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