Our journey to South Africa began on the morning of 6th November, 2008 accompanied by Fr. Pendawazima, the rector of the Allamano House who made sure that we felt his presence and closeness until we left Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The plane penetrated the air at first making us feel fearful and anxious but later we felt relaxed as we enjoyed the beautiful scenarios from the sky. At Johannesburg, the pressure to get cleared so as not to miss the flight to Durban rose every second and we only managed to relax after realizing that the Kenyan time and the South African time don't coincide.
Going to meet someone you are not so familiar with is as taxing as waiting for a person whose image is a mere illusion. At Durban, people stood holding posters with names of their expected visitors, but from a clear look, none of the posters had the names, Anthony, Gyaviira, Josephat or Francis inscribed on them. As the adage goes, 'blood is thicker than water' and Frs. Tarcisio and Rocco knew this better. They had identified us long before we set our eyes on them. They never carried with them anything like nametags, posters or icons of our institute, but their presence spelt Consolata more than the posters could have done. Their welcoming gesture at the airport turned our worries and fears into strength and joy. This was just the beginning. At the house, we took photos just before entering our new house. Inside the house were posters on the wall with welcoming notes printed beneath the icon of our lady Consolata. In each of our rooms were welcoming cards on the table. The climax was at the dinning room where balloons and cards were ideally placed as the setting of the table could only be compared to a birthday celebration. Yes, this was our birthday. It was a new dawn in Merrivale/Cedara, our arrival marked the birth of the new Theologicum in South Africa. Thus the celebration was worth its salt.
We give special thanks to Frs. Tarcisio and Rocco for their kindness and warm welcome. And as the Malayan say in their proverb, 'One can pay back the loan of gold but one dies forever in debt to those who are kind'. We thank the two confreres for their fatherly love as we embark on setting the pace.
