Hello, and greetings from Boston in Advent.
I hope that the these days find you safe and healthy, amidst the conditions of the pandemic. Things are well for me, and I’d like to share an update.
MARÍA’S CANCER TREATMENT
María has restarted her cancer treatment, which is 10 more radiotherapy treatments and 2 more chemos. She had completed 4 weeks out of the 6 week treatment course before she couldn’t continue because of the pain and difficulty of the treatment. She was feeling much better as far as the symptoms and pain that she was experiencing from the complications from the cancer, but the treatment was too much for her to finish. After a long break, in which she struggled to eat (apparently a side effect of the treatment), she has re-started the treatments the week of December 7. She’s in a lot of pain after treatments, but I’ll be catching up by video call soon to offer some accompaniment.
SPANISH CLASSES
I’ve continued to take some online Spanish classes these months, with Vida Verde in Quito. Twice a week for an hour, they’re helpful for untying the different knots that accumulate over time, and taking next steps in growth. Always growing!
TUTORING KIDS
I’ve continued to tutor several kids in math and English in Chontal and the surrounding communities. The kids are limited in their resources there to using a cellphone, often a lower quality version, so we communicate with text messages, photos of pages, recorded voice messages, and recorded videos of my computer screen. It’s paid off to have arranged my technological tools to account for both the technology in the States and the limits in places like Chontal.
ENGLISH WEBSITE
I’m planning to soon be doing more language with some folks in Ecuador, and I have developed a number of resources over the years. I’ve created a website (a Google site) that has the resources conveniently accessible. You can see it here. I hope to be able to start using this soon.
Content publishing
As I mentioned in a previous post, I finished the Food in the Desert videos and published them online. The next phase is going to be to publicize more the content I’ve made online: the Food in the Desert videos, the Spirituality of Equality videos, and the 3 books of spiritual reflections (with a 4th one to come!). These are teaching and preaching activities, and the idea is to use them in combination with accompaniment and listening, which is facilitated by:
ONLINE RETREATS AND WORKSHOPS
I’ve begun setting up an online workshop for some some Latino friends on sharing experiences from the pandemic. It’s based on a reflection that I had back around Mother’s Day, how times of quarantine are related to the “40” occurrences in the scripture: Noah in the Ark, Moses on Mt. Sinai, the Israelites in the desert, Jesus in the desert, and the first Christians awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit. These are all pregnancies, in the understanding of scripture. So, the workshop will give each person the chance to reflect and share their pandemic experience, through the eyes of re-birth. I’ll post more soon when things become more formalized. I’m also planning on doing an English version.
HEALTH
I have not had exposure to Covid, at least not that I know of. However, I’ve continued to have some minor issues that have slowed me down physically. I’ve found out that I have moderate osteoarthritis in my left hip. I’ll continue therapy exercises regularly to manage the pain, stiffness, and strength, and probably need a hip replacement some day. But I am able to still walk long distances for now, and in therapy I’m moving toward getting back to rigorous exercises like running and jumping.
The skin rash that I’ve had has come and gone a few times, but it looks like it’s under control now. And it looks like my big toenail is going to fall off - that’s actually good news, as it’s regrowing.
christmas support
I received a request from the daycare center in Magdalena, which is next to Chontal and services children from the area, for support for small Christmas gifts for the 32 children:
For that, in early December I sent $200 that had been donated from two donors over the course of the year.
I’ve also offered to support the Christmas program from a distance. The community can’t have communal celebrations, and there aren’t the supplies that would typically be available because of the pandemic effects. But the queen, along with the priest and some of the community leadership, want to provide simple gifts to each home. First, a simple gift - a Christmas bag of candies - to each of the 51 households. And then, a bag of groceries and food supplies to each of the 21 households that are most in need.
For that, the community has raised $100, and I have $200 that was donated to me during the year. I would like to raise another $300, so that the 21 households could have about $15 each. If you consider the minimum wage in the US is 10 times what it is in Ecuador, it would be the equivalent of giving each family $150.
So, I hope to have a small fundraiser up and running soon.
A final reflection on supporting people in need with money:
At first, one of the church leaders mentioned some families in need in other parts. I mentioned to her that I can only join with the community to help out. I don't do things separate from the community. At times, people ask me on behalf of other people, or they ask me for themselves. In doing that, they are short-circuiting the community. So, I suggest that they promote that the community help the person, and I will join in. See, that’s what makes a community stronger, grows communion in Christ, and paves the way - prepares the way - for God to come in.
Jesús does this, starting with the Incarnation, made visible at Christmas. He can only do what the community does as far as it’s in God’s will, but he can join in and leaven it and make what seems impossible happen. So, in providing for others’ needs that way, communion is growing stronger, and the relationships among God and everyone grows. God becomes more present, and can live and breathe and move in the community - and great things can happen!
On the other hand, when we are in need, or when we encounter others in need, we can participate in short-circuiting community and set up one-on-one activity outside the realm of community. That is always a temptation, and it’s very often that people in need can find someone who is willing to step into that provider role - short-circuiting the community. This is so common in the church and in philanthropy (as well as in mining companies that buy peoples’ good will!) Though a short-term need is being satisfied for someone, and though it makes the giver feel good in the short term, it actually divides the community. It creates singularities. When some are given something and others aren’t by an individual, or by any entity that is not representative of the community itself, then envy and competition are fomented within the community. Using the analogy of Isaiah the prophet, it forms mountains and valleys in the community. God can’t pass through, which is to say, relationship obstacles grow throughout the community.
So, by putting relationship first, and by simply augmenting communities’ efforts shoulder to shoulder, insofar as they are congruent with the Gospel, we become just like John the Baptist: preparing the way of the Lord.
That’s all for now.
God bless,
Jerome