Flowers in the Desert

Lifting Spirits

2011-03-24T19:31:00.004-04:00

We noticed that we've been getting kind of down on this blog. So, we decided to focus on the positive side of coming back to the US. We originally made the decision to leave Chile for two reasons - 1) For Joshua to be closer to his extended family and 2) for Anna to be able to study. We've decided that Anna will apply to FSU's Art Therapy master's program next year. And, here are some of Joshua's USA highlights over the last two months:

David's family threw Joshua an Elmo birthday party, even though his birthday was in June. He didn't seem to notice that it was out of season.

We all met Joshua's cousin Caden for the first time. Here, the two cousins are enjoying Granddad time.

Sometimes, Joshua even gets to enjoy time with the grandparents all by himself. He really likes reading books with Grandma D.

Our little family took a trip to LA for "re-entry" with the Columbans. Re-entry is a couple of days, guided by an experienced missionary, where the returning missionaries are able to reflect on their experiences, on how the home country has changed and on future decisions. We really needed the time to look back on our experience and put it into perspective, as we shift focus in our lives. Plus, we got to see Hollywood!

David introduces Joshua to one of his comedic idols - Adam Sandler.

Joshua checks out the star of Don Fransisco - arguably the most famous Chilean in the world. For non-latinos, he hosts the tremendously popular "Sabados Gigante" program, airing out of Miami.

Here is proof that Joshua witnessed one of the last shuttle launches ever. Afterwards, he told us that he wanted to go, "up, up, up, to the luna" too.

So, we guess this is it...

2011-03-18T00:03:00.002-04:00

... the end. It was St. Patrick's Day today - a pretty important date in the Columban world. As we donned our green this morning, we thought of our Columban friends in Chile. They would be preparing for the big dinner at the Center House in Santiago. We also thought of our friends back at our old parishes. Many of them would also be celebrating. While not Irish, they have appropriated the festivities in order to accompany the many Irish missionaries who have shared with them over the years. Today, more than any of the days since we've been back, has been a sad day.

As time goes on, we realize more and more that our time in Chile is over. This is not a vacation. It's now home. But, it doesn't feel like home yet. Reverse culture shock is still going strong. We find everything strange and feel as if we don't quite fit in.

We know that it will pass and that we will soon get used to life in the northern hemisphere. But, in the meantime, as we look at photos of our loved ones back in Chile, and Joshua asks to go "in the plane, back home, to Iquique," it makes us sad. We tell him that we'll go there another day, and it keeps him happy for the time being.

Stateside

2011-01-25T23:21:00.003-05:00

We arrived to the U.S. last Saturday. Joshua was pretty good during the flight, and even slept about 5 of the 8 hours. We've been spending this week with David's family and will be spending next week with Anna's family. Joshua has really enjoyed having so much family around. David's family even threw him a birthday party. It had an Elmo theme and the toy trucks abounded. He was thrilled and he'll probably expect a birthday every month now.

It's a little strange to be back. The coins feel lighter. We're already gaining weight from eating all the foods we've been missing. The t.v. shows are pretty ridiculous... Is "From G's to Gents" a real show that people actually watch?

We're not any closer to figuring out what we want to do with our lives, but the Graco Nautilus is working out pretty well for us. So, that give us some hope for the future.

The Countdown is Getting Short

2011-01-19T20:04:00.003-05:00

Joshua's visa is here, we have official permission from the Chilean department of agriculture to bring the dog to the U.S. and the Graco Nautilus is properly installed in David's parents' car. In 3 short days, we'll step onto U.S. soil, closing one of the most important chapters of our lives.

A Foot in Each Country

2011-01-12T20:43:00.004-05:00

We're still hanging out in Santiago. More goodbyes have passed, but we're not quite so stressed. Unlike in Alto Hospicio, our things are already packed and we don't have to worry about getting the house ready for a new resident. Joshua's favorite things about his new temporary home are running barefoot in the grass, running naked in the sprinklers and running over to see the fish in the garden's fountain. Since we're staying at the Columban Center House, we have the opportunity to go to daily mass. So, we take turns "watching Joshua" (sleeping in) and going to mass. We're trying to get into a healthy routine of walking at least an hour a day and eating healthy, since every time we go back to the States we double our weight. We're probably scoring about a 50% on that resolution.

We made our first big commitment and bought a car seat online. David's parents will be picking us up at the airport and unlike in Chile, Joshua riding in the back seat on Anna's lap is not an option. The car seat was kind of a metaphor for the life laying ahead of us: first, we had to research the seats. Which one was the safest? Which one the most user friendly? What does RF, FF, and B mean? Is a detachable cup holder really necessary? It costs how much? So many options... so complicated...

We'll be making a lot of major life decisions soon. Car. School. Job. House. Adoption. If it took us 3 days of serious researching and a good bit of arguing in order to choose a car seat, what's it going to be like making all of those other decisions? Part of the appeal to our lives in Chile has been the simplicity of it all. The "real" world can be an intimidating place.

Here's the seat we finally chose - The Graco Nautilus (yes, it does have a cup holder):

Chao Alto Hospicio

2011-01-04T15:48:00.005-05:00

Our last night in Alto Hospicio has come and gone. We were saying goodbye to friends until 1 in the morning, got to bed at 4:30 and woke up at 6:30. Yesterday morning, we loaded the dog and the baby on the plane and arrived to Santiago in time for lunch. Gringuita was a little dopey all day from the tranquilizers we gave her for the trip. She was nervous in the car and even more worried when she looked around and saw so much green. She isn't used to trees or grass anymore. Today, she seems to be doing much better and she's getting used to her new temporary home. We're staying in the Columban Center House for about three weeks, while we sort out Joshua's paperwork to come to the States, say goodbye to friends here and rest a little.

Christmas and New Year's was a little tainted since it was shrouded with a melancholy feeling, knowing that each encounter with a friend was perhaps the last time we would see them. We're sure we'll be back to visit some day, but we can't be sure about who will be around when we finally make it. It was also sad to put an end to our ministry in Chile. We've really enjoyed the work we did with youth, as well as families and drug addicts. Hopefully, we'll be able to continue in the same line back in the US.

Arriving to Santiago has helped put a new perspective on our farewell. Last night at dusk, we sat on the porch as Joshua played with the dog in the yard. We were able to pray the rosary together and just sit for awhile, enjoying the peace after so much chaos of packing and goodbyes. It also gave us a glimpse of future evenings in the US, where we'll have our own home and will be able to dedicate more time to our family. As much as we have loved living in Chile, we have to recognize that the lifestyle we've had for the last 7 years has not been conducive to a healthy family life - constant running around, lack of privacy and the general negative aspects of living in a big city, like noise and pollution. It will be nice to focus on Joshua for awhile, and hopefully adopt some more kids. We're looking forward to the future.

Some "goodbye" photos:

This last one is Joshua playing in Gringuita's travel cage. We think that both of them would have enjoyed the flight a lot more if they could have traded places.

Last sniff Christmas in Chile

2010-12-27T08:19:00.005-05:00

Officially, our contract ended in October. But, we wanted to stay on longer so we could finish out the pastoral year, accompany the kids during their Confirmation and spend our last Christmas here with the community. We're anxious to see our family, but we just weren't ready to say goodbye in October. So, here are some photos of our last holiday here in Alto Hospicio:

We like to have a live tree, so we once again decorated our one and only living house plant with a Christmas theme.

We had a packed house for Midnight Mass (at 9:30). It was great to see so many families come together.

We had the kids in the chapel act out the Christmas Pageant during Mass. Joshua was too big for Baby Jesus this year, but we fortunately had another infant to place in the manger. This time, Baby Jesus was a little girl.

At midnight, we followed Chilean tradition and placed Baby Jesus in the manger. Joshua had the honor. We invited a neighbor over for Christmas Eve dinner and got to bed at about 2am. Here, Santa Claus arrives at midnight, after the arrival of Baby Jesus, and so kids can be heard playing in the streets with their new toys until the early hours of the morning.

On Christmas Day, we joined the other missionaries, sisters, brothers and priests in the parish and shared a big turkey meal.

Joshua had on his festive bib for about 5 seconds... long enough for us to snap a picture and then for him to throw it on the ground.

Joshua had a great time running from lap to lap with all of his "aunts and uncles," stealing bites of their desserts.

Once again, we spread the American tradition of gifting Christmas cookies. This year, we totaled 210 cookies and handed them out to about 25 families. Anna did the visiting alone this year, because David was home with stomach problems. It was a blessing to be able to share with so many families in such a simple way and deserves a future blog post of its own.

These are the crumbled, misfit cookies that Anna allowed David, Joshua and Gringuita to eat.

Another Long Week

2010-12-16T18:08:00.005-05:00

Since checking in last, we've been continuing the same pattern of busyness. Last Sunday, we had our final parish-wide youth event. We gave our testimony about "Christian Life," but didn't do a very good job with it. We're not great public speakers - especially with large groups. The kids still enjoyed getting together with other youth. Our mainly boy group was very happy to realize that there is a chapel in the neighborhood next to ours full of pretty girls. We imagine that they will be much more enthusiastic about participating next year.

That night, we were invited to a birthday cookout. It was nice to go hang out with this particular family, since they are our co-padres. Joshua enjoyed himself too, since there were lots of other kids to play with.

On Monday morning, we woke up early to varnish the chapel. In its ten years of existence, it has only been varnished once, so the wood was very thirsty. We didn't finish until this afternoon and needless to say... it was exhausting! The kids showed up to help at first, but two days was their limit. We couldn't really blame them. After painting our days away, we spent our evenings with more families. We got together one last time with some neighbors that have been good friends. They'll be going on vacation before Christmas and so we had to push our goodbyes up a little bit. Tonight, we'll share with another family.

One week closer to home and one week sadder about leaving.

Proof that the boys did some work.

David defies heights on a really shifty ladder.

One of the men from the community. David helped him get into a rehab center about a year ago and he just graduated a couple of weeks ago. He helped us out since he is still looking for work. We're praying that he won't fall back into drugs.

All work days end in a soccer match. Joshua and Gringuita joined them, but they didn't get any goals.

AEDM - Fail

2010-12-10T10:15:00.003-05:00

As you've probably figured out, I didn't make it to the end of AEDM. After two weeks, I got caught up in the whirlwind of having a visitor, confirmations, and then going to Santiago and dealing with the US embassy. I thought that I would start fresh in December, but haven't done a thing.

David and I are currently in a state best described as depression. The reality of leaving Chile is hitting us full force. We had our first farewell with a family who left today on vacation and who we won't be seeing again. We're trying to visit at least one family a day in order to spend some quality time with all of the special people who have touched our lives during our three years in this community and we often experience a sense of nauseousness when people ask, "When will you be coming back?".

We're still working with the youth and have a few activities lingering on as we finish the year. Also, we're still trying to form a team of adults to work with the youth next year. I imagine that most Christian communities have the same problem - a group of youth that need guidance and not enough responsible adult help to accompany them in their journey. We continue to pray and to ask people for help. We're making progress... slowly.

We're also officially on the job market. We've been searching jobs on the internet in Santa Fe, NM. I've decided to apply to a graduate school there in order to study for my master's degree in art therapy. So, we dug up our old resumes, wiped off the dust and started updating. Sadly, we're a little worried about putting our history as missionaries with the Catholic Church as work experience, when applying for secular jobs. We fear that in a secular society, the word may be misinterpreted and we might be seen as fanatics or as close-minded. So, we find ourselves hiding our faith in a way, rewording "missionary" as "volunteer", "parish" as "community" and "catechism" as "holistic development." We're confident that we'll find work, but a little sad that we may have to downplay our faith, which for us, is the most important aspect of who we are.

Columban's Day and the US Embassy

2010-12-03T18:19:00.003-05:00

We just got back to the house after two weeks in Santiago. Whew! What a couple of weeks...

It started off nice. Nov. 23 is St. Columban's day and obviously, a big day for Columban missionaries to celebrate. The tradition in Chile is to start the week off with a paseo, or outing. We went to a small country town in the Andes mountains where there is a picnic place, with a pool and plenty of green space to roam. Joshua had an ear infection, so he couldn't exactly go swimming. But, he managed to have a great time anyway, pushing lawn chairs around like cars, running after his 3 year old friend Matilda and splashing his feet in the water. As he was playing "train" with the chairs, he slipped, scraped his chin and bit his lip. There was a lot of blood and a lot of crying, but lollipops and ice seemed to heal it pretty quickly.

The day after the paseo, we had a special mass and dinner among the Columban family - priests, lay missionaries, sisters, seminarians, employees and friends. Finally, we headed out to a retreat house for our biannual regional meeting. This was our last meeting with the Columbans in Chile, so we especially enjoyed the social aspect of it all. Since the majority of the Columbans work in Santiago (over a 2 hour flight away), we appreciate the time we have together.

After a great week of sharing with the rest of the Columban family, we went to the US embassy to see about Joshua's visa to enter the US. You would think that the process to enter the US for an adopted child of two American citizens would be pretty easy, but the truth is far from it! He is treated just like any other (adult) foreigner who wants to immigrate. He has to have a medical exam, an interview and pay lots of fees. We thought, "How expensive could it be to file some paperwork?". Apparently, $1000 USD expensive. After spending all week jumping through hoops and translating about 20 pages of adoption documents for a completely bilingual embassy, we are now waiting to be contacted with a date for an interview. We're told this interview will be in Santiago in about two weeks. Did we mention that we live in a city over two hours away by plane? And that Joshua is two? And that the only answer he will have to any of their questions is auto (car)?

Confirmation

2010-11-29T20:16:00.006-05:00

During Katie's visit, we had confirmations in the parish for the first time in 3 years. It was a pretty big deal, since youth ministry has grown so much. When we first arrived 3 years ago, only one of four chapels had youth participating and they only had about ten kids. We can now boast about 60 teens from all of our communities. We had 27 youth and 5 adults get confirmed. The next step is keeping them around. As the old joke goes...

"There once was a town plagued by hundreds of pigeons. The kids chased them, the sheriff fired at them, and the firemen sprayed them with water - to no avail. The mayor was getting desperate when the town priest came to his aid. "I'll get rid of those pesky pigeons for you." He baptized them, gave them Holy Eucharist and then brought in the bishop to confirm them. They immediately flew off and were never heard from again."

David with his adult group of catechumens

Both of us with the teen group from our chapel. We worked with them for two years.

The "co-padres". Godparents, as Confirmation Sponsors are referred to here, are very important in Chilean culture. This boy asked David to be his Godfather and since then, his parents have treated us as "co-parents". We're kind of worried we'll have to pay half of his college education.

A bad shot of the whole group.

Two Weeks with Aunt Katie

2010-11-19T22:12:00.011-05:00

AEDM - Nov.4 to Nov. 11

2010-11-12T08:52:00.005-05:00

I won't lie to you. I haven't quite met the "every day" part of the challenge. I could call it the Art *Almost* Every Day challenge though. I took my small sketchbook with me to Peru. It travels easily and isn't so intimidating, since the page is much easier to fill. Here are the images that have emerged over the last week:

It looks like the mandala obsession is giving over to a value scale/weaving obsession.

P.S.

2010-11-05T00:50:00.003-04:00

We're heading to Peru tomorrow to pick up my sister for a visit. I won't be able to post for a few days. But, be assured that I will do my best to continue the challenge! We're super excited about having my sister here for a couple of weeks. See you soon Katie!!

AEDM - Nov. 3

2010-11-05T00:18:00.004-04:00

To do... to do... to do... to do...

Yesterday, whenever I thought about sitting down to tackle the AEDM challenge, an endless list of things to do kept running through my head. So, instead of giving in to the chore monster, I got creative with a to-do list:

Scary, isn't it? It made me realize why I often feel guilty for sitting down to draw or paint. The final product visualized the craziness and pressure I felt (and often feel) inside my head. I didn't want to leave my mind there, so I decided to go a little further:

Since I had used watercolor pencils, I decided to brush over the whole thing with water. It was therapeutic to just wash over all of those mundane tasks that kept nagging at me, getting in the way of my creativity. And in the end, a mandala appeared (surprise, surprise!). Mandalas are so calming for me and this one showed me that I am still balanced, despite the busyness. It was like a little message from God telling me, "Take some time to yourself, and I'll take care of the rest." Thanks God! I needed a break.

AEDM - Nov. 2

2010-11-02T15:48:00.004-04:00

I did another mandala, because I feel very free to create with them and I am always surprised by what I end up with. Honestly, I don't really like how this one turned out, but I had a lot of fun doing it.

Art Every Day Month - Nov. 1

2010-11-02T00:56:00.004-04:00

I (Anna) just discovered a fun online challenge and decided to participate. You can find an explanation here, but the basic idea is that you create a new work of art each day during the month of November and then post it on your blog to share with other participating artists. I doubt all the art will be pretty, but it should be a lot of fun to create. I started out with a mandala:

Mustard Seeds

2010-11-02T00:00:00.007-04:00

We're back from our retreat with the confirmation kids. Of the 25 youths we have about to be confirmed, 18 attended. We also had 6 adults who will be confirmed along for the experience. In summary: lots of work, not much sleep, many surprises, and endless fruits. Two women backed out on us just a day before the retreat, so David ended up doing the bulk of the cooking and watching of Joshua. Anna had the unfortunate job of "policing" - both making sure we stayed on schedule and reprimanding the kids when they got a little too rowdy. We planned and carried out the retreat with the help of a great team of youth leaders - both lay and religious. It's always great to see the kids at the end of the weekend, filled with hope and energy. Here are some of the comments we overheard from the youth, describing their experiences:

"The last presentation really changed my way of thinking."
"I feel more secure in my faith."
"I feel like God has been accompanying me on this journey; I no longer feel alone."
"Before coming to church, I used to fight with my parents all of the time. Now, we talk about things and get along better."
"I feel a sense of peace in my life now that I have never felt before."
"Before coming on this retreat, I had a lot of questions and doubts about my faith. Things are a lot clearer in my head now."

These are just a few of the experiences. It's always amazing to witness how God manifests Himself in each person's life and to see their faith grows over a period of time. We're very thankful to be able to be a part of these kids' faith journey. Some photos:

When Anna was 13, she went on a retreat where they made rosaries out of cord. She taught the kids here how to make them and they liked it so much that they made about 3 each!

Small groups acting out Bible stories. In this one, Anna and a youth are portraying the whale that just swallowed Jonah.

The most important part of the retreat - alone time with God. This was a special prayer service on Saturday night.

Joshua had fun too!

A final group shot.

We ended on Halloween, so that night Joshua dressed up like Elmo and hit up a few friends' houses for some candy. Not related to the retreat, but too cute not to post!

A Good Week

2010-10-17T16:17:00.005-04:00

We finished up Family Week on Friday, with a celebratory spaghetti dinner. Spaghetti is known as the Poor Man's Meal here, so people were kind of disappointed to hear the menu. But, after tasting David's super sauce, the complaints stopped and plates showed up for seconds. And thirds. Sometimes in parish life, petty differences and jealousy create lots of division. So, it was nice to see the community come together and just enjoy each other.

Add the great family time to witnessing the rescue of 33 miners and it made for a fantastic week. It was so amazing to see the unity of the country and all of the effort put into saving human lives. It really made us proud of Chile and doubly proud, listening to the miners' testimonies after the event. Last night, when an interviewer asked the miners about the experience of having a Bolivian trapped underground with them, one of the miners commented, "It's time to leave aside our pride and politics, so that we can see each other as human beings." There is generally a lot of tension (and a good deal of racism) between Chileans and Bolivians, so it was touching to hear him make such a wise statement. The whole experience has been a powerful testimony to the world that God is here with us always and that we should never lose hope. One of our Columban priests here in Chile had the opportunity to visit "Camp Hope" before the miners were rescued. It's definitely worth checking out his article: "Trapped: Faith Helps Families of Miners."

Family Week

2010-10-11T20:39:00.004-04:00

We just got home from our first night of "Family Week." This is our third year planning the week's activities and we had the best turnout yet. We'll meet again on Wednesday and Friday night.

Tonight, we started with a game that got everyone mixing. First, they had to meet in pairs and find three things they had in common. Then, in trios, in fours, and so on. With each new group, they had to find what they had in common with more people. It was difficult at first to get the youth to break out of their "young people corner" and share with adults, but the game eventually forced them to interact. Mission accomplished!

After the game, we shared in an opening prayer with lots of singing, a bible reading (Colossians 3: 15-21) and a special ritual. In our ritual, we had a large drawing of an empty table with Jesus at the head. The theme of the week is "San Columbano [the name of our chapel]: A table with room for everyone." It sounds a lot better in Spanish... :) Each family that participated wrote their last name on a cut out person and then pasted their "family" onto the drawing, joining with Jesus around the table.

The youth, along with the two of us, then treated the community to a very poorly acted (and funny) sketch about a family who just can't seem to get along. This gave small groups plenty of topics to discuss - from forgiveness, to family prayer, to giving the family priority, among others. The youngest kids played some games outside while the adults and youth talked and shared.

Finally, we ended the night with "onces," the evening meal of bread and tea, a raffle and prayer. The raffle is probably the reason we had such good turnout. We've been sending out tons of invitations all week, telling people that if they came, and brought their invitation, then this would give them a chance to win a raffle. While some may be opposed to bribes in order to get people to church, we are quite open to the idea. Since we had about 50 people turn out, the promise of a prize seems to have worked. More songs ended a great night of fun and sharing. We're looking forward to Wednesday, with more of the same and a special dinner on Friday to finish off the week.

October's Activities

2010-10-02T13:43:00.003-04:00

We're in a strange stage of our mission right now. As we mentioned before, we've decided to go back to the US in January. People here are catching on about our plans and are pretty bummed. We're sad too. It will be hard to close this chapter of our lives.

In the meantime, life goes on. As we are mentally and emotionally preparing ourselves for that big life change, there are still parish activities that demand our time and attention. October is dedicated to the family in the Chilean church. That means that it's time for us to plan "Family Week," which is a series of encounters that we have at the chapel, inviting families to come together for prayer, sharing and learning how to strengthen their own family bonds. It's a week that we personally really enjoy and we don't want to rush through the planning, or throw it together at the last minute. Apart from Family Week, we're also planning a retreat at the end of the month for all of the youth who will be confirmed in November. As much as we like Family Week, we LOVE retreats. Youth retreats revitalize a community unlike anything we've ever experienced. Kids come home from their weekend away ready to dedicate their entire lives to God. When planned with care, and lots of prayer, retreats create an atmosphere ripe for conversion. We have some more things on our plate, but won't get into the details.

We want to finish our time here well. We don't want to slack off, or have an uncaring attitude. That would be really unfair to the people we serve in the community. But, it's getting more and more difficult as we emotionally move out of "missionary mode" and into "real life mode."

Trio

2010-09-28T14:53:00.006-04:00

What would two birthday posts be without a third? We can't help it that September is a popular month to be born. Today Anna turns 32 as well. One of the youth groups threw us a surprise party on Saturday. It was really sweet of them.

This is a picture that Anna drew, using pointillism, in honor of her art teachers Ms. Foell and Ms. Thompson. Anna finds it relaxing to make thousands of dots on a page with a sharpie.

Another Year Older

2010-09-25T13:32:00.005-04:00

Today is David's 32nd birthday. It's also our nephew Brennan's 10th birthday. In addition to sharing their special day, they also share a passion for video games. Happy birthday kids!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

2010-09-23T10:54:00.003-04:00

Today is Anna's maternal grandmother's 89th birthday. It seems impossible that a woman so active and independent could actually be that close to 90. Grandma likes to stay busy: she has a booming day lilly farm, she enjoys line dancing and she recently conquered email. When she discovers that there is something out there she doesn't know how to do, her usual response is to go down to the community center and take a class. She never stops learning and she has probably read everything at the public library - twice. Her energy sometimes shames us, her grandkids, since we usually tire out on the dance floor before her.

Grandma grew up in a Lutheran family in Ohio. She married my Italian Catholic grandfather and became an eager convert. She raised 12 kids, has more than 50 grandkids, and is now a great-great grandmother. She is very active in her church and helps run the thrift store that funds the St. Vincent de Paul Society in her community. The woman is unstoppable, so watch out Walter Bruening! Happy birthday Grandma! We love you so much and hope to live our lives half as well as you have. We can't wait to be there with her for 90. Here are a few pictures of her with Joshua when we last went home for a visit:

Our Last Dieciocho

2010-09-20T16:55:00.003-04:00

We celebrated Chile's 200th year of Independence this weekend, and also our last Independence Day here on mission. We decided a short time ago that we would be going back home to the States this January. So, the word has been getting out slowly to our friends and neighbors. We spent the festivities visiting with different families in the community. We ate and drank well with chicha, Chilean wine, empanadas, and lots and lots of meat! Vegetarians don't do well in Chile. We're still celebrating actually, and planning another outing tonight, but are giving our stomachs a chance to rest a little before we head to the next party.

We dressed Joshua in a traditional Aymaran outfit, from the north of Chile. The harmonica isn't exactly part of the outfit, but he wouldn't let go of it all weekend.

In front of the flag, he continues his harmonica concert.

Joshua had a great time playing with all of the kids at our neighbor's house on Saturday.

Anna dressed up too, in a "Huasa" outfit, or a traditional country style dress. The dog didn't want to dress up, but did agree to pose pretty for this photo.

Online Chat... the Results

2010-09-15T15:50:00.005-04:00

The online chat thing turned out pretty well. We were afraid that no one would be interested in asking us questions, so we planted our family in the audience. The thing is, we forgot how huge our family is. So, even though just a fraction of our siblings and our parents showed up, they really stole the show. You can read the conversation here. It's especially helpful for people thinking about overseas mission:

Chat with the Drapers, Lay Missionaries in Chile

Online Chat

2010-09-13T15:38:00.001-04:00

Visit Our Site | Get Involved | Forward to a Friend

Dear Friends,

We are pleased to launch a new online communications venue, an online chat. On Tuesday, September 14, 2010, you can join us for our inaugural live chat with David and Anna Draper, Columban lay missionaries working in Chile. The chat starts at 10 a.m. Central time.

During the chat, you will be able to type in questions and read their responses, or you can watch as other participants submit their questions to the Drapers. If you are unable to log into the live event, you can submit a question or two ahead of time, then read the chat in the archived format at your convenience.

The live and archived version of the chat will be found here. On this page, you can also submit questions prior to the chat or sign up to receive an email reminder shortly before the chat begins.

Yours in Christ,
Fr. Arturo Augilar

Anna, David and son Joshua

Stay in touch:

Saving the World before Bedtime

2010-08-17T17:54:00.005-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, we had a special "jornada" (activity lasting an entire day) with our pre-teen groups. We're following a special series put out by the Catholic Church in Santiago focusing on this age group, which treats each kid as a super hero, called by God to change the world. They seemed to have a good time, but we're noticing that our particular group is becoming more and more teen every day. They're oversleeping, not following through on promises and have a hard time making it to mass at... noon. They often have excuses for missing activities, like they have too much homework, but we have enough experience to know that the simple fact is, sometimes sitting on the couch watching t.v. is much more appealing than walking to the chapel ten minutes away. And then there is the constant "fight factor." Best friends change weekly, as petty quarrels over boys, music tastes or he said that she said that he said become just way too important. Pre-teens are a special breed. We hope to survive until the end of the year.

The two photos above are of a game we like to play. We tie balloons to everyone's ankle and then let them loose to pop or be popped. The last one with an inflated balloon wins. It's a great way to wear them out.

Each kid made a comic strip showing their favorite memories of the group so far.

In this series, the kids are divided into tribes, based on the 12 tribes of Israel. Each tribe has its own symbol, color and personality.

In order to help the kids identify with their tribes, they receive gifts like t-shirts, hats and pins throughout the year. Since we are a very poor parish, we've only got as far as pins. We're hoping to raise some money this year in order to buy t-shirts.

Sickies

2010-08-13T14:41:00.004-04:00

We've been hit with the plague. David fell first, then Joshua a few days later and Anna the next. Joshua had us scared with a temperature peaking at 105.6 (yikes). The doctor filled him with medicines to keep him sufficiently dazed until the worst passed. Here's some documentation of how the boys like to spend their sick days:

Alone at Last

2010-07-20T18:56:00.002-04:00

Our last visitor left yesterday. That was a long two week vacation. Ten visitors past through, some staying a couple of days and many staying over a week. We were pretty worn out yesterday, but after they left, we got a blast of energy and were able to put the house back in order, put Joshua to bed in his own room (thank goodness!!) and relax. We're back to work today though, having meetings and planning youth events. We didn't do a great job getting pictures, but here are a few that prove Joshua had a good time:

Surprise!! Visitors...

2010-07-12T12:22:00.003-04:00

Our house has reached a hallmark event. We had 10 people and one dog sleeping here one night. It's a record for our 3 bedroom, one bathroom home. One family was a fellow lay missionary, her husband and two children. Her oldest daughter is three and Joshua had a great time playing with her. Matilda made her debut on this blog here. As soon as she walked in the door, Joshua's face lit up, and they then proceeded to squeal, hug, bang on pots, jump on the bed, kick a ball around, chase the dog and play just about every other fun game a 3 year old can think of. The second night of their visit, a friend from Santiago called sheepishly saying, "I'm on a bus about to arrive to Iquique and I need a place to stay." Since all of the beds were occupied, we offered her the couch. She accepted with a sigh of relief. The trip took longer than we thought and David went to pick her up from the bus stop at 2am! Surprisingly, he found not one, but three people to bring back! She had come with her husband and nephew as well. The three of them shared a couch and love seat. We're still not sure how, but they managed to sleep well without rolling onto the floor. Again, Joshua was thrilled to wake up and find three more friends to add to his antics. We'll probably have a couple more visitors before the end of the week, since this is winter vacation (and la Tirana) time. We're having a great time, along with Joshua, sharing with such good Chilean friends.

A Free Moment (by Anna)

2010-07-03T20:53:00.003-04:00

I had a free moment here and I thought I would share a little of the day-to-day stuff that usually gets lost. It's Saturday night, a little before 9pm. That means that David is boiling 2 large pots full of the sweetest tea you've ever tasted. A southerner knows sweet tea, and this tea goes beyond any down-home barbecue version ever created. It's like liquid rock candy. He's also made about thirty baloney with margarine sandwiches. It's a pretty gross creation, but Chilean kids love it. Every Friday and Saturday night, he goes out into the plazas with his tea and sandwiches, sits on a bench and waits. Kids arrive first, asking if they can have some tea. They approvingly smile at the first taste and exclaim, "bien dulce!" (really sweet!). They then invite their older brothers, mothers and friends to come have a sandwich with them. As they share their meal, they sit with David and talk about their lives, ask how to say their names in English. They laugh when he says Juan is John and Maria is Mary.

As the night goes on, more adults stop by and ask for a cup of tea. They're more silent, but eventually share that this is the first thing they've had to eat all day. They're the drug addicts that roam the streets all night, scraping together what they can in order to buy cheap hits of "pasta base" - the junk left over after making cocaine. They're bone thin and have a vacant look in their eyes. They tell David about what it's like to live as an addict, how they've lost their families and that they can't hold down a job. They go days without eating and pass terrible cold while roaming the streets at night. David does what he does best; he listens. If they show interest in getting help, David knows where to direct them. He has connections to rehabilitation programs and has taken special courses to work in prevention and accompaniment of people with addiction problems. Two people have gotten into rehab thanks to these night-time outings.

Of course, most don't end up getting help. But, we hope that through talking to another person who shows them respect and love, they're able to regain a little of their humanity and to remember that they aren't alone. We hope that the words of encouragement remind them that there is hope for their own lives, that things can change. With God's help, we've seen hope restored, lives turn around and families reunited.

It took me twenty minutes to write this post. David has left with his tea and sandwiches. Joshua's in his crib, pretending to burp and saying "excuse me" in Spanish, laughing each and every time. I'm sitting at the computer, catching up on email and sharing a little of our lives with you. It's a good life.

Caminata

2010-06-22T13:42:00.006-04:00

On Sunday afternoon, about 70 youth and 10 adults showed up at our chapel for a caminata (hiking excursion). We've written about a couple of caminatas here and here. Chileans, while similar to Americans in our general hatred of walking, love a good caminata. Most religious festivals or feast days are celebrated with a long, arduous journey to help the faithful remember Christ's suffering and to offer up their own hardships as a prayer for a special intention. This was the first time we organized our own on a parish level.

The kids arrived relatively on time (only twenty minutes late!), revealing their excitement for the walk to begin. We played a couple of games to keep them happy while the latecomers arrived and then embarqued on an hour long trek up the mountain that they call a hill. It was tough for them. Many tried to give up along the way, but were encouraged to keep going. We all made it to the top, where we had a special activity planned.

The view from the top is spectacular. You can see all of our neighborhood, all of Alto Hospicio and even the ocean down in Iquique. Since it's winter, the fog was pretty thick and we couldn't see the ocean too clearly. But, as the sun set, it cast an orange hue on the water and we all got a special glimpse of nature. (Guess who forgot the camera?)

Besides showing them a view, we wanted to give the kids a more profound look into the mass. We have the problem in our parish that the teens don't come to mass. Or, when they do come, they show up late, sit close to the back or chat outside until Communion, when they walk up the aisle to receive the host and then quickly leave. So, we broke them up into groups and set up stations that represented different parts of the mass:

1) Forgiveness - in this station, we had the kids take part in an Act of Reconciliation, where they were able to write their sins and shortcomings on a piece of paper and burn them. We wanted them to know that asking for forgiveness is not only for once or twice a year in the confessional, but rather part of a constant conversation with God. The mass serves us as a more frequent reminder to examine our conscience and to live better lives.

2) The Gospel - The kids did a Lectio Divina activity with the gospel reading for that day. They were guided in a relaxation meditation, read the gospel and shared what the text said to them and how they were called to live out that message in their lives. They then finished with a small prayer that each one spoke from the heart.

3) The Offering - Here, we focused on what the kids could offer God from their own lives. They were asked to create a small figure from clay that would symbolize what they want to offer to God. Some made guitars, which meant that they wanted to share their gift of music, others made bread, saying that they wanted to share materially with the most poor of the community and many made hearts, signifying that they wanted to offer their love and care for others.

4) The Consecration - This was a more complicated theme, as the conversion of mere bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ is indeed a mystery. So, we decided to have the kids look over the scene, the setting sun over an ocean from the top of a mountain, and to contemplate the presence of God in nature. Interestingly, during one group's contemplation, the clouds formed a cross in the sky.

5) Communion - We focused on this theme after we returned from our walk and came back to the chapel. We arrived and shared a meal together - evening tea. Here, we chatted and laughed about the events of the day.

We feel so privileged to be apart of a team here at the parish where we are able to hold events like this one, where we strive to create an ambiance where each youth has the opportunity to have a personal encounter with God. Being able to share our gifts in order to bring others to Christ has been so rewarding. For this, we are very thankful.

Look Who's Two

2010-06-11T16:20:00.004-04:00

Joshua's birthday was a week ago on June 3rd. Kids' parties here are a big deal. They involve at least two cakes (one for the party and one to send home with guests), meals for both the kids and their accompanying adults, the traditional piñata, balloon animals, clowns, inflatable bouncy castles.... We just couldn't do it. We wanted to invite a couple of kids his age over for cake, but then we knew we would offend the rest of the neighborhood by not inviting them. So, we opted for the tradition in both of our families - a made-at-home cake, a couple of presents and a song after dinner. Joshua was delighted with the results. Every day after lunch now, he asks, "Mas torta? Mas velas?" (More cake? More candles?). Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa R. he is now enjoying a non-cardboard guitar and driving us CRAZY with the noise.

Pentecost

2010-05-31T00:00:00.004-04:00

Last weekend, we had a big vigil for Pentecost. Vigils in Chile aren't like those we've attended in the US. When we first arrived to Chile, we were invited to attend a Pentecost vigil. We expected mass and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, for a couple of hours in a silent church. What we got was an all night slumber party. There was singing, dancing, games and food. By the time 8am rolled around, we were dead tired and ready to be home in bed. The kids were still going strong and immediately began asking when the next vigil would be.

The one we had in our parish this year was a compromise, since we are in a Chilean parish, but the two priests and two lay missionaries in charge of the event are all foreigners! Our multicultural version still involved singing, dancing and food. However, we won the battle of time, ending the event at midnight instead of 8am. The youth ministry here really just started when we arrived to the north a couple of years ago. So, this event, which was planned by the youth leaders, was a big success for us. We had a 130 people participate, of all ages, but with a majority of teens. The presence of teens is very attractive to other teens. Events like this serve as great motivators for kids just starting out in the youth groups. They see so many others their age participating - praising God and interested in their faith - that it takes away their own embarrassment and makes it more of a normal process.

We were feeling particularly proud of the kids in our own chapel, since they were participating so well and many of them are brand new to the church. So, last night we took them down to Iquique for a diocesan wide celebration of Pentecost. Again, lots of singing and dancing. However, this time, Anna caught a couple of the kids sneaking off to smoke cigarettes and another couple kissing in a corner, after they had gone off "looking for the bathroom." So, please be assured, our teens are real, with all the annoying things that teens do attached. We're happy to have such a normal bunch to be participating with us and are looking forward to see God transform their lives as they get more involved.

The Best Present EVER

2010-05-22T00:47:00.005-04:00

Joshua is at a stage where he doesn't like anything, he only loves it or HATES it. Guitars are under the love category. But, being as he is so destructive and Anna is so crafty, she decided to forgoe buying him a cheap plastic guitar that would be crushed in a month and made him an even cheaper (but more love-filled) version out of old cereal boxes. He, of course, loved it. So much so that he continued pretend strumming while drinking his milk, and then screamed bloody murder when she tried to take it away at the end of the night. He fell asleep embracing it like his favorite teddy bear and when he awoke the next morning, his first sleepy words were, "ee-tah-uh," which you've probably figured out is baby Spanish for guitar. It was crushed within a week, but oh what a fun week it was.

The Introduction

His best Hendrix impression.

The nighttime embrace.

Would they know we are Christians by our love?

2010-05-08T12:25:00.003-04:00

Todays gospel, Jn 15, 18-21:

Jesus said to his disciples:
“If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.
If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own;
but because you do not belong to the world,
and I have chosen you out of the world,
the world hates you.
Remember the word I spoke to you,
‘No slave is greater than his master.’
If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.
If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
And they will do all these things to you on account of my name,
because they do not know the one who sent me.”

Last week we were trying to get this idea across to one of our youth groups - that being a Christian doesn't mean a life without pain or suffering. In fact, many Christians suffer more because of their beliefs. Often, it would be a lot easier to just forget Christ's teaching to love our neighbor and to ignore that homeless guy on the street, or not to respect God's creation by throwing that candy wrapper out the window. We introduced the youth to two Christians that most would agree, lived their lives for Christ and suffered greatly because of it: Mother Theresa and Archbishop Oscar Romero. It surprised us when they claimed to have never even heard of either of them! Who's never heard of Mother Theresa?! We hid our shock and reminded ourselves that these kids are 14 years old, that she died in 1997 when they were babies and that all of them are self-claimed haters of reading. Ask them about Daddy Yankee and we're sure that they could teach us a few things.... but back to the point.

After watching a short video on Romero, one youth stood in silence, mouth gaping... "Uncle David, what happened? They didn't kill him, did they?!". This led to the inevitable and necessary question, why?, which gave way to a great discussion on what it means to be a Christian today. We're pretty sure they understood the message. Now today, that same message is for us. We are forced to make a choice daily:

Do I belong to the world?

Or, do I belong to Christ?

Who are the Columbans?

2010-05-03T16:29:00.007-04:00

Columban missionaries are Catholics called to share the gospel by crossing borders. We're a group of men and women, religious and lay, single and married, who come from all over the world. It may be interesting to know that most of our missionaries are coming from Asia at this time.

In 2009, the Columban family included 483 priests, 60 lay missionaries and 16 associate priests (diocesan priests "on loan" to the Columbans for a specific number of years). The "Misionary Sisters of Saint Columban," while forming a separate and autonomous society, also share our missionary journey. Columbans are currently working in Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Chile, China, Fiji, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Taiwan and the U.S.A. If you are interested in learning more about our history, then we highly recommend reading The Red Lacquered Gate by William E. Barrett.

The point of this blog entry is to let you know that we're not alone. We are one family who has answered the call to mission, and we are accompanied by a fantastic group of people. Some of those people also like to blog. So, if you're interested in reading about their adventures, you can link to their sites on the side bar to the right under "Columban Blogs."

We especially recommend "Diamonds on a Mission", which is written by American couple Dan and Meri Diamond, who are on their first year of mission in Peru. Other links are from lay missionaries in the Philippines and Columbans in the U.S. We know there are more out there, but haven't been able to track them down yet.

"Columban Lay Mission Conference" held in Chile in 2005.

Hooray for Babies!

2010-04-29T21:57:00.003-04:00

Welcome to the world Caden Patrick! David's brother and his wife had a baby yesterday and he's as cute as a button. We can't wait to get him and Joshua together.

"A Different World" by Anna

2010-04-26T17:42:00.003-04:00

After five years here, Chile has become home (sorry mom and dad). We feel very comfortable within the culture and don't really notice the differences that once left us puzzled. We have no problem kissing people the first time we meet them and we now set the table for evening tea with the tea cup closest and the bread plate farther away. After all, tea is the most important part of the meal, not the actual food itself. Yesterday, however, I had a cultural encounter that left me questioning, "Wait a sec... what's happening here? Am I the only one who finds this odd?".

Yesterday, I accompanied Fr. Mike to a special liturgy in honor of the year anniversary of the death of a young boy in our neighborhood named Jean. He was around 15 years old when he was stabbed to death last year. The anniversary liturgy was held in his mother's home and I entered the living room to find a large group of his teenage friends. They sat quietly, awaiting the "mass." We began the prayer service with a few words from Jean's mother. She was obviously sad and said that after a year, she found her faith waning. However, it was uplifting for her to see so many of her son's friends show up to remember him. The young girl who read the first reading stated that the most impactful part of the reading was when it said "God will dry all of our tears."

Up until this point, I didn't notice anything culturally different. It was a group of family and friends mourning the death of their loved one. It wasn't until after the prayers, during the social part of the event, that I started thinking, "This is not the way I grew up. This is strange." During the service, I noticed one of the young girls had a baby. Not unusual. Then I noticed about 3 other teens with young children. One was wearing a tank top, despite the cold weather, and slippers instead of shoes. The mother of Jean began chatting with the teens. She was asking questions, trying to figure out who Jean had been dating before his death. She had reason to believe that he had left a girl pregnant before his death and that she now had a 3 month old granddaughter. She went through a list of girls that she thought he may have been sleeping with and questioned each of the girls with a baby about the age of their children. As Fr. Mike and I drove away, we passed by a large group of the teens that had been at the house with us. They were sitting on the street, drinking beer and smoking. Most seemed to be between 14 and 18 years old.

Are these cultural differences? Class differences? Probably a little of both. The one thing that cannot be denied is that the reality here can be rough. Things that would have parents in a rage in the US are both common and accepted here among teens and their parents - sex, drinking, smoking and violence. Sometimes, we get frustrated when the activities in our chapel don't work out. But, then we remember the harsh reality and it makes us grateful for the kids that do participate. The teens here need a radical experience to wake them up, to help them realize that they can build a better life. And that radical experience is God in their lives.

Good Bye Hanyang

2010-04-20T00:18:00.005-04:00

We've been in Santiago this week for the bi-annual regional meeting with all of the Columbans here in Chile. This year, the meeting was held at a Jesuit retreat house and the grounds were beautiful. Joshua was amazed by all the green and the walnut trees were in full force. Joshua came in contact with a few new things, like a pine cone, a dandelion and a bird's feather. He loved tickling his face with the flowers and throwing walnuts at the trees. These are special experiences for a boy from the desert! The weather was fantastic all week, until the last day when it rained. Joshua enjoyed this as well, however, since rain is also a novelty. We enjoyed spending time with with our fellow missionaries, priests and lay, who work throughout Chile. It has been almost two years since we have been able to make it to a regional meeting (due to Joshua's adoption, the sudden death of our regional director and travel to the US), so we especially enjoyed getting caught up with the whole Columban family.

We also received some sad news, however. The lay mission house, where we stay when we're in Santiago and also where Chilean missionaries in formation live, has been sold. We call this house "Hanyang" because the first place of Columban mission was in Hanyang, China. Hanyang house has been for sale for awhile, but we never expected it to sell so quickly. During the last five years, we've built up some very fond memories in that house. We had a despedida (going away party) on Saturday and shared some of the memories with our co-missionaries and also with some ex-Chilean missionaries. The Columbans have owned the house for 25 years and it was originally the seminary for young men in formation to become priests. We'll miss the house, but are also looking forward to starting fresh in a new area, closer to the subway line and also more practical for our purposes. With ten bedrooms and six bathrooms, the old house was quite difficult to keep up with!

Here is a photo of Joshua with our regional director, Fr. Derry Healy. He looks so serious because he was coming down with a cold and ready for his nap. Not to mention he had been attacked by mosquitos that morning! Still, a cute picture.

That Thing He Does

2010-04-11T23:07:00.003-04:00

These are pictures of things that David has pulled out of the VCR today - the t.v. remote and the orange ring from Joshua's stacking toy. Joshua was recently diagnosed with early onset of Age Two Disease.

Easter

2010-04-09T14:16:00.002-04:00

On Sunday morning, we met with our pre-teen group. They were excited about Easter and really happy not to have to practice for Stations of the Cross any more. So, we had a fun day. Coloring pictures, playing ping-pong and playing a life-sized board game called "The Great Holy Week Game" that we found on the internet. We all went to mass after the group. David and one of the older youth hid chocolate eggs outside for the kids to find. The tradition here is to hunt for small chocolate eggs instead of plastic or real ones. We had the youngest kids hunt for eggs in a separate area. Joshua was really good at finding eggs, stuffing them in his mouth and biting down (tin foil covering intact) before David could get it out of his hand. All of the kids had a great time.

We have been blessed to begin this year with great participation from the youth. Please pray especially for our teens who are newly entering the Christian world. It really is a tough time in their lives and living here in Alto Hospicio, they are up against a lot of scary temptations. It is not easy for them to live a Christian life here and they need all the support they can get.

Holy Saturday

2010-04-07T15:29:00.006-04:00

After the two hour Stations of the cross on Friday afternoon, David ran the shared amplification system to another chapel and did another 2 hour Stations of the Cross. Then, he woke up at 6:30 am and took the youth group up the "hill" running from Iquique up to Alto Hospicio for a third Stations of the Cross. The man is dedicated. This "hill" is most definitely a mountain by Floridian definition. And it is composed of soft sand, causing feet to sink down deep with every step. Not an easy trek. Anna, while usually eager to suffer in the hot sun, stayed home with Joshua. Chilean youth in general love a good "caminata" (walk) and were thrilled to participate with the rest of the diocese in the climb. We were going to cancel the usual Saturday afternoon youth group meeting, but they asked us not to. Then, in order to blow us all away with their participation, they prepared the bonfire used in the Saturday night Easter Vigil and stayed for mass. We are still dazed from witnessing their Super Teen abilities.

Geering up with anticipation.

Fr. Mike Howe, a Columban who works with us in the parish, joined the kids. They really like the close relationship they have with the Columban priests. It makes a big difference!

We told you it wasn't a hill...

Sr. Leonor is a Mexican sister who works with us in the parish. She's here with the youth from her chapel.

A group shot near the top.

The kids insist on throwing up symbols with their hands in every photo, so David decided he would try to hang with the cool kids.

Getting down was apparently a lot of fun, including jumping, flipping and sliding down on their rears.

Good Friday

2010-04-06T21:40:00.007-04:00

We decided to get the kids a little more involved in Holy Week this year. One way was to have our pre-teen group act out the Stations of the Cross. It was a crazy mess trying to get them organized. The night before the event, three kids backed out. So, we had to grab a couple of our "big" kids to help out... that's why Jesus is a few feet taller than the rest of them! In the end, it turned out well. Simple and humble, it reflected the community's best attributes.

Cardboard and Tin Foil at it's best.

The ever-present street dogs take on the Roman Army.

We were well accompanied by our newly ordained deacon and the Marist Brothers (with the guitar and microphone) who run an elementary school in our neighborhood.

Pilot interrogates Jesus.

Simon the Cyrean helps Jesus with the cross.

Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem (our girls cried really well).

A shot of Jesus on the cross. As you can see, we did not win the battle of getting him to take the tunic off in front of his friends and neighbors.

We ended in the chapel with Adoration of the Cross and a Communion Service.

Drug War in Juarez

2010-04-01T09:49:00.003-04:00

A Columban priest, Fr. Kevin Mullins was recently interviewed for this video by PBS. He's been working in Juarez, Mexico for the last several years and once upon a time, also worked in Chile. It's terrible to think of all the violence that people there have to live with on a daily basis. For us, it's more proof of the great needs that exist in the world - for missionaries, for respect for life and for God.

Look Who's Talking

2010-03-21T20:39:00.003-04:00

David has a conversation with Joshua, after seeing his hands covered in dirt:

Daddy: Joshua, no. Caca.

Joshua: Eat caca.

Daddy: No!

Joshua: Eat caca.

Daddy: No eat caca.

Joshua: Eat caca!

Daddy: NO! EAT! CACA!

Joshua: (sly smile, hand towards mouth) EAT CACA!! (Hilarious baby giggling ensues)

Help an Adoption

2010-03-16T18:46:00.002-04:00

We're copying this from our friend Stephany's blog in hopes that they'll be able to raise some money:

"My sister Terri is hostessing a Pampered Chef party next week as a fundraiser for their adoption of Sophia from Taiwan. In lieu of hostess benefits, a percentage of all purchases will go towards their adoption fund. If you would like to order something (it can be shipped to you!) please visit her consultant's website, and click on "Shop Online" then enter the name: Terri Fisher. The deadline to order is Friday, March 26.

Thank you for being a part of bringing a very special little girl home!

PS - If you are willing, would you share this information on your blog(s) and Facebook? I would love to see this fundraiser go the extra mile for little Sophia!"

New Year, New Hope

2010-03-14T15:18:00.006-04:00

It's one of the most busy times of the year for us. Kids go back to school in March and church activities usually begin with Holy Week. We've been visiting lots of houses this past week, chatting with youth and their parents, encouraging them to participate in this year's activities. For the last two years, much of our time has been spent getting to know the community and building trusting relationships with our neighbors. It was hard in the beginning to get youth involved in activities because they were scared to start something new and they really didn't know us that well.

We've already noticed that things are much easier this year. Instead of dragging kids out of their houses to come to church, we actually had a group of kids show up at our door a couple of weeks ago asking, "When do we get to start?". Today, we had 16 youth show up at mass, without us previously making threats!! At a chapel where when we first arrived, you could find 2 teenagers sullenly sitting at their parents sides on Sunday, this is a big deal.

Lots of times, we don't get to see the results of our labor. There have been countless times that we have felt like giving up on a group, and others that we did give up. That's why it has been so encouraging for us to be able to see these small fruits. It gives us much more energy to start the year off and to work hard even when we're tired. If you hear us complaining in the future about annoying teens or ambivalent parents, then please remind us of times like these, where things actually worked out.

A couple of teens from our youth group.

The Tidal Wave that Never Was

2010-03-11T18:51:00.003-05:00

It was a bad day to take a trip to Iquique. And that's just what I (Anna) decided to do this afternoon, about an hour after a 7.2 earthquake shook central Chile. As a preventative measure, Iquique decided to evacuate the city in preparation for a tsunami. I wasn't privy to this information when I got on the bus in Alto Hospicio. I made the 40 minute trek down the mountain to Iquique and realized my problem as soon as I arrived.

As the bus entered the city, I was faced with hundreds of people who had left the coast in search for higher ground. Just as I was descending the mountain, these hundreds of people were looking for away to get up! Needless to say, I didn't make it to the post office or to the art store as I had hoped. I wasn't too worried about a tsunami, but it was interesting to see people's reactions and the way they handled the situation.

Lots of people carried their dogs with them. The local convenience store was swarmed with people buying the necessities - bottled watter, potato chips and cigarettes. I also bought a couple of essentials (ginger ale and a sandwich) and walked over to the bus stop to return home. It quickly became apparent that this was not going to happen! There was a swarm of people waiting for buses and taxis, which passed by without stopping because they were already beyond capacity. A few kind souls with private vehicles and space stopped to pick up elderly women, mothers with small children or neighbors. Interestingly though, about 80% of the cars passed by empty, racing by the nervous crowd in order to beat the "tidal wave."

I think that Iquique earned a "Needs Improvement" grade in regards to Brotherly Love. In conclusion, the next time I'm in Iquique during an earthquake or tsunami warning, I'll get started early and walk up the mountain. I'm sure I'll make it to the top before the buses make it through the traffic jam.

Experiences After the Earthquake (English Version)

2010-03-08T10:10:00.005-05:00

The following note was written by Alvaro Martinez, Vice-Director of the Region of Chile

Experiences after visiting places affected by the earthquake and tsunami

On Thursday, March 4th, I started my journey with three others - Eduardo, the camera man; Francisca, a journalist for t.v. station UCVTV and Fernando, my brother-in-law who also took photos. Our destination was Pencahue, located in the seventh region of Chile. Inicially, our motive was to bring help to those stuck in the town and to visit my sister who has suffered the complete loss of her house. But, God along with technological possibilities had some additional desires. This was the way that the idea arose to document the damage caused by the earthquake. Even though the original destination was the small town Pencahue, the massive destruction we found caused us to visit more places, such as Pencahue, botalcura, corinto, Curepto, iloca, hualañe and sagrada familia.

The massive destruction of homes, jobs, hopes and dreams mixed together with hopes and dreams of lifting up out of this tragedy. Communities such as Pencahue have lost around one thousand houses, only a parcial count that has been turned in by the local authorities. More than 60% of Curepto was destroyed. The massive damage and destruction in Corinto and botalcura were mainly due to the earthquake, while in iloca, it was not hit only by the quake, but also struck by the tsunami.

There were so many accounts to be told and heard. People slept outside of their houses due to fear, or simply because they had no where to live. We saw babies sleeping in the street and elderly people crying while looking to their faith, trying to find the reasons why an earthquake of such magnitude would occur here. Some of the stories were so emotionally moving that even though the victims held back their tears, it made the heart cry. One such story was when a woman came up to us and said, "I don't want help. Thanks be to God, I am alive and I have what I need to survive. What I really need is for someone to listen to me." How can one not break down, when faced with women fighting over a ration of food, or men and women broken from the weight of the walls that fell upon them. Hearing the screams of children saying, "Hear we are! And we need help too."

I could write a thousand more stories, describing the thousand more faces, or the reuniting of a father and son in Iloca. We picked up this father on the highway and acompanyed him during tense moments looking, asking, demanding to know where his son was, where he was staying, who was caring for him. We finally found the house and they were able to reunite. We witnessed the encounter and the embraces of those that perhaps, we will never meet again. Even so, we will never forget those moments of looking and encounter.

Finally. The earthquake has passed and the sea has returned to its normal rhythm, but today we are able to visualize the first human replicas of the disaster. The post earthquake traumas are now appearing. They are surfacing in the fear of noises, the physical effects of exhaustion, the peoples' inability to tell and retell their experiences. This displays itself through physical signs. The material need is urgent, but we shouldn't forget about these other dimensions of human life. It is necessary to speak and hear the words unspoken and the stories not told. The reconstruction of this country will not only deal with houses, but also with morality. We cannot negate the looting or pretend that it didn't happen. The spiritual and psychological world has also been harmed and need to be repaired.

The truth is that words cannot express what we have felt and lived through. At the end of the more than 1,000 kilometers traveled, Fernando referred to what we have experienced as being stronger than what was shown on television. It was definitely more raw, but I think that the reason is that the television can't transmit the smells or the dreams and stories shared over a cup of tea or a sopaipilla. I think that we went through this experience so that we could touch the wounds of Christ and feel as if we were with Him, the pain of feeling abandoned by His Father, who exclaims, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?." Without a doubt, we were touched by those moments that we were able to share with the Christs of today, but we were also able to share the hopeful words of Jesus, "Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit." As an elderly woman said, "God has given me this experience and I was able to live it with Him."

Alvaro Martinez.

Experiencias Después del Terremoto

2010-03-08T10:03:00.002-05:00

Lo siguiente fue escrito por el P. Alvaro Martinez, el vicedirector de los Columbanos en Chile:

Experiencias después de visitar lugares del terremoto y tsunami

El jueves 4 de marzo partimos cuatro personas, Eduardo, camarógrafo, Francisca periodista del canal de televisión UCVTV, y Fernando, mi cuñado que hizo de fotógrafo. El destino fue Pencahue, localidad de la séptima región de Chile. Inicialmente el motivo fue llevar ayuda para los damnificados y visitar a mi hermana que ha sufrido perdida total de su casa . Pero Dios y las posibilidades tecnológicas quisieron agregar otros deseos. Fue como así surgió la idea de documentar el daño producido por el terremoto. Aunque el destino inicial era el pueblote Pencahue, lo masivo de la destrucción nos motivo a visitar mas lugares, algunos de ellos son: Pencahue, botalcura, corinto, Curepto, iloca, hualañe, sagrada familia, entre otros.

La destrucción masiva de hogares, empleos, sueños y esperanzas se entremezclan con sueños y deseos de levantarse. Comunidades como Pencahue que ha perdido cerca de mil casas, cifras parciales entregadas por la autoridad local. Curepto mas del sesenta por ciento destruido. Corinto, botalcura masivamente destruidos y dañados por el efecto del terremoto e iloca que no solo el terremoto sino que también fue azotado por el tsunami.

Las historias escuchadas y contadas son tantas , la gente dormía fuera de sus casas por temor, o simplemente porque ya no tiene donde vivir. Vimos bebes durmiendo en la calle , gente adulta mayor llorando y tratando de explicar por medio de la fe lo que les había producido este sismo de tan altas dimensiones. Algunas de las historias movieron tanto el corazón que algunos de los integrantes contenían las lagrimas, sin embargo, el corazón lloraba, como no cuando una mujer se nos acerca y dice “ yo no quiero ayuda , gracias a Dios estoy viva y algo tengo para sobrevivir lo que necesito es que me escuchen” como no quebrarse frente a la historia de mujeres peleándose a golpes por una ración de comida, o mujeres y hombres rotos por los golpes de las murallas que caían encima de ellos. Gritos de niños que dicen aquí también necesitamos ayuda.

Podría contarles mil historias mas, describir mil rostros mas, o el reencuentro de un padre con su hijo en Iloca. A este padre que llevamos desde la carretera y lo acompañamos durante tensos minutos buscando, preguntando, clamando donde esta el hijo, donde esta quedándose, quien lo esta cuidando, finalmente encontramos la casa y se pudieron juntar, reencontrase y empezar los abrazos de estos dos personas que quizás nunca los volvamos a ver. Sin embargo, esos minutos de búsqueda y el reencuentro jamás se nos olvidaran.

Finalmente. El terremoto ha pasado y el mar ha vuelto a su ritmo normal. Pero hoy se empiezan a visualizar los primeros replicas humanas del fuerte sismo. Es decir, los traumas post terremoto están apareciendo , están apareciendo los miedos a los ruidos, los efectos físicos del cansancio, la incapacidad de contar y recontar el momento vivido por las personas en estas localidades, eso empieza a salir a través de signos físicos , lo material es urgente pero no nos olvidemos de esta otras dimensiones del la vida humana, las palabras no dichas y las experiencias no contadas, son necesarias decirlas y escucharlas. La reconstrucción de este país no es solo casas, también es moral, no podemos negar los saqueos o pretender que no pasaron, el mundo espiritual y sicológico también están dañados y necesitan ser reconstruidos.

La verdad es que las palabras no pueden expresar lo que hemos sentido y vivido. Al final de los mas de mil kilómetros recorridos, Fernando hace la referencia a lo que hemos vivido es aún mas fuerte de lo mostrado en televisión. Si era mas crudo, pero creo que la respuesta se traduce en: la televisión no puede transmitir los olores, los sueños e historia contadas al calor de un mate o sopaipilla compartida. Creo que si eso nos pasó es que pudimos tocar las llagas de Cristo y sentir con él, la pena de sentirse abandonado por su Padre, estos son los cristos que claman Dios, mío Dios mío porque me has abandonado. Sin duda, nos dejo tocar ese momento y compartirlo con los Cristos de hoy pero también pudimos compartir las palabras de esperanza de Jesús , en tus manos encomiendo mi espíritu. Como dijo una anciana Dios me ha dado esta experiencia y pude vivirla con Él.

Alvaro Martinez.

Act of God?

2010-03-03T21:05:00.005-05:00

Watching the news and hearing people's personal experiences of the earthquake has given us something to think about. We can't help but make comparisons, as CNN has done, between Haiti and Chile. While this quake was 100 times more powerful than the one in Haiti, the devastation has obviously been much less. Over 200,000 were killed in Haiti; in Chile, the count is just over 800. Better infrastructure, preparedness and a very organized government reaction can be cited as reasons for Chile's less devastating outcome. But, we would like to point out something more general as the differentiating variable, and that is injustice.

With natural disasters, we often lament that nothing can be done, that it is an act of nature that can affect anyone. While true, the devastating consequences have much more to do with poverty than with randomness. Haiti is a poor country with a highly corrupt government. Chile is the most economically successful country in Latin America and prides itself on very little corruption. Personally, we think the difference in consequences has more to do with apathy than with God's will.

As US citizens living in another country, we are reminded daily that we are economically privileged. Jesus clearly teaches that believers with wealth have a great task ahead of them, "Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." (Matthew 19:24). We have a moral responsibility to use our wealth wisely, to fight injustice and together with all Christians, to help build God's kingdom here on earth. What happened in Haiti is proof that we're not doing our job.

Our apathetic attitudes towards our neighbors in destitute situations has its consequences. We saw the same thing during Hurricane Katrina. Those who suffered most were the poor and marginalized. No one can prevent natural disasters, but we are capable of lessening their negative impact. The fact that Haiti suffered so much more than Chile is a result of our sinfullness and should serve as a reflection during this lenten season... Are we personally responsible in some way for the suffering of others? If so, how can we work to create a more just world?

Personal Accounts

2010-03-01T09:46:00.003-05:00

We received these two reports from Columban priests working in Valparaíso and Santiago this morning. We are so thankful that we had no major injuries or damages in the Columban family.

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Earthquake in Chile

(report by Fr. Derry Healy, the director of the Columbans here in Chile)

We are all well and alive, just the shock of the whole experience. All the Columban group are safe and haven´t suffered major damages. Most of the contents of the houses were turned over with the shake. I was not long in bed and was woken up to what I thought was someone trying to break it as the woodwork creaked and the front door vibrated. Soon I felt the whole house shaking and I just and ran for it and up on to the street. Our house is wooden and on stilts on the edge of a ravine. I felt like it was never going to end. Many of us spent the rest of the night on the street with the people. Here in Valparaiso, we gathered the people around, clear of building and electricity wires and got a fire going and made a 40 litre pot of tea. Luckily we has a supply of cups in the Ecological Centre.

I managed to contact all the Columbans (lay missionaries, Associates, Sisters and priests) by yesterday afternoon. Mobile phones were the first to get back the signal. he Centre House in Santiago has suffered minor damages. Also some of our chinches presnet some cracks, but nothing major. Communications, water and electricity are being gradually restored. Since the last major earthquake on March 3rd 1985, strict anti-sismic building regulations have been put in place in Chile and this has prevented a major disaster. This earthquake was much stonger than any experienced in rcent years.

Yesterday, Saturday, was like a "Holy Saturday" just contemplating suffering and vulnerability and in a limbo situation. Today Sunday the gospel of the the tranfiguration gives us new hope and wonder and while the little Christian community would like o stay on Mount Tabor, they are now chllenged to become envolved in the wider community and keep hope alive amid so much disaster. Today there has been here movement and people are trying to get to normal. There are still some tremors as I write this. People around here are still on the street and won´t go back into their apartments yet.

Derry.

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Report by Fr. Dan Harding, an Australian Columban working in Santiago

This earthquake at 8.8 at the epicentre on the Richter Scale was one of the most powerful in history, or rather since recording earthquakes began. It was the fifth most powerful earthquake ever recorded in history and lasted almost 3 minutes. Even though the city of Santiago is several hundred kilometres from the epicentre, the level of intensity for us here in Santiago was 8.5 on the Richter scale. Remember the Haiti earthquake was 7.0 on the Richter Scale. The largest earthquake ever recorded was in Chile in 1960 at 9.5 on the Richter scale.    Speaking personally it was a terrible shock to be awoken from deep sleep at the beginning of the earthquake. I was awoken by my small dog barking and birds outside fluttering wildly. I thought to myself that a neighbours' cat must be at the birds. So I got up and turned the light on. Just then the earthquake started in great intensity and all the electricity cut out. I was lucky to get outside and hold on to a fence in the darkness as the earth, trees and buildings around me shook wildly. It was an extremely frightening experience. One is completely helpless, not knowing what is going to happen and trying to catch one's breath. Luckily none of us in the Columban Centre House were hurt and there was only minor damage to the buildings. After an earthquake everyone goes out onto the street for fear of after shocks. I spent the rest of night with hundreds of neighbours out on the footpath in pajamas in the cold morning air.   Much of the central part of Chile with over 80% of the population has been badly affected by the earthquake and the following Tsunami along the coast. Over 2,000,000 people have had their homes damaged or badly affected. Since the earthquake at 03.34 am Saturday morning local time, we have received over 90 after shocks which will continue for months ahead. Some of the after shocks like one at 8.30 this morning (Sunday) were in themselves small earthquake at 6.5 on the Richter Scale. The death toll is at 708 and climbing with dozens of disappeared.    The epicentre of the earthquake was only 90 kilometres from the city of Concepción, which is 500 kilometres from Santiago to the south along the coast. We Columbans do not work in Concepcion. There has been massive damage to Concepcion, its twin city Talcahuano and other cities between Santiago and Concepcion such as Chillan, Talca, Linares and Rancagua. In Concepcion, a 14 story apartment block fell over backwards and snapping into various parts. Rescue teams are still working on this building with over 40 people still unaccounted for. Continuous after shocks hinder the rescue work.    Today Sunday, police and now the military are trying to hold back looters in Concepcion and Santiago from looting supermarkets, shops, banks etc. Few supermarkets are open here in Santiago today for fear of looters. The metro is not yet functioning. There is a sense of panic in the air with large lines at petrol stations and the few shops open. This afternoon when I had to travel through the older part of Santiago, I saw hundreds on buildings damaged, burst water mains and families with a few pieces of furniture living out on the footpaths.   The Terminal at the International Airport in Santiago was severly damaged and only now are a few flights arriving from overseas. People wanting to leave Chile have to travel over the Andes to the Argentinian city of Mendoza and from there fly to Buenos Aires. In the city of Chillan, south of Santiago, a wall in the local jail collapsed and over 200 prisoners escaped.    The earthquake at 03.34 am Saturday morning, was followed 20 minutes later by a Tsunami along the Chilean coast up as north as Valparaiso, which is on the coast near Santiago. Giant Tsunami waves entered the coastal cities of Talcahuano, Constitucion and many coastal resort towns such as Ilorca, Duao and on the island of Juan Fernandez, washing out to sea hundred of house, buses, cars and people. As Chileans are used to earthquakes and Tsunamis, many people from the coast managed to escape to higher ground before the arrival of the Tsunami. At this stage, it is not know how many people were drowned by the Tsunami, but it is estimated that at least 150 people were drowned in the city of Constitution alone. In one coastal town, a Ferris Wheel was dragged upright from a small fair by the Tsunami wave a distance of 250 metres.    It is Sunday night here as I write this email. Hundred of families are sleeping outdoor in Santiago alone because their homes have either been destroyed or seriously damaged and are dangerous to occupy. Most damage in Santiago is in the older colonial part of the city. In this area, there are families sleeping in all the parks, plazas and outside their damaged apartment buildings. Many beautiful old colonial style churches have been damaged or destroyed. All around Santiago and on the main highway to the south, overpasses have collapsed effectively destroying much of Chile's advanced highway system. Thousands of people in Santiago as well as in the south do not yet have electricity or water connected.    We Columbans have asked the people in our parishes to pray and to help as much as possible the victims of the earthquake and the Tsunami. We will most likely be organizing special masses and collections and fund raising activities in all of our parishes.    Chile is one of the most organized countries in South America and especially well prepared for earthquakes and tsunamis. All schools have earthquake practice and for those near the coast, tsunami practice. Chilean rescue teams played an important role recently in Haiti. In less than two weeks, we will have a change of government which will complicate somewhat the recovery efforts.   Please keep the Chilean people in your prayers and we Columbans serving here. We thank God that none of us were hurt in any way.

Blessings,   DAN HARDING

Big Events

2010-02-28T14:42:00.007-05:00

The big news this week is the huge earthquake in Chile. While we were not affected here in the north, many of our friends and coworkers were badly shaken. The latest news is more than 700 deaths and tons of structural damage from the center to the south of the country. Many are without electricity or water. People are looting the supermarkets for food, water and some not-as-necessary items (big screen plasma t.v. anyone?). As far as our Columban family, we haven't had any injuries or deaths. We are again reminded to thank God for each day of life and to live that day to the fullest.

The earthquake came just a couple days after we arrived back home from a trip to Bolivia. We spent a week and a half in Cochabamba, where we studied Spanish five years ago, in the beginning of our mission. Bolivia is a beautiful country with an amazing and lively culture. It was great to go back and speak with our Bolivian family, much more fluently and to get reacquainted with the culture we fell in love with back then. Our timing couldn't have been better, as we arrived the weekend before lent and got to experience the Carnaval festivities.

Sadly, this was also our last week with Anna's sister Joanna. She has been in Chile for the last nine months and it's been great to have family so close. Joshua will really miss his tía and so will we. She was supposed to fly out of Santiago on March 2nd, but the airport is closed due to the earthquake. So, after a full day of running around the city and international calls, she arranged to travel by bus to Lima, Peru and to fly out of there to Miami. What a week! Here are some photos of the more pleasant times:

Us with our Bolivian family five years ago.

Us with our Bolivian family a couple of weeks ago. The girl on the left is a current student at the language institute and is living with our Bolivian family while she studies.

"Cristo de la Concordia" overlooks Cochabamba. Cochabambinos claim that this is the largest image of Christ in the world... bigger than the one in Brazil. This is a dispute that only Wikipedia can resolve.

Our Bolivian mom's hometown "Tarata." Her aunt continues to live and farm here. These are her very thirsty wheat fields. During the week of Carnaval, Bolivians take the opportunity to ch'llar, or bless, their homes and work places. They invited us with them to ch'llar the wheat fields. It was a very interesting experience!

The front door to their house in Tarata, a very colonial town. The two women in front are neighbors and show the typical Bolivian dress.

Joshua with a friendly baby alpaca!

Our Bolivian mother takes great joy in embarrassing us whenever she can. This time, she dressed us up in polleras (typical skirts) and had us dance in the street during Carnaval. It was a lot of fun, but she forgot to mention to us before hand that the dancers get soaked by the spectators with water guns, shaving cream and water balloons.

These two men are dressed for the "Tinkus," a really interesting dance that we got to perform at language school five years ago.

Our version of the "tinkus" looked something like this.

The Bad Kid

2010-02-07T12:33:00.003-05:00

Today at church, we realized that Joshua is "the bad kid." He had two other kids crying because he decided it would be fun to poke their eyes, throw rocks at them, put dirt on their heads and give them a kiss. He'll be spending the rest of the day in his crib, thinking about his actions and then writing an essay on how to make friends.

(Photo stolen from a friend's facebook)

Youth Hostal

2010-02-06T18:09:00.002-05:00

Lately, we seem to be running a youth hostel. When we arrived home from Santiago, we drove to Peru and dropped off Anna's sister, who will be travelling around with a friend. On our way out the door, we received a call from a youth we know from our old parish in Santiago. She had been backpacking with her two friends for two weeks and was just about to arrive to Iquique! So, we drove the five hours to Peru, ate some great ceviche, bought a pair of prescription eyeglasses for just $32, spent the night and drove back home the next morning. We were exhausted, but ready for house guests. After hosting the three of them for a few days, we then received another call. A family we know from Santiago was just about to send their 2 daughters off on a bus for Iquique along with a few friends. Could we please give them a place to stay? Since we had promised them a month ago that yes, they could stay with us, we had little choice. The five of them arrived today. We made a nice Chilean lunch (as Chileans are not commonly too fond of our north American cuisine) and sent them on their way to the beach. We then put Joshua down for a nap. Alone at last! With our new found freedom, we did the most exciting thing we could think of... we watched the season premier of Lost online. It was well worth the wait! Now, the only problem is that we have to wait five more days until the next episode. TORTURE!!

Odds and Ends

2010-01-26T11:26:00.004-05:00

We finished our course in Santiago and are now back in Iquique. Joshua really missed the dog and his Aunt Joanna here at home. He's been running around the house in a great mood, kissing the dog and saying new words every day. He even said his first sentence, "Eat ball." (meaning that he wanted to eat a peach, because he calls all round objects balls).

Going through all the photos on our computer, we came across these from last October, when we all dressed up for Halloween. Joshua and Anna were Batman and Robin and Anna's sister decided to go along with the super hero theme as well as "Super Cupcake." We had a lot of fun dressing up and Joshua even got some candy. Life is a lot more fun with a little boy.

Sex Ed

2010-01-11T19:41:00.003-05:00

We spent 9 hours listening to lectures today. We plan on doing the same thing tomorrow, the next day and every day this week. While we didn't really enjoy the sitting so long part, we are very thankful for the chance to learn a little more about a topic that has us frustrated to no end here on our mission. We're taking a course in Santiago called "Teenstar" that is capacitating us to teach comprehensive, faith-based sex education to teens.

"Sex Ed Teacher" isn't exactly the job title we were looking for when we signed on to come to Chile, but through working with the youth here, it became apparent very early on that the kids needed something more. We learned today that in 2008, 15% of the babies born in Chile were born to teens. And from personal experience, we know that a much higher rate would be found in the neighborhoods where we live and work - poor, underprivileged and poorly educated areas. For example, at the last Confirmation we attended in the parish where we used to work in Santiago, of the 40 teens getting confirmed, 3 were pregnant and at least one already had a baby. Another youth from the group recently found out he has HIV. While we do our best to accompany them and try to guide them on a path to good decision making, it's obvious that we need help.

While we're struggling with teen libidos, Joshua is endeavoring on a new adventure... he spent the whole day with a babysitter for the first time. Anna cut out of class early because she couldn't stand the separation any longer, rushing home to find Joshua contently playing at the babysitter's house and not too anxious to come home. It hurt our feelings that the little guy could actually have a good time without us, but we're happy that he adjusted so well. We'll see how he is after a week.

Things Chileans Do...

2010-01-01T18:27:00.005-05:00

... at midnight on New Year's Eve:

1. Run around the block with two packed suitcases if they want to go on a trip that year.

2. Eat 12 grapes to guarantee 12 lucky months.

3. Wear yellow underwear to have luck in love.

4. Create life sized dummies out of old clothes and newspaper and burn them to get rid of the bad vibes from last year and create good vibes for the new year.

5. Hug and kiss everyone in the neighborhood, wishing them a great year.

The Christmas Shuffle

2009-12-31T13:30:00.006-05:00

We arrived back in Chile unmentionably early on the 16th. David got smart and decided to black out Joshua's windows with blankets, hoping to trick him into sleeping longer. His plan unfolded flawlessly and we awoke at 2pm, a well-rested and happy-to-be-home family. We quickly realized that there was no food nor Christmas cheer in the house, and we only had one week to prepare. So, we spent the week before Christmas buying a tree, making paper stockings, baking and listening to carols in an attempt to make it "feel" like Christmas. We especially wanted to make it nice this year for Anna's sister Joanna, who was spending her very first Christmas away from home and with us. Plus, Joshua actually seeming to picking up that something different was floating in the air.

We gifted banana bread and cut out cookies this year, making sure to add a diabetic version of both. (Based on no factual statistics, we would guess that Chile has the highest rate of diabetes of any country.) We really enjoyed taking the plates of treats to our neighbors' houses, which gave us a great excuse to visit and see how things were going with each one. We were reminded that the best mission work is done just by being a friend and visiting wit

h families. We wished that we had taken more time to talk with each one throughout the year, and focused less on meetings, activities and administration. Perhaps a New Year's resolution in the making...

We attended "midnight" mass at 9pm. With a shortage of priests and four communities to serve, not every chapel can have a mass at midnight. After mass, we shared hot chocolate and "pan de pascua," a type of fruitcake, with the community. We then had Christmas eve dinner at a neighbor's house. This family is originally from Ecuador and understood

what it's like to be far from home during the holidays. Joshua loved playing with their two 6 year old cousins and rearranging their furniture, a hobby that he's picked up recently. Santa Claus arrives at midnight in Chile and the children open their presents after dinner, then run to the streets to play with their new toys. We walked home around 1 am to a chorus of laughing children and fire crackers. We decided to wait until morning for our presents.

On Christmas morning, we awoke to find that Santa had not passed us by, although we did fear finding coal in a couple of stockings. Joshua smiled and giggled at each new gift and absolutely loved every. single. one. Including the socks and undershirts. We did, however, find our gift to him, a picture Bible, still wrapped in the trash can, two days later. Apparently, he thought it was really fun to throw wrapping paper into the can, and the fact that the paper was concealing a gift didn't really matter that much to him.

We continued celebrating until just recently, when we realized that yet another holiday is upon us. We are now preparing for New Year's, where we'll spend the night celebrating with another neighbor family. We'll let you know how Joshua likes staying up past midnight and eating a bunch of junk food yet again.

Joshua's Stateside Debut

2009-12-13T14:50:00.005-05:00

We've been missing lately because we've been travelling. David's younger brother Mark got married last weekend, giving us a great reason to bring Joshua on his first trip out of the country to meet the rest of his family. We were also able to spend Thanksgiving with Anna's family. Joshua loved playing with all of his cousins and being the center of attention. Here are a couple of photos from the big event:

Sandwiches and Theology

2009-11-13T09:09:00.002-05:00

We received this article in our email today and thought it was funny. Fr. Sinnott explains how he spent his time during captivity and it was not the way one might imagine...

______________________________________

Freed Irish priest 'treated well by Muslim kidnappers'

The Irish Roman Catholic priest abducted in the Philippines was treated well by his Muslim kidnappers and even had religious debates with them, he has said.

By Barney Henderson in Kuala Lumpur
Published: 4:48PM GMT 12 Nov 2009

Michael Sinnott: Rev Sinnott, a Columban Missionary, stated that he was sure his captors were not part of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front Photo: AP

Rev Michael Sinnott was freed in the early hours of Thursday morning. He said he was not harmed by his captors but was now "extremely exhausted".

"For long periods of time we had nothing at all to do, so we sat around in the hammocks and talked at length about religion," said Rev Sinnott, who was abducted on October 11 while taking a walk in his garden.

"We discussed ideology and they explained to me what they believed and I then explained what I believed. There were no problems and they treated me very well despite the difficult conditions.

"It soon emerged they wanted money and they also said they wanted to get their message out in the international press. I think they were nomads from Mindanao (a group seeking land rights)."

The kidnappers' $2 million ransom demand was apparently not paid by either the Philippine or Irish governments.

Rev Sinnott, a Columban Missionary, stated that he was sure his captors were not part of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) – the Muslim secessionist group suspected by Philippine authorities of being behind the kidnap.

"I don't know who they were but it was not the M-I-L-F. We were very sure of that," he said.

Rev Sinnott, originally from Wexford, said his captors could not have made the conditions any better, that they were well organised and fed him sandwiches "ordered specially".

Despite the ordeal and the heart condition he suffers that led friends and family to fear he would die in captivity, Rev Sinnott said he has no plans to stop his work as a missionary.

"My work is in Pagadian. If I can, I will go back there, of course, because that is where I am needed. I hope to carry on working for another few years at least" he said.

He joked that "because I am a bit old and I found hiking a bit difficult at times, I think that they'd be glad to kidnap a younger man next time".

Rev Sinnott's release came hours before the arrival of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Manila.

Fr. Michael Sinnott Freed

2009-11-12T14:48:00.002-05:00

Yesterday afternoon, Fr. Michael Sinnott was finally freed. We're all very thankful to have our prayers answered and to reach a peaceful end to this ordeal. Here's an article from the CNN website on his release: Irish Priest Freed. Thank you to all who have been joining us in prayer during the last month.

Day of Prayer and Fasting

2009-10-28T20:11:00.003-04:00

Today, the Columban community was called together in a special day of prayer and fasting for Fr. Mick Sinnott. We met with our priest coworkers in the chapel "San Columbano" for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. It was a special time and we hope that Fr. Sinnott can feel the presence of God wherever he is, and also that he can feel the presence of his friends around the world who are praying for his safety. For those of you interested in joining us, we've printed a prayer below that you can say at home. The original is in Spanish, and an English version follows.

Oración para la liberación del padre Michael Sinnott
(Ministerio de Campo del colegio San Columbano - Ciudad de Pagadian)

En tiempos de sombras y preocupaciones,
te pedimos, Señor,
que mantengas al Padre Mick Sinnott libre de daños.

Guíalo en cada minuto de su camino
y en cada minuto de su viaje.
Que en la luz de la mañana, oh Dios,
pueda tener siempre una visión de tu imagen
en lo profundo de su ser,
que los hilos de la gloria se tejan en su conciencia.

Que él vea el misterio del amor modelado en tu imagen,
más profundo que el saber, más duradero que el tiempo.

También oramos por los secuestradores.
Despierta la semilla de tu bondad divina en sus corazones.
Hazles comprender que el dolor que pueden causar al P. Mick
es también un dolor que causan a la humanidad.
Hazlos compasivo a las necesidades de P. Mick
y que le den su pronta liberación.

Te lo pedimos por Cristo nuestro Señor. Amén.

Postdata:
P. Michael Sinnott es un sacerdote Columbano de 79 años que fue secuestrado el Domingo, 11 de Octubre, 2009 en la Casa Columbana de Pagadian (Mindanao - Filipinas) por hombres armados cuando hacía su caminata por el jardín.

--------------------------------------------------------

Prayer for the liberation of Fr. Michael Sinnott

In times of shadows and worries,
we ask you Lord,
that you keep Fr. Mick Sinnott free from harm.

Guide him in every minute of his path
and in every moment of his voyage.
That in the light of day, oh God,
he is always able to have a vision of your image
in the deepest part of his being,
that the threads of glory knit themselves in his conscience.

That he sees the mystery of love modeled in your image,
deeper than knowing, more lasting than time.

We also pray for the kidnappers.
Wake up the seed of your divine kindness in their hearts.
Help them to understand that the pain that they cause Fr. Mick is also pain that they cause humanity.
Make them compassionate to the needs of Fr. Mick
and may they quickly set him free.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Postdata:
Fr. Michael Sinnot is a 79 year old Columban priest who was kidnapped by armed men on Sunday, October 11, 2009 from the Columban house in Pagadian (Mindanao - Philippinnes) while he was walking in the garden.

16 Days in Captivity

2009-10-27T21:32:00.001-04:00

This is a translation of the testimony given by Karleen B. La Fuente at the Prayer Rally held in Pagadian City on Oct 24, 2009. Karleen is a beneficiary of Hangop Kabataan founded by Fr. Mick Sinnott who was abducted October 11, 2009 in his Columban House in Pagadian City. (The original version is written in the Visayan language.)

My name is Karleen B. La Fuente. I am 14 years old and am a second year high school student and one of the beneficiaries of Hangop Kabataan Foundation founded and headed by Father Mick Sinnott.

I was born a Special Child. My two legs are deformed. From one year old until I reached five, I’m using my knees in order to walk. I was so glad to be enrolled in Hangop Kabataan Foundation. My classmates who are deaf are the ones who will carry me from our house to our school bus, and carry me again until we reached our room. They brought me home after class.

They do that each time my sister, who is also my caretaker, is not available.

I am very very thankful to Fr. Mick Sinnott. If not for him – maybe until now – I still would be walking on my knees. It was Fr. Mick who facilitated my Medical check-up in an Orthopedic Center in Davao City. He wanted me to have artificial legs or prosthesis. The doctors’ recommended having an orthopedic operation to gain equal height for my legs. Fr. Mick unreservedly agreed with the advice and immediately, together with the staff of the foundation, facilitated again for the expenses of operation on my legs. For three months, I stayed at Davao General Hospital and another three months at Davao Jubilee Rehabilitation Hospital who made my prosthesis or my artificial legs.

Fr. Mick helped me without condition and without reservation, so that now I can almost walk normally wearing my artificial legs. As I grow older, my prosthesis has to be re-adjusted and repaired, and as always, Fr. Mick is always at my side, helping me with whatever is needed. My thankfulness to Fr. Mick is very immense. I am very very thankful to Fr. Mick for helping me throughout until now.

And now, from my heart, I beg those who took Fr. Mick Sinnott – please, please have mercy on him. Have mercy on the Special Children, the deaf, the mute, the mentally and physically challenged children under his care – we are hoping that he will come back home to us. Please free Fr. Mick because we love him so much – especially because Fr. Mick is not in good health. Please have mercy on him and have mercy on us, we need him so much! Would there still be somebody like Fr. Mick Sinnott who would love and care for us Special Children? Please, I beg again, have mercy on us, free Fr. Mick Sinnott.

Family Week

2009-10-18T14:21:00.002-04:00

The Catholic Church here has "Family Week" every year in October. They send out pamphlets to all the parishes that include daily prayers and reflections for families to share each day of the week. It's a nice way to reconnect and get to know your loved ones even better. Our little family here decided to share in the custom and we had our first reflection night yesterday. We shared on the theme "Nuestra Historia de Fe" or "Our Faith History." We all shared the experience of first learning about God from our parents. David heard about Noah's Ark and other interesting Bible stories from an early age. Anna and her sister (Joanna) remember going to sleep at night, with their mom at their side, reciting prayers and asking God to bless and protect their loved ones. It was in these small moments that our faith began to develop. We hope that we instill the same simple, strong love of God in our families that our parents did for us. Thanks Mom and Dad for sharing God with us so early on.

Fr. Michael Sinnott

2009-10-16T21:48:00.004-04:00

I've reprinted an article here from Fr. Shay Cullen, who worked with Fr. Sinnott in the Philippines. It talks a little about the kind of work he has been involved in. Please continue to pray for his safe return. So far, the Columbans have not been contacted by the kidnappers and do not know who is responsible.

................................................

The Abduction of Father Michael Sinnott
(Fr. Shay's columns are published in The Manila Times,
in publications in Ireland, the UK, Hong Kong, and on-line.)
http://www.preda.org/archives/2009/r09101402.html

Father Michael is a true dedicated self-sacrificing missionary. This is an appeal to all people concerned with the kidnapping of Father Michael Sinnott, my former professor at the Columban Seminary in Navan, Ireland and co-missionary here in the Philippines to pray for his safe release and return to his mission and the people he served for so many years.

He was taken as hostage by four men as he took an evening stroll in the garden of the Columban Missionary House in Pagadian last Sunday, 11th October 2009. Four men barged in, grabbed him and bundled him into a van that was outside the gates. Later it was found burnt and Father Michael was seen being taken away in a boat across the bay. No one has taken responsibility for the abduction.

Father Michael has a heart condition and needs his daily medication. At his age, 78, he will be greatly challenged by this terrible ordeal. We appeal to the people who abducted him to respect his dignity and medical condition, treat him with kindness and not harshly, and provide him with his medication. There is a wide search going on all across Northern Mindanao as I write this and we can only hope and pray he will be released unharmed. The outpouring of love and respect for him by the people all over the Philippines is overwhelming.

He is a totally committed missionary, a man of the people of the Philippines and especially those of the Pagadian area in North Mindanao. He has given his life faithfully and without complaint for over 45 years to the people of all faiths without distinction or discrimination, but with a love that has been shared equally to all.

He gave himself as a missionary to uplift the poor to work for justice and change this world to better the lives of the poor and to save the children from abuse and exploitation. He has a home for children with special needs that need him to return safely. In this apostolate, working for human rights and the dignity of the person, we can only hope that his rights and dignity will be respected too. Michael never hesitated to help anyone, least of all the victims of neglect and abuse.

So too the poor, deprived, abused and those crying for justice, he has a heart for them all. He has been their hope and pastor. He is a quite and gently spoken man but his words have always been wise and inspiring and encouraging to those struggling for justice and equality. He is an advocate of peace and non-violence and has been working for social reconciliation for all of his Missionary life.

He is a symbol of all that is good and decent in this world, but now he is taken as a hostage. Columban and many thousands of Missionaries, men and women, ordained and laity have given their lives over the past centuries to make real a new way of living together - the Kingdom of justice and love, truth and equality, respect and freedom. We pray and hope and plea that he will not be harmed. We appeal that his captors will respect his life's dedication and commitment to the dignity and rights of the Muslim and Christian people alike. I appeal to the authorities to do nothing violent if he is located with his captors but to negotiate a peaceful release and return.

These are the hazards and challenges that we missionaries face in this difficult and challenging life. In difficult missions, in order to serve the most needy the sick and the oppressed, we have to face the threats of people who oppose the work for justice and freedom. Being a missionary is the most challenging call these days. We all know here that we could face the same danger and ordeal and have to accept it with fortitude and strength of mind and heart and trust in God. The Gospel is the path to a more meaningful life, to care and help others without reward is the heart of it. Father Michael worked for such a world and may he come through this hardship and continue his life of service to those in greatest need. END

Visit www.preda.org for more related articles.

Prayer Urgently Needed!

2009-10-13T16:27:00.003-04:00

An 80 year old Columban priest was recently kidnapped in the Philipines. Please pray for his safe return home. We've attached an article here that is from the Columban Mission Newsletter in the US.

October 12, 2009
Fr. Michael Sinnott Kidnapped in the Philippines

COLUMBAN FATHER MICHAEL SINNOTT KIDNAPPED IN THE PHILIPPINES

Columban Father Michael Sinnott was kidnapped October 11, 2009 around 7:30 p.m. (local time) from outside his home in Pagadian City, Province of Zamboanga del Sur, Mindanao, as he was taking an evening stroll in the garden.

As Church workers were closing the gate to the compound in the Columban house in Pagadian, Zamboanga del Sur, on October 11 2009, a man pushed his way through saying he wanted to talk to a priest. Then three or four heavily armed men appeared, forcing the gate and dragging 79-year-old Irish Columban Father Michael Sinnott from the garden into a white pickup truck, before speeding off.

The vehicle was later found abandoned and torched in the nearby beachside area of Santa Lucia. Fishermen told police that they saw the group boarding a small motor boat heading off in the direction of the town of Tukuran.

A statement from the regional director for the Columbans in Manila, Father Pat O’Donoghue, said that police and other law enforcement agencies had been called. Patrol boats were mobilized, but found nothing.

Father O’Donoghue said that no motive has been given for the kidnapping and, as of 11:00p.m. on October 11, there had been no contact. He added that he is worried for the safety of the aging priest, as he underwent quadruple bypass surgery in Cebu in 2005 and has been under medication ever since. “One of my greatest concerns for him is that he does not have his medication with him, which he needs,” he disclosed.

Father Sinnott was ordained on December 21, 1954, after studies in Ireland and the United States.
Father Sinnott has worked in Mindanao since he arrived in The Philippines in 1957, except for a period in Ireland as rector of the Columban seminary, a short stint studying liturgy in Paris, and a few years in Manila as the vice director of the Philippine region.

Father O’Donoghue is asking people to pray for his safe return.

Happy Birthday Chile

2009-09-21T13:21:00.012-04:00

The 18th of September was Chile's 199th birthday. In our chapel, we decided to celebrate big, with a traditional fonda or carnival type of party. We had all the fixings for a fun family day -traditional dancing, foods and lots of games, including rayuela, a game typically played in the country, sort of like horseshoes. The only thing missing was chicha and red wine. It's almost unheard of to have a fonda with no alcohol, but the community decided that in order to make it truly family friendly, they could do without the drinking and fighting that often overrun independence day parties these days.

Fondas are traditionally decorated with large palms.

Fr. Mike Howe, the Columban priest in charge of the chapel starts us off with a blessing.

The teenagers ran the games. They worked hard the whole six hours without taking a break.

Chile's national dance, the Cueca, performed by local school children.

The kids also showed us a traditional Mapuche dance, from the south of Chile.

Meat, meat, meat! Chileans are not inclined to vegetarianism.

The northern version of the cueca.

Anna's sister is here visiting until March, and dressed up for her first Dieciocho celebration.

The rayuela competition was a big hit... David almost won.

It was great to see so many families participating, including dads.

The guitar is the unofficial national instrument. No party is complete without a song.

Our gringo Chilean family portrait.

Unfortunately, the fun was interrupted by a fire in the neighborhod. Two families lost their homes. Please keep them in your prayers.

Joshua's First Home

2009-09-15T11:06:00.003-04:00

Last weekend, we took our teenagers out to do a service project. This was a pretty new experience for them, since they are used to being on the receiving end of other people's service projects. We live in a notoriously poor area and whenever another youth group asks themselves, "What can we do to help the poor?" they often end up doing food drives, clothing drives or setting up a Christmas party for the less fortunate... us! We believe it is very important for all children and teens (even the economically poor ones) to learn how to help others, using the gifts that God has given them.

So, we went to an orphanage and played with babies. The teens originally wanted to collect money and toys to donate, but quickly realized they had no money to give. Then, they said that they wanted to paint faces and do magic, soon discovering that none of them had any artistic or theatrical talent. So, they grabbed a ball and decided to play soccer. THAT was a task that they were well prepared for. We showed up to the orphanage at 11 am and were met with three smiling faces peeking out the front door. ¿Tenemos visitas? they eagerly asked. Do we have visitors? We walked in and discovered about fifteen more munchkins varying between ages 2 and 5. There were also about 5 sleeping babies that we didn't notice until later, the youngest just 6 days old and weighing 5 lbs... FIVE POUNDS!! We had never held a baby so tiny in our lives. It reminded us of little Joshua. He was just 6 lbs when born and came to that exact same orphanage when he was just days old. Perhaps there was another volunteer group that came and held him in their arms, marvelling over his tininess?

The children were disappointed when we walked in with empty arms, because they are used to being showered with gifts by visiting groups. But, the disappointment soon melted away as they began singing songs, playing soccer or just simply being held and loved by another person. When it was time to go just a couple short hours later, the teens were physically worn out, but deeply touched by the experience. They learned so much more from the experience than we could have taught them through lectures. On the walk home, questions bubbled to the surface... Why are those kids there? Where are their parents? Why can't they go outside to play? Can we come back?

Due to the abusive family backgrounds of many of the children, we were unable to take pictures. You'll just have to imagine 15 toddlers 8 teenagers and 1 extremely wound up Joshua running around like nuts.

Why Mission?

2009-09-09T12:00:00.004-04:00

We came across an interesting reflection on today's Bible readings. We're sharing it with you because we think it explains very well the reasons that we are over here on mission.

video reflection

(We couldn't figure out how to embed it, so you'll have to follow the link and then click on "September 9th" on the little calendar below.)

In Memorium

2009-08-27T21:51:00.005-04:00

Well, it finally happened. After almost five years of living in Chile, we've been robbed. The culprit jumped our fence in broad daylight, creating lots of ruckus (which Anna heard and immediately ignored for no apparent reason) then snatched two of our most treasured clothing items off the line. We may never see Anna's blue track suit jacket or David's red hooded sweatshirt again, but we hope they're keeping some thief as warm as they have kept us...

Why us? Why not him?

2009-08-24T19:32:00.004-04:00

The other night, we were chatting with one of the teens from the youth group. He casually mentioned that he usually wakes up for school around 6:30 a.m. and showers in cold water so that he doesn't "annoy the other kids with stinkiness." Just so you understand the coldness of the water here, last week the average temperature at this time in the morning was about 57 degrees Fahrenheit. We sat in guilty silence, because we knew that his family couldn't afford gas to heat water. Most families around here only use gas for cooking, or not at all. Hot showers are a luxury only enjoyed by the upper classes. Our guilt arose from the fact that we can afford gas not only for cooking, but also for hot showers and a gas grill. In fact, there is a common fight that goes on in our house...

We happen to own three gas tanks. We usually only have one tank filled though, causing the annoyance of switching the tank back and forth between the stove and water heater. Every morning, one person must wait while the other one showers before they are able to heat water for coffee or cooking. It would be overly embarrassing to tell you the amount of time we spend yelling at each other because we are forced to wait ten extra minutes for use of the gas. And don't even bring up the idea of taking a cold shower, because THAT would surely be grounds for divorce.

So we sat in guilty silence because we recognized that we were born into privilege unknown to this 16 year old kid. We grew up with hot showers, air condition, a swimming pool and cable television. And we don't deserve it any more than he does.

If the world were a village of 100 people, 5 would control 32% of the entire world's wealth and all 5 would be US citizens.

Art Attack

2009-08-12T21:31:00.004-04:00

On Sunday afternoons, I (Anna) spend my time with the kids from the neighborhood making art projects, which I shamelessly steal directly from the t.v. show "Art Attack." (I find them here, if you would also like to have fun.) The workshop came to be partly because I like children, but mainly because I love making all of the cool art myself. Here are some of the kids' "art attacks" from the last few weeks:

Toilets in the Desert

2009-07-30T14:05:00.003-04:00

It was odd the first time we discovered a toilet in the middle of the desert. Strangely, it has become a rather common find. These are the remnants of the squatter communities left behind, as people moved on into more respectable housing, with help from the Chilean government. For us, this scene speaks to our hearts of a disharmony between a man-made and natural world, of the consequences of a "developing" nation and most importantly, our relationship as humans with our Creator.

Our Little Monster

2009-07-26T13:32:00.002-04:00

La Tirana

2009-07-15T12:30:00.010-04:00

It's Tirana time in northern Chile... and oh, what a time it is. "La Tirana" is actually the name of a local village where a large religious festival takes place each year in celebration of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. The big draw is that tons (as in hundreds) of dance groups come into this tiny little town, complete with ornate costumes, and dance in honor of the Virgin for ten days (NON-stop). It's controversial, even among Catholics, due to the non-Christian beginnings of the festival, its commercialization and the confusion between honoring and worshiping saints. Both sides have some really valid points, but we personally lean more towards loving it. It's a lot of fun, the dancing and the colors are enlivening and peoples' faith in God seems to grow and flourish throughout the festivities. Some images from last year:

Sadly, the festival was officially cancelled this year due to the swine flu, but a much smaller version is taking place throughout Iquique and Alto Hospicio. Our parish has the privilege of hosting all of Alto Hospicio in the mini-festivities. So, we'll get up pictures and commentaries later on this week.

Please Help

2009-07-11T12:21:00.005-04:00

While looking for information on adoption on the internet just a year and a half ago, we came across a woman here in Chile with a special family. She and her husband are missionaries from the US who adopted their three kids. We emailed them asking for advice and were very encouraged by their response, which basically told us the chances were very good that we would be able to adopt here in Iquique. Their email gave us the push we needed to start the process that ended in bringing home Joshua. Now, her sister needs help raising money in order to adopt a child from Taiwan. You can help by clicking here, where you can order a cookbook to help them raise money, or make a donation to their cause. They are just $2000 away! Please be generous and help them bring a child home to a loving family.

Gone But Not Forgotten

2009-07-05T15:07:00.005-04:00

We had a couple of special visitors last month that didn't get mentioned much on the blog. We were too busy running around having fun. Joshua's Aunt Joanna and his cousin Brittany came to meet him. Some highlights:

We quickly took advantage and put them to work.

Guess who got Batman pajamas for his birthday?

... AND bunny slippers!

We had some fresh squeezed mango and guayaba juice with our friend Sponge Bob.

David discovered that, yes, the rocks are made of salt.

Joshua drove a train.

We made the mandatory trek up the hill behind our house.

We visited the Pacific Ocean.

Joanna showed us how to take nice pictures.

And Joshua wooed some girls while swimming down at the hot springs in Pica.

Good times were had by all.

Busy Beaver Us

2009-06-28T16:02:00.006-04:00

We've been working on several different projects in the parish lately, but the one we're most happy with right now is a new family ministry. It evolved as a response to a week long activity we had last October where families from the community came together to share, have fun and pray. It was an unusual approach here in Chile, where the Catholic Church usually breaks ministries up according to age and gender. Catechism for school children, craft groups for adult women, clubs for the elderly and not much for adult men. The adults of the community really enjoyed the opportunity to come together and share their experiences with other parents, while at the same time sharing quality time with their kids. The mundane routine of work, school and housework often don't leave much space for sharing as a family, getting to know each other better or praying together. So, we hope that this ministry answers to that growing need and helps unify families more with Christ as their center.

The Family Ministry's first event of the year was a special Father's Day lunch. We initially planned for about 50 people, since it's a small community. But, when we washed plates at the end of the day, we realized that we had served 85 meals. It was good to see so many families turn out, and especially great to see so many men... who are especially scarce in the Latin American church. We hope it will be a doorway into more church involvement for men, especially fathers.

Busy Beaver Joshua

2009-06-25T22:24:00.002-04:00

In the past month, little Joshua has transformed from a baby into a little boy. We're not sure how it happened, but it sure did happen fast! He took his first steps, spoke his first word (dog) and grew a few more teeth. He also now has a full repertoire of gestures including waving bye bye, kiss sounds, dancing and clapping. He is officially tons of fun, so now is the time to visit for those of you pondering the idea. All of the big boy advancements came just in time for his first birthday and a special visit from his Aunt Joanna and Cousin Brittany. Here's a video of his first ever piece of birthday cake, baked with love by his cousin. We're sure that his first birthday party will be just the trauma he needed for many therapy sessions to come:

More Awesome

2009-05-27T23:40:00.005-04:00

We forgot to mention another fantastic event. Two of our nieces and nephews graduated from high school this past weekend. We're so proud of both of them that we had to pubilize it! Congratulations Brittany and J.P.! We love you both and were sad to have missed it. We didn't have a photo of Brittany at her graduation, so this one is of her and her cousin when we last went home in 2007.

We Love Our Job

2009-05-27T22:30:00.006-04:00

Today marks our official complete recovery from last weekend. It took three days to recover - including Monday when we slept until noon, stayed in our pajamas all day and caught up on Lost (¡¡¡GREAT season finale!!!). The reason behind all this resting is that we took the kids on a retreat. We loaded 21 hormone crazed teenagers onto a bus Friday afternoon and drove them two hours into the desert, where we stayed in a small little town equipped with a very reasonably priced retreat house (cold showers and broken bathroom doors included). Retreats are probably one of the most work intensive things we do here, but one of our favorite parts of the job, because they have such a positive impact on the kids. This retreat's theme was "Conversion" and we focused on creating an atmosphere where the kids could feel the presence of God and experience a true conversion in their hearts. Some may think we have high hopes, but with lots of prayer, support and help from a good team, God can do all sorts of wonderful things. The weekend's highlights were testimonies from David, Felix (remember him?) and a recovering drug addict. They talked about their own conversions and how they have changed due to the power of God in their lives. God really touched hearts with the talks, as many of the kids could relate to the stories of drugs and violence prevalent in their lives today. Their stories, combined with time away from the "real world" to reflect had a wonderful effect and we brought the kids home on Sunday afternoon, rejuvenated and ready to live their lives for Christ. We'll see where it takes us.

We arrived home at 3 pm and quickly remembered that we had an activity at 4pm. We were exhausted and sleep deprived and thought about canceling it. But, ten minutes before the appointed time, we saw a group of kids gathering outside the church gates and ready for their activity! Last week, we told the kids from our pre-teen group that we would be having a "secret meeting" the next week and that they should bring a walking stick and a back pack with snacks. The kids knew immediately what they would be doing and didn't fall for our sneakiness at all. With all their excitement, we couldn't cancel, so we loaded up our own backpacks and took them on a hike up the hills around the chapel. David started the group off, stopping at a couple of houses to pick up kids who were lagging behind. Anna snuck ahead and built a fire. The kids were stoked to see the fire (and very impressed with her girl scout fire building skills). We all sat around, talked and shared the snacks that they had brought. Besides being a lot of fun, the kids learned that they liked walking together much better than walking alone and that God was there to help them when they got tired along the way.

It was a good weekend. Here are some pictures to prove it:

Joshua Walking and Crawling

2009-05-17T22:24:00.003-04:00

Our little guy is growing fast. You can see him in action by viewing the video below.

Donate Money for Free

2009-05-15T01:01:00.004-04:00

We're long time clickers over at the hunger site. Yesterday, someone called our attention to another fun site where you can answer trivia questions in order to donate rice. So, we decided to direct your attention to these and other sites that use clicks in order to support worthy causes. The result is the link list to the right, "Sites Worth Clicking." Please take the time to click if you can. It's a very worthy time waster!

Loving God with Alternative Energy

2009-05-11T18:39:00.004-04:00

About a year and a half ago, we met a woman selling plants in the local street market. Her name was Marta and when she learned that we were missionaries with the Catholic church, she glowingly smiled and said, "Well, you can teach us how to make solar ovens then!". (Hmm, we thought... what an odd assumption.) We continued the conversation with Marta, who is a native Aymaran woman who, like many of her indigenous family and friends, has left her land in the interior of the desert in search of an education for her children. However, along with education, she has also found dirty, crowded city life filled with materialism and a disconnection from nature. She explained that her people have a long history of respect and love for the earth, water, plants and animals. She lamented that her children were losing that special relationship with the earth and asked for our help in teaching them. This afternoon conversation was the impetus for us talking with another lay missionary, who is the coordinator of the Columban Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) office here in Chile. We wanted to offer a simple workshop to the people of our community, where they could learn about solar energy. We knew there would be interest because of the abundant poverty and the high price of gas, which they use here for cooking and heating water. Plus, Marta was right - we are losing our connection to God's great creation and by losing this respect, we are also killing ourselves and other life with contamination and abuse of resources. The JPIC coordinator was excited and promised to look for some resources.

The resources were found and the fruit of Marta's concern for her children began this past weekend, where we started a course teaching not just about solar ovens, but also about other alternative energies and encouraging our small Christian community to lovingly care for all of God's creation. The facilitator of the course started us off with the "Cocina Bruja" or "Witch's Oven," named so because it allows you to cook with seeming magic. The idea is to get a pot of food to the boiling point on a stove, and then to place the pot into an insulating container, where it continues to cook with no direct heat, simply by maintaining the hot temperature. Here's a video of what we've learned so far:

Around Town

2009-05-06T23:39:00.004-04:00

After the sad week we had in Santiago and another really busy one here with work, we decided to go on a little outing with our friend, a Columban priest that works with us here in the parish. We went to Pica, which is a true oasis in the middle of the desert. It's amazing to be driving through miles and miles of sand and then to see a patch of green on the horizon. Pica is famous for their fruit - especially limes, oranges and mangos. They also have hot water springs that contain medicinal mud. We're not really sure what the mud cures, but they sell it and people line up to buy it. Joshua had his first experience "swimming" and loved it. We brought the camera, but forgot to take any pictures. So, the one above is of Anna and her sister, who visited last June. Can you see them? They're hiding behind the giant fruit sculptures that form the entrance to the hot water springs. It was nice to get away for a day.

Que en Paz Descanse

2009-04-27T16:41:00.003-04:00

Sadly, our friend and coworker Fr. Mike died just hours after we posted the last entry asking for prayers. It all went so fast that we're just now processing all that has happened during the past week. After about a week in the hospital, the doctors told him that he had liver cancer. The cancer was also causing lots of blood clots. One of those clots killed him just 3 days later while he slept. We went in to visit him in the hospital on Thursday, the day before he found out his diagnoses. None of us had any idea it was so serious. He had obviously lost weight and had difficulty breathing, but other than that was the same old Mike. He joked, had us sneak him extra water behind the nurses' backs and complained that there was nothing good on television. We told him how big Joshua was getting - the hospital wouldn't allow us to bring the baby in for a visit. We made plans to get together once he was better and get caught up.

Funeral services here last three days. The body is put on display for two days and then is buried on the third. We had the wake in Puente Alto, the poor parish where we worked together. The church was filled all three days, with standing room only. He has one sister, who made it down and was touched by the turnout and the love that the people felt for her brother. She decided to have the body cremated and bring his remains home with her to the US. Once she saw all the emotion at the funeral though, she had second thoughts. She now understood that Fr. Mike had much more family than she knew about. We'll miss you, friend.

Please Pray

2009-04-21T00:05:00.004-04:00

A dear friend of ours is very sick. His name is Fr. Mike Cody and he's a Columban priest originally from Boston. We formed a close bond during our formation period back in Chicago, as he was the coordinator of the Lay Mission Program in the US at the time. Our friendship grew when he soon after was assigned to work in Chile in the same parish as us. Please keep him and his family in your prayers. The picture below was taken of our house mates, before David and I left for Chile in 2004. Fr. Mike is the second from the top left.

Semana Santa

2009-04-13T21:16:00.008-04:00

Holy week is a very special time of year for all Christians, but in Latin America, they have an extra special way of celebrating. In Chile, each step along the way of Jesus' last days, his death and resurrection is re-created. Special care is taken in order to connect His experience to the realities of the world today and emotions run deep, as the people feel a true connection to His pain and thankfulness that they are not alone in their own suffering. Here are a few images of Holy Week in our humble, yet vibrant community:

We started the week with a half an hour procession on Palm Sunday. Our chapel joined with a neighboring chapel in order to celebrate in community.

Children, adults and "abuelitos" (grandparents) braved the "Hill of Death," a VERY steep hill that leaves even the most fit without breath. Joshua is in the green baby carriage, being pushed by a 10 year old boy that insisted on pushing him around the entire walk.

On Holy Thursday, the entire community was invited to take part in the washing of the feet ceremony, symbolizing the call to be humble servants to our brothers and sisters. There is a drug rehab center in our neighborhood and the people who are in treatment often participate in our community. It was very touching to see them rise, have their feet washed and to then see them kneel before a peer and offer the same. Many ended the ritual in tears and hugs.

We followed the Passion of Jesus at stations set up around the neighborhood. 14 different families volunteered to set up an altar and to represent each Station of the Cross. The families see this as a great honor and an opportunity to give thanks to God for the blessings they have received. It reminded us of the rich faith of our neighbors, despite the material poverty in which they live.

They adorned their altars with the materials at hand. This woman didn't have flowers, so she used feather dusters and Christmas garland to praise God.

The Stations of the Cross lasted 3 hours. The man on crutches walked the entire way, without resting. The feeling of the people is that if Christ sacrificed so much to save us from our sins, then we should also make sacrifices in life.

These two boys joined in the procession as well. They had one pair of skates and four feet. So, instead of one using the skates and the other walking, they each used one skate and one shoe, pushing off with the shoed foot and gliding on the skated foot. Good friends share.

Holy Saturday's Easter Vigil was a great event, but unfortunately, we forgot our camera! So, this is Easter morning. The tradition here is to hide chocolate eggs for the kids to find in the morning. So, the teenagers in the chapel showed up bright and early to hide the eggs for the younger children. After the egg hunt, they stayed around the chapel to play ping pong and soccer before mass at noon.

Joshua's First Time...

2009-04-06T20:37:00.004-04:00

... at a birthday party:

... having his face painted:

... opening the cabinet:

... getting ahold of Daddy's wii remote:

... tasting sand:

Highs and Lows

2009-03-22T23:30:00.003-04:00

This week, as most weeks, had its ups and downs. We celebrated St. Patrick's Day with our co-worker priests and nuns in the parish (most of which are Irish). Lunch, evening mass and onces (evening tea) was followed up with the culminating traditional sing-a-long. We should have been prepared, as all Columban gatherings end in sing-a-longs. However, we weren't and so when we were asked to share a little North American culture through song, we stared blankly at each other and then embarrassingly replied that we had no culture. An Irish nun present (who lived many years in the US) disagreed and then burst into "America the Beautiful," doubly shaming us as she new more than the standard first verse that we were familiar with. We offered to blow everyone away with our national dance (the electric slide) but didn't get the excited anticipation we were hoping for. So, we are now resolved to get cultured and learn some traditional songs. So far, we have thought of "She'll be comin' round the mountain." Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

On the down side, a little six year old boy down the street from us was killed last Thursday. He was climbing up onto a counter to reach a glass on the top shelf and the shelving fell down onto him. A serrated knife fell as well and sliced his neck at a critical spot. He lost a lot of blood and died on the way to the hospital. David accompanied the priest to the family's house for the wake. Anna stayed home with Joshua. It was a hard thing to see such a young boy in a coffin and the family was obviously shaken up. The boy lived with his grandparents as both his parents were in jail for selling drugs. The priest went to visit the dad in jail and was impressed by the man's great faith. "I'm at peace," the father told him, "I know that my little boy is at home with his Father in Heaven. He's a little angel now and he will always be with me in my heart."

Bracing Ourselves

2009-03-15T17:25:00.006-04:00

The summer is quickly disappearing and we're being sucked into the vacuum of the "Pastoral Year." Things are about to get busy. Life after Christmas is pretty much dedicated to relaxing and visiting relatives. Nothing happens in the churches because only two old ladies would show up to participate. Things pick up around Easter and not gradually either. It's like the beginning jump ball in a basketball game and it doesn't end until NEXT December, when it all stops with the final bull horn of Christmas. Luckily, this year we're prepared with experience and are bracing ourselves with creative (and colorful) scheduling:

Don't worry - even if it were large enough to read, it wouldn't make any sense. It's always difficult to make the various activities we're involved in fit into the availability of the community. Plus, now we have sweet little Joshua, who we would rather not drag around to all of our meetings. However, we will prevail! We will continue to creatively and colorfully schedule until it all fits. Here's a list of the activities that need a time slot for this year:

Anna - Art Attack (crafts for kids), Painting classes at a local women's center, Art as Prayer workshop in the church

David - Basketball workshops for youth and a local drug rehab center, English classes and Drug/Alcohol Abuse Ministry

Shared - Youth Ministry (pre teens and teens) and Family Ministry

Monday is our day off.

Around Town

2009-03-11T13:26:00.002-04:00

"Auntie Em"

Apparently, there are sand twisters in the desert. We spotted this one near the Chilean/Bolivian border and were much more amazed than the locals. We were kind of scared to go near them, remembering the wind raging tornadoes from the movie Twister. But, it passed us pretty close by and was far less threatening.

Baptism

2009-03-07T09:53:00.008-05:00

On March 1st, before David's parents left, we had the chance to baptize Joshua. It was a simple and meaningful ceremony, which gave us a chance to understand the sacrament a little more. We prepared ourselves by reading the book Baptism: a Celebration of Life by Benedictine monk Anselm Grun. It was really interesting and shed a lot of light on the subject. So, we'll share some quotes that we found to especially touch our hearts. The quotes are our own translation of the Spanish version we read, so if you read the English version, you'll probably find some differences in wording.

"The task of the church today should be to celebrate Baptism in a way that through it, people sense the secret of their lives and know who they truly are."

"The child is cleansed of all that hides his true essence and is put in contact with the true source of life."

"In Baptism, we celebrate the mystery of the child... We must recognize that he does not only possess an earthly life, but also a divine life, where death no longer has power over him, because he is already part of the resurrection of Jesus."

"The rite opens our eyes so that we're able to see the child not only as the son of his parents and of the great human family, but rather as the child of God, in which God puts a new beginning and in it, something unique and particular shines in this world."

----------

Anna's brother and his wife agreed to be the Godparents, but unfortunately, since we live on the other side of the world, weren't able to be physically present. We're sure they'll be a great Christian example for little Joshua, as they are already doing a nice job with their own two kids and we're really happy that they accepted the role. Thanks Matt and Rachel!

Finally, after the celebration, David overheard a couple of kids talking about it and this was their take, "Did you hear that the tíos (aunt and uncle) baptized baby Joshua yesterday? Now he can't get the evil eye." Thank goodness for that!

Ghost Towns and Gypsy Curses

2009-03-04T15:48:00.011-05:00

After a wonderful 3-week visit, David's parents flew back to the United States yesterday. It was tough saying goodbye and we're all going to miss them. We did a lot interesting things during their time here. We went to the beach, visited an oasis, saw 1,000 year old hieroglyphics, and explored an abandoned ghost town. The biggest event, however, was Joshua's baptism on March 1st. We'll tell you all about the baptism in a future post, but for now we thought we'd tell you about a funny little incident that happened during our trip to the ghost town of Humberstone.

On our way to the abandoned mining town we stopped at a gas station. As David was pumping air into the tires, a gypsy woman carrying a bare-bottomed toddler approached the car. Unsurprisingly, she began asking David's dad for money. David's dad promptly used one of his favorite Spanish expressions, "No español!". She then replied with the only English phrase she probably knew "Money!" (which came out sounding like Mow-knee). David's dad simply shook his head. Unphased, she turned to David who denied her before she could even begin her plea. She walked away mumbling under her breath with a sour expression on her face.

So the five of us continued on to Humberstone, a town that was built during the mid-1800's and abandoned about 60 years ago when the mines dried up. We walked through empty houses, a creepy old theatre, a small-wooden chapel, a tiny little school, and big processing plants. It was fascinating to see how people lived in a small, closed off community in the middle of the driest desert in the world.

While the rest of us were taking in the sites, David was busy snapping picture after picture in every dark corner he could find. He's still convinced that there are actual ghosts living in the ghost town. See the picture below for his "proof."

Anyway, after several hours of exploration we headed back to the car. We were busy loading up the stroller, the diaper bag, and all the other million baby accessories we were toting around with us when David's dad said, "Oh, no, the tire is flat!". We all moaned in unison. As David was taking out the spare and preparing to get his hands greasy a sudden truth dawned on one of us. The tire that David was filling with air when the gypsy had given her spiel was the very tire that was now flat. Now the gypsy woman certainly hadn't been carrying a knife, but many people in Chile believe gypsies don't need weapons to punish their enemies. Gypsies here are most famous for the curses they cast. We all laughed at the idea that this gypsy with a colorful skirt and a baby in hand might have cursed us. Unlike many of the Chileans who believe in these curses whole-heartedly, none of us are particularly superstitious. But this was a funny coincidence (or was it?).

We successfully changed the tire and made it home without further incident. Next time a gypsy approaches, we're going to have some spare change on hand.

Humberstone (with our cool knitted hats, courtesy of David's brother Mark's girlfriend)

Ghostly orbs in the town's theatre.

Hieroglyphics over a 1000 years old

Cursed

Peeping Anna

2009-02-24T23:38:00.005-05:00

It's almost 2am here and I'm exhausted as usual. In case you were wondering, Joshua is still not sleeping through the night. He usually wakes about once an hour... but I digress. The reason I'm up so late this time is that I've been randomly surfing blogs. It's really fun to hit that "next blog" button at the top of the screen and to land on some random person's life. I've read all about the Putney family and their little son Ryan, seen the most beautiful pastries from Singapore and even checked in on an Argentinean choreographer/dancer/comedic musician. He has the highest kick I've ever seen... he actually touches his nose with that leg! The fun must end for tonight though and I'm finally off to bed. Tonight is my turn to sleep, as David is taking care of Joshua. If you have some time, go check out a random blog!

I Scream for Ice Cream

2009-02-22T16:36:00.003-05:00

This is Joshua's new favorite food. We're beginning to see his angry side, as he never has his fill and always wants more. Is it possible to spoil a baby at 8 months old?

Around Town

2009-02-19T22:43:00.004-05:00

We think that we live in a pretty cool place. So, we figured we would put a photo on here every once in awhile of all the neat stuff around us.

"Cerro del Dragon"

This big winding sand dune connects coastal Iquique to Alto Hospicio, up in the hills. The locals say that it's a sleeping dragon who will awake some day and swallow up the city.

Flowers in the Desert

Lifting Spirits

So, we guess this is it...

Stateside

The Countdown is Getting Short

A Foot in Each Country

Chao Alto Hospicio

Last *sniff* Christmas in Chile

Another Long Week

AEDM - Fail

Columban's Day and the US Embassy

Confirmation

Two Weeks with Aunt Katie

AEDM - Nov.4 to Nov. 11

P.S.

AEDM - Nov. 3

AEDM - Nov. 2

Art Every Day Month - Nov. 1

Mustard Seeds

A Good Week

Family Week

October's Activities

Trio

Another Year Older

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Our Last Dieciocho

Online Chat... the Results

Online Chat

Saving the World before Bedtime

Sickies

Alone at Last

Surprise!! Visitors...

A Free Moment (by Anna)

Caminata

Look Who's Two

Pentecost

The Best Present EVER

Would they know we are Christians by our love?

Who are the Columbans?

Hooray for Babies!

"A Different World" by Anna

Good Bye Hanyang

That Thing He Does

Easter

Holy Saturday

Good Friday

Drug War in Juarez

Look Who's Talking

Help an Adoption

New Year, New Hope

The Tidal Wave that Never Was

Experiences After the Earthquake (English Version)

Experiencias Después del Terremoto

Act of God?

Personal Accounts

Big Events

The Bad Kid

Youth Hostal

Odds and Ends

Sex Ed

Things Chileans Do...

The Christmas Shuffle

Joshua's Stateside Debut

Sandwiches and Theology

Freed Irish priest 'treated well by Muslim kidnappers'

The Irish Roman Catholic priest abducted in the Philippines was treated well by his Muslim kidnappers and even had religious debates with them, he has said.

Fr. Michael Sinnott Freed

Day of Prayer and Fasting

16 Days in Captivity

Family Week

Fr. Michael Sinnott

Prayer Urgently Needed!

Happy Birthday Chile

Joshua's First Home

Why Mission?

In Memorium

Why us? Why not him?

Art Attack

Toilets in the Desert

Our Little Monster

Last sniff Christmas in Chile