It is always striking to me at New Year’s with the people here how New Years is not so much a time to party and make resolutions (although that is done) as much as it is a moment to thank God that I’m still here alive and kicking.

Many relatives and friends have died, many before their time during this past year (the average life expectancy in Tanzania is 49yrs.). Many have had struggles with their health supported by a poor health care system. Many now a days eat just one meal a day, some miss even that. Many are living on the edge of life and death.

So  people after Mass come up to greet you with deep heartfelt thanks that they’ve entered another New Year. No small task when you are poor and living on the edge of society with no safety net.

In the original Vision for the Lake House of Prayer is the desire, the hope to share the Contemplative Life of the Church with the poor, with ordinary people who normally do not have access to this kind of teaching.

I’m pleased to say this desire, this hope is being realized in our Christian Meditation sessions in the early morning (6:30am) and evening gatherings. The response has been very positive in which we have now a regular morning Meditation group of 10 to 15 with the same amount coming in the evening. We are also hosting small groups of 30 for half-day Silent retreats of which the response has been very good.

How is this coming about? Many people don’t see the poor as contemplatives, their lives are full of brutish noise and violence. How is it possible for them to sit in Silence for 30 minutes?! They can’t, many say. Well, we are discovering a depth of primal Silence that compares with any Contemplative Tradition in the world.

We are discovering that these village people who are being urbanized  in the frenzy of our large metropolis of Mwanza bring with them a deep and abiding primal Stillness-Silence that comes to the surface when invited in a respectful manner. They are the sons and daughters of our collective neglected humanity. They are of the Old, Old, Old, Humans who were patient, still and silent. They have something very important to teach us, how to be Silent in front of and within the SILENT ONE.

I continue to celebrate Eucharist with the local community, usually every Sunday and major feast days like Christmas. This relationship has helped the House of Prayer establish a “praying community” that is an important part of our life of prayer at our House.

We usually have the mid-night mass at 7:30pm to give people a chance to walk back home in the dark while it is still relatively safe. Last night we started around 45 minutes late because we couldn’t get the lights to work. Finally, after much running around we were able to get one light to work, no micro-phone, no organ for the choir, no flashing lights at the Crib (thank God!). The people take it all in stride, nobody is upset and after 31 years in Tanzania, I am strangely calm.

So we  make adjustments, I bring a flashlight to the altar to recite the prayers, the choir sings with drums instead of the organ, I move to where most of the people are sitting for the homily, the dancing children are careful not to step on anyone.

The celebration was wonderful. We really did not need the flashing lights, microphone, organ and all the rest. The Spirit of the Christ Child flowing through the Christians’ faith was all we needed to Light up the place.

Yesterday we had a group of 30 Christians from various parishes in the city come visit us. They were a nice mixture of men and women of all ages. They were with us from 10am to 3pm during which we had two talks, Eucharist, and lunch. The entire time was in silence except for the talks which I gave and Mass.

It was very striking to me how the group immediately settled into the silence. I discovered that in our very noisy and busy city of Mwanza there is a deep hunger for tranquility and silence.

Our vision for the Lake House of Prayer to be a place of Silence, Simplicity and Solitude is meeting the reality of the people’s deep need for what we are offering here. It is only the beginning but as the Chinese proverb says, “The journey of a thousand miles starts with one step.” The first steps our of House of Prayer after our opening have the Spirit confirming that the vision is in line with our reality.

We moved our prayer room from my former living room to the basement of our new house. The feeling one can get going into our new prayer room is of being in a cave. The ceiling is low, but more than enough to walk around; the stone walls accent the cave theme. We also have a wonderful view of the lake for two wide windows.

We have the Cave opened everyday from morning to evening and are getting a steady stream of people seeking solitude and silence. Our morning and evening services are well-attended as the hunger for a peaceful place to lay one’s burdens down is evident.

In 1 Kings  19:9-12 the Elijah hides out in a cave in the desert waiting for a sign for the Lord; a strong wind with heavy rains came but the Lord was not in the wind, then an earthquake but the Lord was not in the earthquake, later a fire but no Lord; after the fire a still small voice and it was the Lord.

I hope our Cave can shield our people from the noise and semi-chaos of our city; that in the silence and solitude of our Cave they will be able to  hear the still small voice of our Lord deep within the caves of their hearts.

On the information sheet we prepared for the Opening it said we would start receiving overnight guests on 19 Dec. Well, we started on 6 Dec. with a Anglican Pastor from the north-west part of Tanzania near the Rwandan boarder.

He is well into his  second on a five day directed retreat. Judy and I are finding him a very pleasant man to have with us. He speaks very good English that Judy appreciates as she continues learning Kiswahili.

Judy and I continue to feel the Spirit opening the doors for people come and pray in the Silence and Solitude of our House of Prayer whether individuals or small groups.

We moved the chapel from the living room of the house I used to live in (Judy lives there now) to the “Cave”. The Cave’s full name is “Pango la Eliya” (Cave of Elijah). It is  the basement of the new house that has a beautiful look at the lake. The Cave is open all day for people to come a pray. We also have meditation, Eucharist and Evening prayer in it.

We hope that praying in the Cave’s environment with create an inner attitude of seeking what the contemplatives say is the “Cave of the Heart” where one is gifted with the Presence of one’s True Self and the Divine.

I am writing this blog from my new home in the New House of Prayer that was blessed and opened 6 days ago. It has been quite the journey these past two and a half years to get here; from living at the Bishop’s House for a year, then repairing an unfinished house in which I have been living until today.

We will begin to receive overnight guests in the middle of next month. We already have reservations for 3 people who will be coming for Directed and Contemplative Retreats.

Today a woman came to talk to me about her struggles with anxiety and lack of sleep. She is a widow without children just barely making ends meet. She asked for prayers that her business that until now has not produced any profit will be successful. I invited her to our evening meditation sessions suggesting such a prayer along with petitionary prayers for her business can help her with her anxieties and lack of sleep. The hope is here at the Lake House of Prayer  that through the stillness and silence of Christian Meditation people can let go of the thoughts/feelings that cause so much pain and just REST in God’s UNCONDITIONAL LOVE for THEM.

Yesterday we had a joyful celebration of the official Opening of the House of Prayer with a Eucharist which included the official proclamation of Canon Law that this will be an ‘oratory'(place of prayer) and that I will be the ‘Rector’.

The event was well attended beyond original expectations, over 1,000/ people came. The choir prepared a lovely song just for the opening. I signed a pledge of loyalty of faith. The bishop went all the way into the surrounding rocks and trees to bless everyone with holy water.

Everyone got food and were satisfied. The small communities cooked for the themselves (I helped with some rice). Our invited guests  ate a catered meal. Everyone reported, “Nimeshiba”(I am full) as I asked them how the food was.

All this and more with the Lake in the background giving us a gentle breeze as we started another part of our journey to provide a Contemplative Space for our people here in Mwanza.