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!