Ora et Labora

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2005-08-05T20:29:00.000-07:00

Well I'm home from Peru, so I suppose the website has finished it's purpose (for now). I'm sorry if I didn't write frequently enough, and several people have told me I didn't. However, I hope that those of you who read this got some use out of the posts. I had an amazing summer in Peru, and I will surely be back next year, at least for the medical mission. For all those who this and prayed for me, I thank God.

2005-07-24T14:47:00.000-07:00

Here is a view of the ladder setup that was used to get the first few Peruvian guys to the top. As you can see, the ladders are resting on three benches stacked on top of each other. This is definately the Peruvian way.

2005-07-24T14:41:00.000-07:00

The bell starts it's long journey to the top. Luckily the rope and pulley were testing by raising me to the top, so if anything broke the bell wouldn't get damaged.

2005-07-24T14:40:00.000-07:00

This is the bell almost at the top, resting on a ladder while we re-rig the pulley so we can get the bell into position. That's me looking out from the top.

2005-07-24T14:37:00.000-07:00

This is the final product...the bell is hung and we have it all rigged up to be rung from the bottom with the new red rope. Now all we have left to do is get down!

2005-07-21T09:52:00.000-07:00

Here I am in clinic with Dr. Archer and Dr. Salmeron.

2005-07-21T09:46:00.000-07:00

This picture is from the cathedral in Ecuador. I had to post it because it is the same Benedictine motto that I selected as the name of my website!

The Bell

2005-07-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

Both the groups from Christ the King have now come and gone, and we have about five days now with no missionary groups from the States. The next group arrives next Tuesday from St. John's, and I fly home with them in about two weeks. It's pretty incredible how fast the time here has flown by. The first half of today has been set aside for rest, but I've been told that after lunch we'll be working hard again. Yesterday was quite an adventure. Our job for the day was to hang a bell in the bell tower at the new Christo Rey church. So here's the story...
The church was built with no access to the towers, so we all stood at the bottom looking up for awhile trying to figure out how this was going to work, but the answer was ever so simple: use the Peruvian way. So we put up a couple ladders and a man from the village (who the villagers call Tarzan) shimmyed up and dissappeared through a small hole in the roof, only to reappear at the top of the tower. One more Peruvian went up, and those two attached a pulley to the top of the tower. The staff was joking around with me about me tying myself to the rope and going to the top, and I played along and tied into the rope. Before I knew it, they had hoisted me up to the top of the tower! One more American and one more Peruvian came up and we had our crew at the top. After the bell was painted, we hoisted it up to the top using the same pulley and after many adjustments, we attached the bell to the tower. We set up a rope system for ringing the bell, and I was given the honor of first person to ring the bell! When the bell started ringing, all the children in the school ran out of their classrooms cheering, and people from the village all came running to the church to see their new bell. (I'll post pictures of the adventure later) It was quite an adventure, and another lesson for me in things we take for granted that people here are so thankful for. Thank God.

What is Catholic?

2005-07-11T18:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the Archbishop of Piura, Archbishop Oscar Cantuarius Pastor, said the dedication mass for the new church Christo de Rey (Christ the King), and in his homily, he discussed what it means to really be Catholic and Christian. Many people here wear rosaries around their necks, but that, he said, does not make you Christian. Many people put up pictures of The Sacred Heart of Jesus or The Immaculate Heart of Mary in their homes, but again, that does not make you Christian. People also make long pilgrimmages to other cities as a sign of devotion, but even that does not make one Christian.

The Archbishop said that what should really define Christians is their desire to be with God in the celebration of the Eucharist, and their giving spirit. He told a story in which he was in Las Angeles saying mass, and before mass he saw a man near the altar and began to speak with him. The man explained that he was very sick and could find no work, and the Bishop asked if he had enough money for food and the man pulled out five dollars and said this is all I have. The bishop ended the conversation only to say mass, but he said that when the collection basket went around he saw the man put his five dollars in the basket. That, he said, is Christian.

The prospect of giving so much that it hurts scares most, if not all of us. Then again, most of us don´t even consider giving until it hurts, and usually stop at giving just so much that we can maintain our pleasant lifestyles. But wait, why should we even consider giving SO much, and sacrificing SO much? We give out of love already, even if it is just a little, so with that good intention, why isn´t our current giving enough? When we think about love, we should, invariably, use Christ as our model of perfect love. So, ask the question, did Christ love to the point of pain? The obvious answer is, yes, more than any other person in history, because solely out of love for us, his wayward children, Christ bore the weight of the world´s sin during his death on the cross.

Now, don´t get me wrong, I´m not asking you to sell everything and live in poverty to prove you have love in your heart. I´m only asking you to remember, that, to whom much is given, much is expected in return. But this does not mean just monetary giving. We are all able to give of ourselves in different ways, and with our different talents. As Pope Benedict reminds us, giving should, in fact, never mean primarily giving money, but rather we must give of ourselves. So what´s the point of all this? I just think you would benefit so much for yourself, your family, and all those around you if you gave serious consideration to what you have to give. Maybe you´ve thought about volunteering but you´re just so busy, but that little bit of giving could make all the difference in world for someone else. Maybe you´re in the Family to Family program and you just haven´t been able to find that five minutes to write a letter or send a picture to your family, but doing that can spread hope! Maybe you´ve just been trying to make time to pray more often, and you just keep forgetting, but that extra prayer will make differences in your life you can´t even anticipate.

The Gospel reading today tells us to take up our Cross and follow Jesus, and it is for each of us to decide what that means. Maybe it does mean giving more money, but maybe it means writing that letter, maybe it means going to church more often, maybe it just means taking a few seconds to pray, and remind God that you´re still with him. He is waiting for you to take up your cross, and if I can´t be sure of anything else, I am sure that in the end I do not want have to explain to Him why I was too busy to take up my cross. What´s your reason for not taking up yours?

Fresh Eyes

2005-07-07T23:36:00.000-07:00

Today was very busy, because the group from St Patrick's in Chicago moved to the retreat house in San Jacinto, and the group of 27 from Christ the King arrived and moved into the church! It is great to have more familiar faces here. The groups have offered me some wonderful experiences, two in particular today.

First, a man from St. Pat's named Phillip decided on this trip to adopt a family, and he adopted one that he had met during his trip. Today was one of the girl's birthdays in his family, and he wanted to do something special for her, so after some discussion, we decided it would be fun to take the family to the mall and buy them some clothes, and a little something special for the girl's (thirteenth) birthday. Phillip asked me to come along as translator, and we went to Saga Fallabella, a store in the mall here, where Phillip bought the three children and the mother each and outfit of clothing, and a nice pair of shoes as a birthday present for the oldest girl. It was incredible to see the family in the store (which by US standards is fairly inexpesive) because, as the young girl told me, they had never ever been inside Saga because they could never hope to buy anything there. The children walked around with their hands over their mouths, or smiling, or giggling with excitement. What a fun experience. Thank God.

Also, tonight, the groups split into an adult group and a youth group for reflection and prayer time, and I served as the youth leader. After prayer and introductions, we all shared with each other our impressions of Peru, and I gave the youth group some things to think about during their time here. They were all so excited to be here, and making jokes and laughing, but at the same time, when someone else started talking about their experiences, everyone else was very supportive and respectful. It was such a treat to hear the impressions of the young(er) people on what I have become accustomed to. It was a great reminder of how much their is to see here, and the attitudes that are so benificial for a missionary. The youth are fun and vibrant, but also very intune with their spirituality and their mission here. I hope I can continue to hold meetings with them while they are here, because their reflection time is valuable for me just as much as it is for them, and it is wonderful and hubling to hear their impressions of the world they have entered into. Thank God.

2005-07-03T15:57:00.000-07:00

Here I am at the border, about to cross into Ecuador.

2005-07-03T15:14:00.000-07:00

This is another of the churches in Cuenca, which was full of incredible artwork, as they all were.

2005-07-03T15:02:00.000-07:00

This is the statue of Pope John Paul II in the cathedral in Ecuador that he visited. This statue is about 14 feet tall.

Home in Piura

2005-07-03T07:13:00.000-07:00

We are back from our trip to Ecuador, and I must say, I love Piura. It was good to see Ecuador and to move around a little bit, but I much prefer Peru, and I think I´ll stick around here from now on. On a positive note for Ecuador, while we were there, we saw some amazing chuches in Cuenca, where we were staying. One of the cathedrals was visited by Pope John Paul II in the 90s, and they now have a huge statue of him in the church. We saw about 5 amazing churches while we were there, built from the 16th to the 20th century.

Another cool thing happened Friday in Ecuador, when they celebrated the coming on the Virgen of Carmen. There were fireworks going off all day, and from about 7 to 10 at night, there were tons of fireworks and a large festival near our hotel. They were launching huge paper baloons into the sky, there was a mariachi band, floats, street vendors, and two guys walking around in suits laced with fireworks that would occasionally shoot off into the crowd. At 10, there was a large float that they lit on fire, and everyone was singing songs and celebrating. It may have felt like a festival you would find in the States, but the mariachis were playing religious songs (that everybody knew), the floats had religious images on them, the street vendors sold food and, no not alcohol, but rosaries, and everyone was having a great time. What a great example of people coming together prayerfully and in peace, and still having great fun. Thank God.

Vacation

2005-06-29T05:59:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to let my faithful readers know that I will be away from the computer until Saturday, because I am going to Ecuador for the rest of this week. You can expect a post on Sunday, though! Please pray that this trip to Ecuador goes well, and we are able to travel safely.

Sundays

2005-06-27T08:18:00.000-07:00

Once again, I'm sorry it has been so long since I've posted. It's been about a week, which has been the very eventful week of the medical mission. The med mission is trip I went on last summer, and this year it breezed by way too fast. I'll post some stories from that trip later this week, but right now I want to tell you about my Sunday, yesterday.

We got up in the morning and decided to drive to the beach. So I jumped in the van with a couple members of the staff, and we drove about an hour to Colan, which is an incredible beach. First we ate a fresh fish lunch at a nice restaurant by the beach, then we walked down to the water and explored for a few hours. It was such a nice day at a nice beach, and trips with the church staff really help my Spanish!

After we left the beach at Colan, we drove to a town called Paita nearby, and for 15 Soles (about 5 US dollars) five of us went on a little boat trip out to see the sea lions that live on the rocks outside of the harbor. How cool! We also saw the first church built in South America, a Catholic church called San Lucas, which was very interesting. Then we all bought an ice cream and headed back to Piura for mass.

At the end of the day, I couldn't help but think how different Sunday is here from Sunday in the States. Think about what you did yesterday for a moment. Was it a pain to get to church on time? Did you have to rush off to some meeting, or soccer game, etc? Down here, when we decided to go to the beach and relax for the day, no one had any conflicting plans, because no one really plans for Sunday. It truly is a day of rest here, and the one thing everyone knows they're going to do is get to mass, no excuses. I know how hard it is to step outside of a busy life for a day and slow down, but I also see how much happier everyone here is for doing that. Maybe as a start we should all just focus on slowing down a little more and relaxing next Sunday. I think this is another one of the many reasons people here seem so much more faithful and happy. Thank God.

Fiesta!

2005-06-19T12:06:00.000-07:00

Tonight was a special night at the church, because we had a Father´s Day fiesta. It was good timing as the whole medical team is here, including our two newest members, Jenna and Glen, who finally made it here from Canada via SLC and Las Angeles, and needless to say, Lima. We´re glad to have them, and what a way to kick off their experiences in Piura. The fiesta consisted of Peruvian music (two guitars and a man playing rhythms on a box) and lot of dancing.

It was really a wonderful experience to see that the spirituality of the people really does carry over to everything they do. These are a people who truly enjoy life. Certainly this teaches us a lesson about what is of real value in our lives. It seems to me every day that the people here with nothing find more happiness than people in other countries who have everything but always want more. I suppose it´s true that the important thing isn´t having what you want, it´s wanting what you´ve got. We all came into this world with nothing, and it is certain that we will leave it with nothing, so will we not find truer happiness by seeking to follow God first?

I am reminded now of the sixth chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew when Jesus says:

¨If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into
the oven tommorow, will He not much more provide for you, O ye of little
faith? So do not worry and say, What are we to eat? or What are we to
drink? or what are we to wear? All these things the pagans seek. You
heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom
of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given you
besides. Do not worry about tommorow; tommorow will take care of itself.¨

The people here certainly have learned the importance of accepting their station in life, with the understanding that God will provide for their needs while they continue to seek His kingdom. I feel that all the missionaries here are part of that provision. Thank God.

Preparations

2005-06-17T12:58:00.000-07:00

I'm constantly amazed. Today was the final day of preparations before the medical mission group arrives in the morning, and it was incredible. I had absolutely no idea how much work goes into preparing the church for the arrival of a new group. The linens are all washed, and new food and water is brought in, of course, but that doesn't even touch the amount of work that was done today. New coats of paint were being put on the walls if it didn't look bright enough, doors and locks were being fixed if they didn't function perfectly, everything was cleaned to a high-gloss shine...wow. I also got to see them putting the insect repellant they use into the rooms. It's a mixture of gasoline and motor oil that they pour on the floors to keep the bugs out, and it really seems to work. Of course it kept me out for awhile too.

While all that is going on, the normal work of the church must of course continue. Social workers continue to meet with families, and food deliveries must still be made. 63% of Peruvians live in poverty, and 22% live in extreme poverty, which means they cannot even afford their daily bread. So we at the church seek out the poor and take them their daily bread, but as Mother Teresa reminds us, "The poor give us much more than we give them. They're such strong people, living day to day with no food. And they never curse, never complain. We don't have to give them pity or sympathy. We have so much to learn from them."

I noticed two specific examples today. The first was when we were delivering sacks of food this morning, and while driving we noticed a woman lying in from of a house. We stopped to see what the problem was and the family in the house explained that she had no family and no home, and she had decided to sleep in front of their house. Now, take a moment and imagine what anyone of us would do if a homeless person decided to sleep on our doorstep. What we would really do. Make a phone call to put a stop to the inconvenience? Maybe give them something to drink while we waited on someone to come and remove them? This particular family, who were themselves poor enough that we were delivering a sack of food to them, gave her blankets, food, and water, and allowed her to stay right where she was. The poorest of the poor, who often cannot get enough food for themselves, gladly shared what they had with someone less fortunate. We convince ourselves to give money at church even though we might not get to eat out at such a nice restaurant for one night, but these people were giving away food even though it might have meant NOT EATING! There is surely a lesson there.

Another example, a simple one that I see so often here, is that the poor come to mass daily, and though I know they have close to nothing, I nearly always see them drop a few cents into the collection basket, to be given to those with even less. Again I am reminded of the ever powerful words of Mother Teresa, who said, "Since we cannot see Christ, we cannot express our love to Him. But we do see our neighbor, and we can do for him what we would do for Christ if He were visible. Let us be open to God, so that He can use us. Let us put love into action."

I hope we can all come closer to finding out what is really meant by Jesus' words, "What you did for the least of these, you did to Me." I feel like I am coming closer every day. Thank God.

Sweet and Sour

2005-06-14T22:44:00.000-07:00

I just ate dinner with Ginet on the tower at the church. The plan was to listen to James Taylor on the CD player because Ginet is going to a JT concert in Chicago on her trip to the States, but the CD player wasn't working so we settled on the radio and ate pollo and papas fritas. Muy rico!

While we were on the tower I was looking out around the city, at the tops of (by US standards) run down buildings and ramshackle houses, and thinking about the often deplorable conditions in which the people here live. And then I started looking at the sky, which was very clear tonight, and I realized for the first time in a long time what an incredible gift it is. I recognized this feeling from when I was at the ocean several days ago and I started thinking that there must be some truth to the idea that, without the sour, the sweet just isn't as sweet.

It's possible that living in a little urban paradise with green grass and brick houses (all the while taking it for granted) has jaded me, and probably just about everyone else, to the beauty in the world around us. There have been times, here and there, when I've had those "wow" moments looking at something in nature, but here it just seems so much easier to see and appreciate. Maybe this is part of the reason the poor are so rich in spirit. When you hardly have anything to your name, it must be easier to recognize and appreciate the gifts God has given you in your life. These people certainly do recognize those gifts, and appreciate them, and never take them for granted. The poor continue to teach me lessons on a daily basis. Thank God.

Roses

2005-06-12T08:30:00.000-07:00

The eye mission flew out last night, and it felt so strange to watch them leave and then to walk away with the Peruvians here. I felt like I should be on the plane with the eye mission team, but there is still so much to be done here. I can tell that watching the teams leave will be the hardest thing about this summer. With that mission trip over, I would like to share with you the story behind a theme that has been recurring over the last week with the eye team: roses.

At some point, people started getting a little frustrated because there were some patients that we were unable to help. Maybe they had problems with their eye that prevented the surgery, maybe they had had a previous operation that ruled them out, or maybe it was something as simple as high blood pressure that we couldn't get to come down. We were discussing our frustration with the situation: being unable to give anything to some people. I was reminded of something Rhonda (the team leader) had read earlier in the week that was written by (then) Cardinal Ratzinger in God and the World. (Ignatius Press, 2002. pp. 194-195) It read:

"Giving can never mean primarily giving money, that goes without saying. Of course money is also often most necessary. But when money is the only thing that is given, that is often hurtful for the other person. I have seen that again and again in the Third World. If you send us nothing but money, people tell me, then you often do more harm than good. Money is very easily misused in some way and then makes things worse. You must give more than this. You must come yourselves; you must give of yourselves; and you must help, so that the material gifts you bring are used appropriately, so that they are not just something you pull out of a bag in order to buy your way out of the difficulty we represent, the problem we are for you. "
"As long as we only send money or know-how, we are giving too little. In that sense the missionaries were an example for us, by giving people God, by making love believable for them; their gift to people was a new way of life; they gave themselves wholly and entirely, going out not just for two or three years as an interesting experience, but for their lifetime, so as to belong to those people for always. Unless we can relearn this capacity for self-giving, those other gifts will be too little."
" What we have said about things on a world scale is of course equally true concerning individuals. There is a lovely story told by Rilke. The poet tells how, in Paris, he used always to pass a woman into whose hat someone had thrown a coin. The beggar woman was always quite unmoved by this, as if she had no feelings at all. One day, Rilke gives her a rose. And in that moment her face glows. He sees for the first time that she does have feelings. She smiles, and then for a week she is no longer there begging, because someone has given her something that is more than money."
" I think that is such a lovely little incident, in which you can see that sometimes a rose, a little act of giving, of affection, of acceptance of the other person, can be more than many coins or other material gifts."

I realized then that even the people that we were unable to help with an eye surgery were still shown that someone cares about them, and we still shown acceptance despite their poverty. We had given them a rose.

When people started getting frustrated, the new mantra was, "We're giving them roses." I have been reminded of this on numerous occassions. Two in particular:

First: I was out delivering food, and I delivered a sack of food to the house of a man named Guadalupe Ancajima Paz. Earlier in the week, he had waited at the surgery center for eight hours, because we had promised him an operation. At the last minute, when his eyes were already dilated, our surgeon realized the man had macular problems that ruled him out as a candidate. We had to send him home. I would have expected him to be bitter and callous at a member of the medical team who had built him up and let him down, but quite the opposite, he came and hugged me. He remembered me from the clinic, and thanked me for everything we had done for him. I should thank him for the lesson he taught me.

Second: The last day of the eye mission, I walked to the cathedral, and when I came out there was a man selling holy cards. I bought a small stack of cards depicting the Divino Misericordio, or the Divine Mercy, thinking I could give them out to people. At dinner that night, an old woman hobbled by our table outside the fence at the restaurant, asking for money. I walked over and gave her one of the holy cards, halfway expecting her not to take it. She kissed the card and smiled, and she proceeded to tell me that through all the pain in her life, the mercy of Jesus has helped and guided her. She was not bitter or angry. She felt blessed to have the things that she did, which I can tell you were pretty much limited to the clothes she was wearing. I realized standing there that I had given her a rose. Thank God.

New Experiences

2005-06-10T07:42:00.000-07:00

I've been able to do and see some amazing things in these last few days. Just to name a few:

I have learned so much from the eye surgery team! The surgeons were kind enough to explain their surgreies to me as they operated, and our anesthesiologist even let me intubate a patient! I know it was a simple task, but it was an incredible rush to be able to participate in that way. Half of the eye team just left an dthe other half leaves tommorow. I will definatly be sad to see them go.

A couple days ago, I was able to visit with children at two different orphanages. The first was a home for children with severe mental retardation. Many of them could not walk or speak. However, even those who were unable to verbally communicate were able to show how happy they were that someone was taking an interest in them. The woman who runs the house is a British woman, who, when asked what kind of help she needs caring for the children simply said that what they need more than anything is human contact. They are not well accepted in society, just as in the United States sadly, and the hardest resource to come by for these children is someone who cares. Mother Teresa reminds us that if we can only find Jesus in beautiful people, then we really aren't trying to find Him. The second orphanage is a home for girls only run by Franciscan nuns. There are up to 90 girls there at a time, and the girls are divided into "families" so that they have a "mother" and siblings. The girls really do care for each other and stick together. It was wonderful to go play and visit and see the girls there. We took them stuffed animals and it was amazing to see how happy someone can be over such a simple gift. I will definately go back to visit the children there.

Yesterday, adding to my list of new experiences, I saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time! We drove to a town called Sichura, that is near the coast, and we first took a tour of the cathedral there. The cathedral was built in the 1700s, but took heavy damage when a tsunami hit Peru in the early 80s. The cathedral is currently being renovated, and while the work does not seem to be progressing rapidly, the church is very beautiful. After we explored the catherdral, we drove to the ocean to watch the sunset, and then went to mass at the cathedral. It was a great experience.

I know I am supposed to be here helping the people, but when I consider all the things I am getting to do here that many people never get to, I really feel like the people are helping me. I'm lucky to be here, having so many new experiences. Thank God.

2005-06-10T06:59:00.000-07:00

We visited the orpahage and gave all the girls new toys. What an incredible experience it was to see how these girls are cared for by the Franciscan Sisters at the orphanage. They will live a much better life because of that care.

2005-06-10T06:56:00.000-07:00

This is the last day of eye surgeries, when we were doing strabismus surgery. Think how much better this little girl's life will be after her eyes are straight!

2005-06-07T20:56:00.000-07:00

This guy just watched us walk around like we were from a different planet. Of course, if you've been to Piura, you might feel like the United States is a different planet too.

2005-06-07T20:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we screened about 200 children so we could give them eyeglasses if needed and we also scheduled 21 children for strabismus surgery (straightening out crossed eyes). Here I am testing a girl's visual acuity.

2005-06-07T20:38:00.000-07:00

This is another picture of one of the families we delivered food to. About 50 families recieved food today, but there are so many with sponsors that it takes 3 weeks to delver all the food. However, it is still only a small fraction of the people who need food! Food for a month only costs $25, even for a large family!

2005-06-07T20:36:00.000-07:00

Delivering a sack of food to a family. The families that are sponsored recieve a sack of food (which weighs about 80 lbs) once a month.

Look, a new post!

2005-06-05T07:02:00.000-07:00

It's a new post, and a bunch of pictures to boot! We've have been so busy here, it's great to have a day of rest and some time to catch up with this site. So let me try to tell you what we've bee up to...
We have now finished our cataract surgeries. 35 patients had operations, and with every one we prayed before and after their surgery, and gave them a Santa Lucia (Saint Lucy) holy card, because she is the patron saint of the eyes. In the States, if someone recieves a holy card, they might stick it in their pocket of lay it on a table. Here, the people kissed the card and began immediatly praying. It was the same story when we gave them a rosary; the first thing they did was kiss the rosary, do the sign of the cross, and begin praying the rosary. That says a lot about the cultural difference.
On our last day of surgery, something else happened in the clinic that I had never seen before. In the OR, the surgeon was having a great deal of difficulty with one of his patients, so Jim said we should all pray him through it. We said a prayer, and then found one extra rosary (which we thought we had given away), and three of us sat outside the OR and prayed the rosary. After the second decade, out came the surgeon, exclaiming, "We got it!" We finished praying the rosary, while Bill operated on the final patient of the day, and all were amazed how our prayers were so quickly answered!
Two days ago, we went out to a very poor part of the desert to build a house for a family. We first had to tear down the old house, which wasn't much of a job considering the condition of the home. Tearing down the house included pulling sheets of rotten dirty thatch down and removing rotten poles from the ground. During this process, I noticed that the people did not seem to have any personal posessions to remove from the house. No moving trucks are needed here! We put up the new house over the course of one day, and it cost $315. The house is about 400 sq ft. It has a dirt floor, bamboo poles with thatch wired to them for walls, a tin roof, and plywood for the front of the house. The family came to church that night to thank us again for their house and Dr. Clifford adopted the family, meaning he will now provide them with some food each month and they will write each other letters.
Yesterday I helped deliver food to the poor, which was hard work! For $25 dollars a month which is donated by a family in the States, they get 25 kilos of rice, milk, pasta, lentils, eggs, cereal, two cans of tuna fish, and several other items. Of course, none of this will be refrigerated, because no was has a fridge (or electricity, for that matter). The first thing the families do when they get their food is run and get a picture of their padrinos (which means Godparents...the family who has adopted them) to see if we know them. Yesterday we delivered food to 50 families.
Well, sorry I hadn't posted anything for so long. I'll try to be better. Keep me updated on how you are all doing, either here or at malone@ou.edu if you want to email me. I'm headed to church now...always an inspirational experience here in Piura. Thank God.

2005-06-05T06:51:00.000-07:00

It is almost impossible to captureon film the poverty in which these people live. This picture cannot possible let you experience the sounds and smells, or even all the sights that reveal the hardship these people bear.

2005-06-05T06:49:00.000-07:00

Even in the homes of the poorest of the poor, we find things like this. These people all put their trust in God, and they are happier for it.

2005-06-05T06:47:00.000-07:00

This s the house we built and the family we built it for. Lucho, the husband, helps with some work aound the church.

2005-06-05T06:45:00.000-07:00

At the job site, ready to do some work.

2005-06-05T06:44:00.000-07:00

Leaving to build a house!

2005-06-05T06:43:00.000-07:00

Here we go...the whole team.

2005-06-05T06:42:00.000-07:00

Here's the team. Rhonda is taking the picture and Jim couldn't make it to the photo op, so we're missing a pretty big part of the group!

2005-06-05T06:41:00.000-07:00

Here I am with one of the cataract patients.

2005-06-05T06:39:00.000-07:00

What a team!

2005-06-05T06:38:00.000-07:00

Here I am escorting a patient to post-op after his cataract surgery.

2005-06-05T06:37:00.000-07:00

Here's Beth playing doctor on me...I was trying to teach her hw to take blood pressure, but it didn't work out.

2005-06-05T06:35:00.000-07:00

Okay this is when we got to the airport, and I know its out of order, but I love the picture. It reminds me of Top Gun. That's surgeon Bill Clifford on the right and his daughter Beth on the left.

Pray and Work

2005-06-01T22:44:00.000-07:00

I can see it's going to be difficult for me to find time to sit in front of the computer and write posts, but I promise to do my best. Since the last time I wrote we have done so much here, I can't possibly write it all, but let me try by dividing this post into sections based on the credo of this website, ora et labora (pray and work).
I didn't quite remember somehow how amazingly faithful the people here are. I have gone to mass every day since I have been here and seen some amazing things. Sunday was the celebration of Corpus Christi, and we went to two different masses. The second mass was preceeded by a huge procession through the streets of the city with Fr. Uhen and the bishop of Piura (whose name I do not know). They were accompanied by literally thousands of people who wanted to walk with the Blessed Sacrament which was carried through the streets in a huge gold monstrance upon a very ornate float. There was an air of celebration, and all the people were singing and rejoicing. I estimate that as the Sacrament arrived at the church here, there were at least 10,000 people in the streets singing and praying. Tonight was what is called a healing mass, and again, thousands of people crowded into the church. The mass was attended by many many sick and disabled people who came to pray for healing from Jesus. The mass was nearly two hours long, and afterwards, many of the people came by to hug and kiss us and thank us for being here to help them. My mind was on the story of St. Francis and the leper as I laid my hands on a leper here, telling him "Dios te bendiga", or "God bless you". He wanted nothing more than to touch one of the American missionaries, and I remembered the message of St Francis that Jesus is in everyone, even the leper. The mass was a very moving experience.
As far as work goes, we have been working very hard to give light to people who had none. Today was our third day of cataract surgeries, and the people sit and wait for hours to have the surgery, never complaining. One 85 year old woman sat and waited most of the day, and when I asked here if she needed anything she said no, only to bless me, and she gave me a hug and prayed for me. As I took the drape off of another woman on the operating table to move her to post-op, I saw that here hands were moving across the beads of the rosary. I asked if she was praying for a good recovery, and she said no, she was praying for the surgeon who was kind enough to operate on her. It is hard for us to understand that such poor people can be so happy, but they give their lives to God and find all the happiness they need, even amongst constant pain and suffering. They are teaching the American missionaries quite a lesson. Tommorow will bring more cataract surgeries, and I know we will be helping people. We are all tired, but it is easy to work when the people are so thankful. I am glad to be here in Piura, and I feel that these people are giving me much more than I am giving them. Thank God.

2005-06-01T15:09:00.000-07:00

Here I am in the operating room...I'm the one in the middle mugging for the camera, if you couldn't tell! I get to step in and watch surgeries occasionally, but in general I work in pre- and post-op getting the patients ready for surgery, praying with them, and sending them home with instructions for the care of their eyes.

2005-05-30T22:20:00.000-07:00

This picture shows the procession at San Jacinto, as Fr. Uhen walks over images on the ground made of colored sawdust. The young men spend hours creating the images in the hopes that they will be able to create something worthy of the Blessed Sacrament which passes over them.

2005-05-30T22:18:00.000-07:00

This is the altar area of the church at San Jacinto. Father Joe Uhen is celebrating Corpus Christi mass.

2005-05-30T22:15:00.000-07:00

The school children at San Jacinto made us each a sign with our name on it, and we got to meet them and go to church with them at their village church.

Made it to Piura!

2005-05-29T08:54:00.000-07:00

This has to be short because I'm are heading to mass in a few minutes. I've been up now for about 28 hours, and the first priority when we arrive is to get to church! It really says something about the culture here, doesn't it?
My flight from OKC was delayed about 2.5 hours, and the flight out of Dallas another hour, but that just saved me some time in the Lima airport. After two more plane flights, I'm in Piura. The airport also seems to double as a military base, as there were several small fighter jets and some artillery on the runways. Right now I can hear them firing off mortar rounds to the south of me. For the next two weeks, I'm sleeping in the church, and then I'll be moving, but to where I'm not sure yet. I'll be flexible and go where they need me.
It is wonderful to be back in Peru, and I'm ready to get to work. I have to leave now to head to mass at San Jacinto, a village near here. Corpus Cristi is being celebrated today and there are some really cool things going on. Tonight there is mass at 5 at the cathedral followed by a procession with the Blessed Sacrament back to Santisimo Sacramento. A HUGE crowd of people follow the blessed sacrament through the streets, and I hope to be among them. I'm sure I'll be writing about that soon enough! Dios te bendiga!

T-minus One Week

2005-05-21T21:50:00.000-07:00

My journey to Peru begins in one week, and I'm making a few final preparations (like getting my malaria medicine!). Today we loaded a semi full of clothing, bicycles, wheelchairs, and other assorted items to be shipped down to Peru. It was hard work loading the trailer, and someone pointed out to me that I will be in Peru when it gets there so I can help unload it as well!
I suppose I should take a moment to talk about where it is I will be going for the summer. Piura is in a poor desert region 600 miles north of Lima and 25 miles from the Pacific Ocean. I will be staying at Santisimo Sacramento, a Catholic church in Piura. Fr. Joe Uhen is the pastor and only priest, and he cares for more than 30,000 faithful. I will be working with the wonderful staff Fr. Uhen has put together to reach out the most needy in this region of Peru.

2005-05-21T21:45:00.000-07:00

Peru

2005-05-21T19:47:00.000-07:00

Santisimo Sacramento

Why the Website?

2005-05-21T19:26:00.000-07:00

As you all know, I am spending the summer in Peru doing mission work. I thought this would be the best way to keep everyone in the loop on what I'm up to, and everyone can keep in touch with me through this site! I will post news and pictures as frequently as possible and I hope you all will read this and post comments as frequently as possible!