Dear Friends in Christ -
It is SOOOOOO good to be home. It's good to hug my husband and kids. It's good to sleep in my own bed. It's good to be greeted by all of you with hugs and questions, with words of welcome and sighs of relief that our team got home safely.
It's a bit of culture shock to be home. It's not the level of busyness (though Latino culture runs at a slower pace, the priests and lay people we met were all moving at a fast clip; there's so much work to be done!). It's not the weather - though it's certainly colder here! It's not the disparity in wealth - though everything from houses to newspapers are ritzier here. It's . . .
Well, it's taken me a while to put my finger on it, but I think the "culture shock" I'm feeling is the pressure of still trying to process everything I saw and heard and took part in THERE while being plunged full-speed-ahead into things that kept on going HERE.
This I know for sure: If we're alert and alive in the world, there is not a one of us who ends a day exactly the same as we started it. We learn new things; we are pressed in on by events and experiences. For me, this past week in Ecuador, such an overwhelming flood of new information and experiences that it will take a while for me to know what it means, how I am changed.
Several folks that I've talked to since I've been home have ministered to me by encouraging me to "ease back in," to "take it easy." I'm grateful. It's tempting to fall right back into step with things as they were. But the experiences I had in Ecuador are meant to make me different than I was before. Now - right now! - I have to find enough still moments that the marks on my soul settle in and become indelible.
Faithfully,
Janet+
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
Turning toward home
Turning toward home
Dear Friends in Christ -
I hope you all had a blessed Sabbath and a happy Halloween. Here "el Dia de Los Muertos" is a five day celebration. The kids get three days off from school. Many people go on vacation and many people have family celebrations and visit the graves of their ancestors.
Yesterday we spent the morning worshipping with the people of Esmeraldas in their church, Santa Maria. Like the people of Tacusa, they don't currently have a priest there, so part of the grace of our coming was that we had two priests (me and Padre Raul) who said mass and did baptisms. Usually on Sundays the can have only morning prayer led by a lay volunteer. The temperature in the church was 90+ because there was no breeze like on the shore in Tacusa, and vandals had stolen their fans. We gave a gift of money for replacements, and they were grateful!
We then put our tired, sweaty bodies back on the bus and headed back to Quito, enjoying the beautiful scenery and stopping for and amazing lunch of Argentinian food - an amazing array of roasted meats - including cow udder, liver and heart - along with sausages pork chops and steak.
Padre Raul gave us his blessing as we parted. He is a deeply spiritual, deeply hopeful, hardworking man of God. It was such a grace to have him leading us, along with our spirited translator, Dolly Mejilla.
Again in the evening, as we have each evening, we took time to debrief as a team, talking about the things that inspired us, broke our hearts and challenged us.
Today, we evaluate, pray, celebrate and have a little down time before packing our suitcases.
Blessings,
Janet+
Dear Friends in Christ -
I hope you all had a blessed Sabbath and a happy Halloween. Here "el Dia de Los Muertos" is a five day celebration. The kids get three days off from school. Many people go on vacation and many people have family celebrations and visit the graves of their ancestors.
Yesterday we spent the morning worshipping with the people of Esmeraldas in their church, Santa Maria. Like the people of Tacusa, they don't currently have a priest there, so part of the grace of our coming was that we had two priests (me and Padre Raul) who said mass and did baptisms. Usually on Sundays the can have only morning prayer led by a lay volunteer. The temperature in the church was 90+ because there was no breeze like on the shore in Tacusa, and vandals had stolen their fans. We gave a gift of money for replacements, and they were grateful!
We then put our tired, sweaty bodies back on the bus and headed back to Quito, enjoying the beautiful scenery and stopping for and amazing lunch of Argentinian food - an amazing array of roasted meats - including cow udder, liver and heart - along with sausages pork chops and steak.
Padre Raul gave us his blessing as we parted. He is a deeply spiritual, deeply hopeful, hardworking man of God. It was such a grace to have him leading us, along with our spirited translator, Dolly Mejilla.
Again in the evening, as we have each evening, we took time to debrief as a team, talking about the things that inspired us, broke our hearts and challenged us.
Today, we evaluate, pray, celebrate and have a little down time before packing our suitcases.
Blessings,
Janet+
Sunday, October 31, 2010
A blessed day!
Dear Friends in Christ -
It's Sunday morning, and having just finished a walk on the beach, I'm sitting in the breeze under grey skies and a thatched roof preparing for this morning's worship and writing to you.
We spent the whole day in Tacusa yesterday. On the drive there from our hotel, we stopped at the church of San Marco, an Episcopal church where there is now no congregation. It's a long story, but it's sufficient to say that the former bishop (before Wilfrido) damaged many,many things through his bad choices.
When we arrived in Tacusa, the community greeted us with joy. The children came out in droves, curious and expectant. We spent the morning playing games with them and singing songs. They have been learning English, and loved to show off their skills, saying the colors and numbers in English as we said them in Spanish. We had a conversation with them about what they like about their community! Muy interesante!
The workmen worked on the church all day while we were there. We watched them mix cement by hand and set all the footings. By the end of the day they even had some of the rebar supports up. Their goal is to have it finished by Dec. 23, the 50th anniversary of their town and the 30th anniversary of their church community.
Another amazing feast for lunch (chicken soup, crab, longostino - HUGE shrimp, lobster, ceviche, roasted plantains and rice) was followed by a walk down to the beach with the children.
Then La Misa - the worship service. Worship was held in the school building because it was the biggest building in town, and people gathered inside and outside. Padre Raul asked me to concelebrate with him (a real honor, as he is a very important priest here, an assistant to the bishop). El servicio todo en Espanol, pero no es un problem para mi! Gloria a Dios!
When it was time for the baptisms, four members of our team became godparents. One mother asked particularly that the Reverenda Janet be the godmother for her daughter, Farami, and I joyfully accepted.
Then it was time for me to bless the cornerstone of the new church. What a joy! And we stood in the midst of the construction and prayed and shared and celebrated. Afterward, the community shared a treat with us - they cut open coconuts for each of us to drink from. Deliciosa!
All of this was followed by a brief rest at our hotel, a delicious dinner of steak and seafood and a walk along the beachfront, which was pulsing with life!
A truly blessed day!
Today, worship with another community and return over the mountains to Quito!
We're praying with you today as you pray!
Blessings,
Janet+
It's Sunday morning, and having just finished a walk on the beach, I'm sitting in the breeze under grey skies and a thatched roof preparing for this morning's worship and writing to you.
We spent the whole day in Tacusa yesterday. On the drive there from our hotel, we stopped at the church of San Marco, an Episcopal church where there is now no congregation. It's a long story, but it's sufficient to say that the former bishop (before Wilfrido) damaged many,many things through his bad choices.
When we arrived in Tacusa, the community greeted us with joy. The children came out in droves, curious and expectant. We spent the morning playing games with them and singing songs. They have been learning English, and loved to show off their skills, saying the colors and numbers in English as we said them in Spanish. We had a conversation with them about what they like about their community! Muy interesante!
The workmen worked on the church all day while we were there. We watched them mix cement by hand and set all the footings. By the end of the day they even had some of the rebar supports up. Their goal is to have it finished by Dec. 23, the 50th anniversary of their town and the 30th anniversary of their church community.
Another amazing feast for lunch (chicken soup, crab, longostino - HUGE shrimp, lobster, ceviche, roasted plantains and rice) was followed by a walk down to the beach with the children.
Then La Misa - the worship service. Worship was held in the school building because it was the biggest building in town, and people gathered inside and outside. Padre Raul asked me to concelebrate with him (a real honor, as he is a very important priest here, an assistant to the bishop). El servicio todo en Espanol, pero no es un problem para mi! Gloria a Dios!
When it was time for the baptisms, four members of our team became godparents. One mother asked particularly that the Reverenda Janet be the godmother for her daughter, Farami, and I joyfully accepted.
Then it was time for me to bless the cornerstone of the new church. What a joy! And we stood in the midst of the construction and prayed and shared and celebrated. Afterward, the community shared a treat with us - they cut open coconuts for each of us to drink from. Deliciosa!
All of this was followed by a brief rest at our hotel, a delicious dinner of steak and seafood and a walk along the beachfront, which was pulsing with life!
A truly blessed day!
Today, worship with another community and return over the mountains to Quito!
We're praying with you today as you pray!
Blessings,
Janet+
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Tacusa!
Tacusa!
Yesterday, after six hours on winding mountain roads, through the Andes and across the equator, we arrived at the coast of Ecuador. Ah! The Pacific Ocean! (for those of us born and raised in the western U.S., the greatest ocean - but also the biggest one in the world)
The first adventure was finding our hotel with limited and not very accurate directions. The second adventure was finding ANOTHER hotel, because the hotel we were supposed to stay in was undergoing renovations. It's a holiday weekend here, so we had to try a couple of places, but we found something clean close to the beach.
Then on to Tacusa! No one has been willing to tell us what we would (or wouldn't) find there in terms of progress on the church. They wanted us to be surprised! We pulled into the little town, and the first thing we saw were dozens of smiling faces - people from the church and Patricio the building project manager, and many, many children.
Everyone greeted us - hugs and laughs all around - and walked with us the short distance to where the dumptruck was delivering the final load of sand for the cement for the foundation of the church. All of the other materials for the church had already arrived. Construction has begun! The land for the foundation has been prepared; the holes for the rebar pillars that stabilize the walls have been dug. The leveling lines for the floor are set. They asked me to bless the cornerstone tomorrow. What an honor!
After giving the kids soccer balls (a mad scramble!), the kids disappeared down to the beach to play with them, and the community ushered us into a small comedor (stand alone dining room) to feed us dinner. What a feast! Shrimp soup followed by seabass and rice and beans. And the best orange juice I've ever tasted.
Travelling back to the hotel in the bus, we got to see the coastal nightlife. Little storefronts uninhabited by day sprang to life!
Today is a day of community connection and worship, including four baptisms!
Blessings,
Janet+
Yesterday, after six hours on winding mountain roads, through the Andes and across the equator, we arrived at the coast of Ecuador. Ah! The Pacific Ocean! (for those of us born and raised in the western U.S., the greatest ocean - but also the biggest one in the world)
The first adventure was finding our hotel with limited and not very accurate directions. The second adventure was finding ANOTHER hotel, because the hotel we were supposed to stay in was undergoing renovations. It's a holiday weekend here, so we had to try a couple of places, but we found something clean close to the beach.
Then on to Tacusa! No one has been willing to tell us what we would (or wouldn't) find there in terms of progress on the church. They wanted us to be surprised! We pulled into the little town, and the first thing we saw were dozens of smiling faces - people from the church and Patricio the building project manager, and many, many children.
Everyone greeted us - hugs and laughs all around - and walked with us the short distance to where the dumptruck was delivering the final load of sand for the cement for the foundation of the church. All of the other materials for the church had already arrived. Construction has begun! The land for the foundation has been prepared; the holes for the rebar pillars that stabilize the walls have been dug. The leveling lines for the floor are set. They asked me to bless the cornerstone tomorrow. What an honor!
After giving the kids soccer balls (a mad scramble!), the kids disappeared down to the beach to play with them, and the community ushered us into a small comedor (stand alone dining room) to feed us dinner. What a feast! Shrimp soup followed by seabass and rice and beans. And the best orange juice I've ever tasted.
Travelling back to the hotel in the bus, we got to see the coastal nightlife. Little storefronts uninhabited by day sprang to life!
Today is a day of community connection and worship, including four baptisms!
Blessings,
Janet+
Friday, October 29, 2010
Quito...and heading to Tacusa
Where the tourists don't go
Dear Friends in Christ-
Our mission team spent yesterday crisscrossing the city, in yellow taxis, from the southernmost neighborhoods to the northernmost neighborhoods. We visited three mission churches (none of the 26 churches in the diocese is a parish because none are self-supporting - not even the cathedral!
Every mission church we visited greeted us so warmly! And it wasn't just the priest who was there in the middle of the week in the middle of the day, but members came to greet us (and feed us!) as well. They weren't just curious about "Los gringos"; they wanted to share their joy in their church and show us their ministries. Each church had a particular ministry or two. One had a ministry to Colombian refugees (1,000 come over the border each month), one is recovering from leadership under a dissident priest and looking to start a restaurant where they can employ people and feed the poorest for free, and one has a nursery school in the poorest part of town.
Today we head over the mountain for Tacusa. We can't wait to present the school supplies to the school and soccer balls to the kids .... And to see how progress on the church is going.
The weather is beautiful; the sun is coming up and the birds are singing as I write this. No houses here have heating or a/c, so the cool not cold fall air is most welcome.
Blessings
Janet+
Dear Friends in Christ-
Our mission team spent yesterday crisscrossing the city, in yellow taxis, from the southernmost neighborhoods to the northernmost neighborhoods. We visited three mission churches (none of the 26 churches in the diocese is a parish because none are self-supporting - not even the cathedral!
Every mission church we visited greeted us so warmly! And it wasn't just the priest who was there in the middle of the week in the middle of the day, but members came to greet us (and feed us!) as well. They weren't just curious about "Los gringos"; they wanted to share their joy in their church and show us their ministries. Each church had a particular ministry or two. One had a ministry to Colombian refugees (1,000 come over the border each month), one is recovering from leadership under a dissident priest and looking to start a restaurant where they can employ people and feed the poorest for free, and one has a nursery school in the poorest part of town.
Today we head over the mountain for Tacusa. We can't wait to present the school supplies to the school and soccer balls to the kids .... And to see how progress on the church is going.
The weather is beautiful; the sun is coming up and the birds are singing as I write this. No houses here have heating or a/c, so the cool not cold fall air is most welcome.
Blessings
Janet+
Thursday, October 28, 2010
In Ecuador
Dear Friends in Christ -
Living at 2 miles up in the Andes is breathtaking in so many ways! A little shortness of breath walking up hills, the beauty of the mountains, the mix of the peoples - not many Anglos, but people from many of the tribes in Ecuador walking the streets in native dress.
We have been welcomed most warmly - food excellent, accommodations suitable, not-quite warm showers available (at least for now).
We all arrived safely and on time. We spent yesterday receiving an orientation from on of the Episcopal missionaries here, touring the Cathedral and Cathedral school, and touring the historic district of Quito.
I was touched by the tender (read:short!) history of the Episcopal church here, the large number of people saying private prayers in all of the Catholic churches we visited, the beauty of the works of the local artisans, and the curious joy of the school children in meeting us.
Contact by phone and email limited and expensive, but I will be in contact as I can!
Blessings,
Janet+
Living at 2 miles up in the Andes is breathtaking in so many ways! A little shortness of breath walking up hills, the beauty of the mountains, the mix of the peoples - not many Anglos, but people from many of the tribes in Ecuador walking the streets in native dress.
We have been welcomed most warmly - food excellent, accommodations suitable, not-quite warm showers available (at least for now).
We all arrived safely and on time. We spent yesterday receiving an orientation from on of the Episcopal missionaries here, touring the Cathedral and Cathedral school, and touring the historic district of Quito.
I was touched by the tender (read:short!) history of the Episcopal church here, the large number of people saying private prayers in all of the Catholic churches we visited, the beauty of the works of the local artisans, and the curious joy of the school children in meeting us.
Contact by phone and email limited and expensive, but I will be in contact as I can!
Blessings,
Janet+
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
A gift for you . . .
Dear Friends in Christ -
In less than an hour, the car taking our team to the airport will be departing from here. I am filled to overflowing with the blessings that you prayed for me and the rest of our team on Sunday.
These past 24 hours, while my planning work has been focused on Ecuador, my prayers have been focused on you. God has turned my heart toward you, and I have been praying prayers of blessing and safety on you. It's Halloween week, with all sorts of extra busyness. And with Halloween comes looming anticipation and pressures of the holidays to come.
So Jesus put these words, His own words, on my heart for you . . . "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid." (John 14:27-28)
May God keep us all in perfect peace!
I look forward to being with you again soon!
Faithfully,
Janet+
In less than an hour, the car taking our team to the airport will be departing from here. I am filled to overflowing with the blessings that you prayed for me and the rest of our team on Sunday.
These past 24 hours, while my planning work has been focused on Ecuador, my prayers have been focused on you. God has turned my heart toward you, and I have been praying prayers of blessing and safety on you. It's Halloween week, with all sorts of extra busyness. And with Halloween comes looming anticipation and pressures of the holidays to come.
So Jesus put these words, His own words, on my heart for you . . . "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid." (John 14:27-28)
May God keep us all in perfect peace!
I look forward to being with you again soon!
Faithfully,
Janet+
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