Greetings! I started writing this on the plane ride from Quito to Lima, and am wrapping up in Lima. Here goes for another brief update since New Year's:
In Chontal
Followup Visits to Families
With some of the extra money that came through in the Christmas fundraiser, I was able to share a little bit with seven different families and individuals, focusing on those with disabilities or health problems, as those tend to place a greater financial, emotional, and social burden on the family and person.
I was able to stop by and visit two of the families for followup. The Bosmediano family includes parents Arsenio and Janet, and children Tatiana (who has her own newborn daughter Lesli), Aracely, Naomi, and Rafaela, who is just turning 2 and who was born with disabilities. The family doesn't have much for financial resources, and they lost their home 6 years ago in the landslides (our fundraiser was a big catalyst in their being able to build a new home in a reasonable amount of time). Tatiana was one of the leaders of the youth group we had 4 years ago, and Aracely was a regular participant. Rafaela has to have all her baby teeth removed in a surgery on the 26th of January, as her teeth have been infected. And that is necessary largely because she needs to have open-heart surgery, and she can't have that until all infections are removed.
The medical treatment is free. If they went the private route, things would happen faster and with less complications. As it is, because of appointment delays and the complications that arise from the free route, the path of repeated trips to Quito and evolving conditions because of delays has been taxing emotionally and financially. The roundtrip cost of one busfare to Quito is about 3 hours' wages and at least 7 hours of time. Needing to bring at least one other daughter means almost a day's pay and 14 "man-hours", just for the bus trip to get back and forth to Quito for one visit. Then there's the one-hour extra metro travel within Quito to get to the hospital (plus of course one hour to get back) sometimes at very early hours. Of course then there's the long delays in waiting, plus the cost of the metro, restaurant food, and the inconvenience of staying in a relative's small place in Quito, probably on the floor. One trip for one appointment is extremely taxing.
All this on top of having 4 children plus a newborn grandchild whose dad lives a few hours away. And on top of all that, the high risk of each surgery. Because of her heart condition and age, the surgery to remove her teeth is very high risk. But she needs to have that surgery in order to have the necessary heart surgery - which itself is high risk for her condition even when her tooth situation is rectified. It's a high-risk, chicken and egg situation.
I will be accompanying the family in my time in Chontal, and please keep them in prayer. I'm considering other activity to support the family, though that is delicate (and there are an infinity of needs here). As I've often written, addressing others' needs can't take precedence over our communion in relationship together, because the more we become one family in Christ, willing to lay aside our lives for our brothers and sisters, the more all these disparities and poverties become relieved and dissolve, because we get to the very root of the problem. If we instead shortcut that and try to be a savior ourselves, we can actually hurt others and their communities by emphasizing singular persons without also considering others and the community - and its fabric in relationships - as a whole. So, I'm looking into a collaborative way of supporting families in need, that keep community and relationships at the fore.
I also visited the Bastides family, who live right across from the Bosmediano family. Jimmy and Maria have 3 children, and Maria has had debilitating uterine pain for about 4 months, with different degrees of testing and treatment, including an alternative medicine approach. They are planning to reconnect with the standard medicine path, which I'm glad of. However, that type of pain for so long is not a good sign, and my fear is that the pre-cancer tests that were done a few months ago might show something worse. The family doesn't have many resources, and I plan to reconnect when I go back to Chontal and see where things stand.
An interesting part of all this is that the parents in these two families have not gotten along that well, although the children do get along. So maybe this can be an opportunity for both sides to take steps in some sort of reconciliation.
School Visit
I've been getting along at the school, which is a good step. There is a new coordinator and the organization is a bit different. Relations have gotten better with the staff. I've stopped by now and again to talk about possible plans when I return from Peru, and I plan of following up when I get back. When I do arrive, classes will be ending, so I thought of coordinating something over the summer vacation for the kids in English, and maybe see if any of the teachers have interest (they'll be around for almost another month, before they return to their homes in other parts of the province.) There are a few young adults in the community who are interested in language, so I'm exploring the possibilities. I always like exchange, so opening a possibility for language-culture exchange with folks in the Boston area is always of interest to me. Additionally, the possibility of creating a mini- or virtual immersion experience for locals has been a sort of dream, though I don't know exactly yet who that might play out.
Football
A few years ago, I had brought a regulation-sized, used football to Chontal. Folks liked playing with it, as it was a novelty. This time I brought a smaller, softer football to play with the kids (I shared some comments about that in a previous post). I also brought a second small football, this one a little smaller, but a little harder. I had bought these footballs used from a used items outlet, and this one had the New England Patriots name and logo on it, by coincidence. In any case, one of the boys in Chontal really enjoyed the football I had brought in the past (he called it the papaya), so I was thinking of him in bringing 2 this time, as one would be a gift for him. So, after Christmas, I gave him the little Patriots football. He really loved it, and took to football. So, he's playing a lot with it, and the kids have developed their own way of playing it (a few have seen things on the internet).
Here are some of the kids playing with the football. Brandon and I were working on our plays in the video, too.
Although I’m not huge on introducing commercial NFL products, I think there’s a balance in introducing a bit of north american sports to integrate with the local sports culture. Coupled with my own engagement with the local sports and games, it makes for balanced exchange.
Retreat and Workshops Plans
I stopped by Mindo on my way to Quito, and spoke with the family who takes care of the retreat center there that I have visited before, and where I led a small-group, silent retreat. I though of offering another retreat when I get back, although that's been complicated a bit by the situation with the caretaker. There are administrative and organizational changes there, and the caretaker might be leaving. Setting up a retreat used to go through him, whom I've known for some years now, so as that changes to people I don't know, setting up a retreat might be a little more complicated. I don't know what limits the new management might put on who is eligible to come for retreats. But I'll find out more when I get back to Ecuador.
I've also started to plan some ideas for short workshops in the pueblo in Chontal (and possibly in other locations as well.) Specifically, there are some teen mothers in the pueblo, and I think there's interest in their part in coming together. I had the idea of offering a workshop like the immigrant workshop we did back in Boston - where people can come together and take out their story, honor it and memorialize it, all in connection with the story of the People of God (Old or New Testament). I think it's a good idea, and I'm working out the details of what that would look like, in order to propose it to the mothers when I get back.
I find with those type of workshops and retreats a foundation for church community, a sort-of baptismal experience that creates a bond of grace in communion, and initiates a group identity in Christ. In reflecting on it, this was the experience in the school a few years ago when I entered the classrooms and we all made the butterfly memorials for the 4 children who had died. Although it was a simpler, shorter format to accommodate a hundred participants, the children had the chance to express their experience with their lost classmates, and to memorialize them. It created a bond among the students and staff and with me.
It makes me think of the good pastures that God promises when He gathers the sheep together:
“I will lead them out from among the peoples and gather them from the lands; I will bring them back to their own country and pasture them upon the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and every inhabited place in the land.
In good pastures I will pasture them; on the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down on good grazing ground; in rich pastures they will be pastured on the mountains of Israel.
I myself will pasture my sheep; I myself will give them rest—oracle of the Lord GOD.
The lost I will search out, the strays I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, and the sick I will heal.”
Other Possibilities in Mindo and Beyond
Mindo is a tourist destination about 3 hours from Chontal by buses. I mentioned the retreat center there, and the other attraction is some openness to intercultural possibilities. There is a tourist industry with some international people, as well as the smallish community feel typically found in rural areas. As I meet some more people, there are some possibilities to explore concerning both intercultural exchange as well as the retreats and workshops that I like to initiate. So, there is some initial dialogue and exploration regarding that, and I'll update if anything looks promising.
There is another location, about a half-drive in the other direction from Chontal, called Chalguayacu. One day while at a Mass in Chontal, a well-dressed man approached me and asked me if I was from the States. Anyway, he is a wealthy lawyer, and wants to leave his large home when he dies to some responsible organization that can use it for service to seniors. I looked at the photos, and I doesn't appear from them that it's really fit for seniors (multiple stories and also stairs). But we are in contact and I plan on visiting when I return to Ecuador. That could be a complicated effort, but it's worth visiting to check out at least. If it looks promising, I'll follow up.
Quito Museum: House of National Culture
While in Quito, I visited the House of Culture that is nearby where I was staying. It's a free museum open to all. It was very good, and an opportunity to delve more into Ecuadorian history and culture. I like to take photos of text that describes important history, so the photos here include that text. You might find it interesting. The text is written in Spanish, English, and Kichwa.
Interestingly, it was the National Bank of Ecuador that undertook the project of gathering the country's historical artifacts and stories in the mid-20th century. Later in 2007, the Ministry of Culture and Heritage was formed and now runs the museum, among other activities. It is interesting that the Catholic Church had no significant role in bringing together the country's memory of its story, as that is one of the principle effects of the grace of . In fact, the museum's exhibits make clear the Church's role in overriding the culture and memory of the people. In my experience, the fingerprints and spirit of this approach to church continues very much today in religious circles, and it is really a great effort by the "secular" society to recover these roots. Within that process, a resentment toward the church is visible. I think it is justified. The church, on its part, needs to recognize its errors in colonization, just as there is a current attempt in the North - on the surface at least - to recognize the errors of the sexual abuse crisis. The religious domination of colonization is no less of an abuse, and just as in the sex abuse crisis the "faithful" initially resisted accusations from those abused as unjustified lies and attacks on a "Holy" Church, so it is in the case of the church's history of cultural abuse. There is nothing faithful to God in being a "homer". God acts in the honest self-evaluation, and sides with those who don't justify themselves.
“You justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts; for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God." (Lk 16:15)
If the Church could humble itself and admit that the path it's taken in the name of evangelization has largely dominated and abused others and their cultures, rather than fulfill and complete them, then a lot of healing could occur. And not coincidentally, this is exactly at the core of the Guadalupe event. It was precisely because colonizers and church evangelizers were snuffing out the indigenous identity and culture rather than fulfilling it (some with selfish motives and others with altruistic ones), that Mary needed to intervene, according to the story. In the tilma of Juan Diego, an intelligible expression of the integration of two cultures in love is displayed. The history and culture of the indigenous is preserved, and harmoniously integrated into - and fulfilled - in the incarnation of the Son of God in the womb of this woman. This image and devotion re-asserted the value of the history and identity of the local indigenous, and became a foundation of relationship between the two cultures. Yet, the leaders of the Catholic Church at that time largely *rejected* the image as being pagan and from the devil. Franciscans, diocesan priests, bishops, etc. It was a miracle that the tilma and the spiritual message attached to it survived the Church in its early days!
In Ecuador, and in most of Latin America sadly, the Church brought European culture and religion to replace the local version. And the local history and culture - and so their identity and source of strength and life - were covered up. It's somewhat of a miracle that this history and culture is being dug back up (literally!) Just like the sex abuse scandal, it was a big coverup.
"Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known." (Mt 10:26) Maybe a better translation of the Greek for the first phrase would be, "Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered." It has the implication of taking a cover off, of uncovering. How true.
Of course, each reflection like this is an invitation to me and each of us to turn it toward ourselves. An invitation to grow in revealing ourselves more before God and each other - and discover more of ourselves. May we experience the grace and mercy of God through Jesus to bring us to that, each in our own way.
Feet and Shoes
My foot is feeling better and I've got some new hiking shoes for now. They're not perfect, but hopefully they break in and are useful for the rest of my time here in South America.
Lima and the St. James Society
I've come to Lima for the annual meeting of the St. James Society, as I was invited to come. It's good to be here. At this 4-day meeting, a number of past members get together with the current members and staff for a variety of activities, and so I was able to share in some. Each year, new members are given their mission cross, and I got to meet the new guys. Plus, catching up with the current and members and alumni has always been good. The house staff I got to know well last year as well, especially from the English classes we shared together. So it was a good 4 days of fellowship.
In addition to sharing in some of the activities, I was able to visit the parish where I spent last Lent and Easter, to say hello. I was able to visit several places in the parish and share in the ministry there a bit over the course of a Friday to Sunday weekend. I really enjoyed it very much.
My first stop was to the food kitchen where I had spend time with the kids each Friday last year. The kids didn't quite know how to react at first, but then things warmed up as the social worker Beatriz had supplied some games and activities for the kids to do. The kids got a chance to play again in a variety of creative and fun activities, so a good time was had by all. Several of the kids I recognized from last year and it was a goo experience for all to catch up again, even just briefly. Here are a few pictures:
Later, I stopped by St. Mary's Home, Casa de Hogar, which is a place I had visited frequently last year and accompanied during Holy Week. It is a temporary living space for members of an organization by and for people with disabilities. It was great to see the folks from the past and meet new residents. I spent time catching up with a number of folks, and then stayed for the Celebration of the Word, and in that was able to share an inspired reflection from the Gospel. Afterwards, I stayed for dinner. It was a 4-hour visit! A few of us got a picture before I left.
The next day, I visited with the people who live in the community where I was staying, the same place I stayed last year - Monterrey. There was a Mass in the evening, and then some of the organizers stuck around and caught up, as it was one of the folks' birthday. Again as before, it was good to catch up and chat and share in many ways. This was the community - along with Casa Hogar - that I spend time with in Holy Week. Here's a picture.
The next morning, Sunday, I was invited to one of the communities in the hills - The Gardens of Ate - to lead a celebration of the Word. The chapel was built some years ago, and there's been recent changes in the folks in ministry here. A number of laypeople are actively involved and spreading out and trying to visit the numerous communities in the hills. Some of the ministry in the past has been very rigid in its form, and so has created firm divisions - but that may be changing, thankfully. I really enjoyed going there, listening and sharing what I felt called to share. Here are picture of the chapel, some of us who had visited in ministry, and some of the stairs in the stairways that brought us back down from the chapel.
Finally, a little later in Monterrey, I got to catch up in the children's ministry that I had shared in last year. Again, it was great to see old and new faces. The organizer asked if I could come up with something using the puppets that they have. So, I came up with a short puppet show about shyness, and two of the teens who are part of the ministry team put on the play with me. It was a lot of fun, and a great way to share a simple message of understanding others. Later, the ministry team put on other games and activities, including simple prayer as well. The kids enjoyed it, and we did too! Here’s a picture.
On my way back from the parish, I reflected on how everything seemed to work out very well, everything seemed to fit into place, at the right time. I'm grateful for it all. It made me think of the promise of good pastures from Ezekiel before. Providing them, and being led to them.
I'm spending a little more time here in Lima outside of ministry doing a lot of personal things (like my taxes!) and beginning to make more plans for my return to Ecuador. I hope to have a little alone time in that as well to clear space for a mini-retreat to help in making plans for next steps. I'm grateful to the St. James Society for their hospitality and I'm grateful God has given me this time and space.
Odds and Ends
The river in Chontal is grown because the rain season has begun. That has also made it chocolate from the mountain dirt that the rain currents bring into it.
You might be able to make out a cormorant sitting on a rock in the middle of the photo. This family of birds is very common in the Charles River in Boston as well.
On the way to the river, you pass along the main road out of the village. Recently, debris has been often falling, especially during rains. I remember seeing this slope after the landslides in 2014 and judging that a lot of those rocks were about to fall. And they have. But not so much the rocks themselves, but blocks of earth have come loose. That's the primary way that the rocks fall, as there's not much plant roots holding the earth together. Whatever the case, I thought to myself that the faster you pass through that space, the better - and vice versa. Walking might be the riskiest way to go across!
A view of slow-motion during a sun drizzle in Chontal.
A hummingbird was trapped in the house, trying to get out the window. We eventually got it out, thankfully. But it was interesting and sad to see it sit breathing heavily after spending some time trying to get out. All that wing flapping at high speed is apparently exhausting. It made me think of the Psalm 124: "We escaped with our lives like a bird from the fowler’s snare." Jesus' mission is to set us free.
A view while traveling between Chontal and some of the other villages in the parish further up in the mountains:
If you've never seen where chickens naturally live - and how they naturally roost and sleep - here you go:
This giant moth blends in with the ground, looking like an old leaf. Can you see it near my foot?
Caught on tape: a dog really eating someone's homework :) :
I found another Conga ant in the church. The sting of these guys is at the top of the pain index in the insect world. Thankfully, I've never been stung. But it might just come in its own time…
While in Quito, I caught some good folklore dancing at a local park while grabbing a bite to eat with my friend Rosa:
Bridges in Chontal and in Mindo:
Finally, a short story to leave you. In my next to last night sleeping in Chontal, I woke up suddenly near dawn because I felt something bounce of the side of my cheek while on my side in bed. I jumped up (I sleep very well, but my college years trained me to become alert quickly when something was wrong - long story for another time :) ), and I could barely make out something dark lying on my sheet. I got a hold of my phone to take a picture, and it scurried under the other pillow next to me. I took a photo and looked closely at what I could see:
You have to zoom in to see it:
It was a gecko!
I took the pillow and launched it across the room so as to take the gecko along with it (I didn't need it hiding within my bed.) I went across the room to inspect and couldn't find the gecko - which is a good thing. Geckos are good to have as they roam the walls and ceilings. In the coast, they're known to be great wall cleaners. You know they're around when they let out a loud chirping sound every now and then (a mating call or a defense warning). But i never thought I’d get a wake-up morning kiss from one! :)
See you next time,
Jerome