Regina Pacis House, Nairobi

I'm writing from Nairobi, Kenya. I arrived here on Thursday evening, September 11, after spending almost 24 hours travelling. My flights went smoothly, thank God, and all my luggage arrived safely. I was very happy to be welcomed by three representatives of the Diocese of Torit who work at Regina Pacis (Queen of Peace) House in Nairobi.

Women's guest house and chapel at Regina Pacis

Regina Pacis was set up as a remote center of operations for the Diocese when it was displaced during the war years. It continues to function because Southern Sudan is still very dependent on Kenya for economic activity and travel. A lot of people from the diocese pass through Nairobi for different reasons, and Regina Pacis has guest rooms to accomodate them.

Men's guest house and offices

Very sadly, a tragedy took place among the staff here the very night I arrived. Lucy, a widowed mother of three small children, was killed along with her youngest child when the wall of the place she was renting collapsed on top of her. Another child was injured and hospitalized. Lucy herself was an orphan from a village outside of Nairobi, and it's not clear what will happen with her surviving children. Please remember them in prayer.

Unfortunately incidents like this are not uncommon among the poor in developing countries. Their lives are so vulnerable in many ways. For economic reasons they are often forced to live in precarious situations and become the victims of others' irresponsibility and diverse chance factors in life. In developed countries we often take for granted basic standards of safety and security that are beyond the reach of most of the citizens of the world.

I'll be staying in Nairobi through next week, arranging long-term Sudanese and Kenyan visas and taking care of some other matters before heading on to Sudan. I plan to follow up on a number of contacts I've made and others have given to me, and hope to meet with some of these folks in person.