Just wanted to post again amidst all that's happening regarding the coronavirus pandemic, and to again add an update.
Pandemic Effects
Just after my last news posting, the social distancing situation here in Ecuador upped to a shelter in place. Everyone in the country was required to remain in their homes except one person is allowed to step out to buy necessities. There was a curfew beginning at 4pm, after which no one is allowed to leave their home. It was then soon changed to 2pm.
There is no public transportation, and people are not allowed to travel. In order to do so in private vehicles, they need to obtain a "safe passage" document. The pueblo of Chontal is on the border with another province, and that side of the pueblo is sealed off from vehicles. If people leave their homes after 2pm, they can receive a substantial fine from the police. Repeat offenders can be imprisoned. These restrictions are enforced in the cities (and Guayaquil is essentially under martial law), however in the rural areas like where I am, it is not so rigid. None the less, people are staying in their homes or going up the mountain to their farms during the day.
Food here depends in part on what is grown and what is bought. Plantains and bananas are overabundant (I could be on a plantain / banana diet soon!). There is yucca, and there are some chickens. Then there are other fruits and vegetables that are grown in smaller quantities, some of which are out of season. There are chickens, and some pigs, but not really any cattle or anything large. Many other foods are bought from distributors who come to the village in large trucks. These have continued to come, but the trucks with other goods that are sold in the shops, not so much. The shops all have less supplies.
I'm not concerned about the food situation. There will always at least be bananas and plantains! :) But even more so, I'm not alone, but living with a community, and that gives me a connectedness to be able to weather the situation if it becomes extreme.
The medical clinic in Chontal is only receiving emergencies and people with flu-like symptoms. There are 6 medical staff who are stay inside during this time. The local leadership is doing a little bit to assess situations and help out a bit, but the medical staff are low on cash to buy necessities from the shops: since there's no travel, they can't get to an ATM.
Neither can I. Which means I'll run out of cash in about 2 weeks, unless I can get to an ATM (I have enough cash in my account to survive for at least 3 more months here; plus my private reserve that would last me more). On the good side, I am living with a family, and if it turns out that I run out of cash, I won't run out of food or a place to stay.
In the house here are two parents in their 50's, their two daughters in their 20's, a niece in her 30's with her 3 kids (12, 8, 4 yrs old), another niece in her teens just yesterday), and me. So, it's a range of ages, which is good. The house is large with a lot of open air rooms, and a large patio. And for the last 2 weeks, several of us have been doing the Insanity workout program together each day! The next door neighbor is a sister of the owner, and they have a shop in their house, so we have access to the basics. But the whole community is pretty much all related, so I don't think anyone gets left out, though some do get overlooked.
However, there are no known cases directly in this area. An hour away there are several. The large coastal city of Guayaquil is the epicenter of the disease here in Ecuador. There, the whole gamut of the health care system "has collapsed", according to one news report. There isn't enough testing nor facilities for people with symptoms, and people stay in homes and some die. It is very common in Ecuador for people to die at home. But the typical visit of (a) doctors to affirm the death, and (b) funeral agencies to remove the body for the funeral services are not happening because of shortages as well as the desire of the funeral agencies to avoid illness. Family members don't know what to do with the bodies of their dead loved ones, and are afraid themselves to contact them (and afraid of the virus spreading in the rooms of the house.) I've read that there, emergency calls for accidents receive very delayed or no response at all. There is a ripple effect throughout the whole healthcare and emergency response system. We can pray and be in solidarity, and also listen and learn…
My Plans
As the landscape is changing still, I don't have any plans yet for traveling. My flight on April 21 with CopaAir was canceled, and all of Copa's flight operations shut down until the same day. However, their policy is that I can call at any time before next year and reschedule my flight for free, as long as there's not a class upgrade.
I've registered with the US Embassy here in Ecuador, and they send me notifications. There is a commercial flight leaving Guayaquil on April 7, and the Embassy notes that it may be the last one for a while. They are not doing any more State Dept sponsored flights. The reality is it would be almost impossible for me just to get to Guayaquil at this stage. Even to Quito, once the shut down was put in place. So, as I thought from the beginning, my plan is to shelter down here until this passes.
When things do eventually start to clear, I'm sure it will be chaos for a while, as people rush to satisfy their backlog of needs. So, it will probably be a bit before I can schedule a flight back. Thinking of all the canceled flights, once the airports open again, there will be a lot of people rushing for flights - who knows what date I'll be able to find something?
And all of that assumes that I don't get a hard dose of the virus myself. Although I don't fall into any of the high risk categories for strong reaction, there's still plenty of chance of one if I catch it.
My best wishes to you as we weather the changes during this wave of a pandemic.
Support for Jimmi and Maria
The fundraiser to support Maria and her family in her cancer treatment is on hold. Not only do I not have access to money right now, but her treatment was suspended by the hospital in Quito. These are some of the side effects of the Covid: other important treatments are being canceled or delayed. So, she is receiving treatment from a doctor who comes to this area once a month from Guayaquil. She receives injections of something, but the full status of her condition isn't known until she visits the hospital. It's a difficult situation, please remember them in your prayers. I'll post an update when I know more.
The Tree of Life Workshop
I've had some discussion about doing this workshop online. In this time of great changes, there is a great need for support in transitions. So we'll see ….!
Come Out Ready: A Retreat for People in Quarantine
On the A Living Monstrance blog site, I posted a simple sample of an at-home, spiritual reflection that anyone can do during the quarantine, called Come Out Ready. I think it would be attractive to do, and beneficial for navigating this time.
With that in mind, I'm going to update this retreat, and I'm considering sharing it in broader distribution to folks. It's all within the time and resources I have at hand …
But here is the first version now for you. If it helps you during this quarantine, great.
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COME OUT READY
During this time, we're all, in some way, put away from life for a while. There will come a day when we are allowed to come out of the distancing and quarantine, and it will be a great feeling I think. And I write that for people who are sick, and even who die, as well. No matter how far we sink or hard we are affected by this wave of pandemic, a day will come when we come out. God has allowed us to be put into the quarantine, but He's also going to bring us out of it. It's a rising from the dead, which is a central theme of the readings from this past weekend:
O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and have you rise from them! (Ez 37:12-13)
That day is coming. How will it be for us? And what will we do? What will be different? Will we be different?
That all depends on what we do while we are in the quarantine.
There are some big moments when Jesus is in quarantine. Maybe the most obvious is his 40 days in the desert. That is the source of Lent, the season we're in now. (And it's the source of the word 'quarantine' itself.) So, here's a question: What did Jesus do in the desert? We know he was tempted, but in what way? And what else did he do for those 40 days? Because when it was time to come out, he was ready! He came out with mission and purpose and new life.
If that reflection doesn't resonate so much, there are two other times that I can think of Jesus in quarantine: When he is under water during his baptism, and when he's buried in the tomb. Maybe you can think of another. Notice the difference in him when he comes out.
You may even be drawn to quarantines from other parts of the Bible, like the Israelites traveling 40 years in the desert. What did they do while there? How were they different when they come out?
So, I offer a suggestion for prayer and reflection during this time: Is there a time that Jesus was in quarantine - a time away from life - that draws you? Or maybe anther quarantine story in the Bible? Pick one. What was Jesus or the main character doing during that time? It's not a looking for a "correct" answer. The reality is a mystery, but one that we can all enter into right now, and gradually discover to some degree ourselves, in a way that is directly relevant for us. What we discover about him, we also discover about ourselves.
You can take your time and wonder and be curious. This is a type of reflection that you can keep coming back to - chewing on - over the course of this quarantine time. Let it evolve, let things come to you, without forcing anything. Pick up the scriptures to search and explore when you feel the desire, or you might catch an insight that comes to you during the day. Notice what you're doing, and the situation around you - other people and circumstances. Something in a conversation or the news or a song catches your attention. What are the things you are drawn to? What makes you really curious? Notice whenever you do something that's life giving, where you feel alive and energized. And notice the opposite types of things. A lot of people find it helpful to jot down thoughts, experiences, and notes in a notebook or on a paper (I use a notebook program in my cellphone.) Do you start to notice anything being revealed to you through it all?
You might discover things that resonate and connect with you, that inspire and motivate you. You might find things in your discovery about Jesus that surprisingly relate directly to you and your life right now. I'm a big believer that, in fact, God does prepare those inspirations for us, if only we actually want them and are open to receiving them. They can become food to guide and carry us through this time of quarantine that we all are sharing together.
So that when God calls us out of it - whenever and in whatever form that is - we come out ready, with mission and purpose and new life within us.
Food in the Desert
I had prepared a presentation / workshop on how to find food in the 4 Gospels, called Food in the Desert. I was going to share it first in Lent here in Chontal, but that was canceled. I had been thinking of then sharing it more broadly. So, I prepared it in a video presentation form and uploaded it. I made one presentation in English and one in Spanish.
This is the first version, and I'm going to make some more changes based on your feedback. It's currently over an hour long, but I'm hoping to re-structure and divide it - along with some additional pieces I'm working on - to make it more user-engaging.
You're welcome to check it out (and take your own pauses!), and I'd be grateful for your constructive feedback! I think you'll like the content and the method introduced.
“It is written: ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.’” (Mt 4:4)
Four Houses: My Own Story
My own story of coming to Chontal is another project that's been on the backburner with all the other things going on. I do plan on completing it and showing it here. But with all the uncertainty around the pandemic, I don't know yet when or how. But the time in more isolation gives me more of an opportunity to prepare it.
Other Stuff
I'm posting here a few reflections I've shared in other forums with folks in the past few weeks. I hope you enjoy them.
Time to Use Our Left
When I was 15, elbow surgery shut down my right arm, so I started trying to do everything with my left, things I would never have done if my right were healthy. By the time I recovered, I was close to ambidextrous in a variety of things. I had grown into someone more balanced. Maybe I always had that opportunism, but it taught me a lesson about myself and crises. What seemed like a nightmare could actually be a blessing.
During the shutdown in this pandemic wave, I see opportunities all around us. To do things in our own lives in a new, uncomfortable way. To focus on the people who are more vulnerable medically, financially, socially. And I can't help but reflect on my experience with the surgery. There's an opportunity to come out of this situation more balanced, as individuals and a society - if we just use our "left".
On St. Patrick's Day
St. Patrick was from Britain, yet found a calling in being in Ireland, which became his home. It's challenging being in a situation that seems foreign and strange. There's a quote from the show The Office that comes to mind: "No metter how you get there or where you end up, human beings have this miraculous gift to make that place home." Best wishes today that you can make a sense of home in whatever situation you might find yourself. Happy St. Patrick's Day!
On the feast of St. Joseph
St. Joseph listened to the voice that told him to prudently prepare for serious threats. He took his family to another country to avoid a threat of death, and returned when it was clear. And then he changed his moving plans when another threat showed up. By all that, he collaborated with God in the plan for saving lives, both his son's and through him, many others he would never know.
During this time, we can be with Joseph in listening to the voice calling us to prepare prudently for the threat on the horizen. And by that, be collaborators with God in actually saving lives, in more ways that we'll ever know. Happy feast of St. Joseph!
The First Time
About 10 years ago when I first arrived in Ecuador, I struggled through my first time trying to communicate in Spanish in another country. I told one guy I was a little bit married, I told a waitress I wanted a chicken dish served without pants, and I told a group of people in a church, "How expensive is our underwear!" But I had to make my mistakes doing things for the first time. Thankfully, I wasn't criticized and piled on, so I grew quickly!
I think the first time I've done anything in life, I haven't done it well. My first day at school, first time throwing a ball, first date, first day at work.
I was thinking, this is the first time going through a pandemic for the whole world - all the countries, communities, individuals. No matter how serious the situation is, no matter how prepared we think we are, or hope we are, or think we ought to be, the reality is that this is the first time. We are all going to make mistakes. No one's really going to do it "well". From people with public or medical responsibilities, to the people who get sick, to everyone else - you and me - we are all going to make mistakes. Yes there are consequences to that, but we can't control it. That's what happens when it's the first time. We do our best, be patient with ourselves and others, and look for the good and learn from - and even redeem - the mistakes we ourselves make. This is human life.
Having unrealistic expectations of ourselves and others kills our ability to see the good that is happening. It produces disappointment, criticism, anger, fear that can even be hidden underneath what appear to be good works. Once we can accept the reality that this is our first time dealing with this and that we're going to make a lot of mistakes - you, me, people, countries, communities - then I think we can actually let go of negative distractions, focus on the opportunities for good around us, and live and grow through this pandemic. I hope to.
Of course, with pants and with affordable underwear!
Sharing the Experience
Hello, how's everyone doing in the middle of this wave of the virus? I'm here in Ecuador, we are in shelter in place with a 2pm curfew. But it's great to see all the sharing on Facebook and other places when I can. Even though I'm not directly affected by the virus (yet!), and I'm miles apart from so many friends, I feel close to everyone. I see something really amazing going on underneath the pain and the fear and the challenging circumstances in hospitals and in communities where people are suffering and afraid and even dying, and thought I'd share it.
Over the past 20 years, I've accompanied 100s or maybe 1000s of people in hospitals, senior care facilities, prisons, orphanages, people living homeless on the street, facing natural disasters and abject poverty, living with disabilities, or just going through the whole gamut of scary transitions in life. It's a different type of life, to be sure. But I chose to do it because I myself became convinced of something that I then always found to be true: that every suffering can give birth to a new joy. And the "midwife" to that happening is this: sharing the experience.
Shared experiences are what forge relationships. And when I reflect on my experience, I don't think anything forges as deep as shared suffering.
About 15 years ago, some of my aunts and uncles passed away. At the first wakes, I'd see relatives for the first time in years. We'd all agree that we need to get together under better circumstances. We were all committed. Of course, it didn't happen. And the next wake, we'd repeat the process, until at one of them a cousin and I said to each other, "Someone has to die for us to get together!" We laughed - but we also knew there was something true going on there. There really is an invitation to something new and alive coming out of the sufferings, pains, and even death that we experience together.
We are - all across the world - going through the same difficult experience together. It's painful in itself, and people are actually dying, but it can also bring us together like nothing else. Really. It's amazing because we will all, from every continent, have a unique story to share about a common experience, and that fundamentally human connection can make us feel palpably that we're fellow human beings sharing the same home. Like, a family. And because family touches on the deepest parts of our humanity, the bond will be deeper than political, racial, ethnic, economic or any other divides. The only thing we need to do, is to be open to sharing the experience together.
So … we should all get together under better circumstances … Right!?
Tomorrow
Some years ago, as part of the seminary program I was in, I was glad to spend a year volunteering at the Italian Home for Children, a therapeutic residence for children with behavior problems. The kids came from homes with some really tough problems, and yet the biggest wish each kid had was the same: to go home.
I remember the chapel there as a special place that Sr Margaret made like a home for the kids. The walls were covered with pictures of past residents and their artwork. And different volunteers would come in and share time and sometimes a teaching session with the kids.
One day in early November, a woman began her teaching with a question: What is the big day coming up this month? No one knew! So, after some of her awkward prodding and a few wrong guesses, I leaned over to the young girl sitting next to me and whispered, "It starts with a 'T'." Well, the boy behind us heard me, and he leapt to the front of his seat with his arm stretching his sweater. Relieved that finally someone knew the answer, the teacher called on him, and so be shouted out his answer:
"TOMORROW!"
Lololol!
But I thought about it then and you know, that's what a kid has to look forward to living there. When they're living in a quarantine-like place where life isn’t the way they want with the restrictions, away from home, and there's no real clear end in sight. Tomorrow is the big day. Live one day at a time. And Sr Margaret has gotten letters and visits from kids later in life who have great memories of their time in the chapel.
I've read that the Covid restrictions will continue at least for the month of April in the US, and I bet it'll be similar most everywhere outside China. That means another month of living that different, restricted life, not knowing really what is going to happen. Maybe things will get better more quickly, or maybe it will take a lot longer. Who knows what will really happen financially. Maybe I'll get that virus in a tough way, and maybe I'll never get it. There's no real clear end in sight.
But … there is a really big day coming up this month. You know what it is?
I'll give you a hint:
It begins with a 'T'
Have a great one!
Til Next Time
I'll send an update again in a few weeks or so. I'll also post any new developments regarding the retreats, workshops, or videos online.
Stay safe and well, and feel free to drop a note! Have a great tomorrow!
Jerome