Hello. I've arrived safe and sound. Hardly slept at all - maybe caught just a few minutes - on the flights from Kuwait to Mombasa. They weren't that long, and I don't sleep well on planes anyway.
I got to the hotel at about 1100 on Sunday. There was much agitation about the fact that I wasn't there but everyone understood it wasn't my fault. Apparently a couple of the early-arriving Muslim conference participants had been asking about the prayer room - which I was supposed to set up, but couldn't because I wasn't there. They gave my list of requirements to the hotel and had the hotel set it up - so it was up and running before I got there, but it required that other officers who were quite busy with their own work, had to do coordination that is MY job. Thus part of the agitation.
Another part of the agitation was from the fact that we did have a small number of Soldiers working here on 12 April, and they didn't get a Protestant Easter service. The hotel did bring in a Catholic priest for Easter. It wasn't specifically for the American guests, since the hotel was not yet closed to other guests.
When I found I was going to come in so late on Sunday, I spoke with one of the Operations Officers and we decided to push the worship service back to Monday, but the Chief of Staff said that was a no-go. The day was too busy. So the worship service was rescheduled for 1600 Sunday.
Unfortunately, after the worship was scheduled, someone added a meeting to the calendar that started at 1600, so nobody came to the service at all. I heard some sympathetic grumbling from some of the officers about that. It's kind of a typical ARCENT problem - adding meetings that will run roughshod over people's existing plans for their free time.
As a result, I did not have time for a worship service with the CEC church here. Bishop Chunge came out to get me. Bishop does not have a car, but he was staying with a close friend who does. I took over a half-hour to drive to the church, and over a half-hour to get back from the church, and we had only 20 minutes to spend together.
So today, before Bishop left for his home town, about half of the parish council came on public transportation to a hotel restaurant near the hotel where I am staying (just a few blocks away). Bishop came and met me at the gate of the Serena and we walked to the restaurant and I spent about two and a half hours with them, just swapping stories and enjoying their company.
The others ate lunch at the restaurant, but I ate in the Serena (the hotel) before I went out. Partly that was because I didn't know when Bishop would finally get here, and partly because my meals are covered in the contract that's paying for my room (so I'm only getting minimal TDY pay) and partly that was because the US Army is supervising the food safety in the kitchen so that our tender American tummies don't get sick.
All of those who were present spoke at least some English. Two ladies spoke it reasonably well, though only one was confident enough to speak very much. The two men were less fluent, and bishop translated for them. He didn't translate everything though, and I am afraid they were lost part of the time - though I suspect that they understood more than they could speak.
(Just the reverse of me, with Russian. Often it's easier for me to speak it than to understand what others are saying - though once I get shifted into Russian conversation mode, the understanding gets easier.)
Today the President of Kenya came for the opening ceremony of the conference, and for the sake of security the leadership wanted everyone who didn't have direct responsibility in the conference itself (such as escorting a VIP) to stay away from the conference center. Also for the sake of reducing the confusion and crowding in the conference center. So, I thought it was a great time to get out and see the Bishop and the church.
Had a chance to talk with a couple of the Russian-speaking escort officers to lay some groundwork for possible Theater Security Cooperation events with the Russian-speaking forces in the future. They don't really have chaplaincies, because their Army structure was built in the Soviet era under anti-religious political doctrines. Also because they're mostly Muslim and Muslim militaries don't go much for chaplaincy for several reasons. Also because of years of persecution against ANY religion most of them aren't very OBSERVANT Muslims - at least not by mainstream Muslim standards.
The closest thing to a chaplain was, ironically, the political officers, because they were responsible to "educate" the unit on good, Communist thinking and behavior and also to ensure the commanders complied with good Communist attitudes and behavior standards. I say that was close to chaplaincy because it's the closest thing they had to moral instruction.
Now they have people they call "morale officers" who are basically the staff counselors (Deanna Troi). They're not religous leaders, just sympathetic ears and (hopefully) mature advisors. They're not even formally-trained counselors.
Anyway, I'm here, I'm well, and I love you.
Jonathan +
