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