Slumber Party and Retreats

 

January was a busy month here at the hogar. Since it was the girls summer vacation they were all here all the time which is a shift from the school year where we only have half here at a time. There was so much stuff going on though that it didn’t give the girls much chance to get out of hand. The sisters had to go to La Paz for a weekend because the sister that’s head of the congregation was visiting Bolivia! And ALL the sisters left! One of my site partners had to take over the sponsorship house while we stayed at the hogar with the girls. We were also in charge of the church and other duties while they were gone. Christy and I made a deal with the girls, if all there clothes was washed, chores done and rooms ordered we would have a slumber party on Saturday night and that is just what we did! Christy made cookies with some of the girls, we made juice, huge tub of popcorn, someone donated chips, cookies and candy and we made hot chocolate. The girls were sooo excited! We came down in our pajamas and they all ran to put theirs on and pull out all there mattresses into the room with the TV. The girls danced and fought with there pillows until they wore themselves out and then watched movies until 9am and ate tons of junk. It was a success I was so happy that we could pull it off with them. It also brought up the fact that we are getting old because the girls were going strong on Sunday and we just wanted them in bed so we could rest after their all nighter. :)

The sisters returned and then we had our retreat with all the SLMs the following weekend right here in Cochabamba. The sisters let us borrow there guestrooms and all the Bolivian missionaries started arriving little by little. We had an awesome time, great food and some very inspiring and reflective presentations/meditations by all the sites present. It was great to see everyone again and great to have others to talk to and hear the similar things we are going through even though we are all doing different things. Since most of us are about half way through this beautiful year it was a great refresher.

This month has also been the sickest of my life haha. I have just had one thing after the other nonstop. I won’t give you all the gory details :) but I will say that I believe that God was speaking to me through me illness. I am not one to rest, relax and recuperate, for example, Nyquiling myself so I can go back to work the next day to find out it was not the flu but e-coli of all things. So as much as I hate not working and doing what I have to do there was no choice but for me to take time off from the girls. So practically kicking and screaming I am in the room getting those three Rs I don’t welcome to well and I can almost see God with his patient smile, smiling down. I realize it is just another lesson he needed me to learn on how I am not in control and how I seem to forget that a lot. ehe    

It also made apparent what a blessing my entire community here is from the sisters to the missionaries i work with everyday.

Holidays 2012 CBBA Style

The holidays in Bolivia were as memorable as expected. Like in most of Latin America Christmas eve is the bigger celebration. We received a donation to make dinner for the girls on this day so sister let them choose what they wanted. The girls wanted lasagna :). So while all the girls headed to the church for a celebration/presentation the afternoon of ‘nochebuena’ Sister Letty and I along with some of the girls made 3 trays of chicken and ground meat lasagna. That night the sisters left for there own celebration and we had the girls to ourselves. We had soup and lasagna for dinner and then danced in the salon for hours. When the priest, Padre Pepe, came to see the girls we had prayers to baby Jesus and his birth we toasted with soda and sparkling cider and after the fireworks died down put the girls to bed. The next morning the girls woke to stockings hanging all around the indoor fence filled to the brim with candy and cookies! It took convincing but the girls would except that Santa had made a stop at the hogar. They kept thanking us for them and we kept telling them that it was all Santa’s doing. We had a donated breakfast and went to mass. That afternoon we still had the girls to ourselves so we convinced them that it was an American tradition to be pajamas all day on Christmas! They were sooo excited and all changed and we went to decorate cookies with them. It was a lot of fun to let them get creative with icing and sprinkles. Then we separated the girls into groups and had a Christmas scavenger hunt. They had to dress up, carry Mary to Belen, pin Jesus to the manger, find the turtle that was labeled with there wise man gift to Jesus and follow the stars to the end. They had so much fun and enjoyed it so much and my group won! Ha-ha All the girls received a chocolate though so no hard feelings. We finished off the day with hot chocolate, The Grinch, Miracle on 34^th Street, sugar crash and beds. We all enjoyed the day and the girls made it so worth it for us to spend it with them.

On New Years Eve we had a dinner made by the girls and waited for midnight playing bingo with Padre Pepe and dancing. We had a toast to welcome in the New Year and lit fireworks in the yard. The next day we all went to mass and the missionaries had a lovely lunch with the sisters.

For the Epiphany nothing was planned for the girls except mass. At mass we had a visit from the Wise Men. They came in while we all sang welcoming them and finally completed our nativity scene with statues of themselves. There is also a Bolivian tradition of bringing your image of baby Jesus (or your entire nativity set) to mass, place it on the altar and let them ‘hear’ or attend mass. The church was packed and if any more babies were placed on the altar Padre Pepe wouldn’t be able to walk. It’s a really cute tradition and Jesus is just adorning the altar in all shapes and forms. Two families gave of themselves on this day and the girls are so blessed to have them. In the morning a family came with breakfast and gifts. They all got to eat a special meal and the little ones received doll and the older ones got sets with brushes and nail stuff. In the afternoon, another family stopped by with hot chocolate and empanadas for everyone. It was such a treat for the girls and to see these ordinary people take the time and funds to do this was such a demonstration of god’s love.

I will have the memories of these days with me always. Although it was hard to be away from EVERYONE for the holidays, the girls didn’t have ANYONE but us to spend the time with them. That is my ultimate gift this year along with all the blessings God has bestowed on me every moment of the time spent here

Thanksgiving, Moving and Birthday!

Wow it has been 2 months since I had a chance to sit and write about what has been going on. The month of November is kind of a blur. I was really busy between the three sites and had many projects going. The staff and kids were used to having me around and we planted some seeds for them to grow. We had quite a few new babies come in and striving at there new home. A missionary couple that worked her back in 97 visited the hogar and made a donation for clean water and parasite treatment for all the kids at the hogar. They are also paying the salary for an RN to take over medical at the hogar. It is a wonderful blessing for them. Even if they don’t always have the supplies at least now we have someone that knows what is going on and hopefully prevent us from loosing anymore little ones. We celebrated thanksgiving with all the SLMs in the country and it was a great weekend for all of us to catch up and have a lovely meal. Everyone brought there best dish to the table (with some interesting but delicious variations). It was also a mini vacation for me because without the director of the house there the house was pretty intense that month.

December came with many surprises. The biggest was my move to Cochabamba. For various reasons our director and I decided that the best was that I move to a different site. The major reason was the lack of community in Santa Cruz that I had. With no other missionaries there and not living with a religious community it made it difficult for me to stay there. The things I started at the hogar are still going on though and I get ‘reports’ in from the nurse on how things are going back there. I will always be visiting when there is time. Hogar San Lorenzo is a mission very close to my heart and in great need that it is my very dear hope that I will be able to do everything I can for them even if that is not with me being there everyday.

So in a matter of 3 days time I was moving out of the tropics up into the beautiful mountains and valleys of Cochabamba, Bolivia. On Dec 4, I went to all three sites said my good byes. It was a long day. I enjoyed my time with the sisters who knew exactly what I was going through and they were awesome. I took pictures with the kids and had time to just sit with all the babies in the nursery before I headed out. The boys the same but it was a quick stop because they were all in trouble again. At the house I had a chance to talk to the girls and late that night they put together a song and gift from the house. They also surprised me with a birthday cake and another round of singing. It was really touching and we had a chance to just sit and chat and say bye to my home of three months.

On Dec 5 I got on a bus and had the chance to see the countryside and changing scenery for the 8 hour bus ride. It also gave me time to settle my thoughts, pray and prepare for what was to come. As the green mountains turned to a dry terrain the sun was beginning to set I caught sight of the beautiful Cristo monument (bigger then the one in Rio). It is visible from almost anywhere in the city sitting atop its own mountain with beautiful colored lights as night settled over the town. It brought me peace and I just started to take in everything about my new home. When I reached the terminal my two new site partners where there waiting for me. It felt great to see them again and know that I had them to help with the transition and to spend the next 9 months serving the girls here at the hogar with.

The beginning here is kind of a blur now but I got to meet the girls and integrate into there routines and lives. The sisters here are great and where incredibly welcoming. They are a constant support we have at this site. My birthday was two days after I got here. I was so surprised when I got to breakfast and the sisters pulled out a guitar and serenaded me before we ate. Taking a look around the bulletin board had been transformed to congratulate me and ‘torta’ was put in front of me with candles. They had also cut roses from the garden and set them at my place at the table. At lunch they surprised me with a gift from the community and I was just overwhelmed with there kindness. The girls also sang for me and my site partners and I topped off the event with cake and sundaes. I never imagined reaching the 25 milestone in this way but I wouldn’t have it any other way then the memories I now hold of it.

Teaching, Out of the City, and Some Illness

Hello world! 3 part post today

1) So this last week I have been focusing on getting the boys in a rhythm with my classes at the correctional center. As you can imagine trying to get teenagers not only from troubled backgrounds, mostly from the streets, to cooperate is not an easy task. Also with conflicting groups within the center and there own leadership struggling to stay afloat, and I with generally no knowledge of whose on what team and who did what to get there I’m at a constant battle there. This past week another group tried to escape, a boy had a broken leg from fighting and another had a huge black eye come Monday morning. I don’t know if I mentioned before but I am teaching alphabetization, English and Catechism to different groups. Teaching a group from 14 to 16 to read is always interesting. As anyone who knows me well knows, I love to read. I will most of the time read anything you give me and have so many books, that since I haven’t had my own place now for over a year, I have secretly divided them up between my friends and families houses (guess the secret is out :)) and my mom bought me an e-reader for my birthday last year to stop the madness. Anyways, something that has been lacking for them is reading comprehension so every time they read a short story I make them re-read it till the can tell me what it means, what it tells. I live for the moment that there face lights up and they get it. I want them to find joy in knowing what is around them not just where the drug spot is in there neighborhood but in the world around them and how it affects them. If the only thing I can give them is the ability to read and write before they get out it’s a tool they didn’t have when they got there. I hope to God that he’s with them on there way.

2) This past weekend I had a chance to meet with all the SLMs in our province here in Bolivia. On Saturday after my classes I head out to Okinawa. I was in love; it was exactly how I pictured it and just raised my spirits in general. It was great seeing the volunteers there because I hadn’t seen some of them since orientation or since I first got here to Bolivia. We had lunch and then headed to the pool for an afternoon of fun. Sadly though the time there was short and we said our goodbyes and I was back on the road to Montero to that mission site. Saturday night I went to dinner with the SLMs from the hogar there and had time to catch up with them. On Sunday we all went to mass with all the girls from the hogar on Mission Sunday. It was a lovely service and I loved the presentation of gifts that was especially done for that day. The songs sung where all songs I knew from my time in DR and it just made the experience that much better. I spent the rest of that day with the SLMs from the institute, had lunch with them at home and caught up on how they where doing before my journey back to Santa Cruz. I had a great time and let down my guard and was so blessed to be surrounded by my wonderful friends there.

3) This week I have had something, although I didn’t know what it was exactly. The name they keep calling in must be indigenous I am not sure. It consisted of headaches, body aches and chills, lost of appetite and fevers. I really didn’t get to see my babies this week but the sisters told me to stay in bed and sent all there prayers. But today the fever has finally broken, I am eating to get my strength up and will be back to work hopefully in the morning. My life is full of blessings everyday. As miserable as I was in bed these days I knew that at some point it would come and I am excited to get back into my routine. :)

God Bless and Peace

Happenings

So I have fallen behind in my writing. It’s been an interesting time. About two weeks ago the boys had visitation and one of there brothers smuggled in weed to them. About half of them got high and they also got some of the younger boys that never had any drugs before, which is what gave them away. Also, we were having a change in the night staffs so 14 of the boys planned there escape on the guy’s first shift. One of them was going to grab the guy’s keys and gun when he fell asleep steal his jeep, hold him at gun point and escape this way. First of all clearly planned by teenagers because they had these things written in a notebook (never leave evidence CSI :)), and there is no way a Vitarra was going to hold 14 boys. So obviously this was a fail but brought about many repercussions. The leader has been in solitary confinement since and life is moving on. But it really makes me think what am I doing with these boys and what else can be done to prevent them from reentering the system. I’m really trying with my catechism class. We have conversations and discussions. They even asked me for a list of bible citations which I am working on for them. It’s really good to know that only one of the kids in my class was involved. I know I can’t change the whole population but I can change a few and that makes my time worthwhile.

At the hogar I am now taking away cell phones because the workers are requested to keep them in there lockers but as soon as the sisters are gone they are back on them and texting constantly. So if I take a cell phone away they will be either paying or deducting from there pay 50bs to have it returned. Not fun a lot of upset people but no one wants to follow the rules so it has come to this. This week I’m supervising teeth brushing for the kids and on go my battle. At some point this year I will get to see the rewards of this all.

 At home, I got to go to meet Julio’s teachers. The kids here have about a month left of school. He has progressed from bad grades to bad attitude with the teachers unfortunately. Slamming down things and straight out refusal to do work they give him. So we are back to the drawing board with him and trying to get him through his tests.

Everyone here is really excited though because one of the girls that went through the program in getting married in a week so the prep is underway. Imagine a house full of twenty year olds prepping for a big event. They are in a flurry. It should be fun to see them all done up and help them with all there prep.

As you can see it has been hectic with a couple of other things going on as well. But the Holy Spirit accompanies me through these days and I know the big guy isn’t going to leave me alone at any point of this journey.

 

Lots of Love!

Eli

Festives at the Convent (w/ pics)

Tuesday was an interesting day. As I reached the hogar, feeling quite overwhelmed with everything going on this week, I wasn’t sure what to get to first. Since it was Giacomo’s last day here we took some pictures with the boys which you will see below. At 1130 I went to the convent for rosary and liturgy of the hours with the sisters and I find a very different scene. Giacomo is working with some wood and coals trying to get a fire going and the house was decorated, the chapel as well and a large table was pulled out to the general living space. It was Hermana Angelina’s Birthday! I felt so bad I didn’t know about this before and could have brought something but soon I was BBQ while Giacomo tried to keep the fire going and the rain started and stopped! Angelina enjoyed all this taking many pictures of us. Two sisters came to visit from another house and we sat down for lunch with many Brazilian dishes and the pork and beef and sausages from the grill. The sisters also pulled out a bottle of wine which gave lots of laughs throughout the meal. The visiting sisters took us to the center where they work at for a tour of the grounds. It is an adolescent mothers house where they live with there children or just before birth. They are all minors and most are rape victims. I didn’t take pictures here for the protection but it was a moving experience. Girls young as thirteen, that didn’t have to resort to other methods and are getting educated and professional help there, they have a sewing machine filled room and a bakery that they send bread out of every week.  It is a blessing. We later went shopping for Giacomo’s souvenirs and Sister’s birthday present. All in all it was a great day and lifted my spirits considerably. It seems as the sisters are soon becoming great friends of mine. I can speak freely with them and they are so funny and welcoming. They’re my girlfriends that just happen to have to fight the constant Santa Cruz winds that won’t leave their habits alone :). My constant blessing. Enjoy the pics!

 

 

Giacomo aka Santiago with Rolando, Jandre and I

 

Decorated Chapel

 

 

 

Hna Maria at the table Hna Angelina laughing and Hna Claudia on the right

 

The Feast

 

 

Us Hard at work

 

 

At our celebration meal

Blessings from Overseas

This week went very well and I think it has to do with the conviction I ended with on my last post. Since I have been here, with respect to the hogar, I have had to spend a lot of time concentrating on my administrative duties and although I was watching over the kids, returning a stray wonderer or dealing with some issue or another I really hadn’t put time into any group enough to enjoy them and get to know them. So with most of my projects settling in and no major dilemmas I was in charge of working with Santiago and to some extent translating for him. Santiago, which who’s name is Jacomo but the sisters claim means Santiago in Italian (and I personally doubt this but have kept that to myself), is an Italian missionary here for ten day in Santa Cruz working with mission San Lorenzo. His uncle is a bishop in Tuscany and his father is on the board for our mission in Italy. Thus, they have sent him to get to know what they are all working so hard for back home. He speaks Italian, some broken English, and almost no Spanish. The kids think it is funny but have taken to him very well. With no male role models or employees, men become a novelty and they can’t get enough of his attention. How do I fit into this you may ask? Well I had the opportunity to play for hours with the kids! He took one group and me another and we just had so much fun with all of them! I was so happy and enjoyed it and have promised myself to take at least one of the three days to just play with the kids and leave administrative tasks aside. I don’t want to spend a year with them and not have had those opportunities and not have enjoyed there company. It also helped with the things I was doing in the office because the caretakers joined us instead of sitting and watching without me having to pull them aside and request it! They pulled out a soccer ball and had a game going. The shouts were so loud that the sisters came out of the convent to see what was going in and were overjoyed to see things working out. I went to pick up Jacomo from the hogar on Friday morning and as I walked through the rooms the kids were calling out my name. They finally learned it and can’t wait to get on the playground with me again. So when before I only got surrounded by all the little ones, the older children have taken to me too. This just puts a huge smile on my face.    

 

Final Thought

 

Jacomo will be going home on Wednesday with his first experience out of his country alone, the joy and love of the children of Mission San Lorenzo and great memories to share with our board members there. I am sure he has no idea what he has done for me and my ministry at the hogar. Even though my approach was different then the previously used ones for the workers of our mission, it wasn’t enough. Now I have another tool to work with and it is the most enjoyable one yet! It was also the missing piece I was still searching for here. So I give thanks that we could experience these things together. Even though everyone thought I was his blessing (being the only person he communicated with here), he was also mine.