Entering Holy Week...

by Emma Buckhout, IWM serving in Santa Fe, Mexico City, Mexico.

When I started writing this blog entry it was Thursday of Holy Week, but then I was sidetracked by a rather busy series of events to remember and celebrate Easter. Now that it is Monday after Easter, “entering” might not be as appropriate a title. However, by “entering” I meant to refer not only to the timeframe, but also to entering into a new series of traditions and celebrations in the Mexican Catholic culture of Santa Fe. People had told us the rough outline of events for Holy Week, but I knew it was something I was going to need to experience for myself.

 After four years of trying to celebrate Easter at a secular university that held classes all the way through Good Friday, spending Easter in Santa Fe was a welcome change. Most people get all of Holy Week off of work, and almost everyone gets Thursday to Sunday off. Public schools are closed both Holy Week and the week after Easter. The guardería was closed for vacations all of Holy Week, so that meant a break for both Tara and me.

It was definitely advantageous not to have to go to work at the guardería this particular week, because I`m not sure how I would have seen everything else going on! As a missionary, it doesn`t feel as though I`m ever on vacation as long as I`m still in Santa Fe-- mission is a whole-life thing, not just about the hours that I spend at the guardería. However, Tara and I tried to strike a balance this week between taking some extra time for rest, our usual activities and responsibilities, and taking in the Holy Week traditions and extra activities at the parish.

The highlight of our resting came on Wednesday as Tara and I ran up to the mall in the beautiful sunshine for an errand to the phone company, but then treated ourselves to a fresh salad feast. We walked the hour or so home as well, chatting about US and Canadian political structures. I then spent the late afternoon wandering around parks with Jessica in the neighborhood called the Condessa, a half hour bus ride away. Salads and parks are a rare treat in life in Santa Fe and I definitely counted it as a day of celebration.

Tara and I spent Tuesday taking our grupo juvenil on a picnic to Chapultepec, the largest park in Mexico City, for some extra bonding time. Fifteen of us gathered at the parish, made sandwiches, and then trekked off on two different buses to arrive at the park. There we found a quiet spot to spread blankets and did our weekly reflection as guided by the Jesuit group materials. Then we shared a meal together, played some games, spent an hour on paddle boats on the lake, stopped by the traditional Mexican "voladores", and then hopped the buses back to the parish in the late afternoon. It was great to spend some time in green space and a valuable community building experience to share time outside of our normal space with a special boating treat. 

As for parish activities, my original blog writing intentions were interrupted by a series of reenactments performed by the parish group Gregorio Lopez, made up of community members of all ages, and the traditional masses. Gregorio Lopez has been practicing nightly since January for this week`s representations. It is an impressive feat. They began on Palm Sunday, enacting several biblical scenes of Jesus` life including the Samaritan woman by the well, and the multiplication of the loaves, during which everyone in the huge crowd of people at the parish (including the children`s choir that I was helping practice before mass) received a small loaf of bread. Then, in conjunction with the Triduum mass schedule, on Thursday the group began to act out the Easter story.

I will try to give as brief rundown as possible of the weekend’s schedule:

Thursday evening began with the mass of the washing of the feet, during which parish ministers washed the feet of most of the gathered congregation, including Tara and me, a beautiful and humbling experience. Then from 8 to 10pm Gregorio Lopez began their weekend by performing the scenes of the Last Supper and Jesus appearing before Pilot.

The morning of Good Friday Tara and I did a Stations of the Cross focusing on indigenous people in Mexico with the Parish ministers. At noon we joined the thousands of people that crowd inside the parish gates to watch the beating and sentencing of Jesus performed by Gregorio Lopez. The Roman army then took Jesus and the two thieves on what looks like a parade through the neighborhood as he carried his cross. Around 3pm they returned to the churchyard to perform the crucifixion. In an understatement, it is a hugely powerful presentation. Popular religion is, well, very popular in Santa Fe and Good Friday’s representations probably bring the largest crowd to the parish all year. An evening mass for the adoration of the cross and then a silent procession with images of Mary in mourning and the wounded Jesus concluded our Friday at about 9:30pm.

Saturday was relatively tranquil, leaving us time to plan youth group events until the candlelit Easter Vigil at 8pm, which was followed by a celebratory meal in the parish kitchen.

Resurrection Sunday was celebrated with the normal eight mass schedule, but included a special corn-planting ceremony based on indigenous prayer traditions and again, celebratory meal in the afternoon. There is a small plot of land behind the parish that Father Salvador has designated as a small corn field to celebrate Mexican indigenous roots and promote greater conscience of our connection to God’s creation. (I should also mention that the parish has acquired several chickens, ducks, and rabbits, so we celebrated Easter with real bunnies this year.) We concluded Sunday by watching Gregorio Lopez’s final reenactment of the resurrection, Jesus appearing to Mary, Mary Magdalene, and the disciples, and the coming of the Holy Spirit. My favorite part was the prayer that the man playing Jesus led for the whole crowd at the end, concluding in an Our Father.

All in all, it was quite a week. I am thankful for new ways of reflecting on the meaning of Easter, experiencing its sorrows and joys through new images and new celebrations with our community in Santa Fe. And I am also going to get a few extra hours of sleep today! J

New experiences

by Nicole Tardio, IWM serving in Mongu, Zambia

A Zambian soccer game, being sick with malaria, and a youth day of recollection...do you know what all these things have in common? These are some of the new experiences I have had in the past couple months here in Mongu. Some more positive than others, but all part of the journey none the less. I have found this experience of living in an unfamiliar place so far from home very enriching and fruitful. I feel like each day presents a new opportunity for learning and growth.

In Mongu there is not too much to do in the way of entertainment. So when my friend Nancy invited me to go to a soccer game where her university was playing a team from a neighboring town, I was so excited! The soccer field was right on the edge of a pretty big compound (which is a housing development). Everyone came out for this soccer game and all picked a team to win. It wasn’t just the people who knew the players that were playing who had come to watch, but rather it was a community event and everyone enjoyed. There were drums for the cheering sections; refs being yelled at by enthused fans, coaches, and players; kids playing on the field at halftime; and the air was full of the competitive vibe. All important components of a great soccer match!

Once I was back on my feet the most common thing I heard after having malaria was: “welcome to the club”. Malaria is such a common illness here and the treatment is so readily available that people often don’t even miss a day of work for it. Well I was a little different! I was down for a couple days, and wasn’t really back to normal until about a week later. But none the less life did go on - I can now empathize with the majority of the population and have a better understanding of what a lot of the patients I am taking care of are going through.

One Sunday in March the youth group I belong to took a day outside of Mongu for a “day of recollection”. It was a unique experience because it was geared towards African youth. It focused on the daily struggles they face. It opened my eyes to a reality of hopelessness they face everyday; with that in mind the retreat focused on finding hope and perseverance in life. Some of the themes that were emphasized upon included responsibility for your actions, working hard, and loving others. The place where this sharing took place could not have had a more perfect backdrop: it was overlooking the plains with the waters slowly filling them. Over all the day was refreshing and truly renewing.

Each new experience I am blessed with I am thankful for the opportunity that is presented. The opportunity to connect with people and to learn more about a culture and its people.

¿Qué?: Daily dialogues from Perú

A typical day`s occurrence in the life of an Incarnate Word Missionary serving in Chimbote, Perú.

by: Kelli Nelson

I’ve decided to share some exchanges with the children I’ve come to know and love here in Chimbote.  Just like children everywhere, their curiosity and view of the world never fails to entertain, warm and break hearts.

“Hermana, is it cool in the United States?” asked Adrian.  “Well, yes, I would say so,” I responded, “but I think it’s pretty cool here too, don’t you think?”  He sat for a few seconds thinking, then shrugged his shoulders with an “I guess so, Hermana.”

“Hermana, do you know how to add and subtract?” Otilia asks with a smirk hand on hip. Always my student with an attitude I can count on her little 7 year-old challenge. “Of course I do, I’m teaching you aren’t I?” I asked smiling back at her.  “Let’s see, Hermana, two plus three?”  “Five,” I say.  Wide eyed she smiles and says, “Wow, she knows.”

“I don’t know what it’s called.  It’s like a punto and a comma put together,” I said, dictating a paragraph to Jefferson in Spanish not knowing the word for semicolon.  He looked at me puzzled and then laughed, “Oh, Hermana, it’s a punto comma.”  “Ah, gracias,” I said, “What would I do without you?”

One day, two of the young girls I work with were clearly arguing about something in hushed voices during class when one looked up at me, “Right, Hermana, you’re from the United States? And, you know English?” The other then asks, “Say something in English, Hermana, please.  If I finish this whole page of addition problems can you teach me something in English?”

“Why are you so tall, Hermana?” asked Madalein looking up at me.

“Hermana, why do you have so much blonde hair on your arms?” Melanio asks while pulling at my arm hairs in awe at the difference in comparing it with his.

“Hermana, do you have family?”

“Does everyone have money in the United States, Hermana?”

“Hermana, are there poor people there like there are here?”

by: Marcelle Keating 

It is no secret; I struggle to communicate in Peru.   Knowing that music is THE universal language, I was more than excited to begin teaching flute lessons for a youth orchestra in Chimbote.   The youth orchestra is the first and only one of its kind in the city.  The program is geared towards children eight to fifteen of all economic levels.  The music stands and instruments are all donated as well as the service of about five music professors who come in from the larger metropolitan town of Trujillo which is 2 hours up the road.   We meet twice a week for three hours of rehearsal.

The Peruvian culture has such a strong tradition of playing by ear; I have found it to be the main reason the students have learned so rapidly.  They only have to hear it once to have it.  Their fingers instinctively find the right keys to play the right notes.  Teaching them to read music and count has been more of a challenge.   I have had to be resourceful in finding a common bridge for the technical aspects of music which has also proven to be somewhat humorous. 

As I said, they have learned rapidly.  A year ago they were just starting on recorders in the class room and now they are practicing the Blue Danube by Strauss in a full orchestral setting.   As the difficulty in music has progressed, I found myself having to explain more of the methodology in counting.  Learning this is important because it is what enables you to look at a piece of music and not have to ask, “How does this go?” You already know.  Knowledge is power.

Music is the universal language but I was getting some blank stares when I started using American syllables for counting rhythmic patterns.  A series of four sixteenth notes in the U.S., might use the syllables “one-ta- te-ta” or “one-E –and- ah” for counting.   I still have not found the most satisfactory method here but after asking a few of the Peruvian music professors, I settled on using “ta-ti-ta-ti.”    It takes a lot of concentration on my part not to revert to the method I originally learned.

One syllable that did not make the cut was another option the Peruvians gave me for a series of four sixteenth notes,   “pa-que-ti-to”,  but after counting out a passage of a doted eighth followed by a sixteenth note,  I realized I was repeatedly saying “pa-to, pat-to” which is the Spanish word for duck.  Another bridge I had to find was for the musical pattern of the triplet.  In the States you could use “trip-a-let” or “one-la-li” but I finally settled on “Chim-bo-te.”  It worked and it was easy for them to remember.    I love music, especially in Peru. 

by: Emily Ruskamp 

Every morning summer classes began with an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a teacher’s lecture, the latter of which was usually something about finishing all the food at lunch and not getting up from the table until all the courses were served.  One day, the lecture started with the pool, as the kids had been allowed to swim the session before.

“Niños, nobody gets to swim today because somebody had lice and spread it around.  You all need to go home and ask your moms to check your heads, and if you have lice you need to wash your hair and ask your mom to de-lice you.”  I knew that at least one of the teachers who swam the day before had gotten lice, but imagined pretty much everyone had gotten it.  Later that afternoon, requests from some of the older girls to check their heads revealed my suspicion to be true.

“And we don’t say de-flea.  Animals have fleas.  You aren’t animals, you’re people.  We de-lice people.”  I happened to glance at the head of Nayeli, the 8-year-old girl sitting on my lap, and noticed that her hair was full of little white nits.

“Another thing: don’t defecate or urinate in the showers.  Yesterday the women cleaning discovered that one boy had defecated in the showers.  We have bathrooms for defecating and urinating.  The showers are for washing only.” I felt a little itch on the back of my head but chose to ignore it.  The lecture was becoming more interesting every moment.

“And niños, somebody left their underwear in the shower, and we found it.  It was dirty.  Niños, you have to change your underwear and clean your intimate parts every day.  When you don’t, it starts to smell, and it smells bad.  Yeah?  You have to change your underwear every day.”  I kept a serious expression, not wanting to undermine the teacher and knowing that many of the kids dressed, bathed, and fed themselves, but inside I stifled a little laugh.  The teacher continued.

“You have to learn how to clean yourselves.  I know your families are poor.  We’re all poor here.  But that doesn’t mean we have to be dirty.  I don’t care if your shirt is full of holes.  Don’t be ashamed!  If it’s clean, you will look good.”  I suddenly felt self-conscious.  My thoughts jumped to all the moments when I have judged someone as poor or not poor simply by the way they looked.  There are too many to recount.

“Wednesday afternoon the pool will be available again, but we’re going to check your heads first, and the boys or girls who have lice will not be allowed to swim.”  I glanced again at Nayeli’s head.  I knew a little bit about her family and doubted her mother would have the time or interest to adequately remove all the lice.

“If you do all do your work nice today, Emilia’s going to teach us some English before lunch.”  The kids all started chattering and looking at me excitedly, their eyes wide.  I snapped back into the moment, smiled, and nodded in agreement. 

“But first we’re going to work on communications.”  Nayeli hopped off my lap to sit in her own seat for the lesson, though she couldn’t read and usually copied from her neighbors.  I made a mental note to write down that morning’s lecture when I got home, not sure what my reaction was but knowing I wanted to remember it. 

I heard a yell from the other table.  “Hermana!  I can’t find my pencil!  How do you say pencil in English? Does everybody speak English there?  Do you speak fast in English like we do in Castellano?  Can you help me with this?” I stationed myself at that table and the morning lesson began.

Passion is energy.

by Elle Vatterott, IWM serving in San Antonio, Texas.

Oprah Winfrey preaches that “Passion is energy,” and that we should “feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.”

I would not say that I am not a huge Oprah fan, but I enjoy her impressions on Passion, even more now that I made a point to take time to reflect on my own Passions as a mini Lenten objective.

My own “Passion enthusiasm” began when I started noticing the wonderful progress made by one of the children I tutor, PJ.  As mentioned in a previous blog entry, PJ is a spunky 9 year-old boy with dyslexia that I have the privilege to tutor. Like many other children with Learning Disabilities, his lack of reading progress is the product of his poorly funded public school district. But a lot of things have changed since I last wrote about PJ. In fact he has a new woman in his life, Sister Kathleen. 

Three days every week Sister Kathleen, a retired teacher of nearly 50 years, visits  our  ‘Visitation House’ to read with PJ for an hour after school. It’s a lot of work, especially because he has never been consistently pushed to read. Truthfully, I anticipated PJ thoroughly resisting the whole idea of extra tutoring. However, it appears the loads of encouragement and praise he receives from Visitation House staff is having the desired effect.  PJ’s self-esteem is growing,  largely due to Sister Kathleen’s efforts.

This experience - watching the interactions between Sister Kathleen and PJ - has taught me that a person serves others with the greatest results when they enjoy the task assumed.   It is so admirable to me, that after such an extensive teaching career, Sister Kathleen still has the energy and enthusiasm to take on such a challenging task. She is patient, kind and totally committed to this child. This is her passion.

PJ ends each of his reading sessions with Sister Kathleen with a gigantic smile. (I wish that PJ’s sisters could develop the same joy!)  PJ, for the most part, has never experienced the gratification that comes from excelling in school.  Sister Kathleen’s presence has truly reawakened the child. She has a calming effect on PJ that has significantly decreased his reading anxiety. He now can see he IS capable of educational achievement, and the thirst for more is growing. 

My guess is that this may be a major turning point in PJ’s life. The gift of having a tutor with the patience and skills to guide a child in taking control of a learning disability is invaluable.  Good teachers have the ability to erase a child’s frustration of feeling alone in their difficult journey.  I know because I too had a "Sister Kathleen," who gave me the tools to finally succeed in school. 

It is energizing, inspiring and downright fun to be around passionate people.  I feel blessed for this opportunity to work and live among such passionate women.  It has the power to bring about major change and strengthen our spirits, even when the change we work for cannot always be seen immediately. Being around examples of passion strengthens one's - my - faith.  

Discovering my own passions and incorporating them into a fulfilling career of genuinely helping people is not as simple a process as I would like, but I continue on that journey of discovery. I guess you could say that PJ and I are both being reminded - day in and day out - that nothing really worth having in life is easily obtained!