I was initially scheduled to be on leave starting 1st Dec to report back on 5th January. This was to allow me to attend my graduation ceremony well and recuperate after several months of hard work.

However, due to client demands, my leave was cancelled. The client further put pressure on us to have a number of reports released before mid of the month.

I was to travel to our rural home about 500km from Nairobi and later to be joined by my in-laws three days after. The leave cancellation complicated these plans. I therefore decided to entrust everything to Don Alvaro by saying a prayer card every day. I was also able to intensify the prayer cards during a seminar I attended from the 12th to 14th December. I accompanied the prayer cards with frequent visits to the shrine of Our Lady located at the venue of the seminar. When the seminar ended, on 14th December, I was not sure if I was going to travel, however, I continued saying the prayer cards to Blessed Alvaro trusting to get a favour from him.

I called my boss the evening of 14th December and updated him on the status of the work and reports to the client. To my surprise, he sounded very calm. He indicated that he had started looking at the reports but was yet to finish reviewing them. He however, promised to revert before the end of the day or early in the following morning for any further work needed from my end.

He reverted in the early morning of 15th December, and indicated that he had already reviewed the reports. Having mentioned to him about my leave he suggested that I talk to one of my colleagues to finalise with the printing and delivery to the client as I proceed on leave. I immediately called my colleague who had already arrived in the office. He gladly agreed to finalize with the reports and have them sent to the client the same day. The client was pleased with the reports and later settled all the outstanding invoices that had been accompanied with these reports. This later translated to a Christmas bonus and a later increase in salary starting December 2014! I later said a thanksgiving prayer card to Blessed Don Alvaro and entrusted him with the Christmas break and all the activities we had planned for the month.

We finally left for the trip home on 15th December early morning. My in laws were scheduled to join us three days later. This was the first time to take my three children home and also to officially occupy our upcountry house that we had finished constructing the previous month.

Through the local parish, we organized for a thanks giving Mass which was celebrated by our local parish priest. I also invited the Anglican Bishop, who is my immediate neighbour. Due to his tight December schedule, the Bishop joined us for a cup of tea on the day our parents arrived and stayed with us for close to two hours, before going to close a youth event elsewhere that evening. The parish priest came the following day and presided over the thanksgiving Mass that was later followed by blessing of the new house. The Mass was attended by close to 70 people mainly drawn from our extended family. This was the very first time for a Catholic Mass to be celebrated at home and the first one for the majority of the congregation who were mainly Anglicans. Through the Mass we have established a good relationship with the local parish and this will definitely provide fodder for future apostolic activities.

S.K

Nairobi, Kenya