MY AFRICA: A SPIRITUAL SAFARI IN KENYA

MY AFRICA: A SPIRITUAL SAFARI IN KENYA

This is the first chapter of a Book of Life – my Book of Life. A sort of Journal of a Soul.

Within hours we will be travelling towards Cairo Airport. It’s a transit flight but still scary. I am afraid of the unknown. Not only for me but for the thirty volunteers who will be with me for twenty days in Embu, Kenya.

Within hours we will be at Malta International Airport, with our white T-shirts “I am because WE are”. I will be very silent within me. Hundred thoughts will pass through my mind. I will look at every person who is on board in this Divine Adventure. Like Abraham we will be travelling to an unknown land, the promised land of Embu Kenya. All I know about it is that it is two hours from Nairobi. And there will be the local Bishop Kariuki Paul Njiru and his entourage.

I am afraid. Not only because of the difficult names and how to pronounce, but more because we have to face a different world – and what is different, outside my comfort zone, scares me.

I feel angry.

First with my God.

We are thirty professionals going to Kenya to bring the Good News. Hopefully we are doing it for His glory. We paid a high price to go to Embu: our doctors and engineers have lost hundreds of euros as they had to abandon for twenty days their professional work, their own clients. Besides, they had to fork out every single euro for the entire journey, accommodation, travelling, eating….Like the doctors and the professionals we have whole families, young as much as 73 years and old as much as 13 years. Yet we have made a choice: to leave everything to go for The Mission.

And yet this God of Surprises instead of facilitating His work see what He permits: a revolution in Cairo at the back of the Airport we will be passing through to change flights. While all Travelling Agents are suggesting not to travel to Cairo, here we are, a Team of Thirty facing the consequences.

Some might think that this is irresponsible.

Others might think that this is a deep personal choice to put God before all else.

I feel angry with the Customs officers who will meet us at Nairobi Airport – just very recently on fire that destroyed part of it. I was in Nigeria and the good officers did not want to release our luggage unless we pay them, bribe them, sorry compensate them for their generosity to let us pass to face the cruel world outside.

I don’t think it will be different this time.  Corruption is not only in civilized Europe.

Anger is the fruit of fear. Fear that paralyzes me. It does not allow me to think straight.

And yet this is the internal price I have to pay to follow a Plan of Love, to be of service to others, not in theory but concretely. I have made the Love Principle the basis of my life. I assure you sometimes, like this time, is very costly.

This is MY Africa: a spiritual safari in Kenya.

Minutes ago I wrote to Bishop Paul, the young Bishop of the Diocese of Embu, Kenya:

My dear Bishop Paul, 

Thanks for your prayer and concrete support. 

Within few hours we will be boarding to Embu ... and we will meet face to face.

We will be looking forward to this Divine Adventure - and thank you for making this possible.

I will be writing a Spiritual Journey to focus on what is essential. The Unreflected life is not worth living. I hope, amidst the hassle and bustle of life, we all will find time to stop, to reflect, to ask questions, and write a Journal that will help us to focus and reflect. It's not how many things we will do in Embu but how much love we are able, with God's grace, to put in every single action that we do, in every single person that we meet. 

I will be writing regularly for several media outlets about "My Africa: A Spiritual Safari in Kenya". I hope i will be able to send the first this morning before I leave. 

See you soon...

Eager to meet you...

Colin