We had a funeral in Our Lady of Visitation Parish in Nairobi, Kenya.  After the
celebration of the Eucharist in the church we accompanied the body to the
cemetery.  It was a boiling tropical day and the bright African early afternoon
sun burned down mercilessly.  Following the custom of the Kikuyu Ethnic Group a
close friend of the deceased man narrated his life history. After an additional
hour of storytelling the hot and sweating Kenyan priest who was officiating was
asked to say a prayer.  As the sun continued to pour down on all the mourners he
turned to me and whispered, “I think I’ll pray for rain.”