Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Internada Mama... ;)

Peace of Christ to you all! I apologize for the irregularity of my posts…hopefully I’ll be able to get back on track with a weekly post soon! Until then, bear with me in patience…and trust that all is well here in Ecuador.

This past week, I had the blessing of being in charge of the Internada Menor, which is the house for teenage girls. Jenny, the missionary who usually cares for them needed to go to Quito for several days…so Grace and I offered to care for the girls. Let me tell you, it was quite the shock to suddenly find myself the ‘mama’ of 13 adolescent girls, and to be honest, I didn’t even know all of their names! As a further complication, school just got out for ‘summer vacation’ and every day someone’s mom or uncle was arranging to fetch them…so over the course of 5 days, we went from 13 girls to just 4.

Algunos de Mis Chicas, Mis Hijas (Some of My Girls, My Daughters!) :)
L-R, Josselin, Alexandra, Alejandra, Nayeli


As I’ve written before, through these experiences, I’ve come to catch a glimpse of the beauty and sacrifice that lies hidden within the vocation of motherhood. Your life is no longer your own, from daylight’s first moments when you must first rouse yourself, turn on the lights and gently bid them good morning…until you’ve planted a goodnight kiss upon each dark head of curls. Yes, we spent practically every waking moment with the girls, and I stayed the night in their house to make sure that all was well. And I think that’s what meant the most to them…that we consistently remained at their sides, whether it was watching a movie, taking them to the beach or eating a meal. I got the impression that when Jenny is gone on a trip, they’re more accustomed to being locked up and left alone to do their own thing. So to have someone just sit and be with them…that appeared as a novel concept.

Sadly, it is not a novel concept of love, but rather one that has nearly been lost in this modern-day world: the concept of presence, of ‘being’ at the side of another person. Rather, we think upon what we must be ‘doing’ to show someone that we love them...we think of how we can win a heart with exterior novelties and activities. Yet, in looking at the deepest desires of the human heart, we long for communion with another…we long to be known, treasured and protected. Our deepest fear is not that we will be bored…but that we will be alone, that we will be abandoned. In the hearts of these teenage girls, these fears are all too familiar. Their longing for acceptance and fear of not finding it is worn on their sleeves, within hesitant eyes and behind a wary smile. Yet perhaps, in the time period of only a few days, these teenage girls received a message of profound truth: that if it is possible for someone to love them enough to stay by their sides through the most mundane moments of daily life... maybe, just maybe…they are not so unlovable as they had imagined.

There is one memory in particular that remains vividly in my heart…I had walked into the television room and the girls were watching a movie, while working around a large sack of beans that all needed to be taken out of their pods. Without even thinking about it, I sat down on the bed and reached for a handful of beans. Immediately, I felt their eyes upon me, and then saw them exchange unbelieving glances with each other. It was then that I realized how unfathomable it was for them to see an adult, someone who was ‘in charge’ of them, sitting alongside them, voluntarily choosing to do chores.

Upon further reflection, I realized that this simple act, done without even thinking, is what John Paul II referred to often as ‘solidarity’…to unite oneself to those who you are serving, by taking their yoke upon your shoulders…by living life with them, not just watching from the sidelines. Yet, the concept of solidarity is not reserved for missionaries in foreign countries, it is for all of us…with our families, at our workplaces, schools, etc. Solidarity is to put compassion into action…and it is when we can learn to live in solidarity with one another as human beings that we will have a greater awareness of the significance of life…because we not only recognize Christ in our neighbor, but we embrace Him.

May you each seek to live the spirit of solidarity with those whom you encounter each day…that you would revolutionize the ordinary moments into extraordinary ones through Christ’s transforming love. Until next time…

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

New Christmas Carols and a New Year, Too!

Peace of Christ and Happy New Year to everyone! I pray that all of you enjoyed a beautiful Christmas, surrounded by your families and enveloped in the true spirit of the holidays: the presence of God, who in humility descended from the heavens and took the form of a tiny babe…that we may know love and be re-united to sublime love in God himself.


While I missed my “Colorado Christmas” and the comfort of family and friends, Christmas here in the Santuario was a beautiful experience. In the nine days leading up to Christmas, all the kids and missionaries participated in a novena to prepare our hearts for the coming of Our Lord. Each day included a beautiful theatrical presentation of one part of the Christmas story, and a “proposition” for how to tangibly ready our souls. For example, one was “Today I will console someone who is lonely or sad.” The kids would pin the paper ‘proposition’ on their shirts and at the end of the day, they’d share how they completed it. When it was our turn as U.S. volunteers to present the theatrical portion of the novena, we didn’t think we could pull off a serious theatrical performance given our limited Spanish. So we used some Nativity hand puppets that someone from St. Mary’s donated…and let me tell you, they were a huge hit! We acted out the Presentation in the Temple, but since we didn’t have a Simeon puppet, we transformed the Lamb puppet into Simeon by taping his ears back and adding a cotton beard! All went well until the baby Jesus puppet who was swaddled in toilet paper started to come unraveled! Nonetheless, everyone loved it and the puppets returned to dance for the closing song: Mi Burrito Sabenero. It’s a Christmas Carol they have here about the donkey that carried Mary to Bethlehem and it absolute cracks me up because of how it’d translate in English: “With my donkey (who knows the way), I am in route to Bethlehem, if they see me, if they see me…(tell them) I’m in route to Bethlehem. Clipity-clipity clipity, CLIPITY, clipity, clipity, clipity CLOP!” The donkey puppet busted out some great moves for this song, including the ‘worm’, which the Virgin Mary puppet the proceeded to attempt. Granger, you would be proud! haha. The ‘gringas’ are always known for having, um..interesting performances. Needless to say, we’re still living up to that reputation!


And of course, I must tell the St. Mary’s community that the children absolutely LOVED their presents! Each child was especially in awe that they had a gift specifically addressed to them…and they loved the letters and pictures of your family that some of you included. Watching them open their presents was like watching pirates find the loot on Treasure Island. The boys look so handsome in their new swim trunks, and the girls have been coloring up a storm and playing with their new dolls and stuffed animals. Once the kids go on their ‘summer vacation’ in two weeks, I am hoping to get all of the pictures uploaded to my shutterfly photo page. The internet connection is so slow here that it will take a while, but keep checking. :) Thank you SO much to all who helped with this project; you truly made Christmas here at the Santuario unforgettable!

Little Carmen opening her present!

Danny lovin´ his new swim trunks!


Some of the girls with their new stuffed animals and their letters from you! L-R...Leonela, Shirley, Me, Wilma

We rang in the New Year at the Santuario with a friendly game-show type of competition between all the guests who had joined us…included long-time friend of the Santuario, Jim Campell. Our team was the ‘barco’ – the boat, since we were representing those who live at the Santuario. Other groups included the ‘velas’ (candles), “arboles” (trees), etc. We had to present a ‘rhyme’ to introduce our team, so we took a popular reggaton song and changed the lyrics to say “somos del barco” – “We’re from the boat!...Jesus is our captain!...etc…” With choreography and even a break-dancing interlude by one of teen boys, we took first place in this category!



Tomas and his sidekick Gustavo, (notice the anchor around his neck, symbolizing the BARCO team!)

Each team proceeded to send representatives to participate in different categories on the stage…such as a fashion show with the most absurd costumes, a scavenger hunt, musical chairs…and then there was the dance competition. Each team sent a couple up on stage, and we had tried to send up two of the younger kids so they could participate. The music began to play…Jonathan from the Jato Mayor (about 12 or 13 yrs old) was a natural…but poor Jessenia from the Jata (about the same age) looked petrified, like a deer in headlights. Without thinking, I jumped up on the stage to try and get Jessenia to loosen up and start dancing. The next thing I knew, Jessenia jumped down from the stage and I was left up there to REPRESENT the barco with Jonathan! The music was an eclectic mix, changing to a new song every minute or so….there was salsa, merengue, reggaton, even a tango (which we danced to very dramatically), …surprisingly, we held our own amidst the more experienced latino adults. But then came “Footloose” and a few American songs….and there was no turning back! This time, Jonathan followed my lead and we were cuttin’ up a rug. Dad, you would have been proud - I utilized all of your craziest dance moves. When all was said and done, we took 2nd place in the dance competition. Not bad for a mismatched ecua-gringa couple of age and height! For the scavenger hunt, one of the teenage guys ran all the way to Montanita and back to obtain a little flag…note: Montanita is about a 20 min. walk away! Yes, the barco team definitely had the spirit…ganas a ganar…the desire to win! haha. But in the end, the Vela team had 100 points…so we thought it was over…until they announced that the BARCO team had 110 POINTS!!! We still laugh today because we didn’t even get a prize, but the satisfaction and thrill of winning was more than enough.


A Happy New Year with Alejandro and Gregorio!

After the competition, we proceeded to ring in the new Year with a midnight Mass up in the barco chapel…offering this next year of our lives to God, from whom all goodness and blessings flow. With fireworks bursting over the ocean amidst the embraces of Ecuadorian children and missionaries, I was overcome by an immense feeling of peace and gratitude. After the Mass, we proceeded to dance with the children and the misioneras until 4:30am! To sum it up: a friendly competition, midnight Mass, dancing on the beach, and taking a swim in the ocean to ring in the New Year - “Can life get any better than this? I submit that it cannot!”


One of the other volunteers, (and my household sister), Sara and I, at New Year´s


Well, as this has become quite the lengthy post, I’ll sign off! Please continue to keep the Santuario in your prayers as we await to see what this next year will hold…taking each day as it comes. God bless you all…take care!