Dear Friends,

   I am writing on a warm Sunday summer afternoon (3:15 PM) from the southwestern side of Nairobi.  I am in the mountains, 5900 feet up, with a pleasant breeze coming through my room while I type this. (An open door and open windows allow for a great cross-breeze.) I just came from a wonderfully festive celebration of one of the members of our community who took his final vows as a Jesuit.  The mass went on for 1 hour and 40 minutes, followed by about 45 minutes of "thank you's" and personal testimonies. More than 150 people were here, maybe more.  The chapel was packed, and some had to get the last of left-over chairs and sit at the doors or even outside the chapel and look on through the windows.  The sun is shining brightly and is somewhat hot if you stand directly in it.  (The sun-rays here in this part of the world are so direct, not like in North America!  Yes, I am quite brown, thanks to all the sun I have been getting.  Another benefit is that I have not gotten a cold nor the flu since coming here.  Why do I want to come back to snow and ice like what many of you are enduring now??!!)

   The man we celebrated was his parent's first child after 10 years of marriage.  They so wanted him, and named him Emmanuel (God with us) because they kept asking God to visit them and bless them with a child.  When he was born, the couple felt especially blessed, that God was really with them.  (They had two more children, one who has since died and one who came today from many, many miles away in southern Tanzania to give a testimony to his brother.

   Th music and dancing were so special.  The participation of the congregation was so energetic, thanks to the music and dancing.  The music was led by a men's group of about 12; they had an electronic keyboard and director. Two were on drums tapped by hand and two had tambourines as well.   Dancers were young men and women, dressed colorfully and moving in the rhythm of the peppy, happy music and clapping of everybody.  The whole congregation was clapping in rhythm with them and many swayed back and forth to the rhythm of it all.  (Yes, I was one of them who got into it all!)  In the midst of some of these energetic songs, someone would give out a trilling yelp made with a high pitched voice.  (Chaldeans will do that at a wedding of theirs. It is a sign of great joy.) The little children clapped and clapped, loving the spirit of it all.  It was quite powerful and moving to see a whole chapel moving, clapping, singing at various times during this mass. I sense their faith is very real and this is one of the special ways they celebrate God  in their lives.  Our honored Jesuit whom we celebrated today will never forget the mass nor the meal that was put on for all these people.

   The readings and homily were entirely in English, but the lyrics of the songs in both English and Kishwahili.  Here are the lyrics of one of the songs:  Ukarimu wako, (Bwana) na huruma yako, (wewe)msamaha wako, (Bwana)na upole wako, (wewe)umenitendea wema usiopimika, nitakushukuru nitawainua wote wakusifu wewe;

  Another topic:

 I just got a new printer two days ago.  I have been without one for seven weeks!  Even when I got someone coming from the States to pick up for me an ink cartridge that fits my printer-make (Epson), it still didn't work.  So there has to be something wrong with the tubes that feed the ink to the printing head.  Service of the situation is so involved and expensive, not worth the bother. That made me decide that  I will be better off getting a product (Hewlett Packard printer-P1102) that I can easily get serviced here in Kenya.  Now I am back in business!

I wait for a friend to finish the proof-reading of the last two chapters of my book, while at the same time she is tending to her daughter who is to have her first baby in about two weeks.  So far this favor of proofreading has helped greatly.  Also, I wait for copyright permission being granted for the reprinting of one of two pictures in my book.  This has been especially problematical, since I have written twice, once by email in October and again in early December by regular postal mail, to the company I was told has the rights.  So I am getting a Jesuit friend to write in French a letter to the convent in France where the picture (mural) is and verify the name and address of the people who have the copyright.  I am so close to being done, and this coming week I am told I will be sent via email the contract from the publishing company.  I will have to get the terms of it reviewed and OKed by my provincial in Chicago, sign it, then send the signed contract and entire manuscript, now rewritten, to the company.  I am hoping there will be a book available to buy by Christmas of 2014, if not sooner.

A further chapter to tell you about the banana thieves, the family of monkeys who visited the retreat house two weeks ago.  When some of the young Jesuit priests (tertians here for a six month program in preparation for their eventual final vows) saw the monkeys in their dining room, instead of running into the dining room and shouting to scare them out, they instead hurried back to their rooms to get their cameras so that they could record the event.  By the time they returned the fury rascals had gone, leaving just banana peelings on the counter and floor.  It has made for a lot of laughter and great memories, also a warning to all that when leaving the dining room to shut the glass pane door  and lock it.  So far, no more episodes.  I am sure the monkeys know we are now more alert!  You can be sure they will test again our doors and windows while sniffing for food anywhere they can pilfer it!

We are presently enjoying the beginning of the mango harvest.  Between the retreat house and our community grounds there is a large orchard of mango trees; they are loaded with fruit.  We are eating lots of them, even enjoying mango juice from the blender.  I love mangoes and insist on their being part of the menu for the heavenly banquet.  Bananas are always part of our diet, so too papaya.  I enjoy them both!  Many here love avocados but I almost never eat them.  Pineapple, small plums, and great, crunchy apples from South Africa are part of our diet as well.

A week ago Friday (January 25) was the day for commemorating the conversion of St. Paul.  The opening of the mass for that day has the antiphon from St. Paul's letter to Timothy:  "I know the One in whom I have believed." That saying stayed with me for days like a bell sounding gently and regularly inside me.  It was the word "know" that especially caught my attention.  I kept repeating it and felt like I was slowly appreciating more and more how true it is that I DO know God, that God and I have known each other over many years, gone through lots together, good times and not so good times, and have become quite at home with each other.  It was like having lived a number of years, then reflecting on how good life has been to you, how blessed you have been with some special people you have come to greatly appreciate, love and treasure, and then say about one or two who mean the most to you:  I DO know you, I really know you, and I treasure you so much.  You mean everything to me."  I found this to be so rich, so consoling, actually enough for my prayer during those days this last week when this awareness lingered.  The richest theme of my retreat last December was being drawn to the depths of God, to what moves God the most and matters the most to God.  This blessing of last week seemed one more phase of this theme, somethng that still draws me and focuses my daily prayer.  I have found a book given to me 26 years ago when I was in Asia.  It is authored by a French Jesuit, Yves Raguin, and entitled The Depth of God.  I want to read it again, but I think I am much more ready for it this time.

  During last week I guided four women religious (nuns) in their eight-day retreats.  I would see each of them for about 45 minutes each day to review with them what had gone on in their prayer the previous 24 hours and where this positioned them with God for the entire retreat.  One was American, the other three were Kenyans.  One of the Kenyans had one of the most impressive retreats I have ever had the privilege of accompanying.  There was so much understanding she came to about where some of her blocks had come from, tht she had been taught by strict parents and strict religious leaders in her early years as a nun.  Now in her 40s she was awakening to the fear and need for control under such demeanor and was being strongly attracted by God's love to a more trusting, gentle way of leading the people she was responsible for.  She read a short book I had on the way the Little Flower led some difficult people in her convent; it spoke to her profoundly about how to lead, how important God's wisdom and love and freedom from the need to control and  be so restrictive and negative are for effective leadership.  It was such a moment of honesty for her and I would say a moment of conversion and new freedom.  What a pleasure to walk with her for those 8 days while God poured out so many blessings, insights and new desires to live for God more purely and serve Him more worthily.

   It is almost two hours since I began this posting.  I am going now up the hill to the retreat house to turn on the faucet that feeds the soaker hoses and water the roses, dahlias, day lilies, etc, etc.  I let it run for about an hour.  I hope the ground hog sees his (or her?) shadow and surprises everyone with news about a quick end to your awful winter.

  God bless.  Spring will come!

Bernie Owens