Here I am back in the USA. I arrived in the Detroit area, at Manresa retreat house, my old stomping grounds, last Sunday afternoon, March 8. It took 25 hours to go from my front door in Nairobi to Manresa's front door. Two flights, each 8.5 hours long, separated by a 3.5 hour wait in Amsterdam, Holland took up most of my time. Really tiring. Still, a smooth flight except for one moment over Europe when the plane, a 747-400 shook quite a bit while going through some kind of air turbulence. I slept for 11 hours the first night. This has made my transition to this time zone quite easy.
While in Amsterdam I visited the airport's "Meditation Chapel" to pray morning prayers and a rosary. While there 10-12 Muslim men, all between 25 and 40 years of age, came in to pray, so too one Asian woman who wrapped herself in pink, including her head. She was Muslim as well. Some rolled out their prayer rug and knelt, bowed, and chanted some prayers in Arabic. Each stayed maybe for 15 minutes. I was there for about 35-40 minutes and so witnessed this expression of Muslim reverence from a number of fairly young people, all but one of them being a male. Really, I find their reverence to be beautiful. I hope their reverence for God carries over to their peaceful respect for their neighbor, Muslim as well as non-Muslim!!
The weather change to this place has been rather dramatic. I left temperatures up to 90 in the mid-afternoon and got hit with temperatures around mid-40s. I brought appropriate clothing. I knew what to pack! The snow here is melting fast. Almost everyday since I arrived has been blessed with clear, sunny skies.
I had intended to come back here for about 5-6 weeks beginning in early May. But what developed recently is the need for some surgery on my prostate gland. It would cost $4000 dollars in Kenya while in the States insurance would cover most of the cost. So I decided to come back to the States much soon and to get this need addressed. As I write, I still do not know the date for my surgery. My doctor wants me first to get a full physical exam. That exam is scheduled for next Monday morning, the 16th. I am now guessing my surgery date will be sometime during the following week, March 23-27.
In the meantime, I have spread the word about the two-week pilgrimage I will lead in Italy next November 7-21. I have been sending out electronically copies of the itinerary and all the other information needed for the trip. If you who are reading this want a copy, send me your email address and I will gladly forward to you as an attachment a copy of all the pertinent information.
Do I feel excited or jubilant about being back in the USA? No. I enjoy being with special friends again. I will get to see a real spring again. I will join with two special events in my family. For all of that I am very thankful. But the work I have been given in Nairobi makes that place special, and for now that is where I truly enjoy being. So when I board the plane on June 19 to return to Kenya, it will be with a certain eagerness. I am returning to the States for a three month visit again next year, May to August. But I don't feel so wedded to a particular place. What matters is creating with God, being part of the work through which God does awesome things in people's depths. For me there is nothing more meaningful than that.
Also, God is doing something special through my daily prayer. In the mornings, after shaving, showering, and dressing, I sit quietly, wordless for 45 minutes, just paying attention to Him in my depths. No images, no thinking, just paying attention to Him. (I know the One in whom I have believed!) And at times a lot of love wells up from inside me. I feel this as my love for Him but sometimes I am left wondering whether it is more His love for me. The two of us are really one in this. Many times it is quite quiet and ordinary, but underneath the quiet is this immense love, this unending attraction, an inexpressible closeness and precious friendship. There are times I am struck dumb, unable to respond adequately, and then I ask the Spirit of God in my depths to pray what I cannot say but what God so deserves.
I am going to bid you 'goodbye' for now. After I know more about when I will have surgery, maybe after I have it, I will write again. A blessed Lent to you all.
Bernie Owens
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