Busy Week

We had a busy week week last week. Tuesday night we as well as the Maryknoll Sisters were invited to join the Fathers and Brothers for the closing session of their African General Assembly. Priests from Kenya, Tanzania and Namibia were there as were five sisters and four lay missioners. There was a panel discussion in which the three branches of Maryknoll (priests and brothers, sisters, and lay missioners) shared what had been happening in their respective organizations this past year. Mass followed said by two priests and one brother who were celebrating their Silver Jubilee (25 years as a priest or brother). We enjoyed getting a chance to visit with people that have been in Kenya for many years and have a lot of experience that we can learn from.


Yesterday we went on an excursion downtown to an art gallery and then to the Masai market. The museum had an art display which we had heard about. Admission if you are a resident of Kenya it cost 100Ksh (about $1.25), nonresidents cost 500Ksh. Bless Mary’s heart(she's the other lay missioner with us), she had her language school student ID and was able to convince the young man we were missionaries in Kenya attending school. We were in process of obtaining resident status, but the hadn't gotten the paperwork yet (which is true). Of course, the gentleman was kind enough to let us pass as residents. There were six rooms with photographs of people who had gone to studios for individual or family pictures. Some of the photos were taken as far back as in the 1930’s. It was really interesting.

Our next destination was the Masai market. We had a general idea of where we were going and about ten minutes later found it. The market is on about a half acre of land that is either a parking lot or empty lot during the week. Many vendors sale their wares there two days a week. There were craft items, clothing, jewelry, paintings, wall hangs, fabric, plus much more. Some of the vendors were actual Masai selling their beaded jewelry, but most were not. As we were about to enter the market we swarmed by a group of about six men. Our first thought was that they were pickpockets, so we all put our hands in or on our pant pockets. These men wanted to know what we were looking for, where we were from, what we were looking for, etc. We realized that they wanted to guide us around, probably take us to special vendors, and of course, collect a fee for assisting us. After about ten minutes of telling them we were just looking, they finally left us alone. There were rows of paths between vendors who more than happy to show you their wares. If you gave more than a quick glance, they would greet you and ask if you would like to buy. "Promote me," they would say. "For you I'll give a good price." One time John was looking at some beautifully carved and painted gourds two rows away and the vendor came over to try to bring us closer to look. Talk about keen observation.

On the way back we walked through Uhuru Park. The day was like a nice warm spring day in Kansas. There were couples and families sitting in the shade enjoying the day. Sylvia, our teacher, had told us that as many as six families would live together in a small apartment because they could not afford other housing. Think about having sheets as walls to separate you from another family. Not much privacy!

Sunday we went with Father John (MK priest) to church on the outskirts of a slum area. The church was made of tin. It had just been built and opened in October. It had a dirt floor and benches for seats. Mass began with a procession of dancing children and young people leading Father in to the altar. There was much singing and dancing during the two hour Kiswahili service. John enjoyed watching a little boy filling his shoes with dirt and then dumping the dirt out.

Click here to see some photographs.