Hace tiempo...

Greetings! Yes, I know it`s been a while since I last wrote, so here`s an attempt to catch up on what I`ve been up to. Before going further -- want to notify you of a few pictures of recent events (like our new water pump!) are posted on my photo site, link at right.

In some ways, this month since my return to Chimbote has been quite difficult. Without going into more detail than necessary or appropriate in this forum, I would be leaving out a lot if I didn`t tell you that Michi and I have broken up as of a couple weeks ago. After a good amount of soul searching, the decision was my initiative -- just a lot harder than I thought it would be to keep the relationship going from my end during this separation. We are remaining friends and in touch, trying to trust where God might be leading us in the future.

On other topics, a few highlights:

UPCOMING CHANGE OF HOUSEMATES
Time seems to have hurried by, as we near the 11-month anniversary of our arrival in Peru and Chimbote. August will be the final month for Nicole and Emily`s service at the hospice here. On September 9th they will leave Chimbote for a stay in the mountains of Huaraz, southwest of here, and then a trip and tour to the Amazon jungle region of Iquitos in NW Peru. Their flight back to Cincinatti will be September 19. Even before then, however, my new fellow missionaries and housemates will be arriving in Peru, even now they are in the midst of their three-week orientation at the Incarnate Word mother house in San Antonio, TX. Julie (Connecticut), Courtney (Minnesota), and Jane (Missouri) will fly into Lima on Monday, August 25. I will make the trip to Lima to meet them at the airport and, while we take care of their immigration paperwork, will help give a tour of major Lima sites during a 2-3 day stay, during which they will also be able to meet the IW sisters living in Lima. On the 28th or 29th we should all be in Chimbote, where Emily, Nicole, Sr. Juanita and I are planning a local orientation. I am looking forward to meeting my new companions, though will miss Nicole and Emily to be sure. Forming a new community with its own life and rhythms will be exciting but at the same time a period of transition no doubt, as we get to know each other. I hope, with a year of experience, to be able to soften their landing a bit.

In preparation for the arrival of Jane, Julie, and Courtney we have been making steady efforts to get the house in shape. Recent improvements/repairs have included a shiny new water pump installed by Eduardo, employee of our landlord Hector and veteran of multiple visits to repair the old pump. So, we now have consistent running water in the tap, which we long ago stopped taking for granted. The recent spell of collecting water in buckets twice daily, about 3-4 weeks, became quite routine. Filling everything and washing dishes before the water shut off at 8 am, filling tubs as needed in the afternoon between 4 and 5, bucket showers, etc. Other projects have included a major weed-chopping session in the back yard, work with handyman Oscar on the upstairs laundry sink drains and replacement of the switch of the downstairs shower, which had shorted out and no longer functioned. We still lack a general, thorough cleaning -- which we will do closer to the arrival date -- but with running water, warm showers, and draining sinks we are living the high life :).

IW REGIONAL ASSEMBLY, JULY 27-28
As part of the yearly assembly of Peru-based Incarnate Word sisters in Lima, we missionaries and lay associates were invited for a weekend of prayer, talks, sharing, and a fun talent show. As representative of our house (Nicole and Emily had just returned from a few-day trip to Cajamarca and couldn`t get away from their work) I put together a slide show summarizing our experiences -- good and challenging -- as missionaries in Chimbote. In the evening Saturday, each community was asked to share an artistic talent. There were a few songs, traditional dances, and I played the zampoña, a traditional Andean flute that I have begun learning. It was a festive visit with the sisters, several of which have become good friends. The day was part of their four-day meeting in which they reflected on their history in Peru and what their visions were for the future.

PARISH EVENTS
On August 9 I joined a parish bus up to the town of Pariacoto, a two-hour trip to the site where two Franciscan friars were martyred by the terrorist group Shining Path in 1991. August 9th is the anniversary of the event, and we shared a mass, two short hikes, and lunch in the peaceful town (I had been there twice before). Several of my friends from the Youth Council went along, and it was a good day. The same weekend, the youth council sponsored a breakfast fundraiser to raise money for two upcoming events: a talk this Saturday about the environmental problems in Chimbote and a youth concert on August. We made and sold chicken sandwiches (sandwiches can be eaten any time of day except for lunch) and `quaker` -- a cooked oatmeal drink with cinnamon, cloves, milk, and a little cocoa. We sold a sandwich and drink for 1.5 soles, about $0.50, and made around 120 soles profit. Considering average monthly wages for official jobs are 300-500 soles here, not too bad. To cap off the exhausting schedule, I helped by accompanying a Confirmation field trip to a local soccer field/park complex and had a couple choir rehearsals. I am happy to back in Chimbote more steadily, even though I also enjoyed my time away in June and July. Our new cycle of English classes is now in full swing, now with three levels and about 20 students -- three nights per week of class and one for conversation practice. I`ve recently located ground ginger and something called `Algarrobina` that resembles molasses, so have made ginger snaps and ginger bread for our conversation gatherings and a spice cake to celebrate Nicole`s birthday on July 23rd.

The youth council is excited about our environmental event this weekend -- we`ve visited local schools and several have committed to sending a science teacher with 20-30 students to participate.

Think I`ll close for now, next entry I hope to offer some one-year reflections and goals for the second half of my time here. God bless!