[Oe List ...] Mystery

[Richard Alton]

Airplane trip to Africa



Just copied the Land of Mystery chart from Frank Knutson and then had an
awesome trip to Kenya that manifested this mystery. I knew this trip would
be different. Being COV19 housebound for like two years, it was a big
decision to get out in the real world again… never know what is out there.
It was a huge task to just get a Kenya visa. Trying to figure out how to
get through the Kenya COV19 public health check station was nerve racking.
But I did it and it was an amazing adventure and the people I found out
there, made it all worthwhile.



This has happened to me before when strange people just show up in my life:
Found my Chicago seat for the first leg of Chicago to Qatar and then onward
to Nairobi. The plane was almost full, but my window seat was still empty-
would be a great help if the seat stayed empty. And just then a young lady
burst through the plane door with two gigantic bags and came running down
the aisle screeching to a stop in front of me. Hands me her passport- “Hold
this!”- and throws one of the bags over my head to the seat next to me… “Be
back!”. This was the beginning of a thirteen-hour remarkable trip with this
thirty-one-year-old American school teacher presently teaching in Bangkok,
Thailand. The stories she had to tell about her seven years there. The most
amazing part was her side business of raising ten dogs of which none
weighed more than 2.2 kilos- so I got to personally meet all ten dogs,
their names and each’s adventures- photos, videos and awards. Much better
than watching movies. Oh, yes and her name is Kay which just happens to be
one of my daughter’s names. And this Kay’s mom also raises dogs- a long
family history of dogs… an amazing world we live in that people do such
things



My second encounter was at the Qatar airport. Of course, we missed my
connecting flight. The explanation was that since Qatar was hosting the
Soccer World Cup between November 18 and December 18 this year and they
expected millions of spectators, they had put in a huge number of new
systems that were still being figured out like how to get people from the
planes to the terminal.



So I waited my five hours for the next flight and got in line for my
Nairobi flight. I am pretty good at chatting with people. The African lady
standing next to me- an older woman who had a strange looking passport- so
asked her what country she was from. She explained that this was the new
East Africa Regional passport. “Nice- you are from Kenya? “Yes”, she (her
name turned out to be Charity Gathuthi) had just come back from Australia
from visiting her daughter. “Nice. What did she do?”: “A water consultant”.
“What do you do?” Well, I am retired in Chicago but still work on local
community development and was attending a gathering of people to look at
climate change. I used to live in Nairobi- Kawangware



Charity looked at me really funny, like I was from another world. “Are you
with ICA?” Yes, you win the prize for an astonishing guess. “Well, I know
and have worked with the ICA staff, Nathan Ambunya, Patrick Mbullu and
Henry Mpapale plus I did Kenya Cooperative consulting work for many years
with Terry Bergdall. Have been away and have not had contact with ICA for a
while.  But you tell Patrick, Nathan and Henry to give me a call.” Now that
was amazing- like finding a needle in a haystack. Makes you wonder how many
related ICA people are out their wandering the planet.



Now, I told you about the Thailand Kay encounter. Kay has unbounding energy
in relationships with other people. She was standing in the toilet line and
started talking to a stewardess and it turns out that they may all look the
same, but they are from different countries- part of Qatar wanting to be
the future Global airlines. So sure enough, I found two Philippine
stewardesses. Found out a lot about the Philippines and other countries
like Tajikistan. So, I am sitting there reading a book by Momaday called
Earth Keeper in preparation for presenting the ICA’s new Climate Change
Manual- look up and there is an African Stewardess standing in front of me;
“What a great sounding book- Earth Keeper” I am from Zimbabwe and we need
earth keepers. I will come back, and you can tell me more.



The page I was reading when she interrupted me: *“And so Great Mystery you
who dwell in the endless beyond, you who spoke the first word and made of
your breath the mountains and the waters, the trees and the grasses, the
man and the woman and the child, hear me in my small voice. I am your
thankful creature. My people and all the birds and animals are your
thankful creatures. Hold us! Hold us in your hands and make us worthy of
your blessing. Tell us the old stories of your greatness, that our minds
and our hearts may be nourished with wonder and delight. Let us see your
likeness in the stars and let us hear your voice in rolling thunder and in
the wind and rain. Be with us forever in the sacred smoke of your being.
These are my words, my offering to you, Great Mystery ( Earth Keeper by
N.Scott Momaday)*



And this is just one journey from Chicago to Africa. Life is amazing if you
dare to go out and meet it.

Dick Alton, Co-Director, ICA Kenya, 1980-86; still believes that one should
write a witness on one’s birthday and mine is quickly approaching, so this
reflection
-- 
Richard H. T. Alton
ICA Global Fund
Methodist Eco-Sustainability T/F
T: 773.344.7172
richard.alton at gmail.com
Make Plain the Vision, Habakkuh 2:2
Won't you be my neighbor?
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