Hello friends and family, I hope you are all well and enjoying your last days of summer. On the 31st of July I left for Puno, Peru on the border of Bolivia and Peru in order to try and get a different visa so that I could stay longer here in Bolivia. It took me 2 days of basically non-stop traveling but I arrived in Puno on the morning of Aug. 2nd. I went to the Bolivian Consulate in Puno and asked for a specific purpose visa so that I would be able to stay up to one year more in Bolivia. They took all of my paperwork on the 3rd of Aug. and said they had to send it to La Paz back in Bolivia and that they would have an answer in about a week and for me to come back then. So with a week to do nothing but sit in my hotel room I decided to go sight-seeing around Puno. Puno is over 12,500ft, two days earlier I left Yapacani which is about 1,500ft, so for the first couple of days I had a mild headache from the huge swing in altitude. I decided to do a tour of some of the islands on Lake Titicaca. I found a tour group that visited 3 islands in two days and decided to go with them. We left early in the morning on the first day and stopped at the Floating Islands of Los Uros. I had gone to these islands about 11 years ago but so much has changed since then. Before they were scattered and true to their traditional way of life, not the commercialized mess that it has become today. I was really disappointed, but luckily we only stopped for an hour. The next island, Isla Amantaní was another 2.5hr boat ride from Los Uros and we arrived there around lunch time. Amantaní is the largest island on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca it is known as the "Island of the Kantuta", after the national flower of Peru, which grows on the island. It has two mountain peaks, Pachatata (Father Earth) and Pachamama (Mother Earth), with ancient Inca and Tiwanaku ruins on top of both. The hillsides are terraced and mostly worked by hand and planted with wheat, quinoa, potatoes, and other vegetables. After lunch of quinoa soup and bread our group hiked up to the Inca ruins in order to see the sunset over Lake Titicaca. Views from the top of the island were spectacular and you could even see the snow-capped peaks of the highest Bolivian mountains in the distance. That night we stayed with host families and went to a local celebration of Andean music and dancing. After breakfast with the family the following day we all got back into the boat and headed to the last island on our tour, Isla Taquile. After another 1hr boat ride we arrived on Taquile and walked up the steep paths to the center of town where the main plaza is located. We were lucky to be there on the last day of the Festival de Artesania, where all of the islanders congregate to play music, dance and sell their hand woven textiles. After about 2hrs we had a delicious lunch of Lake Titicaca trout and then made our way back down the hillside to our awaiting boat. From Isla Taquile back to Puno was another 3hrs and we arrived in Puno around 5pm. The next day I found out about another tour that went through a canyon near Arequipa so I left that night from Puno to Arequipa. The Colca Canyon tour was also only 2 days so I decided to sign up and do that the following day from Arequipa. Colca Canyon is the second deepest canyon in the world. The name Colca refers to small holes in the cliffs in the valley and canyon. These holes were used in Inca and pre-Inca times to store food, such as potatoes and other Andean crops. They were also used as tombs for important people. The canyon is home to the Andean Condor and you can see these larger than life majestic birds soaring around the Cruz del Condor where the rising thermals are the greatest as the air warms from the canyon below. The first day we left Arequipa in the morning and had many stops along the way to our destination of Chivay. We stopped at the Nature Reserve of Salinas and Aguada Blanca, which is the natural habitat for the wild vicuñas, part of the llama and alpaca family. We also stopped at the Mirador de los volcanes, at over 15,000ft this lookout point afforded amazing views of the Peruvian volcanoes and snow-capped peaks leading up to the Colca Canyon. We finally arrived in Chivay around lunch time and I was able to sample one of their local delicacies, alpaca. I had tried llama once while in Bolivia and really didn´t like it but I decided to give alpaca a chance and was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed it so much that a few days later I tried it again. In the late afternoon we went to the natural hot springs of Chivay to take a dip in the 95 + degree water. Some of the pools were outside and others were covered. I mainly stayed in the pools outdoors because the cool canyon air helped balance the extreme heat from the water. After we left the hot springs and got cleaned up back at the hotel the group was taken to a restaurant where there was typical Andean music and dancing. After an enjoyable couple of hours of entertainment we retired for our early departure the next morning to see the Andean Condor. We left at about 6:30 a.m. for the 2 hour drive up to the lookout point of Cruz del Condor. Along the way we stopped a couple of times in different towns to see the Spanish style churches and also to get better views of the canyon itself. We passed through a tunnel carved out of the mountain and were also able to see the colcas or small holes in the cliff sides where they used to bury extra grain or produce and in some cases the more important Inca leaders. At last we arrived at the Cruz del Condor lookout point and waited about half an hour when all of a sudden 5 or 6 Andean condors came out of nowhere from the canyon below rising up on the thermals of warmer air. They made some passes overhead which gave me a better perspective on just how big these birds are. Everyone just watched in awe, for 25 minutes or so, these amazing creatures soaring back and forth and overhead with a gorgeous Andean canyon as their backdrop. When the condors had gone back to their nests in the cliffsides our tour group started the long haul back to Arequipa arriving around 5:00 p.m. I saw some absolutely incredible creatures along with the amazing scenery of the canyon and the volcanoes which made the trip worth the price of admission and more. The following day I traveled back to Puno to find out if news from La Paz had arrived about my visa. I was told by the Bolivian Consulate that I still needed more paperwork from the Salesians in Bolivia and with that I would probably be granted my request. After contacting the powers that be I was sent a letter from the Bishop of Cochabamba requesting help with my visa process but all of this took another 10 days so in the meantime I went back to sight-seeing. About 30 minutes outside of Puno is the town of Chucuito where there is an Incan fertility temple called Inka Uyu. It was basically a square with dozens of stone phalluses scattered inside of it. Nearer the main plaza there was La Puerta de la Figura Tallada, a stone door with intricately carved designs of different creatures and beasts. I then left Chucuito for Juli which was another hour´s ride farther down the road. Juli, Peru is known as the Rome of Peru because of its 4 churches from the 16th to 18th centuries which the Spanish Dominicans and Jesuits had constructed in hopes of converting the huge indigenous population to Catholicism. Today only the Cathedral, San Pedro is still used for worship. Santa Cruz Church was destroyed and burned out by lightning and is currently under restoration. The other two churches: Asunción and San Juan de Lateran have been converted into museums displaying paintings from the era. I took another short bus ride from Juli to Pomata in order to see another Spanish Church that sits upon a hill and overlooks the clear waters of Lake Titicaca. Santiago El Apóstol was started by the Jesuits and finished by the Dominicans in the 18th century. Alongside the church were ruins, but I was only able to take photos because of the rottweiler running loose inside the fence that surrounded the ruins. The views of the Lake however were amazing from the backside of the church. The next few days I stayed in Puno and walked up to the different lookout points around the city. The first was Kuntur Wasi or Condor Hill, an arduous climb of 618 steps reaching a height of 13,250ft. At the top of the hill is a giant metal condor perched on a monument that you can climb up into to get views of Lake Titicaca and all of Puno. If climbing the 618 steps didn´t leave you breathless the views most certainly would have. It was an awesome place that I went to a couple of times to just relax and take in the beauty of Lake Titicaca and the Andes Mountains surrounding it. Cerrito Huajsapata was another lookout point on the other side of the Cathedral in Puno. It had a statue of the First Inca, Manco Capac, who is said to have sprung up from the depths of Lake Titicaca. The next couple of days I visited churches in nearby towns. In Lampa I went to the Santiago El Apostól Church which had tunnels and catacombs underneath which are said to run all the way to Cusco and Arequipa. I also went to Pucará, Peru to see the church of Santiago de Pupuja and the Inca ruins that were behind the church. Pucará is famous for its ceramic production, a tradition dating back at least 2500 years. The most famous of its ceramic figurines are the Pucará bulls or toritos; which can be found throughout the Altiplano on the roofs of houses to bring luck and fertility. The last mini trip that I took was to Ayaviri and the Tinajani Canyon. Tinajani, at 12,900ft. is a canyon and a petrified forest about nine miles from Ayaviri. Some of the rocks have been eroded into interesting shapes. I saw some of the locals taking their sheep and cows into the abundant grasses of the canyon to graze. Back in Puno I went to check on my visa and this time was granted a stay of 3 months again, so I traveled back to Yapacani and will be here until about mid November teaching catechism and visiting the outstation communities as before. We are in the midst of helping all of the children in the sponsorship program make their annual Christmas cards that they send to their Godparents. So with about 600 Christmas cards to make we have had our hands full. Please continue to pray for all of us here as you all are in our daily prayers.
God bless!!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Villa Tunari, 4th of July, Samaipata and Valle Grande
Hello family and friends, I hope you are all well and are enjoying your summer. Here in Yapacani we are in the dead of winter but you wouldn´t think it because it is still sunny and in the low 80´s. The schools have been out for the last two weeks on their winter break, so Chris and I have had some time off.
Back at the end of May, Chris and I went on retreat to Villa Tunari to relax for a couple of days and reflect on our missionary experience thus far. In the mornings and evenings we did some spiritual exercises and during the day we explored some of the national parks in the area. Villa Tunari is about a 2.5 hour drive from Yapacani going toward Cochabamba. It is lush and green and still considered to be in the tropical zone before starting the ascent into the mountainous region of Cochabamba. While we were there we visited 3 parks; Carrasco, Machia and La Jungla. In Parque Machia we saw a ton of monkeys and other wildlife on our hike up to the top of the hill in the park which afforded amazing views of the town and surrounding area. In La Jungla we saw more monkeys and plenty of birds on our walk to the river. We were also able to go on a zip-line and ride a swing that plummets 30 ft. into the park. Carrasco, part of the larger Parque Nacional Amboro, was my favorite of the 3 parks. Situated about 12 miles outside of Villa Tunari, Carrasco; has caves, a variety of flora and abundant wildlife. The main attractions in this park are its caves that house different bat species including the vampire bat and the rare nocturnal guáchero, or oil bird. I had tried back in 2007 to see the guáchero when I was in Venezuela but never made it to the caves where they lived. This time I was able to see and hear this fascinating bird which uses its loud shrieks and small feathers near its beak as part of echo location while flying around the pitch dark cave in which it lives. We both had a nice reflective and relaxing time in Villa Tunari.
Most recently Chris and I hosted a 4th of July bash here in Yapacani for all of the SLM´S. The majority of the Salesian Lay Missioners were able to attend even coming down from as far as Cochabamba. I made my mom´s potato salad and macaroni salad. We also served hamburgers, sausages, baked beans and Chris and I made a pan of delicious chocolate brownies with macadamia nuts. I enjoyed the time with great food and great friends! For most of us it was the first time being all together again since leaving orientation in August of last year.
Before our winter break ended Chris and I decided to take a couple of days and go to Samaipata and Valle Grande for some R & R. In Samaipata we went hiking in Las Cuevas, a touristy spot with trails and waterfalls. We were able to brave the cold water and stand under some of the falls. Both Samaipata(5,500ft.) and Valle Grande(6,700ft.) are higher in elevation than Santa Cruz, so with drier air and lower temperatures it made it nice for sleeping. In Valle Grande we visited the place where Che Guevara was killed by the Bolivian Army in 1967. The famous Argentinian guerrilla fighter who fought alongside Fidel Castro in Cuba met his demise in Valle Grande. They have constructed a mausoleum near the airport and you can also visit the ¨Lavandería¨ at the back of the local hospital, where his body was laid out for viewing after his death. Besides talking with locals and learning more about this revolutionary icon, Chris and I ate at the Mirador Restaurant which overlooks all of Valle Grande and we hiked up to the Cristo Blanco, which oversees and protects the entrance to the town. Samaipata and Valle Grande were exactly what we needed to relax and recharge our batteries for the coming weeks when school is back in session.
I will be heading to Peru at the end of this month to try and get a visa to stay in Bolivia. Hopefully I can secure a more permanent visa than my current tourist one and get back to Bolivia to continue the good work that the Salesians are doing here in Yapacani.
God bless you all!!
Back at the end of May, Chris and I went on retreat to Villa Tunari to relax for a couple of days and reflect on our missionary experience thus far. In the mornings and evenings we did some spiritual exercises and during the day we explored some of the national parks in the area. Villa Tunari is about a 2.5 hour drive from Yapacani going toward Cochabamba. It is lush and green and still considered to be in the tropical zone before starting the ascent into the mountainous region of Cochabamba. While we were there we visited 3 parks; Carrasco, Machia and La Jungla. In Parque Machia we saw a ton of monkeys and other wildlife on our hike up to the top of the hill in the park which afforded amazing views of the town and surrounding area. In La Jungla we saw more monkeys and plenty of birds on our walk to the river. We were also able to go on a zip-line and ride a swing that plummets 30 ft. into the park. Carrasco, part of the larger Parque Nacional Amboro, was my favorite of the 3 parks. Situated about 12 miles outside of Villa Tunari, Carrasco; has caves, a variety of flora and abundant wildlife. The main attractions in this park are its caves that house different bat species including the vampire bat and the rare nocturnal guáchero, or oil bird. I had tried back in 2007 to see the guáchero when I was in Venezuela but never made it to the caves where they lived. This time I was able to see and hear this fascinating bird which uses its loud shrieks and small feathers near its beak as part of echo location while flying around the pitch dark cave in which it lives. We both had a nice reflective and relaxing time in Villa Tunari.
Most recently Chris and I hosted a 4th of July bash here in Yapacani for all of the SLM´S. The majority of the Salesian Lay Missioners were able to attend even coming down from as far as Cochabamba. I made my mom´s potato salad and macaroni salad. We also served hamburgers, sausages, baked beans and Chris and I made a pan of delicious chocolate brownies with macadamia nuts. I enjoyed the time with great food and great friends! For most of us it was the first time being all together again since leaving orientation in August of last year.
Before our winter break ended Chris and I decided to take a couple of days and go to Samaipata and Valle Grande for some R & R. In Samaipata we went hiking in Las Cuevas, a touristy spot with trails and waterfalls. We were able to brave the cold water and stand under some of the falls. Both Samaipata(5,500ft.) and Valle Grande(6,700ft.) are higher in elevation than Santa Cruz, so with drier air and lower temperatures it made it nice for sleeping. In Valle Grande we visited the place where Che Guevara was killed by the Bolivian Army in 1967. The famous Argentinian guerrilla fighter who fought alongside Fidel Castro in Cuba met his demise in Valle Grande. They have constructed a mausoleum near the airport and you can also visit the ¨Lavandería¨ at the back of the local hospital, where his body was laid out for viewing after his death. Besides talking with locals and learning more about this revolutionary icon, Chris and I ate at the Mirador Restaurant which overlooks all of Valle Grande and we hiked up to the Cristo Blanco, which oversees and protects the entrance to the town. Samaipata and Valle Grande were exactly what we needed to relax and recharge our batteries for the coming weeks when school is back in session.
I will be heading to Peru at the end of this month to try and get a visa to stay in Bolivia. Hopefully I can secure a more permanent visa than my current tourist one and get back to Bolivia to continue the good work that the Salesians are doing here in Yapacani.
God bless you all!!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Yapacani
Hello family and friends, how are you? I am doing well and am settled into the way of life here in Yapacani. After my tiresome and frustrating bus trip from Riberalta to Trinidad I spent my first week in Yapacani following Chris, the other SLM volunteer, and getting to know the area and the people I will be working with here. Padre Arturo is the parish priest of Yapacani, he is a Salesian from Italy, and is constantly on the go even at 78 years old. We also work with the Salesian Sisters who have a small community here.
Chris and I live about a block behind the church and next door to where the Sisters have their convent and vocational school. We each have our own room and bathroom and they´ve converted one of the other rooms into a small kitchen. We are pretty much on our own for meals, so we have begun to cook. I have also been washing my clothes by hand in the sink on the side of the house. I haven´t had to wash like this since my volunteer experience in Loma Alta, Bolivia back in 1998-99.
I really like our schedule which is keeping me rather busy compared to the work I was doing in Brazil. Here we generally get up around 6:00 a.m. or earlier depending on if we have to drive out to one of the outstations or not. We can go to mass about 5 times a week and have morning prayer with Father and the Sisters twice a week. In the outstations we are teaching catechism classes. Usually it takes anywhere from an hour to two just to get out to some of the farthest communities. When we are in town we help out at the parish office with the sponsor child program called Chalice. Chalice is out of Nova Scotia, Canada and here in Yapacani they sponsor about 550 of the neediest kids. Chris and I do all of the translations from Spanish to English and English to Spanish for the program. We are also visiting the families in the program to make sure the kids are receiving and using the food and materials purchased by the Padrinos (Godparents). Right now I am also coaching the high school boys and girls volleyball teams at the local Don Bosco school for their upcoming district games. I coach for 2 hours a night 3 days a week on the court next to the church. We also have an oratory program on Saturdays for the kids to come and play and to receive catechism classes. There are also basketball and soccer tournaments going on all of the time and Chris and I help out with those events as well. As you can see there is plenty of work and with special events at night we can easily put in 12 to 14 hour days. We are hoping to get another volunteer or two in August to help out. We have Sundays off and sometimes Saturdays to do laundry or go into Montero or Santa Cruz to buy supplies or just relax and visit with other volunteers in the area.
Last week we visited a remote area on the Ichilo River with Padre Arturo to make contact and hopefully establish frequent visits and evangelization of the Yuracaré tribe. The Yuracaré are a river people who live in thatched roof mud homes and use dug out canoes. They fish, hunt and plant along the river and seldom come into the nearest Bolivian settlement of Puerto Villarroel. Padre Arturo, Chris, Sr. Mildreth, Leny (Chalice secretary) and I got to Puerto Villarroel in the morning after an hour and 45 minute truck ride on the road to Cochabamba. We were met by a couple of the tribe´s elders who came into town to help us arrange transport down the river. The first and closest of the 7 Yuracaré settlements is about an hour downstream by motorized boat. The farthest would take you two days just to get there. During the rainy season it is impossible for us to get there so Father would like for us to get things rolling now during the dry season. Arriving at the breakfast hour we were offered monkey meat by one of the community leaders, whose husband had hunted and killed a monkey the day before. Reluctant at first we all took some of the meat and started eating eat. For my first monkey I have to say it wasn´t too bad, the only disturbing image was our driver, Don Pulga, gnawing on the little arm bone tearing off every scrap of meat with his teeth. With breakfast finished and the boat waiting we all got into a little launch and proceeded down the Ichilo River. We saw many people fishing along the banks and other boats out on the water. There were plenty of water fowl as well and the views along the banks were quite spectacular. We were greeted at the first community and led to their school which consisted of a small boarded building and school desks under a zinc roof. The local houses were made of mud and thatch and within a few minutes the children and their parents were coming to the school to meet with us. We talked about the possibilities of having catechism classes, about registering their children with the Chalice sponsorship program and in general having more frequent contact with them. They seemed enthusiastic and receptive to the idea but they also wanted to have a larger meeting with their other settlements to make sure everyone was in agreement. As of now we are awaiting word from them. It would be amazing to be able to help these remote communities on a permanent basis and both Chris and I offered to help out in any way that we could.
There have been plenty of religious activities going on as well at this time with Pentecost and the Feast of Mary Help of Christians. Following the mass of Pentecost there was a procession around the main plaza in Yapacani with a band and traditional dancers. For the eve of the Feast of Mary Help of Christians we had a serenade with masses following the next day. This week is also Mother´s Day in Bolivia so many parties and celebrations will be taking place.
Chris and I will be leaving for a spiritual retreat next weekend in Villa Tunari which is about 2.5 to 3 hrs away going toward Cochabamba. Neither one of us has gone on retreat since leaving the States and we are allowed 2 to 3 a year, so that will be a good chance for us to get away, see some more of the beauty of Bolivia and recharge our batteries.
Please continue to pray for us here and all those whom we serve. Good-bye and God bless!!
Steve
Chris and I live about a block behind the church and next door to where the Sisters have their convent and vocational school. We each have our own room and bathroom and they´ve converted one of the other rooms into a small kitchen. We are pretty much on our own for meals, so we have begun to cook. I have also been washing my clothes by hand in the sink on the side of the house. I haven´t had to wash like this since my volunteer experience in Loma Alta, Bolivia back in 1998-99.
I really like our schedule which is keeping me rather busy compared to the work I was doing in Brazil. Here we generally get up around 6:00 a.m. or earlier depending on if we have to drive out to one of the outstations or not. We can go to mass about 5 times a week and have morning prayer with Father and the Sisters twice a week. In the outstations we are teaching catechism classes. Usually it takes anywhere from an hour to two just to get out to some of the farthest communities. When we are in town we help out at the parish office with the sponsor child program called Chalice. Chalice is out of Nova Scotia, Canada and here in Yapacani they sponsor about 550 of the neediest kids. Chris and I do all of the translations from Spanish to English and English to Spanish for the program. We are also visiting the families in the program to make sure the kids are receiving and using the food and materials purchased by the Padrinos (Godparents). Right now I am also coaching the high school boys and girls volleyball teams at the local Don Bosco school for their upcoming district games. I coach for 2 hours a night 3 days a week on the court next to the church. We also have an oratory program on Saturdays for the kids to come and play and to receive catechism classes. There are also basketball and soccer tournaments going on all of the time and Chris and I help out with those events as well. As you can see there is plenty of work and with special events at night we can easily put in 12 to 14 hour days. We are hoping to get another volunteer or two in August to help out. We have Sundays off and sometimes Saturdays to do laundry or go into Montero or Santa Cruz to buy supplies or just relax and visit with other volunteers in the area.
Last week we visited a remote area on the Ichilo River with Padre Arturo to make contact and hopefully establish frequent visits and evangelization of the Yuracaré tribe. The Yuracaré are a river people who live in thatched roof mud homes and use dug out canoes. They fish, hunt and plant along the river and seldom come into the nearest Bolivian settlement of Puerto Villarroel. Padre Arturo, Chris, Sr. Mildreth, Leny (Chalice secretary) and I got to Puerto Villarroel in the morning after an hour and 45 minute truck ride on the road to Cochabamba. We were met by a couple of the tribe´s elders who came into town to help us arrange transport down the river. The first and closest of the 7 Yuracaré settlements is about an hour downstream by motorized boat. The farthest would take you two days just to get there. During the rainy season it is impossible for us to get there so Father would like for us to get things rolling now during the dry season. Arriving at the breakfast hour we were offered monkey meat by one of the community leaders, whose husband had hunted and killed a monkey the day before. Reluctant at first we all took some of the meat and started eating eat. For my first monkey I have to say it wasn´t too bad, the only disturbing image was our driver, Don Pulga, gnawing on the little arm bone tearing off every scrap of meat with his teeth. With breakfast finished and the boat waiting we all got into a little launch and proceeded down the Ichilo River. We saw many people fishing along the banks and other boats out on the water. There were plenty of water fowl as well and the views along the banks were quite spectacular. We were greeted at the first community and led to their school which consisted of a small boarded building and school desks under a zinc roof. The local houses were made of mud and thatch and within a few minutes the children and their parents were coming to the school to meet with us. We talked about the possibilities of having catechism classes, about registering their children with the Chalice sponsorship program and in general having more frequent contact with them. They seemed enthusiastic and receptive to the idea but they also wanted to have a larger meeting with their other settlements to make sure everyone was in agreement. As of now we are awaiting word from them. It would be amazing to be able to help these remote communities on a permanent basis and both Chris and I offered to help out in any way that we could.
There have been plenty of religious activities going on as well at this time with Pentecost and the Feast of Mary Help of Christians. Following the mass of Pentecost there was a procession around the main plaza in Yapacani with a band and traditional dancers. For the eve of the Feast of Mary Help of Christians we had a serenade with masses following the next day. This week is also Mother´s Day in Bolivia so many parties and celebrations will be taking place.
Chris and I will be leaving for a spiritual retreat next weekend in Villa Tunari which is about 2.5 to 3 hrs away going toward Cochabamba. Neither one of us has gone on retreat since leaving the States and we are allowed 2 to 3 a year, so that will be a good chance for us to get away, see some more of the beauty of Bolivia and recharge our batteries.
Please continue to pray for us here and all those whom we serve. Good-bye and God bless!!
Steve
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Tchau Brasil y Bienvenido a Bolivia
Hello family and friends, I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the spring weather. Here in Bolivia it is fall and the temperature has dropped about 20 degrees since I left Brazil. It is cloudy and a bit rainy and I haven’t seen the sun since arriving in Santa Cruz on Sunday the 25th of April.
My last couple of days in Brazil were a whirlwind of activity and preparations getting ready for my trip to Bolivia. We had the graduation mass for my English classes on Thursday night. The mass was very nice and the priests thanked me for all of my work and dedication these last 4 and a half months in Ji-Paraná. My students performed a tribute for me singing “Amigo” a Brazilian song by Anjos de Resgate and they also sang the song “Pelas dores deste mundo” (For the troubles of the world) the first song I had taught them in English. At the end of mass we presented those who were present, certificates for completing the English course. The whole mass and certificate ceremony were taped by the local Catholic TV station “TV Nararet” and afterward the station interviewed me and segments from the mass and ceremony were aired the following day. After the mass we all walked over to Furlenha, the local pizza place and had a nice dinner to celebrate completing the course and to say our good-byes. On Friday I had my final English class to give out the certificates to those that study or work at night and who couldn’t come to the mass and party. We played some games and I gave out prizes and said our good-byes again. On the weekend I cleaned my room and packed up my stuff for my trip to Bolivia and bought my bus ticket to Porto Velho. I said my good-byes to the priests and staff on Monday and then left that afternoon for Porto Velho. The trip took about 6hrs. and 45min. and Padre Jefferson the director of the community in Porto Velho picked me up and I stayed the night at the Salesian house. The following morning at 10:00 a.m. I left for the border of Brazil and Bolivia called Guajará-Mirim which took another 6hrs. to reach. In Guajará-Mirim I got a hotel and scouted out the Bolivian Consulate in order to go there first thing on Wednesday. Wednesday morning I talked to the Bolivian Consulate and was told that not all of my papers and documents were in order for the visa that I was trying to obtain. This didn’t make too happy because I had the same official documents that every other volunteer currently serving in Bolivia had when they all got their “objeto determinado” visa in New York prior to leaving for Bolivia. The Consulate wouldn’t budge and I was forced to go onto plan B. I talked with the director of the Salesian Lay Missioners, Adam, and we both decided that I should just cross the border on a tourist visa and that we would figure out the next step once I got to Bolivia. I only had about 4 or 5 days remaining on my Brazilian tourist visa so there was really nothing more that I could do there. I went to the Federal Police to get my exit stamp from Brazil then I checked out of my hotel and walked down to the wharf where I could get a boat to take me over to the Bolivian side. The 10 min. boat ride down the Mamoré River into Bolivia dropped me off in Guayaramerín and there I found the immigration offices to enter Bolivia. I had no trouble getting my tourist visa stamped for 90 days, but that is the maximum days allowed for one year in Bolivia with the tourist visa. I changed my Brazilian Reais into Bolivian Bolivianos and grabbed a taxi to the bus terminal. There wasn’t a bus going to Riberalta, my next stop, until the next day so I got a trufi or long distance taxi to take me for about $6. The ride was twice as much as the bus would have been but I got there in half of the time, only 1.5hrs. In Riberalta I bought my bus ticket for the following day to Trinidad and then checked into a hotel. The bus from Riberalta to Trinidad left at 11:00 a.m. and was only supposed to take 21hrs. according to the guy who sold me the ticket. If you remember from my last update this is the route that is only open during the dry season which starts in early April. The route is a dirt road that passes through the Eastern Bolivian Amazon and is literally in the middle of nowhere. Two minutes after we left the bus terminal we were on the dirt road and had only “monte” or tropical forest on each side. We would pass by a house every hour or so and there weren’t any places to stop and eat like the normal bus routes that I had taken in the past. I did buy water and some crackers and cookies before leaving so I figured I would be ok for the next 21 hours. The road was pretty dry and bumpy, but we were making progress and I didn’t think too much of it when 24hrs had passed and we still hadn’t arrived to Trinidad. At 3:00 p.m. on Friday, hour 28 on the bus, is when the road started to get sloppy from the rain the previous night and where unfortunately we got stuck. We were in a massive rut and the tires were only spinning and sinking us deeper into the mud with every effort to get out. The majority of the people got off the bus including myself to see what we could do. We were in the middle of the road and had lagoons on both sides of us which didn’t help the situation when we started to dig out the tires and then they would fill up with water immediately. Traffic was stopped behind us and in front of us. Other drivers and passengers from another bus tried to help but it was all in vain. After about 3 or 4 hours of digging out and using ropes and man power we were still in the same place. Everyone was caked with mud and my shoes were about sucked off my feet a couple of times. The other bus and vehicles behind us turned around and tried to find alternate routes while we were left to fend for ourselves. 7 hours after being stuck some of the men from the bus went to go chop down some trees with a machete hoping that we could get out that way. At hour 9, with logs under the tires we finally made it out of the rut and were on our way again. A couple of minutes down the road, 15 minutes after midnight the two lagoons turned into two lakes and everyone had to get off the bus and walk to a higher point while the bus tried to make it alone. It got stuck again in the low spot and we all waited an hour and a half outside with the mosquitoes while they tried to dig and push it out again. 1:45 a.m. we are back on the bus and moving along slowly trying to pick our way through the sloppy mess when we get stuck for the 3rd time. The driver and a couple of the men get out to assess the situation and then they decide to give up, get some rest and tackle the problem in the daylight. Early morning Saturday we dig out for the last time and finally get past the wet stuff after being stuck the for 5 hours. It took 15.5 hrs. to go about 2 miles and by the end I was rationing my food and water not knowing when we would actually get to our destination. At noon on Saturday after two barge crossings with the bus over rivers and 49 hours after leaving Riberalta we arrived in Trinidad. I checked into a hotel so that I could shower and rest and get something to eat before my next bus to Santa Cruz left that night. The Trinidad to Santa Cruz trip was uneventful, thank God, and I arrived 10hrs 15 min. later on Sunday in Santa Cruz. I stayed the day and night in Santa Cruz and was picked up by Chris, the volunteer from Yapacani, on Monday morning in the Salesian Sister’s truck. The trip to Yapacani from Santa Cruz only took 2 hours in the truck for which I was thankful. In summary, my trip took me 7 days to go from Ji-Parana, Brazil to Yapacani, Bolivia, 75.5 hours of which were in vehicles. I am now relaxing and getting to know my new site here in Yapacani. Chris has been great, showing me around and I am excited to get started with this new mission. Thanks for all of the your prayers and well wishes, as bad as the actual traveling was, I am grateful for arriving here safe and not getting sick or hurt along the way.
God bless!!
My last couple of days in Brazil were a whirlwind of activity and preparations getting ready for my trip to Bolivia. We had the graduation mass for my English classes on Thursday night. The mass was very nice and the priests thanked me for all of my work and dedication these last 4 and a half months in Ji-Paraná. My students performed a tribute for me singing “Amigo” a Brazilian song by Anjos de Resgate and they also sang the song “Pelas dores deste mundo” (For the troubles of the world) the first song I had taught them in English. At the end of mass we presented those who were present, certificates for completing the English course. The whole mass and certificate ceremony were taped by the local Catholic TV station “TV Nararet” and afterward the station interviewed me and segments from the mass and ceremony were aired the following day. After the mass we all walked over to Furlenha, the local pizza place and had a nice dinner to celebrate completing the course and to say our good-byes. On Friday I had my final English class to give out the certificates to those that study or work at night and who couldn’t come to the mass and party. We played some games and I gave out prizes and said our good-byes again. On the weekend I cleaned my room and packed up my stuff for my trip to Bolivia and bought my bus ticket to Porto Velho. I said my good-byes to the priests and staff on Monday and then left that afternoon for Porto Velho. The trip took about 6hrs. and 45min. and Padre Jefferson the director of the community in Porto Velho picked me up and I stayed the night at the Salesian house. The following morning at 10:00 a.m. I left for the border of Brazil and Bolivia called Guajará-Mirim which took another 6hrs. to reach. In Guajará-Mirim I got a hotel and scouted out the Bolivian Consulate in order to go there first thing on Wednesday. Wednesday morning I talked to the Bolivian Consulate and was told that not all of my papers and documents were in order for the visa that I was trying to obtain. This didn’t make too happy because I had the same official documents that every other volunteer currently serving in Bolivia had when they all got their “objeto determinado” visa in New York prior to leaving for Bolivia. The Consulate wouldn’t budge and I was forced to go onto plan B. I talked with the director of the Salesian Lay Missioners, Adam, and we both decided that I should just cross the border on a tourist visa and that we would figure out the next step once I got to Bolivia. I only had about 4 or 5 days remaining on my Brazilian tourist visa so there was really nothing more that I could do there. I went to the Federal Police to get my exit stamp from Brazil then I checked out of my hotel and walked down to the wharf where I could get a boat to take me over to the Bolivian side. The 10 min. boat ride down the Mamoré River into Bolivia dropped me off in Guayaramerín and there I found the immigration offices to enter Bolivia. I had no trouble getting my tourist visa stamped for 90 days, but that is the maximum days allowed for one year in Bolivia with the tourist visa. I changed my Brazilian Reais into Bolivian Bolivianos and grabbed a taxi to the bus terminal. There wasn’t a bus going to Riberalta, my next stop, until the next day so I got a trufi or long distance taxi to take me for about $6. The ride was twice as much as the bus would have been but I got there in half of the time, only 1.5hrs. In Riberalta I bought my bus ticket for the following day to Trinidad and then checked into a hotel. The bus from Riberalta to Trinidad left at 11:00 a.m. and was only supposed to take 21hrs. according to the guy who sold me the ticket. If you remember from my last update this is the route that is only open during the dry season which starts in early April. The route is a dirt road that passes through the Eastern Bolivian Amazon and is literally in the middle of nowhere. Two minutes after we left the bus terminal we were on the dirt road and had only “monte” or tropical forest on each side. We would pass by a house every hour or so and there weren’t any places to stop and eat like the normal bus routes that I had taken in the past. I did buy water and some crackers and cookies before leaving so I figured I would be ok for the next 21 hours. The road was pretty dry and bumpy, but we were making progress and I didn’t think too much of it when 24hrs had passed and we still hadn’t arrived to Trinidad. At 3:00 p.m. on Friday, hour 28 on the bus, is when the road started to get sloppy from the rain the previous night and where unfortunately we got stuck. We were in a massive rut and the tires were only spinning and sinking us deeper into the mud with every effort to get out. The majority of the people got off the bus including myself to see what we could do. We were in the middle of the road and had lagoons on both sides of us which didn’t help the situation when we started to dig out the tires and then they would fill up with water immediately. Traffic was stopped behind us and in front of us. Other drivers and passengers from another bus tried to help but it was all in vain. After about 3 or 4 hours of digging out and using ropes and man power we were still in the same place. Everyone was caked with mud and my shoes were about sucked off my feet a couple of times. The other bus and vehicles behind us turned around and tried to find alternate routes while we were left to fend for ourselves. 7 hours after being stuck some of the men from the bus went to go chop down some trees with a machete hoping that we could get out that way. At hour 9, with logs under the tires we finally made it out of the rut and were on our way again. A couple of minutes down the road, 15 minutes after midnight the two lagoons turned into two lakes and everyone had to get off the bus and walk to a higher point while the bus tried to make it alone. It got stuck again in the low spot and we all waited an hour and a half outside with the mosquitoes while they tried to dig and push it out again. 1:45 a.m. we are back on the bus and moving along slowly trying to pick our way through the sloppy mess when we get stuck for the 3rd time. The driver and a couple of the men get out to assess the situation and then they decide to give up, get some rest and tackle the problem in the daylight. Early morning Saturday we dig out for the last time and finally get past the wet stuff after being stuck the for 5 hours. It took 15.5 hrs. to go about 2 miles and by the end I was rationing my food and water not knowing when we would actually get to our destination. At noon on Saturday after two barge crossings with the bus over rivers and 49 hours after leaving Riberalta we arrived in Trinidad. I checked into a hotel so that I could shower and rest and get something to eat before my next bus to Santa Cruz left that night. The Trinidad to Santa Cruz trip was uneventful, thank God, and I arrived 10hrs 15 min. later on Sunday in Santa Cruz. I stayed the day and night in Santa Cruz and was picked up by Chris, the volunteer from Yapacani, on Monday morning in the Salesian Sister’s truck. The trip to Yapacani from Santa Cruz only took 2 hours in the truck for which I was thankful. In summary, my trip took me 7 days to go from Ji-Parana, Brazil to Yapacani, Bolivia, 75.5 hours of which were in vehicles. I am now relaxing and getting to know my new site here in Yapacani. Chris has been great, showing me around and I am excited to get started with this new mission. Thanks for all of the your prayers and well wishes, as bad as the actual traveling was, I am grateful for arriving here safe and not getting sick or hurt along the way.
God bless!!
Friday, April 9, 2010
Moving Day
Hello family and friends, I hope you are all well and had a Blessed Easter Celebration. As you might have guessed from the title of this email “it’s that time again.” The time in my life that brings both dread and excitement. Dread: because I will be leaving another community that I have grown close to over the last 5 months. Leaving a country, culture and language that I have enjoyed immensely. Leaving creature comforts like air-conditioning, having my meals cooked and my laundry done for me. Having daily mass, evening and morning prayers and shared meals with the Priests. These things will be hard to leave, but no one said missionary life would be easy and I am up to the challenge of my next site. Oh, the excitement of going to some place new. Meeting new people, speaking a different language and experiencing a different culture. God has indeed blessed me over the past 6 months while I was here in Brazil and I have faith that He will continue to bless me and watch over me when I go to Bolivia.
Moving day will be on the 19th of April. I will leave Ji-Paraná behind and travel 6hrs by bus to Porto Velho. The following day I will travel another 6hrs by bus to Guajará-Mirim, the border town between Brazil and Bolivia. This is where the adventure will surely begin. I have never been there before and haven’t heard too much about it. I know they have a Bolivian Consulate and that is why I am going there in order to secure a visa into Bolivia. Hopefully it won’t take more than a couple of days because my Brazilian visa expires on the 27th and I need to be in Bolivia by that date. New visa in hand (keep your fingers crossed) I will take a boat across the river to Guayaramerín, the border town on the Bolivian side. From there (if the roads haven’t washed out due to the rainy season that they are in) I will take a bus to Riberalta and grab connecting buses heading Southeast until I get to Yapacani in the Santa Cruz department. Yapacani is my final destination and where I will be spending the next year of my life working with the Salesians in those communities. We have one Salesian volunteer there now named Chris and he is expecting me in early May. If the roads are closed I will have to find an alternate route or means, probably another 5 day boat ride down the Beni River to La Paz. After already serving penance for 5 days on my boat journey on the Amazon River back in November, this is something that I would like to avoid. Have I mentioned, no one said missionary life would be easy : )
Apart from preparing to leave and finalizing things on this end I had a wonderful Lenten Season and Holy Week here in Ji-Paraná. I remember when I was in grade school and those 40 days of Lent felt like an eternity. Easter couldn’t come fast enough when you were a kid and gave up sweets and pop (soda-for everyone on my email list living outside of the Midwest) for Lent. Oh, how times have changed. Lent this year felt like it was over in a blink of an eye. I was so busy with my classes and church activities that the time flew by.
The parish of São José put on the Paixão de Jesus Cristo this year and I played the part of the thief and murderer Barabbas. I told Padre Alberto I wanted the part with the least amount of lines and where I could skip shaving for the next couple of months, Barabbas fit the bill on both accounts. We had rehearsals the first couple of weeks during Lent and then had shows on the weekends after mass leading up to Holy Week. I really enjoyed it a lot and the people in attendance did as well. I still get people calling me Barabbas once or twice a day now.
I also really enjoyed the Stations of the Cross every Friday during Lent and the procession on Palm Sunday. 1,500 of us walked about 20 blocks down the main drag in Ji-Paraná; singing, praying and waving our palms in jubilation it was quite a sight to behold. I wanted to do something special with my English class for Holy Week so I asked Padre Alberto if we could sing a song in English on Good Friday. I have always loved “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” and have fond memories of singing it back in my home parish every year, so I spent the better part of Lent teaching it to my students. We had a smaller group show up this time on Good Friday but they did an exceptional job and once again received many congratulations from the parishioners after the service.
Holy Week was a joy as always with the Holy Thursday mass of the “Last Supper” and “Washing of the Feet”, Good Friday’s service and on Holy Saturday’s Easter Vigil we welcomed 6 women into the Catholic Faith. On Easter Sunday after mass we were treated to a fabulous breakfast buffet brought in by the parishioners.
The Salesian Provincial was with us during the first part of Holy Week and I was able to talk with him about my experience and about the future placement of volunteers here in Brazil. He invited me to join Padre Alberto and Padre José in Porto Velho on Monday following Easter to attend the mini-assembléia Salesiana on their discussions of the 26th General Chapter. I was pleasantly surprised to find out how far my Portuguese has come over the past 6 months in discussing such “heavy and complicated topics”.
I am back now in Ji-Paraná for my remaining few days and am trying to get everything done for my departure. We are going to have a mass for my students on Thursday the 15th and I will give them their certificates for completing the English class at that time. Following the mass we are going to have a pizza party at a local restaurant and my final class will be on the 16th. I have to admit out of all of the places where I have taught English (Bolivia, Africa and Venezuela) my students in Ji-Paraná have progressed the fastest in such a short time as 3 months. I am extremely pleased with their dedication and progress and enjoyed immensely teaching English here. My last weekend the 17th and 18th I will say my good-byes, pack my bags and will take a bus to Porto Velho after lunch on Monday the 19th.
Looking back now and reflecting over the last 6 months of my time here in Brazil, I would say the greatest highlight from the many that I experienced would be the arrival of the urn of St. John Bosco’s Relics. I am sure I will have many great highlights and experiences in this next year in Bolivia as well and pray that you all do too.
In closing I would first like to thank God, for allowing me another opportunity to serve Him, for protecting me and watching over me during my time here and in strengthening me spiritually in my conviction to do missionary work. I thank St. John Bosco for his commitment to the youth and establishing an order that continues in his charism. I thank the Salesians in New Rochelle and in Manaus for their collaboration in making this experience here in Brazil possible. I thank the community of Ji-Paraná (Pe. Alberto, Pe. José and Pe. Edmundo) for welcoming me and making me feel at home here. I thank the parish and especially the youth here for once again showing me, why I do what I do, is a blessing and a treasure from God. Lastly I thank all of you for your continued support, prayers and well wishes.
God bless (Deus abençoe)
Moving day will be on the 19th of April. I will leave Ji-Paraná behind and travel 6hrs by bus to Porto Velho. The following day I will travel another 6hrs by bus to Guajará-Mirim, the border town between Brazil and Bolivia. This is where the adventure will surely begin. I have never been there before and haven’t heard too much about it. I know they have a Bolivian Consulate and that is why I am going there in order to secure a visa into Bolivia. Hopefully it won’t take more than a couple of days because my Brazilian visa expires on the 27th and I need to be in Bolivia by that date. New visa in hand (keep your fingers crossed) I will take a boat across the river to Guayaramerín, the border town on the Bolivian side. From there (if the roads haven’t washed out due to the rainy season that they are in) I will take a bus to Riberalta and grab connecting buses heading Southeast until I get to Yapacani in the Santa Cruz department. Yapacani is my final destination and where I will be spending the next year of my life working with the Salesians in those communities. We have one Salesian volunteer there now named Chris and he is expecting me in early May. If the roads are closed I will have to find an alternate route or means, probably another 5 day boat ride down the Beni River to La Paz. After already serving penance for 5 days on my boat journey on the Amazon River back in November, this is something that I would like to avoid. Have I mentioned, no one said missionary life would be easy : )
Apart from preparing to leave and finalizing things on this end I had a wonderful Lenten Season and Holy Week here in Ji-Paraná. I remember when I was in grade school and those 40 days of Lent felt like an eternity. Easter couldn’t come fast enough when you were a kid and gave up sweets and pop (soda-for everyone on my email list living outside of the Midwest) for Lent. Oh, how times have changed. Lent this year felt like it was over in a blink of an eye. I was so busy with my classes and church activities that the time flew by.
The parish of São José put on the Paixão de Jesus Cristo this year and I played the part of the thief and murderer Barabbas. I told Padre Alberto I wanted the part with the least amount of lines and where I could skip shaving for the next couple of months, Barabbas fit the bill on both accounts. We had rehearsals the first couple of weeks during Lent and then had shows on the weekends after mass leading up to Holy Week. I really enjoyed it a lot and the people in attendance did as well. I still get people calling me Barabbas once or twice a day now.
I also really enjoyed the Stations of the Cross every Friday during Lent and the procession on Palm Sunday. 1,500 of us walked about 20 blocks down the main drag in Ji-Paraná; singing, praying and waving our palms in jubilation it was quite a sight to behold. I wanted to do something special with my English class for Holy Week so I asked Padre Alberto if we could sing a song in English on Good Friday. I have always loved “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” and have fond memories of singing it back in my home parish every year, so I spent the better part of Lent teaching it to my students. We had a smaller group show up this time on Good Friday but they did an exceptional job and once again received many congratulations from the parishioners after the service.
Holy Week was a joy as always with the Holy Thursday mass of the “Last Supper” and “Washing of the Feet”, Good Friday’s service and on Holy Saturday’s Easter Vigil we welcomed 6 women into the Catholic Faith. On Easter Sunday after mass we were treated to a fabulous breakfast buffet brought in by the parishioners.
The Salesian Provincial was with us during the first part of Holy Week and I was able to talk with him about my experience and about the future placement of volunteers here in Brazil. He invited me to join Padre Alberto and Padre José in Porto Velho on Monday following Easter to attend the mini-assembléia Salesiana on their discussions of the 26th General Chapter. I was pleasantly surprised to find out how far my Portuguese has come over the past 6 months in discussing such “heavy and complicated topics”.
I am back now in Ji-Paraná for my remaining few days and am trying to get everything done for my departure. We are going to have a mass for my students on Thursday the 15th and I will give them their certificates for completing the English class at that time. Following the mass we are going to have a pizza party at a local restaurant and my final class will be on the 16th. I have to admit out of all of the places where I have taught English (Bolivia, Africa and Venezuela) my students in Ji-Paraná have progressed the fastest in such a short time as 3 months. I am extremely pleased with their dedication and progress and enjoyed immensely teaching English here. My last weekend the 17th and 18th I will say my good-byes, pack my bags and will take a bus to Porto Velho after lunch on Monday the 19th.
Looking back now and reflecting over the last 6 months of my time here in Brazil, I would say the greatest highlight from the many that I experienced would be the arrival of the urn of St. John Bosco’s Relics. I am sure I will have many great highlights and experiences in this next year in Bolivia as well and pray that you all do too.
In closing I would first like to thank God, for allowing me another opportunity to serve Him, for protecting me and watching over me during my time here and in strengthening me spiritually in my conviction to do missionary work. I thank St. John Bosco for his commitment to the youth and establishing an order that continues in his charism. I thank the Salesians in New Rochelle and in Manaus for their collaboration in making this experience here in Brazil possible. I thank the community of Ji-Paraná (Pe. Alberto, Pe. José and Pe. Edmundo) for welcoming me and making me feel at home here. I thank the parish and especially the youth here for once again showing me, why I do what I do, is a blessing and a treasure from God. Lastly I thank all of you for your continued support, prayers and well wishes.
God bless (Deus abençoe)
Sunday, February 21, 2010
The Holy Relics of St. John Bosco come to Ji-Paraná
Hello friends and family, I hope you are all well and that this Lenten season brings you closer to God. Last week was an incredibly busy yet spiritually fulfilling time here in Ji-Paraná for our Salesian community and parish. We had such an amazing and blessed week and my soul is on fire with the Salesian Spirit!!
You might remember from my last update that we were preparing for the arrival of St. John Bosco’s holy relics here on the 15th of February. Brazil is the 6th stop of the pilgrimage celebrating the bicentennial of the birth of St. John Bosco, the founder of the Salesian order and champion of underprivileged children. The holy relics of St. John Bosco’s right arm and hand are inside a likeness of the Saint and contained in a beautiful and ornate crystal and aluminum urn. The urn weighs over a thousand pounds and is being transported in a specially converted van that will travel throughout South and Central America and then proceed into the United States and Canada. The urn's journey began in Turin, in northern Italy, on April 25, 2009 in a celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Salesian order. The urn will travel to 5 continents over the next 5 years stopping at Salesian sites in more than 120 countries.
Apart from the thousands of people in Ji-Paraná gathering for this two day event there were also Salesian priests accompanying the urn from some of the Salesian sites I visited during my trip up the Amazon. It was good to see them again and find out how things were at their sites. We had fabulous meals together and many of the parishioners were dropping off food and desserts and catching up with some of the priests that had been stationed here in the past.
The urn arrived at our parish, São José, around 3:30 p.m. on the 15th. Shortly thereafter we started the “Carreata” or caravan throughout the city. I rode atop the sound vehicle with some of the choir and parish ministers, next was a pickup truck with the altar servers, followed by the vehicle with the urn and Padre Alberto. After that, parishioners on motorcycles, bicycles and cars followed in procession through the main streets of Ji-Paraná. When we arrived back at the parish the urn was off-loaded and brought into the church where everyone could finally get near and touch it. The priests celebrated mass to a packed church later on in the evening and then a vigil was held until midnight by the different parish groups.
On the 16th the outlying communities had their turn to pray and hold vigil before the urn. After lunch we had “Gincana” or youth games over at the center followed by theatrical presentations, songs and dances headed up by the young. The solemn mass that evening was presided by the Bishop of Ji-Paraná, Dom Bruno, an Italian Salesian. I had never seen the church that full, there was standing room only and everyone there was in great spirits. Immediately following the mass we had a “Procissão Luminosa” or lighted procession through the streets. We walked along with the urn carrying our candles, singing songs and praying. After the procession the Bishop gave his final blessing which included a plenary indulgence from Pope Benedict XVI to those who make a pilgrimage to see and pray before the urn in various locations around the world.
At 8:00 a.m. the next morning the urn was loaded into the specially converted van and parted for its next stop in Porto Velho. The urn will travel to Manaus for its final destination in Brazil and then move onto Bolivia.
I had the privilege of going to Turin, Italy in 2005 and seeing the urn there in the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians but it was 100 times more powerful to experience it here surrounded by thousands of faithful Catholics devoted to St. John Bosco and the message of his life to the youth of the world. I am very proud to call myself a Salesian and to be a part of this wonderful family. I know my Salesian brothers and sisters throughout the world are anxiously awaiting the pilgrimage of the urn to come to their sites and I hope and pray that their experience is just as rewarding.
There was no time to rest and relax after the urn departed because the 17th was Ash Wednesday and we had more activities to come. At the request of Padre Alberto some weeks back, I was asked to teach my students from English class a song from this year’s “Campanha da Fraternidade Ecumênica” or Ecumenical Fraternity Campaign, which takes place every Lenten season. The song “Pelas Dores Deste Mundo” or “For the Sufferings of the World,” is half in Portuguese and the other half in English. So, for the past 4 weeks we would spend the first 5 to 10 minutes of each class listening to the song and learning the lyrics. Padre Alberto wanted us to sing it during Ash Wednesday’s mass after communion. Once again in front of a packed church me and about 30 of my brave students stood as a group in front of the altar and sang for the congregation in both Portuguese and English. It turned out really well and we received a rousing applause. After mass many people approached me and some of my students congratulating us on a job well done. The next time I had English class I told them of how proud I was of them and what other parishioners had said about our performance. I think they were excited when I suggested we learn another song to present during Holy Week.
On Thursday the 18th I went with Padre Alberto and two ladies from the choir, Petrona and Heliene, to a couple of our outstation chapels to have mass and distribute ashes. It took about an hour and a half of traveling down dirt roads to get to the first chapel. Outstations like these only have mass once a month and the people have to walk miles just to get to the chapel because their houses are so far apart. The majority are cattle and dairy farmers, good hardworking people, eking out an existence in rural Brazil. I am always amazed by the great faith of such people who have limited opportunities to receive Holy Eucharist. I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity of receiving daily Eucharist. The mass was nice and the ladies from the choir taught them one of the songs from the Campaign for them to use during their Celebrations of the Word.
We were invited for lunch by one of the ladies who lived on a farm nearby. She lived in a simple house with no electricity or amenities, just a propane stove in her small tidy kitchen where we ate a delicious meal of rice and beans, squash, home-made bread and home-made sausage from the pigs that she and her husband raise. The sausage was to die for and I helped myself to seconds on that. We chatted for awhile after lunch and looked at some of her photo albums. You could tell she was lonely, her children now grown up and married and her husband tending to the business of the farm all day. I was glad that we stopped there, she seemed so happy just to have company to talk with that day.
After we left we still had 4 hours to kill before the next outstation mass so we drove to the “Cachoeira dos Macacões” or Monkey falls to swim a bit and cool off. We left the truck and still had a 20 minute hike into the rain forest to get to the falls but it was definitely worth it. Within the first 5 minutes that we were there we saw a monkey high up in the trees eating some sort of seed from one of the indigenous plants. We explored around the falls and Petrona and I hiked up to the top of the largest fall to take pictures and get a better view. Down below there was a deeper pool where we could swim and dunk our heads under the rushing water. The water was actually warmer than what I take a shower with every day so that was nice. Later on we had some snacks and soda that we had brought along with us and just relaxed taking in the beautiful scenery and listening to the steady sound of the running water.
It was around dusk when the second mass finished and we headed back toward Ji-Paraná. I asked Padre Alberto to stop alongside a lagoon we passed hoping we might see a caiman or two. We didn’t see any alligators but there was a capybara in the water foraging for food. It was a great day and it gave me a chance to see more of rural Brazil in all its splendor.
Things are pretty much back to normal now that the urn has come and gone. My classes have resumed and we are now preparing for Holy Week activities. Padre Alberto asked me to participate in the “Passion of Christ” play that they put on every year so I told him that I would play Barabbas. It isn’t a big role but I am one of the few people here that can grow a full beard, as you’ll see in the pictures accompanying this email, so I got the part.
I hope you all have a profound and spiritual Lenten season, please keep us in your prayers as you all are in ours. God bless!!
You might remember from my last update that we were preparing for the arrival of St. John Bosco’s holy relics here on the 15th of February. Brazil is the 6th stop of the pilgrimage celebrating the bicentennial of the birth of St. John Bosco, the founder of the Salesian order and champion of underprivileged children. The holy relics of St. John Bosco’s right arm and hand are inside a likeness of the Saint and contained in a beautiful and ornate crystal and aluminum urn. The urn weighs over a thousand pounds and is being transported in a specially converted van that will travel throughout South and Central America and then proceed into the United States and Canada. The urn's journey began in Turin, in northern Italy, on April 25, 2009 in a celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Salesian order. The urn will travel to 5 continents over the next 5 years stopping at Salesian sites in more than 120 countries.
Apart from the thousands of people in Ji-Paraná gathering for this two day event there were also Salesian priests accompanying the urn from some of the Salesian sites I visited during my trip up the Amazon. It was good to see them again and find out how things were at their sites. We had fabulous meals together and many of the parishioners were dropping off food and desserts and catching up with some of the priests that had been stationed here in the past.
The urn arrived at our parish, São José, around 3:30 p.m. on the 15th. Shortly thereafter we started the “Carreata” or caravan throughout the city. I rode atop the sound vehicle with some of the choir and parish ministers, next was a pickup truck with the altar servers, followed by the vehicle with the urn and Padre Alberto. After that, parishioners on motorcycles, bicycles and cars followed in procession through the main streets of Ji-Paraná. When we arrived back at the parish the urn was off-loaded and brought into the church where everyone could finally get near and touch it. The priests celebrated mass to a packed church later on in the evening and then a vigil was held until midnight by the different parish groups.
On the 16th the outlying communities had their turn to pray and hold vigil before the urn. After lunch we had “Gincana” or youth games over at the center followed by theatrical presentations, songs and dances headed up by the young. The solemn mass that evening was presided by the Bishop of Ji-Paraná, Dom Bruno, an Italian Salesian. I had never seen the church that full, there was standing room only and everyone there was in great spirits. Immediately following the mass we had a “Procissão Luminosa” or lighted procession through the streets. We walked along with the urn carrying our candles, singing songs and praying. After the procession the Bishop gave his final blessing which included a plenary indulgence from Pope Benedict XVI to those who make a pilgrimage to see and pray before the urn in various locations around the world.
At 8:00 a.m. the next morning the urn was loaded into the specially converted van and parted for its next stop in Porto Velho. The urn will travel to Manaus for its final destination in Brazil and then move onto Bolivia.
I had the privilege of going to Turin, Italy in 2005 and seeing the urn there in the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians but it was 100 times more powerful to experience it here surrounded by thousands of faithful Catholics devoted to St. John Bosco and the message of his life to the youth of the world. I am very proud to call myself a Salesian and to be a part of this wonderful family. I know my Salesian brothers and sisters throughout the world are anxiously awaiting the pilgrimage of the urn to come to their sites and I hope and pray that their experience is just as rewarding.
There was no time to rest and relax after the urn departed because the 17th was Ash Wednesday and we had more activities to come. At the request of Padre Alberto some weeks back, I was asked to teach my students from English class a song from this year’s “Campanha da Fraternidade Ecumênica” or Ecumenical Fraternity Campaign, which takes place every Lenten season. The song “Pelas Dores Deste Mundo” or “For the Sufferings of the World,” is half in Portuguese and the other half in English. So, for the past 4 weeks we would spend the first 5 to 10 minutes of each class listening to the song and learning the lyrics. Padre Alberto wanted us to sing it during Ash Wednesday’s mass after communion. Once again in front of a packed church me and about 30 of my brave students stood as a group in front of the altar and sang for the congregation in both Portuguese and English. It turned out really well and we received a rousing applause. After mass many people approached me and some of my students congratulating us on a job well done. The next time I had English class I told them of how proud I was of them and what other parishioners had said about our performance. I think they were excited when I suggested we learn another song to present during Holy Week.
On Thursday the 18th I went with Padre Alberto and two ladies from the choir, Petrona and Heliene, to a couple of our outstation chapels to have mass and distribute ashes. It took about an hour and a half of traveling down dirt roads to get to the first chapel. Outstations like these only have mass once a month and the people have to walk miles just to get to the chapel because their houses are so far apart. The majority are cattle and dairy farmers, good hardworking people, eking out an existence in rural Brazil. I am always amazed by the great faith of such people who have limited opportunities to receive Holy Eucharist. I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity of receiving daily Eucharist. The mass was nice and the ladies from the choir taught them one of the songs from the Campaign for them to use during their Celebrations of the Word.
We were invited for lunch by one of the ladies who lived on a farm nearby. She lived in a simple house with no electricity or amenities, just a propane stove in her small tidy kitchen where we ate a delicious meal of rice and beans, squash, home-made bread and home-made sausage from the pigs that she and her husband raise. The sausage was to die for and I helped myself to seconds on that. We chatted for awhile after lunch and looked at some of her photo albums. You could tell she was lonely, her children now grown up and married and her husband tending to the business of the farm all day. I was glad that we stopped there, she seemed so happy just to have company to talk with that day.
After we left we still had 4 hours to kill before the next outstation mass so we drove to the “Cachoeira dos Macacões” or Monkey falls to swim a bit and cool off. We left the truck and still had a 20 minute hike into the rain forest to get to the falls but it was definitely worth it. Within the first 5 minutes that we were there we saw a monkey high up in the trees eating some sort of seed from one of the indigenous plants. We explored around the falls and Petrona and I hiked up to the top of the largest fall to take pictures and get a better view. Down below there was a deeper pool where we could swim and dunk our heads under the rushing water. The water was actually warmer than what I take a shower with every day so that was nice. Later on we had some snacks and soda that we had brought along with us and just relaxed taking in the beautiful scenery and listening to the steady sound of the running water.
It was around dusk when the second mass finished and we headed back toward Ji-Paraná. I asked Padre Alberto to stop alongside a lagoon we passed hoping we might see a caiman or two. We didn’t see any alligators but there was a capybara in the water foraging for food. It was a great day and it gave me a chance to see more of rural Brazil in all its splendor.
Things are pretty much back to normal now that the urn has come and gone. My classes have resumed and we are now preparing for Holy Week activities. Padre Alberto asked me to participate in the “Passion of Christ” play that they put on every year so I told him that I would play Barabbas. It isn’t a big role but I am one of the few people here that can grow a full beard, as you’ll see in the pictures accompanying this email, so I got the part.
I hope you all have a profound and spiritual Lenten season, please keep us in your prayers as you all are in ours. God bless!!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Brazil Update: January 2010
Hello family and friends I hope you are all well. Over a month has passed since my last update and with it the holiday season and 2009. Here we are in 2010 and I am still in Ji-Paraná, Brazil. I have gone to the Federal Police station to see about renewing my visa for another 3 months. They gave me some forms to fill out and a date to return on the 27th of this month to get the last 90 days in my passport. Americans are only allowed 6 months in country with the tourist visa that I have, then I have to stay 6 months outside of the country before being allowed back in. So it looks like around the 25th of April I will have to leave, which is fine because the Salesians have found me a site in Bolivia to join up with other volunteers there.
My first couple of weeks in Ji-Paraná the vocational school was still in session so I was able to meet some of the students, all of the teachers and staff and get a feel for how the center ran on a daily basis. The Centro Educativo Dom Bosco is a vocational school for adolescents 13 yrs. old to 18. Guitar, piano, motorcycle mechanics, computers/I.T. and entry level business classes are offered Monday through Friday. There is a morning session from 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and an afternoon session from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. On Sundays the center opens in the afternoon for oratory (sports and games). I sat in on each department’s class to meet the students and teachers and for them to get to know me. Unfortunately, there were only two weeks left before summer vacation, so many of the departments were in final examinations and I didn’t get a chance to converse a lot with them. I did help out with the planning and decorating for the graduation mass and the party that followed. We had a mass over at the Salesian parish, São José, then the graduation party back over at the center. At the end of the mass four of us sang “Silent Night” for the grads, each taking a verse in our native language. Erasmo sang it in Portuguese, I followed in English, Jacinto sang it in Tucano (indigenous language from the Amazon) and Padre Alberto finished in Polish. We pulled it off well and the kids enjoyed it.
The year end outing for the students was a couple days later and we all went to Hotel Fazenda Coimbra Park about an hour bus ride away. Coimbra Park is a type of resort that has pools, slides, zip-lines, a zoo and arvorismo (canopy walking rope course). It rained for the first part of the day but that didn’t stop us from enjoying the pools and slides. When things dried out 8 of us went to do the arvorismo course. We walked about 20 minutes into the rain forest with our climbing gear and harnesses on to where the course started. After clipping in we started to ascend to the first platform about 15ft. off the ground. Each stage got more challenging and also higher. By the time we reached the final stage we were 75ft. off the ground and in the canopy of the rainforest. We then clipped onto a zip-line and descended about an 8th of a mile back out of the forest into a clearing. The zip-line for me was the best part, flying out of the dark forest into the lighted clearing picking up speed the farther I dropped. I really enjoyed myself. The pools also had some good slides. The highest slide was about a 25ft. drop which scared off some of the teachers and students. They also had a zip line course but it started to rain again so we weren’t able to do it. Even with the rain everyone had a good time enjoying their last experience together until the next school year.
Right now we are having registration for the 2010 school year and have already signed up about 215 students. The center only has room for about 125 students so the selection committee will award the spots to the students who come from the poorest families.
Christmas Eve was very nice. We had a wonderful dinner after mass at the center with the parishioners who stuck around. Christmas day we were invited to a barbecue lunch at another parishioner’s house. New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day followed suit with masses and dinner invitations from parishioners.
On Jan. 4th I started teaching my English class to adults and adolescents from the parish and community. Padre Alberto gave me a classroom to use over at the center and I am teaching two sessions to accommodate all of the people that signed up. 160 people signed up but only about 115 have been showing up on a regular basis. I teach Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8:00 a.m. and again at 2:00 p.m. I have to use a microphone and speaker because of the sizes of the class which doesn’t help when I am trying to write on the chalkboard and explain to them at the same time. I think they like the class so far, I know I enjoy teaching them and getting to know more people in the community.
One of my New Year’s resolutions was to start running again so I have been going to a little park that I found along side the river. About the 3rd day running around this little track that surrounds a pond I was startled when out of the corner of my eye I saw an alligator about 4ft. off of the track by the water. The alligator was only about 3ft long but completely caught me by surprise, I jumped off the track AWAY from the water and my adrenaline definitely kicked in. After moving several feet away I just stared, shocked to think that I had been coming to this park for at least 3 weeks prior, walking or just relaxing by the pond when the whole time there were alligators in it. I continued to run around the track and when I would get to the alligator I just gave it a wide berth. I have only seen an alligator one other time there since that day but every time I run there I am always on the look out and a little apprehensive, I have to admit, the first couple of laps.
Another activity we as a parish are preparing for is the arrival of St. John Bosco’s urn. The Rector Major (head of the Salesian Congregation) has planned for the 150 year anniversary of the founding of the Salesian Congregation to send an urn with St. John Bosco’s relics to the different countries where the Salesians are present. The urn has been traveling through South America, starting in Argentina a few months back. It is now in Brazil and will arrive in Ji-Paraná for our parish’s celebrations on the 15th and 16th of February. There will be masses, prayers, processions, celebrations etc. starting at the Cathedral, which is named after St. John Bosco and will be presided by the Bishop of Ji-Paraná, Dom Bruno who is also a Salesian. After the mass at the Cathedral the urn will be moved to our parish of São José and remain there until after the 16th when it will be taken to Manaus. I had the great fortune of seeing the urn back in 2005 when I visited Turin, Italy where St. John Bosco founded the Salesian Congregation.
My daily routine in the Salesian community is as follows: wake up at 6:15, morning prayer at 6:30, breakfast at 7:00, center 7:30-11:00 (when classes resume) lunch 12:00, center 1:30-5:00 (when classes resume) dinner 6:00, evening prayer 6:30 followed by mass at 7:30. I have access to internet in my room and they have satellite TV. We have a cook, Vilma, who makes our lunch which is the biggest meal of the day here. Breakfast is on your own and dinner is usually leftovers. Vilma also does our laundry every week. Needless to say I am not suffering at all here in Ji-Paraná. I enjoy the people, like my community of Salesians and am getting to know the layout of the town. Things are going well for me in 2010 I hope your New Year is as well.
Take care and God bless!!
My first couple of weeks in Ji-Paraná the vocational school was still in session so I was able to meet some of the students, all of the teachers and staff and get a feel for how the center ran on a daily basis. The Centro Educativo Dom Bosco is a vocational school for adolescents 13 yrs. old to 18. Guitar, piano, motorcycle mechanics, computers/I.T. and entry level business classes are offered Monday through Friday. There is a morning session from 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and an afternoon session from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. On Sundays the center opens in the afternoon for oratory (sports and games). I sat in on each department’s class to meet the students and teachers and for them to get to know me. Unfortunately, there were only two weeks left before summer vacation, so many of the departments were in final examinations and I didn’t get a chance to converse a lot with them. I did help out with the planning and decorating for the graduation mass and the party that followed. We had a mass over at the Salesian parish, São José, then the graduation party back over at the center. At the end of the mass four of us sang “Silent Night” for the grads, each taking a verse in our native language. Erasmo sang it in Portuguese, I followed in English, Jacinto sang it in Tucano (indigenous language from the Amazon) and Padre Alberto finished in Polish. We pulled it off well and the kids enjoyed it.
The year end outing for the students was a couple days later and we all went to Hotel Fazenda Coimbra Park about an hour bus ride away. Coimbra Park is a type of resort that has pools, slides, zip-lines, a zoo and arvorismo (canopy walking rope course). It rained for the first part of the day but that didn’t stop us from enjoying the pools and slides. When things dried out 8 of us went to do the arvorismo course. We walked about 20 minutes into the rain forest with our climbing gear and harnesses on to where the course started. After clipping in we started to ascend to the first platform about 15ft. off the ground. Each stage got more challenging and also higher. By the time we reached the final stage we were 75ft. off the ground and in the canopy of the rainforest. We then clipped onto a zip-line and descended about an 8th of a mile back out of the forest into a clearing. The zip-line for me was the best part, flying out of the dark forest into the lighted clearing picking up speed the farther I dropped. I really enjoyed myself. The pools also had some good slides. The highest slide was about a 25ft. drop which scared off some of the teachers and students. They also had a zip line course but it started to rain again so we weren’t able to do it. Even with the rain everyone had a good time enjoying their last experience together until the next school year.
Right now we are having registration for the 2010 school year and have already signed up about 215 students. The center only has room for about 125 students so the selection committee will award the spots to the students who come from the poorest families.
Christmas Eve was very nice. We had a wonderful dinner after mass at the center with the parishioners who stuck around. Christmas day we were invited to a barbecue lunch at another parishioner’s house. New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day followed suit with masses and dinner invitations from parishioners.
On Jan. 4th I started teaching my English class to adults and adolescents from the parish and community. Padre Alberto gave me a classroom to use over at the center and I am teaching two sessions to accommodate all of the people that signed up. 160 people signed up but only about 115 have been showing up on a regular basis. I teach Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8:00 a.m. and again at 2:00 p.m. I have to use a microphone and speaker because of the sizes of the class which doesn’t help when I am trying to write on the chalkboard and explain to them at the same time. I think they like the class so far, I know I enjoy teaching them and getting to know more people in the community.
One of my New Year’s resolutions was to start running again so I have been going to a little park that I found along side the river. About the 3rd day running around this little track that surrounds a pond I was startled when out of the corner of my eye I saw an alligator about 4ft. off of the track by the water. The alligator was only about 3ft long but completely caught me by surprise, I jumped off the track AWAY from the water and my adrenaline definitely kicked in. After moving several feet away I just stared, shocked to think that I had been coming to this park for at least 3 weeks prior, walking or just relaxing by the pond when the whole time there were alligators in it. I continued to run around the track and when I would get to the alligator I just gave it a wide berth. I have only seen an alligator one other time there since that day but every time I run there I am always on the look out and a little apprehensive, I have to admit, the first couple of laps.
Another activity we as a parish are preparing for is the arrival of St. John Bosco’s urn. The Rector Major (head of the Salesian Congregation) has planned for the 150 year anniversary of the founding of the Salesian Congregation to send an urn with St. John Bosco’s relics to the different countries where the Salesians are present. The urn has been traveling through South America, starting in Argentina a few months back. It is now in Brazil and will arrive in Ji-Paraná for our parish’s celebrations on the 15th and 16th of February. There will be masses, prayers, processions, celebrations etc. starting at the Cathedral, which is named after St. John Bosco and will be presided by the Bishop of Ji-Paraná, Dom Bruno who is also a Salesian. After the mass at the Cathedral the urn will be moved to our parish of São José and remain there until after the 16th when it will be taken to Manaus. I had the great fortune of seeing the urn back in 2005 when I visited Turin, Italy where St. John Bosco founded the Salesian Congregation.
My daily routine in the Salesian community is as follows: wake up at 6:15, morning prayer at 6:30, breakfast at 7:00, center 7:30-11:00 (when classes resume) lunch 12:00, center 1:30-5:00 (when classes resume) dinner 6:00, evening prayer 6:30 followed by mass at 7:30. I have access to internet in my room and they have satellite TV. We have a cook, Vilma, who makes our lunch which is the biggest meal of the day here. Breakfast is on your own and dinner is usually leftovers. Vilma also does our laundry every week. Needless to say I am not suffering at all here in Ji-Paraná. I enjoy the people, like my community of Salesians and am getting to know the layout of the town. Things are going well for me in 2010 I hope your New Year is as well.
Take care and God bless!!
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