Day Two, and we’re all pretty exhausted, but fortunately Msgr would be proud since we’re also all on fire!
“Each day is more extraordinary than the last. This morning, we met people who’d walked many kilometers to Veronika’s Place. They were so gracious and such a blessing and I was deeply grateful to be there. In the afternoon, the Boma Rescue Center was amazing. The children were very sober at first, then we had an extremely beautiful and moving Mass in Kiswahili and then they danced for us, then with us! It was one of the most fun experiences I’ve ever had—dancing and laughing with those kids. I will be praying for their future, which is so tenuous.” –Diane Sherlock
Veronika’s Place is Holy Cross’ outreach to the women of Dandora who have HIV or AIDS. Often their husbands have died from AIDS, and they have been left to raise their children without a source of income. Our outreach provides them with minimal nutritional supplementation which lasts only a few days. We provide cooking oil and rice and some other goods once each month, but unfortunately many of these families remain hungry for most of the month after the supplies run out.
When I first witnessed Veronika’s Place, I was touched by Agnes who told me that she was praying for my health. She asked me to go back to America where I could be healthy and work hard so that I could send her food and help her with her poverty. She was so grateful for Veronika’s Place. At the same time, she had the faith to believe that God had a plan to bring us all together—that we are to pray for each other to be strong. Through her prayer, God will provide for us…so that God can work through us to provide for her and her family.
After Veronika’s Place, the pilgrims travelled to Boma Rescue Center. In some ways, this ministry can be compared to Camp Miller. Every Sunday, parishioners celebrate Mass with the boys in the youth detention facility in Malibu before interacting with them on a personal level. Here at Boma, we celebrated Mass together…and then we broke out the soccer balls, footballs, and jump ropes! The youth at Boma range from about 7 years of age to about 14 or 15. They have mostly been orphaned, likely due to AIDS or malaria, and have found themselves living in the dump that persists throughout Dandora. To escape their pains, they dig through the piles of trash, and many have developed a habit of glue-sniffing. Fortunately, many have found healing at Boma, and groups like St Monica bring a glimmer of light and joy to their daily lives. And of course that joy was returned as our pilgrims rekindled their childhood enjoyment of these sports with the kids.
“Today was amazing. The people I met at both Veronika’s place & the Boma Rescue Center were all so beautiful and welcoming. Though they were either sick with HIV/AIDS or rescued orphans living off the Nairobi dump, they were so filled with joy & hope. I took many pictures with people: moja, mbili, tatu (1,2,3 in Swahili) then the photo! Everyone loved seeing their faces on the digital screen. Queeny & Jane from Boma taught me more Swahili & wrote the words in my journal. Jane wants to be a teacher & Queeny is so beautiful that I am literally going to write to Tyra Banks and send a photo. I danced & jumped rope and hugged and cried…and will pray for my new friends every day.” –Rachel Paul
So we St Monica pilgrims have found ourselves experiencing so much in just two days. And I still haven’t had a chance to tell you about the more than 80 patients we have serviced in our vision clinic. You’ll notice an update from Dr Kurata though. We are truly blessed to be here, and we even look forward to our wake-up call which will get us to the bus by 5:30am tomorrow so that we may share Mass with Blessed Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity. You are in our prayers, and we hope you continue to pray for us as well. Bwana Ana Bariki! –AF
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