This Lenten Journey

"Therefore, behold, I will allure her;

I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her.¨

Hosea 2:14

Peace of Christ to you all as we have embarked on this Lenten Journey 2009. I’ll admit, as a child I always thought Lent was forty days of ‘gloom and doom’, but as I have grown in the faith, I’ve come to recognize it as a call to intimacy with the Lord…as a beckoning towards His heart. This, of course, requires a candid evaluation of what keeps us from answering this call. And if we are truly honest with ourselves, we recognize that the very things we are most attached to are those that we must give up - not because chocolate, TV, and coffee are in and of themselves evil - but because somehow along the way, we´ve let these things give us more satisfication than the Lord. Thus we are challenged to give up these things for a time, to truly empty ourselves, so as to gain He who is everything, He who is all-satisfying. We find ourselves asking, “Really, Lord, I have to give up ____?” and then we see his nail-pierced hands, his head crowned with thorns, and his bleeding heart and we are shamed. Shamed that He gave his entire body and soul for us, and we find ourselves unwilling to offer up just one TRUE attachment (not just the ´easiest´ one to give up). We are too often unwilling to make one true sacrifice…even if for only these forty days.

Here in Ecuador, I can sometimes pridefully believe that I have already sacrificed so much in abandoning the comforts of an American life, like warm water and nutritious meals. Yet, I find that my heart is still in need of purification, of sacrifice and of an exodus back to my Creator. And thus I´m making ammends to my Lenten resolutions as I write this, determined to be more honest with myself and my own attachments. May we all respond to the grace that is offered to us in these forty days, that we may arrive at the celebration of His Resurrection having been resurrected and renewed ourselves.

An Ecuadorian Sunset to remind us that after every sunset comes the dawning of a new day...resurrection!

As for daily life at the Santuario, we are getting geared up for a new school year, which will begin in April. We are starting a new program with the Santuario which could be likened unto a boarding school. In the past few weeks, I’ve accompanied the educational psychologist to invite youth of the surrounding towns to come live and study at the Santuario, as the daily commute would be too great, or even impossible during the rainy season. Most of these kids would have no other opportunity to continue their education, as their families are extremely poor and with little recourse. A handful of these teens just arrived yesterday to take a preparatory class for the upcoming three weeks, so that they are caught up to speed for the next school year. Most of them are 12 and 13 years old, wide-eyed and innocent, timid and uncertain…and absolutely precious. Surely, for the majority of them, it is their first time away from their families…and that must be quite unnerving.

Thus, if all goes as planned, it looks as though I’ll be doing an intake session with each of them to collect their complete history. From there, I’ll have a minimum of three individual counseling sessions with each teen, so as to help them acclimate to life at the Santuario. Lately, I’ve been translating a lot of counseling forms from English to Spanish, and collecting resources (thanks to Rose and Dr. Milburn) as I couldn’t bring a lot of my own books and notes from the U.S. This week, I’m hoping to arrange and decorate my office space; to create an inviting atmosphere for the teens so they won’t dread coming to see me! haha. I think I’ll be needing a candy jar! I’m also hoping to collaborate with the nearby towns to offer counseling sessions free of charge to adults and teens who don’t attend school at the Santuario. It is a slow process to establish such projects in the mental health field down here, but there’s a lot of promise on the near horizon.I am learning patience like never before, as a year-long mission is quite different than a 1-week, or even 1-month mission. I’ve realized that, unlike short-term missions when you arrive and every second of your day is already planned for you, a long-term mission involves planning, waiting, and watching the development and unraveling of projects in which you’re involved. In many ways, it is a more active share in the reality of the people and mission in which you serve, yet there are those days when you feel like you’re getting absolutely nowhere! It is then that I have to celebrate the little victories and truly seek to do small things with great love. Someone once said that you must be patient with yourself and persistent with God. And so I attempt to emulate the spirit of Mother Teresa, who confidently said,

“God can use you to accomplish great things, on the condition that you believe more in His love than in your own weakness. Only then can He count onyou.”

Oh, that in this season of Lent, we would look more towards His Heart and believe that it is through His love that we find hope to become the best version of ourselves. Prayers and blessings to you all…until next time

Viajes, Venidas, y Despedidas…Trips, Arrivals, & Farewells (Sounds cooler in Spanish, doesn’t it?)

Peace of Christ to all of you! Much has happened since I last wrote…here in Ecuador we are in the midst of what we would call the school year ‘summer vacation’, which will last until the beginning of April. Thus, I was recently able to make the 12-hour journey to Quito to visit some friends and my Ecuadorian host family from two summers ago. Although Quito is a city of over 2 million people, it doesn’t feel as such. Nestled in a valley surround by snow capped mountain peaks, my heart sighs in reminiscence of my Colorado home. Much to my surprise, Mami, Papi and one of my Ecuadorian brothers, Roby, even came to visit me here at the Santuario last weekend! Together we all basked in the simple blessings of life…laughter, fresh seafood, coconut milk, more laughter, sunsets and swimming in a lovely little ocean cove called Ayangue.

My Ecuadorian familia...Mami, Papi, Roby and I...at the delicious seafood restaurant in Libertad Bolivar

In other breaking news, we now have SIX beautiful North American missionaries living here at the Santuario. (Ahem, any male missionaries interested in coming? The teenage boys could really use some strong masculine role models, and as for us, we could use some good dancing partners for all the salsa, merengue and bachata we’ve come to love!) Susan and Ellen arrived at the end of January, and are holding English classes and a basketball camp each day in the neighboring town of Olon. Laura, who’s a fellow FUS alum, arrived about a week ago and will be working as a nurse alongside my dear friend Mariya, who recently arrived back at her Ecuadorian home. Mariya had been here for 6 months in the past year, but returned to the States to pursue medical school. She has been accepted (woohoo!) and will begin her med school journey this August. Thus, she was able to come back to Ecuador for the next four months…and it is an immense blessing to have her at my side once again. Add our veteran nurse volunteer of one year, Miss Sara Ogrodnick, to the mix, plus myself and we’ve got quite the Gringa community! All the more love and laughter to share!

Despite the joyful ‘venidas’/arrivals of our new missionaries, this past month has also been a season of ‘despedidas’/farewells. For one, we would be 7 gringas in total, but Grace just returned back to the states last week. She had been my dear companion in this Ecuadorian journey since my arrival in November…and I suppose she could almost be considered like a living diary or chronicle of those first three months, as we had shared the ordinary moments of every day together. I feel as though there’s an emptiness in my heart and I miss her dearly…even in the midst of such a wonderful community of women. I suppose it is a testament to the undeniable fact that no one is replaceable. We each play a necessary role in the lives of those around us in helping them advance toward heaven, that someone else cannot fill. And thus we feel a void in our lives when such a beautiful friend cannot share in the voyage in the same way as before…and we must learn how to continue the journey towards sanctity as friends from a distance.

My dear amiga Grace and I...

Aside from Grace leaving, the school year recently came to a close, which also meant that one by one, all the kids who lived here at the Sanutario were dispersed back to their homes or other locations for vacation. Unlike previous years, however, the kids will not be returning to live at the Santuario, as their legal representative will be transferring them to a new foundation. While my heart carries great hope to visit these children at this new foundation, the reality remains that there are many of them whom I may never see again. I have always been one to relish a concrete farewell, clinging to that last embrace and tearfully watching my dear ones drive off into the horizon. However, to have this kind of farewell with 79 children proved to be absolutely impossible…not to mention that during this time, I was caring for the teenage girls of the Internada (from my last post) and was often otherwise occupied with them. Thus, in the time span of three days, the children gradually disappeared from the Santuario without a trace. With the realization of every child’s departure, my heart cried a little in knowing that I couldn’t hold each of them in my arms just once more. Yet I was brought back to the wisdom that my dear Mariya once shared with me two years ago, as she and many of our dear friends from Franciscan University had graduated and were being sent forth to every corner of the world. While I had been preoccupied about saying goodbye to each friend, with much peace and tranquility, Mariya simply said, “I’ve lived the way I’d want to say goodbye.” I’ve carried this little pearl of wisdom with me ever since, and it has always consoled me when for whatever reason, I am unable to have that concrete farewell my heart craves. To LIVE the way you’d want to say goodbye…that every moment of your ordinary interactions would be marked by the same immense love and tenderness that a final embrace would hold…so that if that final embrace never comes, one would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were loved by you.

Thus in the midst of my pondering, a smile crossed my lips as I realized that I had indeed lived the way I would have wanted to say goodbye to all my little ones. Memories began to dance upon my mind, moments of singing sleepy-eyed boys to sleep with a few lullabies, one of which *always* had to be ‘Titanic –My Heart Will Go On’, followed by a lullaby prayer in Spanish that I wrote especially for them…moments of intercepting hugs and kisses planted with such uncontainable excitement that I nearly had my breath knocked out of me on several occasions, despite the fact that their little bodies are half my size…moments of whispering prayers into little ears as we kneeled together during the Holy Mass. Then there were moments of reading stories, playing cards and being presented with hand-drawn pictures that still hang upon my wall with “I love you” scribbled on every corner….moments of tickle wars and laughing till we cried, dancing merengue till our feet couldn’t carry us another step further, and jumping over waves in the ocean with squeals of delight….yes, I must believe that the sum of all these moments, which at first glance perhaps appear as nothing in particular, must add up to an unfathomable amount of untainted love and abundant joy…more than one goodbye could ever hold.

Some of the boys from the Jato Mayor and I...

Many of you remember how I had to fight ardently so as to obtain permission for a November departure to Ecuador, as opposed to a later date in January. In hindsight, every battle was worth it, because the victory bought me two months of time to LIVE all of the above, and more. Some of you may wonder, objectively, what I was able to do for those kids in two months…how I was really able to make a difference in their lives for such a short time. I wonder that, too. But then I think back to a prayer I wrote years ago when I first began immersing myself in mission work: “Lord, grant that I may be forgotten, so long as You and your Divine Love are remembered.” In the end, the goal is not that the children remember this ‘gringa’ with curly hair and green eyes…but that the essence of Christ’s love, *true*, unconditional love, has been imprinted upon their hearts. This love cannot be forgotten because it is the realization of that reason for which they exist: to know and love He who has created them for a purpose beyond the suffering they have encountered thus far in their little lives. This nostalgia of heaven dwells within every heart, a yearning for something more than this world has to offer…a yearning for Christ’s love. This is what I hope to have imparted to these precious children… a love that is not of my own accord, but of His sweet heart. And if I have done that, then that alone is more than enough. Mission accomplished.

May this same mission of love be realized in each of your hearts, may you carry Christ to those who are in most need of His love this day…and may you each be infinitely blessed. Much love and prayers…until next time!

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…

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!

Livin' and Lovin' la Vida

Peace of Christ to you all in this third week of Advent! I remember as a child that this was always my favorite week because we got to light the pink candle of the Advent Wreath! Not much has changed…pink is still my favorite. The other candles are favorite too, but pink is a little more favorite. (Brian Regan meets Advent).

Alejandro and I at the Christmas program that Johnson and Johnson put on for the kids. Alejandro's parents died in a car accident when he was three. We celebrated his 15th birthday on Dec. 8th - the same day as the Immaculate Conception! This child is just too precious...

This past week has been filled with many blessings, a few of which included the visit of our dear friends Mariya and Maribeth, who were volunteers this past year here at the Santuario and continue to be a part of the “Fiat Family” as we call it. We’ve had some great laughs and even ventured out to one of the local town fiestas this past weekend in Olon. The MC kept giving shout-outs to the Americans, who naturally stuck out like sore thumbs…but it was a great to dance the night away, Ecuadorian style.

I find myself adjusting more and more to life here at the Santuario with each day…although I’ve been here several times before, my eyes are opened anew to the reality of how these children have suffered and continue to suffer, especially as I come to know their stories of severe abuse and abandonment.

Having been here now almost three weeks, and knowing that I will be here for a year has definitely had its impact on the way I must interact with the kids. For example, when I was here with the kids for a week-long visit, it was all fun and games, helping them with their homework and just taking them to the beach. Now that I’m here more permanently, I also have the responsibility to love them while providing consistent discipline. Yes, simply put: now the Lord is blessing me with lessons of motherhood. I’ve since felt the rejection that a mother must feel when her child is angry and refuses to talk to her, and the sadness of a mother’s heart when her child spitefully chooses the wrong before her own eyes. Yet at the same time, I’m learning that a mother’s love must be stronger than anything in the world, because at the end of the day, she must go tuck that angry, misbehaving child into bed, give him a kiss and make sure he knows that he is loved…no matter what. And that tomorrow always brings a new day. Lessons of love, lessons of forgiveness…asi es la vida…this is how simple and yet profound life is here at the Santuario.

Also, I’ve begun spending mornings in a classroom of children who live here at the Santuario and are not at their correct grade level. This is mostly because before they came to the Santuario, they suffered such neglect and care that many of them didn’t go to school, or were moving around too much to truly learn at an adequate level. For me, it’s a taste of educational psychology to work with these children daily. A lot of them are quite bright, but lack the motivation and confidence to do their work – and they are ashamed to be in this class of kids ranging from 6 – 15 years of age. Since these kids live at the Santuario, the relationships I already have with the kids outside of the classroom are helping me to cater to each of their personalities, combining existing trust with motivation and encouragement. I see this as excellent preparation for transitioning into a more clinical setting when the new school year begins. Truly, the best thing I can be doing right now is to be immersed in the Ecuadorian culture, so I may become more fluent in Spanish and more proficient in my understanding of their way of life. And there’s no better way of doing this than to be spending hours on end with children! Not a bad job, if I say so myself!

We continue to prepare for Christmas, this week’s project has been painting little clay angels to sell in our little ‘gift shop’ for when the tourists come. I still can’t believe it’s December…and that I’ll have a Christmas without snow...but in many ways, I am savoring the opportunity to be away from the ‘commercialized Christmas’ frenzy we all know too well. It’s beautiful to be in a place where truly ‘Jesus is the reason for the season’ and where there’s a spirit of tranquility and peace amidst the anticipation. I pray that you may all find that same peace in the quiet of your hearts. Take care and keep in touch! Until next week…

Smiles, Sunshine...and Snowflakes!

Hi everyone! Happy Second Week of Advent! It´s hard to believe that Christmas is almost upon us – oh, that we would open our hearts more and more to receive the love that the Christ child brings! And you´ll never believe it, but snow has come to Ecuador this December! Alright, perhaps not REAL snow (we did have some of the Ecuadorian missionaries fooled for a bit) but in the form of hand-cut paper snowflakes, cotton balls hung with thread and tinsel that looks like icicles! The other volunteers and I were missing the snow, so we decided to make our own snow globe up on our porch. We even found some twinkling lights to put on the rails, and it´s quite lovely! Our ¨winter wonderland¨with an ocean-side view!!!

Thank you all for your prayers this past week regarding Moises and Josue. It´s with great joy that I tell you Moises returned! Praise God! He is most definitely rejoicing in the finding of this lost little lamb, as am I. Truly, I think Sunday was one of the hardest days of my life as I waiting anxiously and worried as a mother would. Some of you may wonder why a child would leave the Santuario if it´s such a good foundation. I had wondered the same thing. But although the Santuario is a beautiful and loving place…nothing can substitute for a real home, with loving parents. Nothing. At the same time, we maintain hope that in loving these children with God´s love, they may choose another path than that of their parents…so that another generation of children may be spared of suffering. Please continue to pray that Josue will return, and for his safety while we await.

This past week passed by quickly...it was a blessing to spend a lot of time with my father, and for him to know this place that I will call home for the next year. The missionaries and the children alike were delighted to have their very own electrician for the week – Don Gregorio! (Mr. Greg!) During the first few days he was here, my dad re-wired two of the houses, one of which is where the little girls live and the other is the volunteer house – which had already been without light for several days before we came. I can only imagine that we would have been without electricity for a month or so more if my dad hadn´t been here! Most of our other projects consisted of changing light sockets, light bulbs and light switches. I have never seen boys so excited to change lightbulbs! They followed my dad around the house, helping him to turn off the breakers so he
wouldn´t get electrocuted! Moises was especially observant, and the day after I left, I found that he had wired up an old chandelier with four light bulbs AND an outlet for his room! haha. I think we have a little ¨electrician in training¨ on our hands.

Believe it or not, they´re all teetering on the steps of the ladder, while Kevin is putting in the light bulb up top!

But it was also beautiful to see my dad win the hearts of the children. Although he didn´t have a lot of time to learn Spanish, my dad leapt across language barriers with his easy-going nature, his tenderness and…his ¨break dancing¨ moves. It´s true, my dad had wired up a stereo for one of the 15 year old boys, Angel, and all the little boys would crowd into this one room to watch my dad ¨break dance¨ as they called it. My dad especially won the heart of Angel, who is pretty reserved. He keeps telling me that when ¨Don Gregorio¨ returns, he wants my dad to take him back to the States to live with ¨Don Gregorio¨. Some of you may remember my stories of Pedro Manuel, who was chained to a tree for most of his early life and can´t really say but a few words. He quickly clung to my father´s hand, calling him ¨Papa!¨ with a great big smile on his precious face. Yes, my father will be greatly missed here at the Santuario…by the children, missionaries and especially his ´hija´ (daughter).

Pedro Manuel´s piggy-back ride with his new ¨papa¨!

While it was hard to say farewell to my dad at the airport this past weekend, it was nonetheless a comfort that I was not getting on the plane as well. I need to be here for a long time, and I can´t imagine having had only the past two weeks and saying goodbye again. No, my heart is here…especially now with the lingering days until the children leave in January.

Mi papi and I ¨en camino¨ - walking back from Olon

Well, I must be off…there´s much love to be given and the kids are waiting for me to teach them more of the High School Musical dance that they´re obsessed with! haha. Small things with great love. Take care and please keep in touch…God Bless!

Love Until It Hurts

Christ's peace and blessings to all of you! I only have a little time to write this...but I wanted to let everyone know that I've arrived safely in Ecuador. To all those who were helping with the Christmas project for the kids; I have to tell you that miraculously, we had no problems in the airport or in customs, despite the fact that the 3 army duffle bags were overweight, oversized and clearly suspiscious looking! Truly it is a miracle that saved us almost a thousand dollars. Praise God!

This past week was Thanksgiving and we celebrated with some pies that we got at a local bakery...no turkey; but the pies were delicious nontheless! :)

The past few days have been blessed, as being reunited with all the children here has brought my heart more joy than words can express. Yet with the joy come the sorrow that two of the children have run away; Josue (since last week) and as of yesterday, my little Moises (who is pictured in my facebook profile). It is hard to have this happen in the first few days and humbling,too, because I realize that I can't save these kids. My love can't save these kids. Only God and His mercy can. May I be a channel of this love, yes...but in the end, I must trust that God cares for these little children more than I ever could. The following scripture of Matthew 18:11-14 comes to mind:

"For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish."

As Mother Teresa said, "If we love until it hurts, then we find there is no longer pain, but only love." What a gift, then, to have such a capacity to love...to care for another human being so much that their sufferings are felt in your very own heart. It is the example Christ has given us, taking our sins and sufferings upon his own Sacred heart...and to be able to participate in His sufferings...to love as He loves, is a gift in disguise.

Please join me in prayer this week, that Moises and Josue return to the Santuario safe and sound; and that Our Lord and His angels would protect them while we wait. May God bless and keep you all!