Br. Ndoria

This long holiday has been an awesome return to my first experience of religious life. The very first day I joined, I found Br. Ndoria doing the very things he is doing right now as am typing this. Hurling maize to the chickens, observing jioni (our special bull) as he grows massively big and it is almost like the bull’s growth depends on his eyes, collecting mangoes and other things. Unlike the past when I was a postulant, and seldom asked questions, I had a chance to ask him why he does these things. At first I thought he is wasting time because in my shallow understanding I wondered, why keep chickens, goats, cows among others, that we never slaughter yet we buy meat. It was a very simple question to him because he didn’t even think much about the answer, he already had it. He smilingly explained “hii ni shule na hapa tunawafundisha nyinyi vijana kuhusu miradi ili ukiwa parokiani kama parish priest msiwasumbue wakristu na mahitaji yenu kila wakati. Hii miradi ya kuku, ng’ombe, na mbuzi na hata shamba ni ya kujiangaliliwa na kujifunzia.” Well I understood that very well and went to my room to bring my camera in order to take photos of these animals. Aren’t they there to be seen?

Br. Samuel

I am watching a bespectacled fellow wipe the tables, set the cutlery at the table, refill the water jars and so forth. I also remember that yesterday I saw him put on the gumboots as the hoe lay there waiting to be placed on the shoulder ready to break, turn and twist the soil. I am excited and at the same time perplexed. Excited because we still have genuine vocations sprouting. Perplexed that such a young and promising man could still find a reason to humble himself much as to dust his spectacles as he tilled the sand. I am inspired by this man who has been with us barely a week. Luckily he is inspired by “himself” because he tells me that he delayed to get here, 

“nimechelewa kujiunga, hii ndio maisha niliyotamani sana.” he said as he displayed his entire dental formula. I hope and pray he understands what he is saying because I too at one point deceived myself I understood, now I don’t think I understand anymore.  

Br. Joseph

There is feeling that I should just type the name - Br. Joseph – then leave a long blank space, just to make you understand how little can be said of him. This is among the brothers I have spent quality time with but the truth is that little can be said. Nonetheless, I remember we chose him as our representative at one point. I somehow don’t remember voting because I never thought I needed to be represented anyway, but I remember he was my representative. His decisions were straight and clear, followed by his silence.

It happened that we had been invited by the sisters to celebrate the day of their founder. One of us had to go and Joseph could not think of anyone else but me. He came to me and said, “Unaenda wewe”. I never responded because certainly I was not going. “What kind of a celebration can the sisters have surely?” I wondered.  I could not imagine celebrating any thing save the liturgy – and I did not go. Whether Joseph was irked by that or not, I don’t know! A few days later, Joseph came to me with a cutting from one of the dailies’ cartoons which was a comical signpost saying 

the first character in the Cartoon asked,

“what if he doesn’t die?”

 “well, he will be shot again!”. responded the second character.

 Joseph left me in stitches. A few weeks later, we had our own celebration. Naïve as I was, Joseph made me the MC of the day. Whatever energy of resistance remained in my bowels dried.

Br. Steve (OmeraNdogo)

Isn’t it true that things don’t exist unless there are questions about them? It is in 2010 when a young boy asked me whether small boys could be accepted as brothers. At first I thought he was talking about himself. I asked him if he wanted to become a brother and he cheekily said, “No, am asking because of that boy” pointing at Br. Steve. It was at that time it occurred to me for the first time that surely Steve looks boyishly young. With that question, as if suddenly, Steve started “existing” in my world.

He belongs to this generation of instant stuff; instant food, instant knowledge, instant friends and I guess even instant brother. Just the other day Bro. Evans was explaining to us how they fatten oxen in some central part of Kenya. Well, he said that they relieve the bull some of its vital force and it grows instantly. At that time we started wondering, ‘could we possibly do that to those tall dwarfs like me who don’t seem to respond to the grace of height.’ Steve commented to that saying, “hiyo ndio tunaita instant thinking” as he burst into hearty laugh prompting the whole table to burst into laughter. Now I understand why it is so possible for him to stick to almost, if not all, social networks – you need instant thinking to instantly respond to messages on whatsapp, facebook, twoo, tweeter and so forth, all at a go!