Una Communidad Nueva

Kelli and I stood on either side of Sister Rosaleen, who had one arm around each of us, as we watched Marcelle enter the “Passengers only” portion of the departures wing.  As I watched her walk away, tears welled up in my eyes, a salty symbol of the emotions swimming through my stomach, head, and heart—sadness in saying goodbye, excitement for the next step in Marcelle’s life, and nervousness and excitement to begin the community anew.  For me, that moment is very representative of what I’m feeling in the midst of founding a new community.  It is the challenge of letting go of old habits and seeing our house with fresh eyes while offering helpful advice and guidance to the two new missionaries.  It is holding on to the sacredness of my relationship with Kelli, the other returning missionary, while embracing the new dynamics and dimensions brought by Katie and Kyle.  It is continuing to enjoy and strengthen my relationships with the greater community while learning to open my heart to two new missionaries.  The transition has not been easy, but two role models have helped me to embrace the beauty of it:  first, the example left by Jesus’ 12 apostles, whose love for each other was enough to inspire others to follow Christ, and second, the community here in Chimbote, who continually reopen their lives to each of us who come to walk a sacred journey with them.  And in that, I ask for God to open my heart, as well, so that I may continually honor the sacredness of the path that is now being shared by Kelli, Katie, Kyle, and me.

-Emily Ruskamp, Incarnate Word Missionary

Give us this day our daily bread…

“Kel, can you pass the mantequilla?”  “Por supuesto!”

“Sorry I burned the rice today, guys.”

“Oh my gosh, this is so good!  How did you make it?”

“How was your morning?”

“I’m kind of worried about…”

“What do you think I should do?”

“What have you got planned for the afternoon?”

“I’ve got dishes today.”

Our community here in Chimbote has taken to the tradition of sharing lunch together each day, a ritual I have found  to be quite symbolic and foundational as it is perhaps one of the most beautiful expressions of our giving and receiving  of one another as we are in Christ Jesus.  We are still fresh faces and spirits to each other, but a great vulnerability bonds us in the intimacy of joining at the table.  Stories and silences shared, lingering thoughts, laughter and lightheartedness, inviting questions call us to union and remind us that we are indeed food for one another.  And, while I still find myself very much in the midst of a time of transition, holding on and letting go, this new community invites me each day again and again to a richly laden table with a portion that not only expands my waistline, but grows my heart with affirmation and renewal in our being called together.  I truly embrace and find meaning in our crossing of paths, the unique combination of Katie, Kyle, Emily, and Kelli where God’s love is already being made known in new ways. I very much look forward to our walking together and choose growth and love in the journey.

-Kelli Nelson, Incarnate Word Missionary

When I started trying to prepare myself to live in my Peruvian IWM community, I really didn’t know where to start. I have lived in community before and it is something that is really important to me. It is also something that I still struggle with being intentional about. I was stressing out about what theologians I should brush up on that discussed community life (Maybe I could read some Dorothy Day??), what Bible passages I should read (Maybe the Gospels would help??), and what I should start trying to look forward to (What kinds of things will we do together?? Or talk about??). 

            Once we arrived in Lima on August 15, Kelli and Emily greeted us with huge hugs (and homemade name cards) at the airport. Their excitement and immediate openness was a wonderful impression of what the next month would be like living in community with them. Our community so far has been very energetic, hopeful, optimistic, and accepting. Every day it feels like we are learning more about each other, keeping each other present to the moment, and getting closer as a missionary family.

            One project we decided to do together is to turn one of the bedrooms in our house into a chapel. We decided as a group that we all wanted a space in our house reserved specifically for prayer and meditation. We are all looking forward to intentionally spending time together to create such a spiritually intimate place that we can all share.

Whether we are laughing over lunch, dancing in the kitchen, praying in our chapel, telling stories before bed, kneeling next to each other during mass, sharing our joys, sharing our worries, or just reflecting upon our day, we know that the other three are there to listen. In just one short month we have really come together as four individuals from different walks of life and formed our own little Peruvian family. Not to say there will not be challenges within this family in the future, but for now I have faith that with the foundation we are continuing to build, those challenges will just help to make us stronger.

I have learned that there is no way to prepare for community life. There are no books you can read or imagined scenarios that can tell you how to act and what to do. Every community has a different dynamic, a special spirit and energy about it that can never be planned for ahead of time. The best way to prepare for community is to realize you really can’t prepare at all, just to walk in with an open mind, open arms, and an open heart. What happens next will be a beautiful adventure.

          -Katie Langley, Incarnate Word Missionary

We’ve only been living in Chimbote together for about two weeks, but our house already feels like a home. It would only take a quick walkthrough to see all the signs of our new and growing community. Past the busy looking dry erase board by the front door and into the living room, Kelli’s ukulele lays on the table after a spontaneous music session with some of our friends. A bowl of change is close at hand on the bookshelf—for when a game of UNO turns into something a little more high-stakes. In the kitchen, four empty coffee cups sit drying in the drainer after an evening conversation. Next to the stove is the beat-up, earmarked cookbook splattered with tomato sauce. In the dining room, half the dinner table is a collection of papers and books, including some for the English classes taught twice a week, while the other half is reserved for sharing food and time. Straight up the stairs at the end of the hall, in what used to be a bedroom, is the freshly painted Incarnate Word symbol on the wall of our newly converted chapel. A dusty trail of, our cat, Fidea’s paw prints lead out to the second floor balcony where somebody’s clothes hang on the line. It’s difficult to describe how a community grows and much easier to see it taking place. Sometimes things get a little messy. At the end of the day though, as I’m making my way to my room, tired and happy, I’m glad that I can look around and see how lucky I am to be a part of it all.

          -Kyle Seymour, Incarnate Word Missionary