My Final Thoughts -- Kitui, Kenya -- October, 2014

Mianbani's valley

This is my final blog for the Archdiocese of our overall impressions of our pilgrimage to Kitui, Kenya.  

Typical scene in The Bush

Beautiful lady!

Small Christian Community

Typical street in town

Ladies getting ready for planting,
filling seedling bags

 Street scene

Beautiful, welcoming children of Miambani

We were elated when the plane touched down in Minneapolis/St. Paul after traveling for over 23 hours from Nairobi. My body couldn’t wait for a nice hot shower, my very own bed without a mosquito net and a comfortable pillow! The trees greeted us with their kaleidoscope of colored leaves, and our driveway was carpeted with a welcoming golden hue. I was glad to be home, yet … my heart was still in Kitui. I wasn’t ready to, nor did I want to get back to our Minnesota lifestyle.

As one of 21 delegates from our Archdiocese who traveled to Kitui for the Partnership, I was delighted to be back in Kenya again. Out of love and generosity, the Kenyans reached out to make our stay enjoyable and comfortable. Everyone, from the wide-eyed smiling children to those who declared themselves to be our “Kenyan grandmothers”, with joy in their hearts, shook our hands saying “Karibu”, “Karibu” … Welcome! We were family. After Mass it is their custom to invite visitors to the front to say a few words. The gentleman who introduced us at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, the outstation of Inyuu deep in the Bush, explained the partnership, but also commented what an honor it was that we would come “all the way out there” to visit them. Honor?? The honor was all mine! But then few of them had ever seen a white person before. When we introduced ourselves as: “Bob and Marcie Peach, married 48 years, with 4 children and 12 grandchildren”, the congregation erupted in delightful applause. Their stereotype of America is everyone is divorced and no one is having children!

After Mass we were ushered outside first so people could greet us as they left church. For a full 15 minutes, children, men and women shook our hands. They huddled around us, and we were generally shaking 4-5-6 hands at a time, there were so many and they were so eager. Finally I turned to Bob and said “I feel like royalty, but I’m just a no body!” That welcoming sense of belonging stays with me still. With that heightened sense, I pray that I, in turn, will exude that same sense to everyone else I meet.

The Kenyans love their tea – taking tea in the morning, in the afternoon, with every meal, and often in the evening as well. They drank it, however, by pouring hot milk mixed with water into the cup, then adding the tea bag and sugar. While I found it quite good, I still prefer hot water with my tea bag! However, I’m thinking the tea breaks themselves would be good to add to my own schedule. Bottled water was provided for drinking because even when water is available, water from the faucet is not potable. Because there’s no apparent recycling in Kenya and landfills are sorely lacking, it was disheartening to see all the water bottle trash lying around. Now that we’re back, even though water is abundant here in Minnesota, I find myself deliberately thinking about it, quickly shutting off the faucets. The image related to us by two other delegates of having to shower using only a bucket of water remains with me. We take so much for granted that others have to struggle to obtain just to survive.

It took almost a week before I tackled the mountain of e-mails, paperwork, bills, etc. Somehow they just didn’t seem important. The television has been on only once --- that too seems unimportant. I’m still searching for what God wants me to do with all these newfound experiences. We are all His people; we share common hopes, dreams and values; we share the same faith and the same Eucharist. The purpose of the partnership is to experience these things and to make them understood. In my experience, this has been accomplished.  

Living in the Bush Without Water

This is another blog written for the Archdiocese while we were in Kitui, Kenya.

The sun beats down from directly overhead, burning the skin after a very short while; but the breeze does provide some relief, especially in the shade. It is the end of the dry season and there is little vegetation on the ground. Many of the trees are bare, though some trees stubbornly stay green. The ground is hard. The washboard dirt roads have numerous ruts and washouts … driving 15-20 kilometers can take an hour or more. This is the Bush in Miambani, Kitui, Kenya.

Outside of the mountain ranges to the north and to the south within the county of Kitui (like a US state), water is the everyday issue. The majority of the people do not have electricity, do not have water, do not have sanitary facilities, do not have vehicles and make what little they have by subsistence farming. They grow and sell fruits and vegetables during the rainy season. There are basically two seasons in Kitui … rainy and dry. Because it is the end of the dry season, the fields have been made ready for the rains. As soon as the rain comes, the fields and gardens will be planted and the area will transform into a lush green vista.

The water has been gone from the rivers for quite some time now and all of the watering holes are dry. People must walk to a watering station in a nearby village, if there is one. Or it is not uncommon to see someone in the dry riverbed digging a hole 3-4 feet deep to reach enough water to fill their water buckets. Four-to-six 15-gallon water buckets are placed on their donkey to be brought back to meet all their needs … cooking and cleaning and drinking.

Their families are strong; they live in tight-knit communities of help and support; the elders are respected; the young are encouraged; they are joyful and friendly, kind and generous, practical and resourceful. It is eye-opening to see how unrelated wealth and joy are.

The church in Miambani is filled to overflowing where dancing and joyous praises fill the often two-plus hour-long Masses. It is a common sight to see people, well dressed in bright colors, walking to church, sometimes walking for several hours. The uplifting singing of chant and answer, clapping and waving of hands, the interspersed high-pitched yodel of a woman, the steady beat of the bongo drums and tambourine -- all glorify our God with their entire bodies. The Mass is the same as those celebrated here in St. Paul and Minneapolis, but the cultural difference is something to behold. We share the same Eucharist … but we certainly can learn from our Kitui brethren about the “Joy” in the liturgy.

Community Gathering at St. Mary's Parish, Miambani, Kitui, Kenya

I wrote a blog on the community gathering of St. Mary's Parish in Miambani, including the 23 outstation churches in the parish.

All morning long preparations were being made for the big community fundraiser. Huge tents were assembled and positioned, then moved again to be in just the right spot. The children, all in their school uniforms of navy blue sweaters, white collared shirts and either blank pants for the boys or a plaid jumper for the girls, then raised the plastic chairs above their heads and placed them in neat rows under the tents.

And they came … one-by-one, in small groups and by the pick-up truck loads, joyously singing … they came all morning long and even during Mass; they came from near and from the 23 outstations of St. Mary’s Catholic Church of Miambani, Kitui, Kenya. ! Smiles and hugs and, always, handshakes, they gathered. Some 400-500 people came, some walking from a distance of 10-15 kilometers. The women wore their brightly colored Sunday best outfits and often wore scarf headdresses; the children wore either their school uniforms or girls wore beautiful dresses (fashion designers in the US could take a lesson from the African dress.) Many women wore scarves around their skirts symbolizing their support of the CWA, Christian Women’s Association.

We, too, were joyously greeted by just about everyone … handshakes and hugs, smiles and heartfelt welcomes. The children donned us with sashes, skirts and friendship hankies. They smiled for pictures; and while one picture was being taken, a dozen more children ran up to take part in the action. They were hungry for information on who we are … many had never seen a white person before and wanted to shake our hands. At one point there must have been 50 children surrounding us, and for almost an hour there was question and answer … us learning about Kenya, them learning about America.

The parish exceeded its fundraising goal, as well as re-establishing fellowship among the community. We were included in the community and felt honored to be a part of this wonderful Catholic parish.

The Elder of Miambani

This is a blog I wrote for the Archdiocese relating a personal experience while in Kitui, Kenya.
We found John Ilindi to be a warm, hospitable, caring gentleman who became a dear friend in a very short period of time. 

Bob, John, Marcie

His father was the pioneer of the village, establishing the African Independent Church. John Maithya Ilandi, now 71 years old, came back to Miambani, Kitui, Kenya, after teaching history in Mombasa until he was 55. Married with 11 children, 24 grandchildren and one great grandchild, he is now very active in St. Mary’s Catholic Parish, heading up their local Catholic Men’s Association. In talking history and politics with him, one notices that the Kenyans realize they are a third world country, but are very proud of the way things are progressing, albeit very slowly! He could tell us more about George Washington than we could tell him about Jomo Kenyatta, the Father of Kenya.

In 1972, when he returned from Mombasa, he built the finest, most modern house in the village, even with a solar electric generator. He has a very small television, but it cannot be watched until he is able to add a battery to his solar collector. John and his wife, Joyce Maithya, proudly showed us the family compound where two of his brothers and some of the children also have small houses. The living room was surrounded with the typical basic sofas draped with white covers that are beautifully embroidered. As we visited, many of the family stopped by to welcome us. While they may not have much, Kenyans are very generous; and it was very important for them to send us off with something. So as we visited, the daughter-in-law walked into the village to buy coke for us to take back to the Parish house.

It was comical that often when we introduced ourselves as “Marcie Peach” and “Bob Peach” that people thought we were brother and sister because we both have the same last name. In Kenya, the surname of the wife and children is the first name of the husband/father. John is his Christian name, as his name at birth was Maithya Ilandi. So the husband and wife never have the same last name.

The underlying purpose of the 10-year partnership between the Kitui Diocese in Kenya and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is to recognize our communion in the Body of Christ for the mutual sharing of our faith, our experiences, our cultures and our resources --- all gifts to us from God. Our getting to know John and his family … as well as renewing and deepening friendships of the other Kenyans we had met before … certainly reflected the purpose of the partnership. We may live radically different lifestyles, these Kenyans and us Americans; yet the hopes and dreams, faith and family, politics and patriotism are the very same.

Kitui, Kenya, Africa -- October, 2014 -- Days 14, 15 and 16

Typical street on market day

_{Day 14, Monday, October 13, 2014} … Mass at 6 a.m., then we all piled into the bus for the 6-hour ride to Kibo Safari Tent Camp just outside of Amboseli National Park. It was a fairly nice ride, and along the way we saw giraffe, antelope and zebra in the wild.  The park borders Tanzania and is at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro, over 17,500 feet high.  While it was shrouded in clouds today, we did get a

Our "Tent" at Kibo Safari
Tent Camp

glance at the peak once in a while.  Our room at the camp is so very unique … it is a huge tent, very modern and comfortable with cement floors but with a grass roof and screens/canvas sides, the nicest bathroom facilities we’ve had in all of Kenya, and with a lunch buffet that matches anything we’d have in the US.

_{At 3:30 we drove into the game park … and you would not believe the animals we saw … hundreds of zebras, some giraffes, a couple wart hogs, hundreds of wildebeests, hundreds of elephants, some hippos, some ostriches, some cranes, many ibis’ (especially around the elephants), a hyena, monkeys, guinea fowl, many baboons (one that tried to “court” Julie just outside her bus window!), many gazelles, Impalas, and two cheetahs at dusk.  It was interesting that during dusk, the elephants, zebras and wildebeests all migrated across the road in front of us, all going in the same direction … don’t know where but they seemed to have a destination in mind for the evening!   It was all very exciting and quite amazing to see so many wild animals!!!}

_{This afternoon as the bus pulled into the entrance of Amboselli Park to get tickets, a half dozen Maasai in brightly colored dress carrying arm-loads of jewelry, spears, ornately carved bowls surrounding the bus trying to convince us to purchase some of their wares.  They were very persistent, and several of the group did get good deals! We returned to the Camp close to 7 o’clock and all stopped at the bar for a drink.  The group is getting to know each other quite well … it’s really a wonderful group … and we just had a great time celebrating the incredible time we’ve experienced these past two weeks plus today’s safari.  Dinner was great … Of course this place is geared to pleasing the tourists … but it certainly is fun to be waited on hand and foot in a very, very lovely “safari”-type place.}

_{After dinner we were treated to a Maasai dance around the fire pit.  This area is home to the warrior Maasai tribe, probably the most well-known of the 42 Kenyan tribes because of their dress and culture and the notoriety of being warriors.  They are generally very tall and slender, are somewhat nomadic as they herd their goats and cattle to areas of grass, often walk with a long stick, and often wear bright red cloths around their body and, ceremonially, very ornate beaded jewelry.  The dance/prayer of the 8-10 young men draped in red cloths was energetic, chanting and yelling their songs, jumping higher and higher.  They pulled several people from the group to join them, including Bob and Jessica.  It was very entertaining.}

Maasai Prayer Dance

_{Day 15, Tuesday, October 14, 2014 … The electricity is shut off at night, but the generator started up again about 5:20 this morning, so we were able to take showers, get dressed and pack with lights on! After a delicious meal (with omelets, no less … the first time since we left home), we were back on the bus for safari at Amboselli Park, though we took a different route this time.  Once again, the animal sightings were incredible … we watched a lioness lay there and just look at us for quite some time. We saw many, many elephants, zebras, gazelles and wildebeests. We saw a few giraffe, a herd of water buffalo, a dozen or more hippos grazing and another dozen or so in the water as their ears and noses pop up for air every minute and a half or so. We saw some water bucks (like deer), a couple impalas, quite a few ostriches, a wart hog and a lone hyena. We also saw a group of baboons running parallel with the bus for quite a distance, a couple monkeys, a huge flock of white pelicans, some cranes and many, many different kinds of birds.  How amazing to see so many animals just running wild!}

_{We arrived back at the Camp about an hour before lunch was ready, which gave everyone time to either go swimming in the pool or sit around the lovely patio area with a Tusker (beer) and socialize some more … it’s been fun as the group has gotten to know each other better. We had another delicious lunch, then loaded the bus with all our luggage on top for the long trip back to Nairobi.  And long it was … traffic was extremely heavy during most of the trip, making the journey to the St. Mary Magdalene Retreat House almost 6 ½ hours long!  The traffic jam in Nairobi itself about did me in (fumes, etc.), so it was a little bite to eat and off to bed (Bob’s going to 10 p.m. Mass).}

_{Days 16 and 17, Wednesday & Thursday, October 15 & 16, 2014 … The retreat house is beautiful.  Morning Mass, Breakfast, then some quiet reflection on our pilgrimage as we walk the beautiful silent prayer areas consisting of a chapel, a church, meditation areas on God’s love, pain and suffering, the Stations of the Cross.  The verse that struck my heart when reflecting on my experiences was from 1 John 4: 12 “If we love one another, God remains in us; and His love is brought to perfection in us.”  To me this is a perfect reflection of who we are in the partnership, in our families, in our neighborhoods and churches.  Bishop Mulharia even drove all the way from Kitui to bid us good-bye.  He is a remarkable man!}

The delegation, Bishop Mulharia and several Kitui priests
St. Mary Magdalene Retreat House
Nairobi, Kenya

After a little shopping (at another Walmart-type store in Nairobi … I was very disappointed that we did not get to a “market” to shop for souvenirs), we spent a little time with the group having a beer before driving to the airport.  After getting through security, etc., we did do more “shopping” but only bought the remaining gifts needed because the prices were so high.  Once again there was time for a dinner and Tuskers before boarding.  I did get some sleep on the long, cramped, 8-hour flight to Amsterdam, then a 4-hour layover in Amsterdam killing more time, and finally a rather pleasant 8-hour flight home, landing in Minneapolis on a beautifully day with the fall colors at their peak, about 12:30 p.m. on Thursday. Jessica’s dad picked us up … it was bitter-sweet having to come back, but the fall colors were so beautiful!

Home!

Kitui, Kenya, Africa -- October, 2014 -- Days 12 and 13

_{Day 12, Saturday, October 11, 2014 .. Kitui Diocese Annual Fam}ily Day. All of the parishes in the diocese have had a fundraiser day, and today many people from those parishes came down to Kitui town for the family day and to bring their funds. By 9 o’clock we were driven over to the field next to St. Michael’s School for the Deaf and Blind where all the activities took place.  Those students were seated next to our section, so it was interesting to watch their signing as the Mass was being said.  They too all wanted to shake our hands, have their picture taken, then look at the picture in the camera … such adorable children.  As per Kenyan time, 10 o’clock Mass started at 11 o’clock.  The crowds were still a bit sparse, but all the chairs were filled by the end of Mass two hours later! We estimate there were over 1,000 people in attendance.  It was a beautiful African liturgy with their lovely signing and adorable children dancing, celebrated by Bishop Mulharia of Kitui, Archbishop Neinsted from Minnesota, and the Bishop from the Machakos (who, incidentally, turned out to be an excellent fundraiser!!! He certainly knew how to work the crowd.). Every parish was represented … and it was so good to see John, Joseph and Ann again from Miambani, plus all three of the sisters.  We also had a chance to greet Fr. Julius, Fr. Jonathan, Fr. Charles and many of the other priests, sisters, men and women we have encountered in the last two weeks.  After Mass, they started their “fundraising” activities, where each Parish brought forth the shillings they raised from their fundraisers, plus individuals from that Parish came forth to contribute even more.  There was a competitive factor as each Parish competed with others in their section, and the parishes that raised the most funds were given a motor bike by the Diocese!  Five bikes were awarded today!

We're ready for the celebration!

Liturgical dancers

Signing the Mass for the children

Anna, Marcie, Bob and Fr. Charles
Presenting us with gifts from St. Mary's Parish in
Miambani

After eating a very late lunch there and when all festivities were done, we walked back to the Parish Compound. Fr. Mark came for a visit and ended up going out to get the group some wine and beer to drink with dinner.  We had a great visit with Fr. Mark, though we were unable to meet his mother because of a family funeral today.  After dinner, Fr. Mark said his good-byes … we will miss him … and we are all off to bed … another busy day tomorrow!

_{Day 13, Sunday, October 12, 2014 … After breakfast we were taken up to Museve, the newest parish in the Diocese and Fr. Robert’s home parish.  This is also the future site of the Shrine of Our Lady of Protection and a retreat center.  It is an ambitious project that sounds like it will be so beautiful when completed.}

Beautiful Museve
Jessica, Marcie and Bob

_{The 10:00 o’clock Mass, which started at 11, was said outdoors where 500-600 celebrated the 10-year-anniversary of the Kitui-St.Paul/Minneapolis Dioceses partnership … plus 350 young men and women and some adults were confirmed.  The three-hour Mass was another beautiful African liturgy … they are so joyful in their music.  After the Mass, gifts were exchanged … our Archdiocese gave chalices inscribed with the partnership logo to be used during Mass, one for each of the parishes in the Kitui Diocese.  They gifted calibashes, gourds painted red, also with the partnership logo, one to be given to each of the parishes in St. Paul/Minneapolis, to be used during Baptism.  As Bishop Mulharia noted, water is the language between the two dioceses.  As these gifts are sacramentals, they will be a reminder of the friendships and sharing of faith of the partnership whenever they are used.}

Bob and the kids!

In line for Confirmation
Over 350 were confirmed today

 Afterwards we were provided lunch at the site of the new parish house of the shrine, and we had a chance to visit with Anita, Fr. Robert’s niece, for a little while.  She is a pen-pal to our Alexis and we had a letter to give to her from Aly.  We came down the mountain with Fr. Peter … it was very nice to spend a little time with him as it’s been 4 years since he was in Minnesota.

Gifts of Chalices and calibashes

Our last meal with the Bishop
 and Archbishop

_{It’s time to pack up our things, put some suitcases on the bus this evening, as we leave by 6:30 tomorrow morning for the game park!}

Kitui, Kenya, Africa -- October, 2014 -- Days 8, 9,10 and 11

_{Day 8, Tuesday, October 07, 2014 … Up at 5:30 a.m. … no electricity until after 6.  Mass at 7 a.m. … the students came by the droves in their blue sweaters and white collared shirts with black pants or dresses, filling the church to overflowing.  Their music was uplifting … what a vibrant church!  After breakfast, Fr. Charles took us to the church sponsored St. Mary’s secondary government school, where we talked a bit with the principal about the successes and problems in the school.  Their academic success has been very good; however, their} 

buildings are very old and are in need of repair and/or replacement.  They have started

Students at St. Mary's secondary
government school

building a dining hall so the students would no longer have to eat outside, but they ran out of funds before the walls were completed.  We had the privilege of addressing the entire school of about 214 students. The level 4 students (seniors) were preparing for their exit exams, which starts this Friday and ends the first week in November.  Their score on this test will determine their future as to whether they may attend a university or poly-tech school or no school at all. It is so heartwarming to see all of the students.

About 9:30 Fr. Jonathan from Zombie’s St. Josephine Boquita school/Holy Spirit Catholic Mission Church came to pick us up.  This is where Bob stayed when he was here in 2011.  At that time there was no electricity nor water … today they have both, plus a fish pond where they raise tilapia, a new dining hall, many other improvements, plus they hope to

Zombie

Girls' dorm at St. Josephine
Boquita school

A classroom at St. Josephine Boquita school

complete construction on a new administrative building. The number of students has increased from 75 when Bob was here to over 200, and they are rated number 2 in academic achievement in the diocese.  It was a long washboard road again through the back areas of the bush, but it was noticeably dryer in Zombie.  After visiting all of the classrooms and enjoying the welcomes of all the children, we had lunch with Father Jonathon and a couple sisters.  Prior to heading back to Kitui, Fr. showed us their greenhouses where they now raise many of their fruits and vegetables … all irrigated. Since the students are boarded on site, all meals are provided; and the greenhouses have helped tremendously in providing that food.  It’s quite an amazing operation.

_{It was another hour and a half over more bumpy roads dodging the ruts and washouts, through the mountains back to Kitui town.  Everyone else had also come back from their visits to the various villages, so it was a great evening learning the experiences of everyone else.  Fr. Julius joined us … the priest Bob stayed with in Zombie in 2011; and Fr.  Mark, who stayed with us this summer also came by to greet us.  We will be staying put for the rest of the week, so it feels good to unpack for a few} days.

_{Day 9, Wednesday, October 08, 2014 … 7:30 Mass and breakfast.  The group divided into two.  Most of them went to Nuu to see the water reservoir built there to hold water for use during the dry season.  Bob and I have been there before, so we went with Kitui Diocese Bishop Muheria, Archbishop Nienstad and 4 car loads of us.  We drove about 100 miles north to Kimangao, a parish that is the furthest away from Kitui town.  The highway to Mwingi was actually drivable today … not like it was four years ago! However, past Mwingi the pavement ended and we still had another 20+ miles to go over washboard roads.   So the entire trip took about 2 ½ hours to get there.  And it is very noticeably hotter and dryer.}

Kimangao has just established the St. Theresa’s Catechetical Centre.  The Diocese here has been working to establish these centres to train people in a two-year program to lead catechesis in their parishes. Sister Rita showed us around; we had some tea; them some introductions between our delegation and the students in the centre and explanations of the goals of the centre; then a Blessing of the class room and the dedication plaque.  The

Julie and Linda
The plaque honoring Fidelis Lindner,
a founding member of the
partnership with the Kitui
Dioceses

importance of this occasion revolves around Fidelis Lindner, one of the founding members and leading force in the Partnership between the two dioceses. Fidelis, from our Archdioceses, died suddenly about two and a half years ago.  Because of her great love for the Kenyans and her tireless work in the partnership, her family contributed funds to the Kitui Diocese.  Fidelis’ daughter Julie and 11-year-old granddaughter Emily flew in from Japan (where they are missionaries) for the occasion.  It was a touching moment, as Julie stated her mother loved Kenya and was a teacher, and the use of the funds to further Catholic education for now and all future generations was inspiring.

We were served lunch at the Centre, after which we stopped at the Kimangao secondary school for girls.  They have over 300 girls there … and no water!  They purchase water right

Girls at Kimangao Secondary School

now.  But in this area, even the rains are not sufficient.  There is very little farming because of it, but goats and cattle do very well here.  The Level 4 young ladies are also getting ready for their exams … the delegation addressed all of them briefly with the Bishop and Archbishop providing Blessings for all.

_{We traveled back over the bumpy road into Mwingi where we first stopped at St Joseph’s Minor Seminary, an all-boys secondary school.  We again addressed all 214 students as a delegation, words of encouragement as they prepare for their futures and  Blessings.  We were treated to tea and cookies; and then we drove a very short distance to St. Gabriel’s Primary school.  There are 290 students, grades pre-primary through grade 8.  The eighth graders are also getting ready for exams … their scores dictate where they are able to attend secondary school, if at all. Once again, the delegation addressed the students and Blessings were given.}

The young men at St. Joseph's Minor Seminary in
Mwingi, Kitui, Kenya

_{It seemed like a long drive back to the Diocese compound in Kitui … back at 7:15, watching for the last 40 minutes the beautiful yellow full moon rise up higher and higher in the sky. The other group didn’t get back until after 8:30 … they had bus trouble.  All are very tired.}

_{Day 10, Thursday, October 09, 2014 … A}!fter Mass and breakfast, Fr. Robert drove Sue, Bob and me downtown to a cyber café where we were able to post a blog to the Archdiocese Mission web site about our trip and to e-mail out my journal to family and friends.  Sue’s camera battery stopped charging for her, so she and I went to a “Walmart-type” store that sold a little of everything.  There she was able to purchase a decent camera and put it on her Visa.  After 10 days of very healthy eating, we broke down and bought our American diet food of Coke, chips and chocolate bars!!!  It also took an hour at the bank to exchange dollars for shillings … everything on Kenyan time

_{We walked back to the Parish compound, about a mile or so, through some trial and error because it is a bit confusing, stopping to visit the Cathedral of Our Lady of Africa.  Sue had not been in it before … it is very beautiful. The walk was hot … the evenings cool down quite a bit, but by mid-morning the sun is high overhead and is very warm,  though it is very comfortable in the shade. Since we now know we can find Internet access, I wrote up a few more blogs for the Archdiocese site while waiting for the rest of the group to come back from the dedication.  Bishop Mulharia and Archbishop Neinsted blessed the building of a new priest retreat and retirement center at the Muthale parish about 15 kilometers away.  What we didn’t realize is that that is the parish of Fr. Benson and Fr. Mark, both having stayed at our home, so afterwards we felt rather bad that we didn’t attend the event.}

_{In the afternoon we had a debriefing with our hosts on our experiences thus far in Kitui, and in the evening the entire delegation and others from Kitui were guests for dinner at Bishop Mulharia’s residence.  It was a very lovely evening … the weather was perfect, the residence is beautiful and it was very nice to visit not only with the delegates but with many of our priest friends.}

Bishop Mulharia, Bob, Marcie, Archbishop Neinsted, Jessica, Fr. Tim

_{Day 11, Friday, October 10, 2014 … Workshop day.  All of the delegates, including Archbishop Neinsted, plus the core team for the partnership here in Kitui reviewed the issues of the partnership. Each side then met to discuss courses of action, and after lunch everyone regrouped to review their proposals.  We then did a short visioning session of what the partnership would ideally look like ten years from now. Overall, a lot of ideas and plans were established today as the partnership moves forward.}

_{It was an afternoon of relaxation; and after dinner Bob and I visited with Fr. Robert at his place for several hours.  It was wonderful catching up and spe}nding time with him.  A relaxing day before the busyness of the rest of our pilgrimage!