Christmas Activities

Well, the week of Christmas I was pretty busy at the parish preparing for a concert of Christmas carols (villancicos), practicing with the choir for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day mass, and rehearsing with the theater group for our reenactment of the nativity story. The villancicos concert was Wednesday the 23rd after evening mass. Three of the groups I participate in sang songs: English, Canticos del Sol (the youth choir), and TEFA (the theater group). Our English students sang O Come All Ye Faithful, Jingle Bells, and We Wish You A Merry Christmas. Marcelle and I also played two flute duets of Christmas arrangements. The songs with the youth choir were probably two of my favorite that I learned this year: Cholito Jesus and Mi Burrito Sabanero. Cholito Jesus mentions all of the things specific to Peru and adds them to the nativity scene including Peruvian instruments, food, drink, and clothing. TEFA sang Navidad Marinero (about fisherman) and Ven a Cantar. I thought overall the concert was a success and everyone seemed to have a good time singing along. My favorite performance was probably from the charismatic group at the parish because they dressed in traditional clothing of the sierra and played the peruvian flute.

For the Christmas Eve mass and Christmas Day all of the choirs joined together to sing under the direction of Padre Raul, who is a pretty talented singer himself. We sang Silent Night in 4 different languages: Spanish, Italian, German (we have two German priests at the parish), and English. For one of the Spanish solos an adorable little boy sang the chorus and then for the English solo the first night all of us missionaries sang, but on Christmas day it was just me. The church was adorned with a beautiful nativity scene of an indigenous tribe in Peru carved by one of the postulants. One interesting tradition that was new is that almost everyone brought a baby Jesus to be blessed by the priests to adorn their nativity scene. There was a table in the front of the altar filled with baby Jesuses. At any given mass this table is also there and people will bring water or other adornments that they wish to be blessed by the priests. Mass started around 9pm with our theater group reenacting the Christmas story. I played the part of a master of the law (basically a scribe) and a shepherd. It was directed by one of the group members and I thought it went well. Mass ended around 10:30pm and everyone left to prepare for their big dinner at midnight.

Gracias a Dios each of us had invitations to someone's house to share in this midnight meal and celebration. Our friends Roy and Laura from the parish invited Marcelle and I to eat with them, so after mass we headed to their house to hang out and wait until midnight. At midnight we went out into the streets filled with children and all of the neighbors lighting off fireworks and wishing one another a Feliz Navidad. It was a really beautiful and grace filled moment for me standing in front of the house, looking out onto this street in a Peruvian neighborhood with its Christmas lights, decorations, dirt, trash, fireworks, and listening to the shouts and laughter of the children and adults, taking everything in and feeling God born in this holy moment in a completely foreign country and culture. Then we all headed back inside to share a meal of turkey, french fries!, salad, and lots of bread and hot chocolate. Marcelle and I headed home early for Peruvian standards around 2am because we were both pretty exhausted.

Christmas day all of us missionaries went to a lunch at the Dominican sisters' house with the Incarnate Word sisters and the Sisters of the Misericordia. It was a really nice meal and compartir with all really awesome women! When we got back to the house in the afternoon the five of us had our gift exchange and then rested after a long day. I had mass again that night at 7pm and then after mass was the chocolatada with the drunk men outside the sisters' house which I mentioned in the last post.

While it was a very strange Christmas without any of the traditions I am used to or weather for that matter, I am grateful for the opportunity to have celebrated the birth of Christ in Chimbote, Peru and to learn and share in another culture's traditions and celebrations of the divine present with us. It is definitely a Christmas I will never forget.

For New Years I think we are just going to have a party here at the house with some friends from the parish. There is a tradition of burning dolls in the streets at midnight so I'll let you know how that goes. Also, the shops are covered in yellow right now as there is a superstition that you should wear yellow for the new year to bring good luck, including underwear! They also eat 12 grapes at midnight for each month to bring luck in the new year. I probably won't write for a little while because my friend Sarah from SLU is coming to visit for a week so I'll be hosting her.

Prospero Año Nuevo y que Dios les bendiga en el nuevo año!
paz y amor

Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año Nuevo!

So Merry Christmas a few days late and Happy New Year a few days earlier! The holidays have been so busy and there's so much I want to write and share but the days seem to pass too quickly. So while I know I won't be satisfied with the descriptions below I wanted to share some of the various Christmas celebrations I've been having down here. The presence of God has strongly been felt in all of these, and I am blessed to share in so many moments of divine beauty, love, friendship, joy, and peace. May these Christmas vignettes make you more aware of the presence of God in your own life and relationships.

El Penal (the prison)
With the Comision de Justicia Social we had three Christmas celebrations in the prison with different pavillons (cell blocks). Monday the 14th we celebrated with the women. We had a prayer service to begin and many of the women participated in sharing the Christmas story. One particularly poignant moment was with a woman who had recently given birth. With her daughter only a few weeks old she lit the candle as a symbol of hope and new life. This woman is in prison for her collaboration in a kidnapping which ended in the young girl dying. It was a very public case in Chimbote and Max, the young man responsible for the girl's death was just sentenced to life in prison without parole. I think he's only 18 years old. Everyone in the prison knows what she's in for, but in that moment her and her newborn daughter were a symbol of hope and new life like the incarnation of God in the world. It was powerful. After the prayer service we played a number of games with the women and it was great to see them laugh and have fun with one another. We ended with the signature of any Christmas celebration here in Peru: hot chocolate and panetone (a christmas type bread with raisin type fruit pieces).

Then on Thursday we had a celebration with the largest group of male prisoners (about 120). This was a very different enviornment; with the women there were only about 20. We started with the games first in order to attract more of them to the patio to participate and sang songs as well. Then we had our prayer reflection and ended the same as the women with chocolate, panetone, and a small gift of some basic hygiene type products. While the men are always a little more rowdy they were good participants until this point when we were handing things out. Then it was crazy because there were men from other pavillons so we were trying to separate out who should be there and who shouldn't (there doesn't seem to be a lot of regulation or strict enforcement amongst the gaurds) and then everyone was shoving to get their presents and food. They live in a desperate situation and I understand the mentality of wanting to make sure they get something and normally having to fight for it, but it was sad to witness that reality and how it puts them all in competition with one another. But overall I would say it was a great celebration and until the end everyone enjoyed him or herself and was able to celebrate a bit of the Christmas spirit even in prison. I wasn't able to go the third celebration because I was helping with the chocolatada for Adulto Mayor in the parish.

Adulto Mayor/ Tercer Edad
At the parish there is a group for older parishoners that meets once a month called adulto mayor. Our animacion group has helped out in the past, and for their chocolatada this month they asked us to come back and annimate the party. We wore our Christmas hats and vests and sang songs and played games. It's always fun to get the older generation up and moving and having fun. The party was only about 30-45 minutes but had all the essentials of a good Peruvian Christmas party and the youth were able to share some of their joy and energy with the adults and have a great time.

Good Shepherd Sisters
I went out with the Good Shepherd sisters to two Christmas celebrations in people's houses. The first one was with a group of children who had recently received Baptism or First Communion with the Sisters. Hermana Karina and I met the children playing in the street, covered in dirt of course, and entered a very small, simple home that housed many people. There weren't any adults around and very little furniture or decorations. We gathered around the table in front and with about 8 kids we sang the 4 or 5 Christmas songs they knew. Karina had brought along some bell type noise makes so the kids each had one to accompany the songs and I had a tambourine. When children sing they sing with so much energy and enthusiam; while it might not sound the prettiest, it is beautiful. We talked about the Christmas story, celebrating Jesus' birth, how to prepare to welcome Jesus into our hearts. When asked what Jesus doesn't like one of the little girls said being around men and being drunk, which spoke so strongly to the reality she lives every day. All I could do was hug her and pray that God protect each one of them. It was a simple celebration, but one that spoke of the power of presence and giving witness to the love of God.

The second family I visited with hermana Pilla lived in probably the poorest house I've been in so far here in Chimbote. It was put together with scrap wood and woven wicker (like you make chairs out of) and didn't have a roof in some parts. Inside was separated into two or three different rooms with stuff all over the place. The mother of the house was very sweet and hospitable and talked a while with hermana Pilla about her struggles. She has two older sons, but they don't help her out much and are in trouble a lot. I'm not sure what happend to her husband, but he's not around. So it's mostly just her and her daughters and granddaughters. Her 17 year old daughter has some kind of mental disability and was raped by an older man in his 60s less than a year ago. He impregnanted her and I think her daughter is about a month old right now. The family has tried to prosecute him or at least get him to help pay for expenses, but has not had any luck with the legal system. The mother of the 17 year old girl kept saying, no hay justicia (there isn't any justice). With this family of women who have suffered so much and remind me of all the women daily who suffer from abuse and mistreatment, we sang Christmas songs, shared a few presents, and spoke of the birth of Christ. Again it was a simple celebration but I could see it meant a lot that we came at all, to visit and to celebrate the holiday with them. In some of the scripture readings lately the gospel has spoken of Mary and how she gaurded or kept all of the things she saw and experienced in her heart, and I feel like that's all I can do at the moment. Is to be present, feel with my whole heart and soul, and let these experiences and strong emotions sit in my heart and germinate with time to better understand.

Los Borrachos (The drunks)
One final story because I have to go and then I'll write more later about the celebrations at the parish and Christmas day. There is a group of drunk and homeless men and a few women who live or at least always spend time in the park right outside the Incarnate Word sisters' house. Hermana Silivia with her huge heart decided she wanted to share some chocolate and panetone with these men and women as well. So after the evening mass on Christmas day I accompanied her, hermana Kati, and some youth from the parish to share a small chocolatada with the homeless men and women in the park. Silivia for me in this event was a very powerful example of the love of God made real in the flesh. For me, it was very difficult to be around these men because not only did they smell aweful and were very dirty but they constantly make comments about my physical appearance or ask a lot of questions about where I'm from and where I live (don't worry, I didn't tell them). In some moments when I really tried I could see Jesus in them, esepcially when they were singing or offering thanks, but in other moments it was very difficult and I just wanted to leave. So I recognize I still have a long way to go in learning how to love everyone and serve the suffering Christ present in them, but am grateful for the sister's and their example of love in serving those who live outside their door and I'm sure constantly shout things at them as well.

Well, more later but for now I have to run. I was thinking of you all this Christmas and holding you in my heart and sending love. Blessings in the New Year!

paz y amor

¡Viva el Verbo Incarnado!

Happy Anniversary to the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word! Today we celebrated as a congregation 140 years of CCVI and 45 years here in Chimbote, Peru.

The morning mass was dedicated to the Congregation and we had representatives from the sisters, missionaries, and associates participate in the various parts of the mass. After mass we had a small compartir (sharing of food) with hot chocolate and bread. Representatives of the various facets of the congregation (vowed religious, associates, and missionaries) shared some words about their experience, and our theater group performed two skits. The first skit was a brief history of how the congregation came to Chimbote and the various work we do here. I was honored to play the lead role of Sister Marie Charles who first came to Chimbote. The second skit was on the true spirit of Christmas and inviting Jesus into our celebration instead of focusing on Papa Noel or all of the presents and traditional foods. Being part of CCVI and working so much with religious groups here has been a blessing in really focusing on Jesus this Advent, so I haven't had as much contact with the secularism or commercialism of Christmas; but it is still present here too.

After the morning celebration we had a really nice lunch with the whole CCVI family: sisters, missionaries, and associates. It was the first time we all got together, and it was a great sharing and celebration of the various work and components of the Incarnate Word congregation. Being far away from family for the first time this Christmas and being in such a foreign enviornment, it is really a blessing for me to be part of the Incarante Word family and to have the sisters, associates, and fellow missionaries to celebrate with. Sharing in the group together was a great reminder of our common mission to be the presence of the word incarnate in the world today, to manifest the love of the divine in service of the divine presence in our brothers and sisters. In 5 days, Christians all over the world will celebrate the gift of the Incarnation, of God freely choosing to enter into human history and share fully in our reality, struggles, and joys. My hope and prayer for myself and for everyone this Christmas is that we respond to the incredible gift of the incarnation by following God's example and fully entering ourselves into the reality of human history with all of its struggles and joys, freely giving ourselves to the service of others and working to make real the kindom of God.

Praised be the Incarnate Word!

International Human Rights Day

Today is International Human Rights day and the 61st anniversary of the UN Declaration of Human Rights. If you have never actually read the Declaration of Human Rights I would strongly encourage you today to read it: http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/
It also marks the end of the 16 day campaign to end violence against women which started on November 25, International Day to End Violence Against Women. http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/16days/home.html
The Good Shepherd sisters, whose charism and work focuses on women and children, participated in the 16 day campaign. They set up a banner and table with information outside of their center/house called Centro Amar downtown. I have really enjoyed getting to know these sisters and participate in some of their work, so I was happy to participate in this campaign which is near and dear to my heart in my work to end violence and oppression against women. On December 1st, I sat outside and handed out pamphlets to those passing by and engaged in conversation with both men and women regarding the reality of violence against women here in Chimbote. December 1st also happend to be World AIDS day in the fight against AIDS, so we also had information about HIV/AIDS which affects many people here in Chimbote as it does throughout Latin America and most underdeveloped countries. Some of the different pamphlets we handed out talked about recognizing violence against women, which in many cases can just be seen as the norm in a machista culture. We also had information on self-esteem, communication (so you don't have to resort to violence) and the negative affects of alcohol and alcoholism which leads many men to act violently against the women in thier lives.

There is still a lot of work to do in the struggle to end violence and to ensure all the human rights outlined in the UN document, and there is no easy answer or single solution. In many ways the systems and structures we live in/under are inherently violent and oppressive and until the larger structure changes the global reality won't change. Meditating on this global reality can be incredibly overwhemling and depressing with the thought, there is so much to do and I am so small. But at the same time I am grateful for the micro-view of the situation and the continual reminder in my work with the good shepherd sisters that one person is worth more than the world (una persona vale mas que un mundo). One person does contain the whole world, and so if it takes changing the world by changing the world of one person at a time then that is the work we are called to do with patience and love.

Today, as we remember the rights inherent in all human beings simply by virtue of being, I invite you all to read and reflect on the rights you currently enjoy, those you are currently denied, and those that many others around the world are currently denied. Everyone has the right to love and be loved, to explore this complicated mystery called life, to question, dream, live and learn. But these take a backseat in the face of a reality where people don't have food, water, adequate shelter, education, or health. All of these are necessary, and it is our collective responsibility as a human family to meet the basic needs/rights of our brothers and sisters so that we can all fully participate in the divine life for which we were/are created.

paz y amor

Construction and Water

Well, since arriving in Chimbote there has been ongoing construction throughout the city, but about two weeks ago that construction came literally to our front door. I guess construction is one of those universal constants in life; wherever you go, there's construction and the inconvenience that arises from it. They are currently working on replacing the plumbing and large pipes that are about 3-4 feet underground. So the road is basically one big exposed hole with huge piles dirt and rocks where there isn't a big hole. There are tools, pipes, wood, trash, etc. all over the place and somedays it feels like an obstacle course to enter and leave the house, but so far no serious problems. Someone told me that the construction workers are mostly just guys from around the neighborhoods who needed work, so we're hoping that the work is done well enough that they don't have to redo everything in a couple months. On the plus side, it's employing local people and providing an income, but its also not the most reliable work crew and there have already been thefts (of construction materials, not from us). There are varying estimates for how long the construction will last, but if it's anything like the rest of Chimbote I would guess it's going to be a while.

One of the consequences of the construction is that as of last Sunday we no longer have water coming into the house. For the first few days there was water coming in through an external pipe system in the street that everyone on our street would share and fill up buckets with to take back to their house. It came around 5am and 5pm. But a couple days ago it either broke or I heard maybe the gage or something was stolen, not really sure. So, there is no longer that resource. Yesterday morning I got up at 6am with Jane and collected water from some neighbors around the corner and down the street. With everyone taking turns filling up bucket, carrying them back to the house, filling up all available containers (which for us aren't actually that many), and repeating this process we spent about an hour filling up 4 buckets of water. We've set up a tentative schedule of collecting water, but we never know for sure if it will come or where it will come from. Today there was a water truck that came by around 10am so we were able to refill our water supply for the day since last night we didn't get any. It's been a really good practice in rationing scarce resources and seeing how much we can do with little water. Although cleanliness is pretty impossible to keep up given our enviornment surrounded by dust and dirt and now little water. We're doing the best we can for now and I think everyone's keeping a really positive attitude. This is part of life here and all of our neighbors are in the same spot, so we share and struggle together. Whenever you don't have something you are so used to, it definitely makes you appreciate it more and understand the struggle of those who daily go without. At least we don't have to walk a mile or more to a local stream or river to collect our daily water. And this probably won't last forever. There are estimates on anywhere from 2-4 weeks before we have running water again. I'm guessing it won't be before the new year. So, I'm grateful for each moment with or without water and what I learn and appreciate from that moment.

Today as you wash your hands, flush the toilet, take a shower, drink from the faucet (which is something we can never do, even when we have running water), run your dishwasher or washing machine, give thanks but also try to conserve your resources, even if for you they seem limitless. For most people there is a very real daily limit.

peace and love

p.s. On a completely different note: we decorated the house for Christmas! It was a lot of fun and puts us all a little more in the spirit of the holidays, which for me has been hard in sunny, dusty, 70 degree weather. Marcelle took pictures and there's a link on her blog to her photo site. She also might have a couple pictures of contstruction too... so you can check those out. I have a link to her blog under websites on the left-hand side of my blog.

Gratitude

(I first wrote this 2 years ago and am re-copying it from my other blog where it was first published. I still heartily believe in everything I wrote and wanted to share it with those who might not have read it the first time, or forgot.)

The most profound gratitude I have experienced is from people who have the least. This Thanksgiving gratitude list is dedicated to my brothers and sisters who seem to have little to be thankful for yet continue to remind and teach me what true gratitude is.

I am grateful for community, the presence of others.

I am grateful for smiles in all shapes and sizes: smiles with missing teeth, smiles with rotting teeth, smiles with no teeth.

I am grateful for hands: hands that are wrinkled and calloused and worn from years of working, serving, and loving; the tiny hands of a baby that can only hold onto one of my fingers; hands that bring new life into this world, hands that cook, and feed, and nurture; hands that create beautiful works of art, music, and literature; hands that exchange greetings between friends.

I am grateful for eyes: eyes that sparkle and dance with life, eyes that shed tears - of joy and sorrow, eyes that speak a thousand words of unimagined horrors and hardships, eyes surrounded by wrinkles, eyes hidden behind a straw hat or veil, blue eyes, brown eyes, green eyes, my eyes - that witness it all.

I am grateful for friends: friends who let me be, friends who challenge me to be more, friends who listen, friends who don't understand and make me explain, friends who ask for nothing, friends who demand everything, friends who do not know me but inspire and encourage me, friends with whom I can be in silence when words are insufficient.

I am grateful for nature: for the sun that rises every morning - consistent and reliable, warming the earth and giving life; for the beautiful flowers, for trees that bear fruit and refresh our bodies, for the rain that helps life grow, for the breeze that cools on unbearably hot days, for all the colors of the rainbow reflected in the creation that surrounds us.

I am grateful for shared meals: dividing what one has and sharing with all who are present, trusting that what there is will be enough and giving thanks that it always is enough, nourishing not only our bodies but our hearts and souls as well in the company of friends who always have an extra place at the table, where all are invited and welcomed.

I am grateful for water: clean drinking water, water that falls from the sky, water that falls from eyes, water that flows through the earth, water that flows through my body, water that washes away the dirt and filth, water that I don't have to walk 5 miles to collect, water that refreshes on a hot day, holy water, ocean water, water free and available for all, water - the life giver and sustainer.

I am grateful for sharing out of one's substance, not out of one's excess.

I am grateful for moments of peace in a war torn world.

I am grateful for those who do not make excuses, who do not give up, who do not give in, and who consequently give their whole lives striving for peace and justice.

I am grateful for memories: sacred moments shared with loved ones, laughter, tears, joy, sorrow, images, sounds, feelings, that I will keep with me forever and that can never be taken away, all that I have received and hold onto.

I am grateful for forgiveness: the ability to change and grow, the courage to admit mistakes and the strength to heal, the power of reconciliation with one another and within ourselves, the simple yet profound beauty of saying I'm sorry and I forgive you.

I am grateful for the daily bits of Good News: beautiful weather, a child's laughter, conversation with an old friend, time to breathe and be at peace, a goal accomplished, a hug, a smile, sparkling white snow that covers the earth, new life, not going hungry, a warm bed, bare feet in the cool grass, dancing in the rain, music that touches the soul....

I am grateful for You and Us, the collective We that Are.

A sincere and heartfelt Thank You this Thanksgiving holiday season.

Updates

The days are full and time seems to pass so quickly with so much going on. It's getting harder and harder to actually sit down and write about what's going on when each day I am even more settled and comfortable; this is life. Really living each day and appreciating what that means and looks like often makes the words used in writing about life seem insignificant and lacking. But, in love and appreciation for all of you who take the time to check my blog and support me and want to know what's going on, I really am trying to share some of my life with you.

Big general statement: I am really happy and grateful for the many daily blessings and challenges that constantly make me mindful of the beauty and mystery of being alive. I pray for the same for you.

Confirmation 2009 wrapped up this past weekend with the jovenes receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation, and many Baptism and First Communion also, on Sunday. The ceremony was really beautiful and all of the youth looked so nice in their fancy clothes! We're trying to plan some more activities for them to stay involved in the parish and I'm excited to continue working with them. They had their retreat the weekend before, and I think it was an especially powerful experience for them on the theme of family. Family is huge down here and such an important support system, especially for youth. We had the kid's parents write them letters (which was a suprise) and then the families actually came on Sunday to suprise their sons and daughters and show their love and support. It was a real blessing to witness this special moment for them.


Our theater group is busy working on three different shows right now. One is on the good samaritain which we are performing for a telethon for Hospice. I am playing the flute for a reflection song and am also a nurse in this skit. We are also preparing a skit on the history of CCVI coming to Chimbote, and I get to be the principal sister who came to Chimbote and founded it as a missionary site for CCVI! I'm really excited about this one, especially since it's about the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. We are celebrating 45 years in Chimbote on December 19th and will perform this skit at our celebration. The final skit we are working on is a Christmas show written and directed by two of the men in our theater group. It deals with making Jesus the center of the Christmas celebration. Should be pretty good.

I've also really been enjoying participating in the youth choir, playing flute and singing. It was really struggling when I first came to the parish, but I feel like we've been growing and have a new energy that is hopefully attracting more youth to participate and adds to the mass celebration. I love music, and especially music that praises the divine and moves the soul so it's great to be able to share that with others and encourage them to find the joy that comes from singing from the soul. It's also been a great way to learn and practice Spanish through singing!

With Advent begining and the Christmas season approaching, I have mixed feelings about celebrating my first Christmas ouside the U.S. It's hard to think about Christmas when it's in the 70s everyday and I'm wearing tank-tops and skirts. It will be weird to not have snow or have it be freezing, to not see Christmas decorations everywhere (at least that I know of so far), but I am really excited to share in the Peruvian celebration of Christmas. The focus is definitely more on Jesus and the Nativity story down here, which is a welcome change. I'm glad not to be around the over-hyped commercialism of the holiday and instead prepare to invite Jesus into the world and accompany Mary on her journey. Christmas is definitely a time for family and I will really miss my family and friends, but I also welcome the opprotunity to grow closer to my Peruvian family and friends here, to share this special season with them. I hope that all of you take time to appreciate the relationships and love in your life, and prepare to celebrate the gift of the divine made flesh in our world and our collective responsibility to birth the divine presence into the world today.

Bits and pieces for now. Peace and Love always.

Cultivating peace in prison

Sorry it's been a couple weeks. Time really seems to fly by here and I've been keeping a pretty busy schedule. I did want to let you all know though that I was finally able to start going to the prison out in Cambio Puente, about a 20 min. ride outside of Chimbote. I'm really excited about my ministry there and learning more about the prison system while accompanying the prisoners.

My first visit was two weeks ago when I accompanied Jane, one of the other IWMs whose been doing prison work through the Comision de Justicia Social (Social Justice Commission) for the past year, and Silivia who runs the prison ministry program through CJS. Silivia has been working for a long time on trying to get us permision to get back in because the administration has changed 3 different times in the past year and it's been difficult to work through all the paperwork and redtape. But, finally we at least got approval for the rest of the year (three months) and so have been able to start going on a regular basis. My initial thought was it is very open. Maybe because of the good weather, or this is just how the prisons are down here, but there are few roofs except for where the prisoner's rooms are and all the places I've seen have open courtyards to hang out as well. So far at least to me, the gaurds have been respectful and even the inmates who have a bit more freedom to wander around have been pretty friendly. This is not at all to say that life there is easy or has any kind of luxury. Just being present in the enviornment I could feel the tension and stress surrounding me. Talking with Silivia it seems that the women have a harder time than the men with being in prison and separated from their families.

So, given the very difficult reality and life of the prisoners, I am super excited to be leading meditation two days a week there! I started with just the women and was going to go on Tuesday afternoons, but then the psychologist at the prison said he would like to do meditation with the men to so I was happy to extend the practices to anyone interested. On Monday afternoons now I lead meditation and relaxation with the men, and on Tuesdays with the women. I love introducing new practices and techniques for cultivating inner peace and living in the present moment to anyone, but am especially excited about doing this in a prison environment where so many freedoms are eliminated and so much anxiety, stress, anger, and fear can exist. When I spent a week at Plum Village in France there was a sign outside my room that said "Be free where you are," and I really do beleive that when one is mindful and living in the present moment they can be free anywhere, even in the most unlikely of places like a prison. It has been an interesting challenge though to try and open prisoners up to the idea that they can be free within the confines of the prison, but like all my work here I am practicing patience and trusting that on God's time more will be open to the freedom and beauty found in the present moment. At the moment, if nothing else the individuals I work with can relax and let down their gaurd for an hour or so and be at peace, and if it helps just one person it is all worth it.

My work at the prison with the men has also been a good challenge in my call to love all my brothers as Christ. As I was walking out of my first meditation session with the men, which went very well and they seemed very receptive, Romano the psychologist told me that the majority of the men who I had just led meditation with were there on charges of sexual violation/assault. This new insight initially hit me right in the stomach and I was tempted to say well I don't want to work with these guys anymore. I feel a very strong sense of solidarity with all of my sisters and one of the realities that most angers me is sexual assault/violence/rape of women. I love working with women and feel a strong call to help bring about their liberation, but in that call I can't forget about the many men who also play a part in the prevention of our liberation and theirs. I am challenged to look deeply and remember a beautiful gatha that a dear friend and professor once taught me: "Just like me he doesn't want to suffer, just like me he wants to be loved." Yes, many of these men have done terrible things in their life and have destroyed other lives, but in this present moment, which is really all we have, we can smile at each other and see the presence of the one divine spirit that is in all of us and calls us back to community, to a better way of living. There aren't excuses for the past, but there is understanding to be found. And the beauty of the present moment is that is offers us everything completely fresh and new; there is infinite possibility. It truely is a miracle that inside a prison, surrounded by a group of men who I would be tempted to hate and condemn, I was able to realize peace and joy in the present moment, and hopefully some of them were able to realize this too. In this work, God is giving me hope in myself and in the greater power of the Spirit to awaken us all to a new and better way of life.

Hands

Your hands capture my attention
as they contain a world in and of themselves.
Old, cracked, wrinkly –
they tell a story of a life of hard work…
Cooking, cleaning, washing
from sun up
to sun down
these hands have given themselves
in the service and care of others
The muscles store memory
of how to chop the vegetables
how to stir the soup
how to wash the dishes, the clothes, the floors
how to sweep the dirt outside
that will inevitably find its way back in tomorrow.

Perhaps these hands have served with love,
or maybe from a sense of duty,
or maybe as a simple way to survive,
doing what needs to be done
day in and day out;
the work that everyone needs
but refuses to do –
your hands are strong
because they know what it takes to survive.

And now I sit amazed,
staring at these old hands
that are learning new tricks,
proving that it is never too late
to do something for yourself,
to empower yourself,
to take back a little control.

Hands that have held
babies, brushes, brooms,
forks, knives, and spoons
now learn how to hold
a pencil.
Such a simple instrument,
smaller than many you have worked with,
yet so foreign to one denied
the opportunity of education.
This small piece of wood and lead
is a key
to a whole new world
of words and power
knowledge and freedom.

Hands that have
chopped, stirred, washed, and swept
now learn how
to write.
A seemingly simple task,
but difficult for hands
that have been formed by years
of hard manual work.

So we start slowly.
I hold the pencil
and show you how,
then you try yourself.
Baby steps, back to the basics;
but you know patience and endurance
as it is imbedded in the very skin
that now surrounds your newest tool,
your newest challenge….
and so we breathe
and take another slow step.
Practicing writing
starting with simple shapes –
circles, arrows, triangles
to get used to connecting
the led to the paper
with the motions of the hand.

My hand over yours –
young and old have so much to absorb
from one another,
and I am profoundly and painfully
aware of my privilege –
the privilege of having smooth hands
that have been prevented from knowing
days full of cooking, cleaning, caring for others;
the privilege of having hands
that know how to hold a pencil,
and how to use that instrument
to write down
my own thoughts, desires,
hopes, fears…
All I can do is humbly offer
my own hands now
for the service of yours,
and hope that a few of your wrinkles
transfer to me,
so that I never forget
the pain or the privilege.

Two hands now
working together
we practice the strokes of the pencil.
And then you fill a page
of exercises by yourself,
often stopping to relax your hand
which is not accustomed
to this new task called writing.
Stretch the fingers
wiggle them around
in and out, in and out
roll your wrists
slow and stiff movements
working against years and years
of muscle memory.

And we continue on
to the vowels –
Aa Aa Aa Aa
capital and lower case
first you trace
a line that has been written
and then continue to fill
a page all your own.

What are you thinking
as you learn to write
one letter at a time,
to recognize and read
one letter at a time?
Do you think of the day
you will finally be able
to sign your name?
Do you imagine
being able to help your children
with their school work?
Do you think of all those thoughts
you would love to share
and have recorded?
Or maybe it’s the simple anticipation
of the freedom gained
in the power to write if you so desire.
With each letter
you learn to write
and to read.
Little by little,
you are opening the world
and yourself.

Ee Ee Ee Ee Ee
As our time comes to and end
and you finish your exercises for the day,
I stand in wonder and awe of your hands –
hands that today
have filled 3 pages with exercises,
hands that are learning
and finally serving you,
hands that refuse
to give up and give in,
but instead seek to add
a few more lines,
a few more wrinkles,
in new spots
from new tasks.

Today I saw the hands of God
using the most simple and basic of tools
in the early stages of creation,
the dawn just about to break over the horizon,
and offered gratitude
for the opportunity to be here
In the beginning…
and it was good.

Cuy (guinea pig)

I can't believe that I forgot to mention I finally tried cuy (guinea pig) for the first time! It is a special treat here in Peru and I was really nervous about eating it because I had a guinea pig (Fuzzy) for 8 years. Well, when I went to the campo the family served us cuy for lunch, which is a real honor. So of course I ate it.... and I have to admit it was actually pretty tasty!

Live cuys

Cooked cuy

Me eating cuy (Padre Wilmer in the background)

Life's Happenings

A few quick highlights. To being, I have to give a quick shout out to Marcelle, my roommate, for saving my life on Friday night and therefore allowing me to continue writing (and breathing). I was choking on a piece of delicious quiche that actually prevented me from breathing, and Marcelle was sitting next to me and quickly jumped up and gave me the Heimlich maneuver (no joke) and out popped the quiche. So, in case anyone was wondering, the Heimlich really does work. It also really pays to live with a nurse.

We also had our first earthquake tremor on Saturday morning! At first I thought it was just a truck going down the road, but it was a pretty serious vibration so I jumped out of bed and asked the other girls and they said it was an earthquake. So that was pretty exciting. No worries though, it was really small and no damage or anything.

Also the big news here in Chimbote is the relocation of the Progresso market. It is the market that we have always shopped at and probably the largest and cheapest in Chimbote. The problem was that people just kind of set up shop and filled the streets of the Progresso neighborhood. So the city has been trying to relocate it to 3 different areas, but many of the sellers would not be able to move to the new location because they don’t actually have permits. Well, this weekend marked the official move and they brought in almost 2,000 police from surrounding areas to enforce the removal of all the vendors from Progresso. I’m not sure all what happened yesterday but there was violence and forced removal, maybe even a few deaths. Today there was a huge demonstration/march through the streets that I saw go by the church. I would guess there were over 2,000 people marching in the demonstration. I tried to buy a newspaper today but they were all sold out everywhere I went. It seems like a mixed response, but most of the people here are pretty upset about the city’s actions and new policies with the vendors. I’ll try and get more information in the coming days. I heard there will be a strong police presence here for the coming 15 days. We also have to find a new market to shop at and the prices will be more expensive…

Last Thursday and Friday I was invited to a small town about and hour outside Chimbote called Rinconada to play flute with the choir there for the kick off to their patron festival. My friend Roger who plays guitar and has been teaching me some Peruvian songs on my flute is helping them out for the 2 weeks of festivities and masses. It was the first time I left Chimbote since arriving and it was such a great trip, to be in the campo (rural area / countryside) and breath fresh air and see new places. I was also really proud of myself because I traveled by myself and didn’t get lost! The best part was on Friday when Padre Wilmer (who is the only priest for 20 communities!) took me around to visit many of the rural villages. It was so beautiful to be in the open environment with mountains, and plants, and rivers. I was humbled by the hospitality of the people who offered food wherever we stopped. Padre said that often the people don’t have any money, but at least they have food, and they were so willing to share whatever they had. It was a day in the Latin America I had initially fallen in love with in Central America, and I’m so grateful for the experience. I came home with a huge bag full of fresh strawberries that I helped pick as well as a new fruit called picay (?) and a liter of milk straight from the cow that I watched get milked. It was probably the best day I’ve had so far here in Peru and I could feel the spirit of the divine so present in the surrounding nature and in the people.




































Paz y Bien

Life's schedule

I’m going to try and cover all the relevant work and background information early on so that in the coming months and years I can post mainly reflection pieces. So, I’m starting to get a schedule more or less and below is what a typical week might look like.

Monday:
- Morning: English conversation with 5th and 6th graders at San Jose Obrero school
- Afternoon and Evening free
Tuesday:
- This is the one free day I currently have, but will probably use it for hospice pastoral visits, or pastoral visits with the new home health program 3 of the other girls started.
- Cook lunch
- Evening: Teach beginner level English at St. Francis parish
Wednesday:
- Morning: Help Sister Karina with her English at Centro Amar
- Evening: Right now I help with Intermediate English, but I might let Marcelle take over so I can practice and play flute with one of the church choirs.
Thursday:
- Morning: English conversation with high schoolers at San Jose Obrero
- Cook lunch
- Afternoon: Visits with Sister Karina to help with literacy and catechesis in one of the poorer neighborhoods
- Evening: Possible theater practice if we have a show coming up
Friday:
- Morning: Free, also a possible time to do pastoral visits with hospice or the home health program
- Afternoon: Prayer and reflection with the Good Shepherd sisters
- Evening: English conversation at our house
Saturday:
- Most of the day free
- Evening: Confirmation class at the parish
Sunday:
- Morning: Theater practice
- Afternoon: Animacion group practice (we learn songs and dinamicas to animate groups at parties or gatherings)
- Evening: Confirmation class, mass at 7pm, JUMIFRA (youth council) after mass

These are the consistent activities, but there are always new things or meetings which come up each week. There is a lot more English in my schedule than I was initially wanting, but in being open to serving where there is a need God has helped change my perspective about the nature of work and the value I give it or fail to give it. Work, like all things in life, should ultimately be about love and relationships. Often the work that I don’t want to do is work that I don’t value or see the importance of. I don’t look deeply enough and get caught in the surface action. English (as far as teaching vocabulary and grammar) is not a passion of mine, but it is proving to be one of the greatest needs or desires of the people here. So, English is how in many ways I am able to build relationships and share love. Through communication and exchange I am getting to know different people and through this work and these relationships I have infinite opportunities to express and grow in love. And luckily there is also a need where my passions do lie, in my faith and in working toward the liberation of all people. I am incredibly blessed and grateful for all of the communities and people I work with here in Chimbote! As you can tell from my schedule I have a good mix of different activities and people.

The work with the Good Shepherd sisters is new and I'm excited about the possibilities it holds. The main focus of the Good Shepherd sisters is women and children. Here in Chimbote they work a lot with prostitutes and sex workers. They offer counseling, social services, self-esteem workshops, and prevention for their children. I will be going into the community once a week with Sister Karina and helping to teach the women literacy (basic reading and writing) as well as catechesis. Many of you know of my interest in feminist theology and I would love to form a women's faith sharing group to explore feminine spirituality and reflect on women's stories in the bible. I think working with the Good Shepherd sisters might provide the perfect space for this, and Sister Karina has also mentioned her desire to form women's faith sharing groups. The sisters also have a dream of opening up a house for young mothers here in Chimbote. They currently have houses in Lima and Trujillo. Sister Karina was sharing with me that teenage pregnancy and abortion is a big problem here in Chimbote with some girls having 3 or 4 abortions by the time they are 16 or 17. A safe space for them to go and be cared for and supported would help this problem. So this is also a potential project I could help with down the road.

Well, no shortage of work to be done here in Chimbote and I am blessed with so many great opportunities to share and receive and grow. I hope that the work you do speaks to the loving relationship of the Divine alive and active in our world!

paz y bien

Celebrating 800 years of the Franciscan Order and 20 years in Peru

Sorry it’s been a little while. Life has become full with less time to sit and write. This weekend marked the end of three weeks of festivities at St. Francis parish celebrating 800 years of the Franciscan order and 20 years of Franciscans in Peru. I helped with a number of events and tried to attend as many as possible. Below is a run-down of the events.

The whole celebration started September 27th with a morning of recreational games and music for the whole family. Our youth council and confirmation kids were in charge of this event, so I had lots of meetings leading up to the big day trying to make sure we had everything prepared. Well, organization and preparation are not what Peruvians are known for so up to that morning I wasn’t sure how everything would run. We would have been good to go if the electricity would have worked. The event was outside in the plaza by the ocean and for whatever reason the electricity did not work; so we had 2 choirs and a group of animators from Periacoto (a Franciscan parish in the mountains) all ready to go but no sound. Yet, it was a beautiful day and we made do. I think all those who came (which weren’t many outside of our own youth) had a good time but I know the padres (priests) were upset because it had cost quite a bit. That afternoon there was a blessing for pets and people from the parish brought their cats, dogs, rabbits, and even a guinea pig (although they mostly eat them here) to be blessed by one of the Padres. It was a lot of fun to see all the kids with their dogs and cats and to see actual pets in Chimbote, since there are so many wild dogs who roam the streets. St. Francis loved all of creation and this was a great way to encourage and celebrate caring for animals.

Then we were supposed to be opening up a photo display in 3 different locations the following day, Monday, but the displays were far from ready. So for basically the next 48 hours I worked with Padre Carlos and another woman, Juanita, on preparing the photo displays and setting them up in their locations. By Tuesday evening everything was finished, so only two days late. Either I didn’t understand or Padre Carlos failed to mention that that evening (Tuesday) we were having a reception to kick off the photo display. I thought we were just putting a few finishing touches on the display at the cultural center, so I showed up in my overall jeans, black t-shirt, sweatshirt, and winter cap. Everyone else was dressed in their formal Franciscan robes or nice clothes so I asked if they had an event afterward and they said a brindis (toast). I soon found out we were all going to the brindis. I was a little embarrassed, but everyone was very kind and no one cared what I was wearing; they were just happy I had helped with the photos.

Wednesday they had a panel forum on life and caring for creation, which I was not able to attend because I was sick and resting.

Friday night we hosted a rock concert in the same plaza as the events on Sunday morning, but thankfully this time the sound worked! About a week or so before the concert Padre Raul told the group EXODO (a band from our parish who was in charge of the event) that he wanted one of the missionaries to be an animadora (kind of like an M.C.) for the event. Courtney is in the band EXODO so she couldn’t be an animadora and no one else wanted the job, so I reluctantly said yes on the condition that I had a script. I was still settling into life and not sure what to expect as well as being concerned about the language difference. Well, Friday night comes and no one has a script for me, but they all seem to have a lot of confidence I will make a great animadora. There are three other guys who host the concert with me and it turned out great! I had a lot of fun and after the concert (and actually still to the day) everyone said I had a lot of energy and did a great job! (although some also said they couldn’t understand a word I said ☺ ) So I can say that in my first month in Peru I helped host a rock concert downtown. I’m also starting to expect that everything will start late. The concert was scheduled for 7pm and our first band didn’t start until about 8:30pm. But it was great and aside from being cold (with the wind from the ocean) everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

Saturday we hosted a marathon from Nuevo Chimbote to Chimbote. I’m really not sure how long that is, but it wasn’t a full marathon length. It started at 8am so I didn’t attend this event either, but it sounded like a success. Also on Saturday was a poetry contest. I attended this, but since it started about 2 hours late I only heard 3 poems before I had to leave for Confirmation that night. Also, the participants never showed, so other people just read the poems that were submitted. Everything had to do with the theme of creation and St. Francis’ Canticle of Creation.

Wednesday (the 30th of Sept.) contained a painting contest and I was pretty impressed with the paintings of both students and teachers. Most of the people here seem to be very gifted in the arts, whether it be music, dance, drawing, painting, theater, or singing. I love it!

Friday morning we had a jornada de limpieza publica which I thought meant we were just going to go around and clean up the streets etc. It was actually more of a march through the streets. Three different schools showed up with their students and everyone had made signs about respecting creation. The most beautiful thing was that all of the posters were so different and truly represented a consistent ethic of life and respect of all creation. Whereas I thought ok, we are focusing on the environment, these students saw the connection between all life and their posters reflected it. There were posters about not littering, not polluting, as well as posters against abortion, against domestic violence, about respecting one another, caring for animals, etc. A great event to have considering it is respect life month. One of the schools brought a band as well so music accompanied our march through the streets, raising awareness and picking up trash along the way.

Friday afternoon there was a program for children in honor of national children’s week (semana de los niños). There were balloons everywhere as well as Disney princesses, Backyardigans (Megan and Beth this made me think of you and Geriana, Ariel, and their siblings), and of course pooh and barney. Lots of singing and dancing and dinamicas provided the kids who came with hours of entertainment and fun.

Saturday was the choir contest held at the Catholic University ULADECH. There were five choirs who participated, but since this also started late and I had another event at 7pm I only heard the first 3 choirs. I also had my first visitor to Chimbote on Saturday! A girl that I went to SLU with, Shannon, is currently living in Lima for a couple months and came to Chimbote on her way to another city. So she met up with me at the choir concert and spent the night. It was fun to have a familiar face and to catch up with Shannon on what she’s been up to. On Saturday night our theater group from the parish performed some scenes from the life of St. Francis. It turned out really well! Everyone did a great job and we had lots of positive feedback. I was a blind person who was cured, and someone who received the good news from one of the Friars.

Sunday was the actual feast day of St. Francis of Asisi so we had a big mass in the morning followed by a small procession around the block of the Church with a statue of St. Francis. The nine days leading up to the feast day were part of what’s called a novena. This means there are nine masses, one each day, leading up to a special celebration.

Finally to wrap things up we had two big events this past weekend. Friday the 9th was a celebration with the whole Franciscan family commemorating 800 years of the Franciscan order and 20 years in Peru. Priests came in from Lima and Periacoto, and the archbishop of Chimbote said mass that evening. There was a charla (discussion) in the afternoon, followed by mass, and then performances of dance, music, and theater. The group of youth from Periacoto did an incredible job as performing two dances: one from the mountains (sierra) and one from the jungle (selva). Our theater group performed our skit again on the life of St. Francis. It was a great celebration of St. Francis and Franciscan spirituality with the whole community gathered together!

Then on Saturday I attended the second annual Franciscan youth encounter. It was from 8am-5;30pm and was similar to youth rallies I have attended in the U.S. We were split into different groups, each with a name that corresponded to St. Francis or the Franciscan order. There were 4 different talks in the morning as well as time to get to know the people in your group. While joven here usually means anyone between 15-35, most of the kids were around 15-17 years old. About half of my Confirmation kids came and there were lots of different parishes represented. Many Franciscan sisters helped plan and organize the event and were wonderful to meet. In the afternoon we had dinamicas, dances, and then ended with a mass where all of the kids received necklaces with the letter T (not a cross as I was corrected, but the letter Tao which is a Franciscan symbol). I thought it was a successful event and hope to help form a group of Jovenes Fransicanas (JuFra) at our parish.

So, that’s just the parish events that have been going on. I’m getting involved in a few other activities but I’ll start another blog for that. This one is pretty long already!

paz y bien (that’s the motto everywhere around here with the Franciscans)

p.s. I wanted to include some pictures, but my computer doesn't like me. So I'll try and work on that.

Feast day of St. Therese of Lisieux

Today is the feast day of St. Therese of Lisieux. I just learned that she is the patron saint of missionaries, and so it is an especially meaningful feast day for me as I currently serve as a missionary in Peru. I also want to give a shout out to Therese of the Divine Peace Inclusive Community in St. Louis since Therese is their primary patron saint as well. Praying for everyone at Therese and also all missionaries around the world today. Below is a beautiful prayer by St. Therese of Lisieux that I find particularly poignant for me in trusting I am exactly where I am meant to be. Enjoy

May today there be peace within.
May you trust in God that you are exactly
where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts you have received,
and pass on the love that has been given you.
May you be content knowing that you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. Amen.
— St. Therese of Lisieux

Book List

I added a book list to the left-hand side of the blog. I have actually had a good deal of free time so far to read, and since this is an important part of my formation and growth I wanted to share what I've been reading with all of you. Let's see how this list grows. I'm working so far on books we have in the house (including ones I brought along) and books the sisters have (which they have a pretty impressive collection of different theology-based books). Any recommendations you have or want to send my way (in the form of an actual book because odds are I can't get it here) are more than welcome! Oh, and so far I strongly recommend all of the books I have read.

Happy Reading!

Poverty and Simple Living

In reading Henri Nouwen’s book ¡Gracias! I was struck by the first two sentences of his January 20th, 1982 entry: “Can we truly live with the poor? Although I live with them and share their life to some extent, I am far from poor.” The following is my own journal reflection that came from his.

El 18 de septiembre de 2009

Can I truly live with the poor without being poor? I am far from being poor and never will be able to personally experience the same reality. I do a great disservice to myself and to those I work and interact with if I try to pretend otherwise. I will always have those who can care for me, and resources that are unavailable to others. What I can do is acknowledge the privileges and wealth that I have, that are part of my reality. I can be honest. And I can not let these privileges stop me from loving. I can not let my privileges be excuses for creating distance instead of contact. I will never truly know the daily reality and burden of what it means to be poor. But I can still love. I can enter into relationship with openness and honesty and allow myself to be converted, to be challenged by those whose reality I will never fully understand but whom I can accompany none the less.

Living simply does not make me poor. To choose to live simply is not to pretend to be poor. It is a choice made to free oneself to better be in relationship. Maybe for one person she can better be in relationship with hot water, air conditioning, or electricity. But she should also be aware she has something profound to learn about love from those who have relationships and love without these amenities. Mother Theresa said “the less we have, the more we can give,” and I find this truth in my choice to live among those who have “little” as far tangible goods and services. It also reminds me of Sister Peggy (she taught my Liberation Theology course in El Salvador) who said that when the poor give it is a very different kind of gift because it is from their substance, not their excess. When I offer something, it is always what is extra, but the poor often offer all they have, at their own personal cost and sacrifice. This is the kind of love that Jesus calls us to, in really loving our brothers and sisters as our self.

Living with the poor, surrounded by poverty, does not make me poor. And that’s fine. Poverty is not the goal or mission of life; love is. I am free to love in new and profound ways when I enter into the reality of poverty. I am trying to tear down barriers, one brick at a time, to catch glimpses of my brothers and sisters on the other side. Each act I take to simplify my life can be another brick. Each time I choose the other instead of myself can be a brick. Each time I move out of my comfort zone into the unknown can be a brick. Each time I stretch myself to love, to listen, to really see someone can be another brick. And maybe together, removing one brick at a time, we will one day stand face to face without any barriers and smile at our true self reflected in the other, naked as the day we were born and full of the same joy and curiosity in exploring this new world together. Maybe this is what the kin-dom of God is like.

La Vida Es Un Carnival/2 Cultural Experiences

I have a feeling that there many be many “Carnival” posts throughout these two years as there seem to be fiestas every week. I wanted to share three fiesta/ cultural experiences with you.

The first was the 18th birthday party of Jorge, a former English student of the missionaries, which we attended a week ago Friday. While 15 is the big birthday party for girls (quinciñera), 18 is the big birthday party for boys. To start the night, we didn’t even leave the house until 11:30pm and when we arrived they were just starting introductions. The ceremony is a lot like a wedding reception. There is a front table where Jorge and his date sat (Julie, one of the other IWM’s was his date, but just as a friend. She has a Chimbotean boyfriend, who also came to the party, but everyone seemed pretty good-natured about it). Also at the table were Jorge’s parents and godparents. After all the welcomes and introductions there were a series of special dances: Jorge and his mom, godmother, the parents, the godparents, Jorge and Julie, Jorge and every female member of his family, and after about 30-45 min. of these special dances everyone could join in. They served tamales, beef, rice, and maybe something else I can’t remember. For drinks it was pisco sour and then later beer all night long. Since I am not drinking here, for a while I was quite thirsty as there were no non-alcoholic options, but around 2am someone brought out some Inca Cola (a unique soda here that has a yellow color and bubble gum taste) so I enjoyed that. I have definitely noticed that Chimboteans love to drink and no party seems to be complete without it. This also leads to a lot of societal problems with alcoholism, abuse, and vandalism/robbery. The party carried on until 6am but I left around 3:30am. It was a fun, cultural experience and a great night (or morning) of dancing and visiting with friends.


The Saturday after the birthday party, as we were finishing up a late lunch we heard music from a procession going by. This isn’t an abnormal occurrence in Chimbote, but Alex and Juan Carlos (the boyfriends of two of the other IWMs) said something about a bull and ran outside so we followed suit. Coming down the street was a procession of people with a bull at the front held in check by a few men holding ropes tied to the bull, and accompanied by a band marching along with music. There were also a couple of men dressed up in more traditional clothing who had a doll with red paint on its face that they would use to kiss men who weren’t paying attention and get red paint on their face. Juan Carlos got kissed by the doll and we all got a good laugh out of that. In a spontaneous decision we joined along with the procession and were quickly invited up to the front to dance along behind the bull to the music as we went. It was a completely foreign but strangely beautiful moment to be dancing down the street arm in arm with complete strangers, celebrating a feast day I had never heard of (Lord of the Spirits), preparing for a ritual that I could not understand with my background, but feeling with energy and excitement of the people. When we finally arrived at this open court area there was already a crowd gathered of all ages. As the music picked up the opened a few bottles of beer and sprayed them all over the dancing group as well as threw candy and treats for people to grab. A few people even took their children to get pictures with the bull who was pretty tired and angry at this point. Then came the part that PETA would have a field day about: they killed the bull, drank its blood, and cut it up to cook and feed everyone celebrating. This was definitely a new cultural experience for me and I tried to really observe without judgment and see how this was part of the customs and worldview of the people here. But I also didn’t stay long after they started cutting up the bull. Poco a poco. Oh, and to top off the celebration Alex bought us all ice cream from a street vender who was there. So I enjoyed a delicious ice cream cone on a beautiful day with friends, while staring at a dead and bleeding bull and laughing a little to myself that this is my life.

This current weekend has been the feast day of the patron saint of Mollepata, San Jeronimo. Mollepata is little town outside Chimbote and also the name of the Social/Cultural center directly across the street from us. So, while the center is usually host to the fiesta’s of others, this weekend has been huge because it is their very own patron saint celebration. I am actually pretty impressed with the endurance of Chimboteans who have now been partying for over the last 48 hours straight. The first sign that it would be long weekend of celebration was the 5:30am fireworks lit off directly in front of our house Friday morning. Starting Friday evening it has been non-stop music and celebrations. The coolest thing by far thought was the vaca loca and the Castillo. For any/all of you who are pyromaniacs, this would be your dream come true. On Friday night I noticed a large structure tower up from the center of the Mollepata and asked one of my Chimbotean friends what it was. He said it was a Castillo, and they would light it on fire and it had different things it would do. It sounded cool and strange enough to warrant actually going over to the Mollepata for the first time. So around midnight I headed over with Jane (another IWM) and Juan Carlos to watch the display. Well, it took until 1am to light the Castillo, but just after midnight they lit the vaca loca (crazy cow). The vaca loca constructed in the shape of a cow and someone puts it on over their shoulders and when it is lit it sprays out fireworks and sparks all over the place. It would be completely illegal anywhere in the U.S. The vaca loca then runs around all over the place, basically spraying people with fireworks unless you run away. Don’t worry, Mom and Dad, I’m alive to be writing this blog post.  A quick side note: all ages participate in celebrations here. At every fiesta I have seen babies less than a year old up with their parents until the dawn as well as old grandpas and grandmas probably in their 90s. So, the vaca loca lasted about 10 minutes I would say and everyone had a ball running away (or some towards) the crazy cow that shot out fireworks. After this, I realized that the Castillo was rigged with fireworks as well and super excited to see it lit off. Around 1am the initial spark was lit and it was truly an incredible work of engineering I think. There were multiple levels and the initial spark would travel up each level as the next one was lit off. My words will not be able to begin to describe how amazing this was and unfortunately I don’t have any pictures, so hopefully you have good imaginations. On each level there were different shapes that would spin and turn as they lit off fireworks and colored sparks. There was a banner rigged to fall down with the patron saint, a lit up sign at the top of the Castillo, and a finale of big fireworks and a waterfall of sparks down the whole front. The best ground show of fireworks I’ve ever seen. And we were probably within 30 ft. of the structure. They had another one last night, Saturday, but I had to get up really early this morning to set up for our kick off event for the celebration of St. Francis and the Franciscan order (800 years) so I didn’t stay up to watch that one.

On final cultural experience that happened on my way home today (9/20) about 5:00pm: a drunk man tried to steal my camera which was in my pocket, but I didn’t let him have it. He came up behind Marcelle and I as we were walking and I felt him try to reach in my pocket and grab it but I grabbed it at the same time and yanked it back from his hands as I shouted No! He just kind of looked at us and as we started to quickly walk away he stumbled back the other direction. We’ve been told (and I believe it) that Sunday afternoon and evening are the most dangerous times because the men have been drinking all weekend. But thankfully everything is ok, and I still have my camera.

Peace and Love

The Work of Others

The past week and a half I have been visiting some of the other organizations and groups in Chimbote that work to meet the needs of different populations. Below is a list of these organizations and some of the work they do. It is really inspiring and challenging for me to meet others who are doing such good work in really serving and accompanying many of the people struggling in Chimbote. I have a lot to learn from all of them.

Casa de la Mujer: Unfortunately when I went to visit here they were busy working on a campaign to get women more involved in local and national politics so they weren’t able to talk. But as the name would suggest they do a lot of work with different women’s issues and really try to empower women to take a more active role in government and work on different campaigns like women’s health, HIV/AIDS, and ending violence against women. I am hoping to go back in the next week or so to sit down and talk with them more about the work they do.

Hogar de la Paz: This is a home and center for people who are mentally and physically disabled, ranging from about age 12 or so to probably 90s. The Missionaries of Charity run the home, but rely heavily on volunteers as there are only 4 sisters and just over 70 people who live with them. This was probably one of the most challenging places for me and really demonstrated what love in action looks like, because the sisters and volunteers have to meet all of the daily needs of the people who live here including cooking and feeding, bathing, help with going to the bathroom or changing diapers, and the daily chores around the house. On top of their work with the disabled, they offer a free lunch every day for anyone who wants to come and eat.

Centro de Amar: This center is run by the Good Shepherd Sisters and offers a place of refuge, counseling, and/or companionship for female prostitutes and sex workers. They are open and available as needed and the women are free to come in when they want. The sisters offer counseling, self-esteem workshops, classes and workshops for the children of the women, and whatever else might be of help to the women. Hermana Pilla spoke with us and shared how all of the women have experienced sexual abuse and usually rape during their childhoods and how they continue to be an abused and marginalized population. She also has a great philosophy that comes from being a Good Shepherd sister: If we only helped one woman, it would all be worth it (like the Shepherd who goes after the 1 sheep and leaves the 99). It’s not about how many, it’s about how much love is shared, even with just one person.

CECOPROS: Jane, one of the other IWMs I am living with, works with this organization on media and communication. They have a radio station, publish the diocesan newspaper, and film different informational programs for the TV. Jane is currently working with them on filming some of the small towns outside Chimbote to air on TV to show the realities of the people there. For more information and links to some of their programs, check out Jane’s blog and links. (I have a link to her blog on the side).

Comicion de Justicia Social: The Social Justice Commission is also part of the archdiocese of Chimbote and was the first human rights/ social justice organization connected to the Catholic Church in Peru. They have a lot of great programs including work with prisoners (which I am really hoping to be a part of) and at-risk youth, campaigns to end racism, campaigns to get people more involved in local politics and policy making in order to create better laws, support groups, and workshops on a number of different topics. I recently attended a workshop they had on human rights and discrimination with a specific focus on the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Trans) community. It had a pretty good turnout and offered a good overview of Human Rights (focusing on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights) and then explaining and exploring questions of different sexual orientations and the discrimination and violence that exists against this population. Jane was telling me that this is the first workshop of its kind in Chimbote, which is a sign of hope in working toward the dignity and respect of all people. In such a strong machista culture anyone who varies from the socially defined roles of men and women is at risk for their own personal safety and well-being.

Padre Juanito: Padre Juanito is probably one of the best known priests in Chimbote and after visiting his church and seeing the many programs he offers I can see why. The Church complex is huge including Church, rooms for international volunteers to stay at, a gymnasium/work out room, rooms for preschool and kindergarten, rooms for youth to come and work on homework which include computers and a library with books lining all the walls, the Padre’s house, rooms for family counseling and workshops, and a number of other rooms currently under construction. They have programs for pretty much any population and age group one would be interested in working with. I met Amy, a volunteer from Ireland who has been here two years, who leads a women’s group on Friday afternoons that I am hoping to start attending. The Church is also an incredible sight that my words will not do justice to and unfortunately I did not bring a camera along on the trip. Let’s say the highlight would definitely be the altar, which is an aquarium with fish swimming around. Yep, the altar where communion is celebrated is home to many little fishies and a fishnet draped over the top. Fantastic!

Centro de la Juventud: I think this one of the extended programs of Padre Juanitos, because the guy who was showing us around took us here too, but it might be separate. This is a center for at risk youth, particularly those who have left gangs and are trying to get back on their feet. Each day they teach a different skill like sewing, cosmetology, cooking, carpentry, and one other one I can’t remember. They offer help preparing for the college entrance exam and just provide a safe space that youth can go to hang out away from their gang life.

Well, that’s all the places I’ve visited so far. My main work is with St. Francis parish, but I’m hoping to continue doing pastoral visits with Hospice a few days a week, and then maybe joining the women’s group on Friday afternoons, helping when I can with some of the other sites, and trying to get a program going in the prison. I appreciate all of your prayers and ask you to include all these wonderful organizations and peoples in your prayers as well. There is a lot of good work being done in the name of love and justice and I’m blessed to be a little part of it.

Peace and Love always

El Mercado

So I wrote this after my first visit to the market. I have now been three times and each time is a little better, a little less overwhelming. It's very stream of thought and an attempt to give a taste of the confusion and chaos which is the market place.

El Mercado

Market place
or zoo
full of animals
vivos y muertos
overload of senses
de colores
every shade
and some I’ve never seen
spices I’ve never tasted
whose odors tantalize and tingle
my nose
then suddenly a sharp turn
and smells of fish
pescado
mariscos
anchovetas
every shape
and size
and smell
vivos y muertos
fresh fish
probably caught today
fresh meat
recently slaughtered
before your eyes
if you happen to look
hanging on hooks
chickens
cow lungs, hearts, livers
heads
animal heads
that stare forever
until I look away
abuelos y abuelitas
small and wrinkled
outstretched hands
bonita amiga
buy our food
triente por un sole
sólo un sole
y los ninos juegan
in the dirt
at the feet of
las madres who trabajan
se venden
cositas de varias tipas
clothes we’ve got
beautiful new shoes
toilet paper
purses
movies still in the theater
boxes and of course
food
so many new names
to learn
so little money
to burn
como se llama
y cuanto cuesta
are the frases del día
at el Mercado
at least for the ginga
who wanders aimlessly
lost in the maze
of the never ending
sights and smells
amiga amiga
my friend, my friend
fresh fish
fresh fruit
fresh vegetables
fresh meat
and spices to add that
extra kick
to any plate you prepare
where to begin
maneuvering the rows and crowds
of this whole new world
open your eyes
not big enough
need 100 more pairs
to takes it all in

Communion

Monday morning I was blessed to accompany Sister Sofia as she did pastoral visits to some of the hospice patients and brought them Communion. I love these visits and find it so important to visit those who are lonely, sick, and dying. So often what they desire more than anything is the presence of another, to know they are not alone. Before we left to do home visits we visited a few patients at the hospice center and as we were leaving one man’s room he cried after us, “Don’t abandon me!” Those powerful words froze me. There was such honesty, pain, fear, and humility in his plea. He spoke what so many of us often feel, the fear of being abandoned, of being alone. I was reminded of many of the psalms of lament by the Hebrew people who felt that God had abandoned them as well. Ps. 22: 1 “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?” But the psalms always end with a reassurance that God is good and powerful and with them, even as they struggle to see this. We are all participants in the divine life, and thus we are never alone or without God, although sometimes we may lose our way or not be aware of this divine presence.

To visit, to accompany, to bring communion and therefore community, is to make real the living body of Christ in the world. I think it is so fitting that the Sacrament of the Eucharist, of the body of Christ, is called Communion – because it is in community that God’s presence in the world is made visible and tangible. Jesus told us when two or three are gathered there he is too (Mt 18:20). It is in the community gathered together that the transubstantiation is made possible. Monday morning in each house I visited I received the sacrament of communion although I never actually received one of the hosts myself. I tasted the real, living presence of God in my life, in the community gathered together, in that present moment. Sister Sofia, myself, and the individual we were visiting made 3 – a Trinitarian community of strangers united by faith and the one Spirit that lives in us all – praying together, celebrating together, mourning the suffering of life together, and being sacrament for one another. I think the sacrament of Communion can be experienced daily in our relationships if we are mindful of the presence of God and the grace – the gift – that comes from the experience of 2 or 3 gathered in the name of Love, Beauty, Peace, Justice, Life, and/or Friendship.

The sick and elderly are a very marginalized and forgotten population, especially in the U.S. and many developed countries. As I was reading some of Henri Nouwen’s books this past week he commented on the reality that we don’t like to confront our own weakness, death, and immortality. We avoid it, and so we don’t know how to minister and be with those who are sick and dying. It is difficult to see another human being suffer, to see someone so weak and vulnerable. We put people in institutions where we don’t have to see them and really suffer with them the experience of growing old, being sick, and eventually dying. But we all will die, and wouldn’t we rather die in the presence of love than feeling alone and abandoned? The sick and dying have something important to teach those who are healthy about the precious value of life and health. In all moments, all circumstances, we have something to offer and something to receive. I offered my love, presence, and attention. In return I received a powerful insight into the living God, and appreciation for the many different stages of life that interact in the mystery of what it means to be. But if we avoid potentially painful experiences and relationships, we deny both ourselves and others the experience of growing in deeper understanding and appreciation of the life we are blessed to be aware of and present to in this moment, and which will soon be gone. So I guess I would just like to encourage you all to spend time with those you might know or not know who are sick, elderly, dying, or even just lonely. To bring them communion, either in the form of the consecrated host, or your own holy, consecrated self offered as community and living sacrament of the presence of God in the world. Let us be God’s love, God’s word, incarnate for one another, reminders that we are never alone. For how could the Spirit that is Life ever leave us, even as we pass from one form to another?

Weekend Recap

Friday was a really great day. Marcelle and I finally got our dresser so we were able to unpack our suitcases and start to really settle in. Friday afternoon was spent unpacking and decorating our room. Now it really feels like our own place and I have so many beautiful faces of loved ones around the world that keep me company here in Chimbote! Todd baked brownies for English conversation which we have at our house every Friday night and they were delicious. We had a really large turnout for English conversation which was great and I was able to meet even more people, a few of whom speak pretty good English because they are studying it at the University. One of the English students helps with a music group of young boys and they surprised Todd by coming and performing some songs for us all. They were wonderful and I was pretty impressed with how good they were for being probably between 8-12 years old.

Saturday was filled with lots of cleaning and preparing for Todd’s despedida (going away party) at our house that night. The most disgusting was definitely the bathroom out back. Todd and Courtney were rock stars who cleaned up the grossest parts. I cleared away all the spider webs which were everywhere outside and inside. Our friends Roger and Anthony also came over to help with cleaning. I had my first Confirmation class Saturday night from 7-9pm. I think it went pretty well. There are over 30 youth in Confirmation so it will take me a while to learn everyone’s names, but they seem like a good group of kids. A lot like kids their age in the U.S. They love talking to one another, but are hard pressed to talk in a large group setting. They all have cell phones that are going off and forget to bring their notes or notebooks. But they are smart too, and have a lot of energy. I’m excited to become more a part of the planning probably for the next cycle of Confirmation. For the rest of this group’s time I will probably mostly be assisting here and there and getting a sense of the program. Although I do hope we do a retreat with the Confirmation students and I can help with that because I was part of the planning team in high school for the Confirmation retreat at my church.

After Confirmation I came back and everything was pretty much ready to go for the party. It went from about 10pm until close to 5am but I went to bed around 3:30am because I had to get up for the theater group reunion (meeting) the next morning at 10am. The party was a lot of fun and mostly consisted of visiting with people by shouting because the music was so loud and lots and lots of dancing. It is kind of humorous to me because for each song you wait for someone to ask you to dance or you ask someone (but there are always pairs, no dancing alone). Then after the song is done everyone goes and sits back down and repeats the same process. The music was mostly salsa, cumbia, meringue, a little regaeton, and whino (which is a Peruvian music and dance style). Being new and being a gringa I had no shortage of dance offers and so after a few hours was exhausted and glad to see the party starting to wind down to people just hanging out but with less dancing. It was really a beautiful celebration though and full of lots of moments of gratitude to be in this place, listening and dancing to music with the people gathered together in our backyard, speaking Spanish, laughing, and having a great time.

Sunday I was pretty tired from the party but enjoyed the theater group meeting because it was another despedida for Todd. They invited Marcelle and I to play a few short flute duets and others performed songs, dances, and theater skits. They were the first despedida to have a piñata which I think made it the best  I’m excited to get involved and perform with the theater group. It is led by hermana Kati, a young Incarnate Word sister and has all ages participating. They prepared ceviche which is probably the most popular Chimbotean food – a raw fish dish marinated in onion and lime usually served with potatoes on the side and/or yucca. Its pretty good, but also usually pretty spicy. If anyone comes to visit, ceviche is definitely a must for food you will eat before leaving. The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word invited us all over for lunch as a going away for Todd and a welcoming for Marcelle and me. It was great to visit with all of them at once (there are 6 here in Chimbote) and lunch was delicious. Then I had Confirmation again that night at 6:30pm, mass at 7:30pm, and JUMIFRA meeting after mass. JUMIFRA is the youth council of the parish and are currently busy planning the opening day’s events for the 2 week celebration of 800 years of the Franciscan order and 20 years in Chimbote. I would say right now we average about 3-4 meetings a week trying to coordinate and plan everything and are still behind schedule according to U.S. standards. But I’m told everything always comes together at the last minute so I guess we’ll wait and see.

I’m visiting a number of different places this week so maybe next week I’ll let you know about some of the other work being done in Chimbote.

Peace and Love