out now. God's blessings be with you and all you do. Fr. Bernie

Hi, friends, I has been two and a half weeks since my last post. So many immediate things demanding my attention for me to post anything. Anyway, I am feeling more and more settled in. I am beginning to hang pictures on walls, so I am well beyond emptying boxes and filling shelves. You should see how beautiful this place is. We are 5900 feet above sea level, on 60 acres with beautifully kept grounds. We also have the sounds of many animals here: roosters to wake us up in the morning and the bleating of a little calf, female, born just this afternoon. She is a beauty! The mother's incessant licking and the little one's wobbly legs and struggles to start feeding from the mother were tender, charming chapters of this whole drama. (I got to see some of the birthing process--wow!) We are anticipating the planting of many seeds here in about a month, when spring begins--yes, spring, and there are plans to get rid of the critters that peck away at the little sprouts and destroy them. I have suggested red pepper mixed with water and sprayed on the little plants. There are also these little hedge hogs that eat and eat; they roll up into a ball when they sense danger; their porcupine like needles are their protection. So there are other means--I won't mention here--to rid ourselves of them. We have lots of rabbits we are raising in cages, also quails. Also a beehive that is modestly successful, modestly because it has been quite chilly in the nights and mornings and this makes the bees stay inside the hives and feed on their honey. Last week I saw my first monkey; it was visiting us around the banana plantation, hoping to steal some bananas, which are largely green right now. I have finished two rounds of 8-day personally guided retreats--four retreatants for each round. The greatest challenge is to understand their English spoken with an accent. Some are fairly clear, others are really difficult to understand. I am happy to say that all had good retreats, some of these amazingly deep experiences of God. What a privilege to be able to witness such spiritual richness. One of the more characteristic things going on here are the people looking for money, for handouts. There is so much poverty in Kenya, so much unemployment and therefore numerous robberies, stick-ups, and people at our gate hoping to get a Jesuit to pay for their education. I have already had two men in their late 20s who just about stampeded me begging for 4 figure money to pay off the balance of their college tuition. Total strangers! How they found out my telephone number and new email address I do not know. What a trip!!! I guess white people and Americans at that are assumed to have big sources of money. One feature of this place is how numerous people who work on our grounds, maintenance, garden and animal care, and in the kitchen live on the grounds with their families. So we are like a plantations. Today there was great joy with one of the families who had their second baby boy. They have a good deal and they know it...job security, food and a roof over their head. I will close up now. Maybe in a week or so I will have more news. Fr. Bernie Owens