Thursday 29 December 1999

I marked every step to the cemetery with a prayer or "Greatest Name". It was still dark when I was greeted at the guest house by Mr. Alai. Even though I had only reached his answering machine when I called upon arriving at Heathrow, he had made a special trip to open up in anticipation of my pre-dawn arrival. I was able to stand beside the monument to offer my morning prayers accompanied by a chorus of joyous songbirds and a cacophony of busy squirrels. The sky became a brilliant pink, as did my toes due to the fact that it was frosty and minus 4 degrees centigrade, and I only had my sandals to wear. 40 minutes had slipped by in a snap. Mr. Alai had some cookies and tea and many delightful stories. He was eager to hear about Mr. Nekunde, the first Namibian Baha'i who had stopped over for several days on his way back from World Congress. The two of them did several firesides in the London area at that time. His guest book was filled with familiar names from the world over! At the last minute I had to pry myself away, otherwise I could've enjoyed his company all day. I quickly grabbed my gear from Sandy's flat and only got on one wrong train and caught my flight out of Gatwick. We had a great view of southern Greenland clad in snow. The sight of Greenland signaled the fact that I had truly left Africa behind.

Love, Kevin