Hello again! Except for a very brief entry in mid December, I have not managed to post much about my life here, which is not to say that things have been dull. On the contrary (as you may have noticed), as I get more involved in life here, I find it more difficult to sit down and write about it. This is a first 2-3 entries attempting to download some details about the last couple months.
Beginning with November...
CONFIRMATION RETREAT AND MASS
With the group of 35 high-school age youth (whose comments you may have read in previous entries) we held an overnight retreat Nov 8-9 and celebrated a confirmation mass on Sunday, November 23. I was more involved this year in organizing the retreat (transportation, materials, etc), though a team of two guys (Soto, Tino) from the parish who lead youth retreats for a living led the actual talks, dramas, music, etc. Memorable moments, after waiting two hours for the team to show up :), included a campfire songfest with Soto, Tino and my friend Roger. After a number of songs with actions, of prayer, etc that are common in youth settings, the girls and boys had an informal singing competition. With a few seconds to think, the group(girls, then guys) had to sing the chorus of a song in unison. Whichever gender did it better or louder, won that round. First, the theme was 'guys/girls are the cause of pain` type songs, followed by numerous rounds of love songs back and forth. This must have gone on for 30-45 minutes -- definitely a musical culture!
Second, the leaders had invited parents to come on Sunday morning as a surprise to youth, preparing the young people for a reunion with reflections on family life, how they treat their parents, and finally with letters that parents had written beforehand. The moment of reunion was moving for most involved, with tears on old and young faces alike. Many of the parents had been very reluctant to let their children (especially the girls) participate, they having never slept outside the house before, and Yuri (coordinator) and I had to make a few house visits to ease parental concerns in the days before the event. Another notable aspect of the whole experience was the relatively short time in which the retreat was organized, parents informed, etc. With less opportunities and activities to be involved in, youth did not have the conflicts that arise in US parishes -- some of the parents only found out a few days ahead of time when we visited their homes. The experience of accompanying this group of young people for a few months as they learned and grew closer to each other was an enriching aspect to my year here, in this aspect resembling the Confirmation process in the US. Though I will not be here for the next retreat or Mass, I plan to help with the new group when it begins in April until I leave in September.
(For more photos from the retreat, follow this linkhttp://toddsiwmphotos.shutterfly.com/2427)
The Confirmation Mass was, as in the US, a joyful occasion for all on the late Sunday afternoon of November 23. Girls wore nice pearl colored dresses and guys shirts and ties, several kids showed up after the Mass had begun, there was a party and dance in the hall afterward, and we leaders were in charge of keeping the eager family photographers from overwhelming the bishop at the altar during administration of the sacrament. Having also served in a similar crowd-control capacity during the morning First Communion mass, it wasn`t too stressful.
For more pictures of the Mass, follow this link http://toddsiwmphotos.shutterfly.com/2456.
TRIP TO ECUADOR
Soon after the busy schedule of wrapping up the several month Confirmation process, we four missionaries embarked for an all-night bus ride to Machala, Ecuador -- the motive being to get the girls` religious/residency visas to replace their temporary tourist visas. You might remember that Nicole, Emily and I made a similar trip in November of 2007, and I technically did not have to go again. But, we decided that my previous experience would be helpful and that the trip would be good community bonding. This year, however, we made a couple strategic errors: arriving on a Friday and not calling in advance. These errors were key because the Consul, who needed to sign our visas, was out of town until Tuesday morning and we were left with no option but to stay three extra nights in Machala, the self-proclaimed banana capital of the world. In this pleasant but not overly-interesting (in a tourist sense) city in far south Ecuador, we spent our time reading and watching cable TV movies and CNN when we weren`t on our outing to the mall (wonder of wonders), the beach, or cruising around the small downtown with its very attractive main plaza. The beach was a treat, involving a short bus ride and then a boat ride through mangrove swamp from the harbor to the beach.
The trip ended successfully with the girls getting their visas, though through a misunderstanding with the hotel staff we had agreed to a price more than double what we thought. Photos from our adventure in Ecuador (where it is hotter but they use ice in their blended drinks) can be found by following the photo link at right.
More later, as my internet time is about to expire...
God bless!
