A Place Prepared

Hello again everyone,

It's been about 2 months, but here's the latest update from Ecuador - I hope you enjoy it.

Current Events in Ecuador

Things seem to be calm overall here in Ecuador, although there is still the ongoing problem of higher crime in certain areas related to drug trafficking. The government and the indigenous representatives are continuing to meet and try to work out agreements, and every once in a while there is talk about another strike by the Indigenous movement, but nothing has materialized. The Covid situation has calmed and things are mostly back to normal like in the States, with a few situations here and there requiring face masks, especially indoors in Quito.

More about Mission in Ecuador

The overall vision hasn't changed, and is focused on establishing ministries and projects that grow out of accompaniment, but sprout outside the ballpark; that are complementary and that augment what currently exists. The theme is "new shoots from the roots." There's an inherent call to conversion and reconciliation, a return to origins and rebirth, including in the church, and that takes listening first of all. My time in Chontal has confirmed it for me over the years, and I'm still looking at Mindo as another parallel location, especially for its intercultural possibilities, though I've just made it back there on October 5 after a month because of busyness with the business of visa.

I'm progressing through the listening and discovery phase as things unfold this time.

I've been able to visit with brother Darwin and the Capuchins in Quito and spend some days with them, including the feast of St Francis of Assisi. It was a good experience and a change of pace from the experience of the church in Chontal. I'll include more below, but there's the possibility to spend some time in one of the areas where they have a long-term presence in the Amazon, a city called Coca. I'm still working on the other visits: the Franciscan sisters in Puerto Quito, Pd Julian in Mocache, and the community in Chimborazo, among others.

Visa

To make a long story short, I've had dialogue with the bishop in Ibarra, and although he was willing to give me a recommendation letter, he was not willing to provide the required sworn affidavit of fiscal responsibility during my time in Ecuador. Three times previously I haven't had that problem, but this may be a new requirement from the government. On the one hand, it's very much understandable, as missionaries and volunteers coming from outside should have their own support (as I do), which typically is provided legally through their organization (e.g., religious congregation, missionary society, etc.) and not the bishop. On the other hand, I've been doing this years without the need of any support from the Diocese, and have also effectively donated thousands of dollars to the church in that Diocese over the years.

The good news is that the person who manages visas in the bishop's conference is going to help me through the process of getting a different type of visa that doesn't require that affidavit from the bishop: the professional visa that I would have preferred in the first place. It's about $250 more expensive than the religious volunteer visa, but even more, it would - if pursuing it on my own - cost me either a lot of time or money (up to $500) to manage the process. So when the visa manager suggested this visa and offered to essentially manage and facilitate the process for me, it was a nice surprise.

To date, it looks like the only question mark is whether my application to register my master's degree from WPI will be accepted. I went through a long process before coming to Ecuador to get the documents from my colleges that are required for that visa: degrees, transcripts, and confirmation letters notarized and apostilled. (I only need to register one degree for the visa, but I'm considering registering both.) I've passed through the process of registering online with the government agency and uploading scans of my documents, traveling to Quito to pay the fee at the national bank with the required code, setting up an in-person appointment in Quito, and then showing up for it with my docs to verify that I actually physically have them. After these various trips to Quito, I'm in the last phase where the uploaded scans are reviewed - it should be sometime later this month that I find out.

The one possible problem is that my apostilled degree comes from a scan of my original degree that I still have back in Boston, which I emailed to my college. They printed it out and notarized it and had it apostilled. Whether or not I need the original was unclear. (In retrospect, I should have spent the extra $25 or 50 - I don't remember - to get a brand new original apostilled.) I saw some mention on the internet in a few places of people successfully using copies, but it was never quite clear. I also sent my scans of my diploma to a lawyer here in Ecuador who specializes in these visas, explaining what they were and how they were produced. She said what I have is acceptable. But after presenting that notarized, apostilled copy of my diploma at the in-person appointment, the agent asked for my original as well, saying it was needed. I said I don't have it, and after she consulted with a co-worker, she said, "I'll put it down as a faithful copy." That's how it shows up in the documentation that's been passed on to the last-phase reviewer. Whether that affects acceptance or not is the main question.

Because of the overall delays and the change of course, the time waiting for the outcome of the professional visa puts me over the 90 day tourist visa limit from my entry on July 19, which is October 16. So, on October 17, I have to go into Quito to the migration agency and go back forth to a nearby bank and pay another $142 to get another 90 day extension on the tourist visa. It all adds up to more time and money, unfortunately.

I also have had to change a flight that I had bought for October 14. Having the automatic tourist visa means you need to also buy a return flight dated within 90 days of your going to Ecuador. Otherwise, they won't let you board in the States. So, if you end up wanting to return to the States at a later date because you got a visa extension or another visa while in Ecuador, you have to change your flight - at a cost. This is the drawback of going with a tourist visa when you plan to get another visa. Well this time for me, since the status of the professional visa is still unknown, and so I just might have to return when the extra 90 days of the tourist visa extension are up, I had to change the flight to a time on or before Jan 11. The problem with that is it's still in the New Year rush, and double the cost of flights just a week later. I debated gambling and buying the cheaper flight a week later, ready to bump it back to Jan 11 if I don't get the visa. But after a lot of research and weighing things, I decided to buy the flight for Jan 11 for $627. It's another financial hit, but I would take a really big financial hit if I found out in late October that I couldn't get the professional visa, when flight costs could be almost double the $627 (availability was already drying up). Anyway, you can see how the professional visa could pay for itself in my next trip by allowing me to not need a return flight in the first place, saving me a lot of money.

Happenings in Chontal

Once again, collaboration has been very difficult with the church in Chontal. The priest and church leaders have a different take on discipleship and church from me, and unfortunately I haven't been included in any of the planning and activities. An example is the recent parish fiestas and novena. I was asked in the last minutes to do a few things - not part of any collaboration.

Now that the visa situation is materializing, it's my plan to move out from Chontal and spend maybe half my time there, shifting the mission away from being solely there. I would do projects and ministry based on my own discernment after all this time accompanying and listening. But there are few things to notice from the novena:

Although I was mostly put aside at the beginning, it was expressed by some to the priest that the people thought I was going to be leading the novena, and were disappointed, as there is a history of alienating division and in-fighting among those at the front of the church. As the novena moved on, those people and the pastor realized again that the people are more responsive to my reflections, and that generally means higher attendance and more money. (On multiple occasions, youth mentioned to me that they liked the way I do things. One said they wished the preaching in the Mass were that way.) Though the pastor would try to get me to give a certain type of reflection about doctrines, the folks up front in the church are a bit stuck in that they can use me as an attraction piece, but can't control me. I certainly won't be looking to participate in future novenas under the current circumstances. But, it shows how people are responsive, and what God may be inviting.

I should also mention that I donated a smartphone that I brought with me to the fiestas, for $200. I had donated it to the church president who was organizing the fiestas, as she mentioned she would use it as a prize. But it was decided that the phone would get more money if it were just sold to someone, and the money donated. That sounded fine to me. The church president said she had a buyer: her husband. For $150. As the phone is worth at least $200, I thought of asking for the phone back, but, not wanting to add more complexity and confusion and wanting to just cut bait, I instead told her to make it $200, and donate that to the income from the fiestas. She agreed, and I can only presume that that happened. Lesson learned.

The local school is also a difficult option for direct collaboration. I would probably be welcomed to collaborate in some things there as a volunteer, but I've been busy with other initial activities. The school's being considered for closure and I have had bad experiences of having the rug pulled out from me after having supported the school (not a little bit, at that). But the kids all seem to like me, and because of them, I can't help but at least consider something that has a short-term commitment. I'm planning on doing some English with a school higher up in the mountain in Magdalena Alto. It has one teacher, who is someone from Chontal that I know and who was teaching before at the Chontal school (we helped her and her family after the landslides of 2014). Anyway, there are 18 students in the school, over 6 or 7 grades, if you can believe it. So, I'd be doing English with all the kids in all the grades at once :)

I've continued to visit Guillermo and María, who continue in their respective situations. I visit Guillermo daily when I'm here and he is, too, though he has moved up to his family's house in the mountain. I don't know how much longer he will continue and he is constantly struggling to sleep and eat. I made a visit there recently; it's about a 45 minute walk up the mountain and through the ranges, and across a bridge. Here are some pictures, including one of Guillermo with his daughter Gabriela and granddaughter Dominique. Please keep Guillermo - and all the people in challenging living situations here - in your prayers, that they might know the closeness of Christ in their journey and be open to trusting in and following the path that God lays out toward what He has prepared for each of them.

María is more stable, though still the same without much body weight. However, Eduardo has just recently died, as his condition worsened quickly within a week's time. He died on a Saturday morning at 5am, in the house of his son and daughter-in-law and their kids, where he had lived for the past 10 years or so. After being in the hospital, he had returned to the house about three months ago, with cancer metastasized throughout his body. He died while sleeping, with his daughter-in-law holding his hand. As is the custom here, the wake was the very same day in the same house, lasting all night until the Mass the following morning at 10am, after which his casket was carried by 6 men to the new cemetery where he was interred. It would be a shock for us in the States for the internment to be completed only 30 hours after dying, but that is pretty common here. In the time here, I kept reflecting on Jesus' words to his disciples:

“In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.”
— John 14:2-3

At each step of the way, a place was prepared for Eduardo, from his family's home, to his wake, to the church, and to the sepulcher. Here is a picture of the wake late at night - it's a wonderful place prepared for him. May he find a home in the place that Jesus had prepared for him.

During his last 3 months of life, a lot of family divisions amongst the children were worked out, and they came together for the first time in a long time. It reminds me of the power of our human weakness and our death to touch the most basic realities of our minds and hearts and attract us to reconciliation and community. There's a deeply basic human truth underpinning the power of Christ's crucifixion and death to draw us into reconciliation and family.

"And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself." (Jn 12:32)

Folks here believe more in less-scientific solutions to problems, and especially with health care. There can be natural elements that help, but they are also victim to a snake-oil culture that hooks desperately sick people and their families on miracle cures from little-known natural remedies that can cure everything. The sellers make a lot of money. One visited Guillermo while I was there, and I finally had enough :) I asked him some questions that put him on the spot, and made it known to the family before leaving that I don't believe him. They didn't buy into the 6-month supply of $150/month, but they bought some and of course it had no effect.

So, there have been several deaths, and wakes and funerals. These are different from the States. A wake goes all day and night, and it means people being present to the family to pray every 2 hours or so. If the church here had some more life and organization, there could be a team of people to share in the accompaniment of the family, but that doesn't happen unfortunately. But what is a common saying and understanding here is that we are all going to pass along the same path eventually. We are all going to die, and the deceased have just gone before us.

Speaking of that :), there's a new cemetery being built in Chontal, and the first few people have already been buried. There was a minga (community work activity) on one Saturday that I participated in, digging out and laying down the concrete for the fencing around the cemetery. Mingas are good: they bring the community together to work for itself, especially if done in coordination with a professional, too. In working on the cemetery, the people together are building their final resting places :).  Here are some pictures.

The patronal fiestas of St Michael the Archangel were on the weekend of Sept 30. It included groups from the pueblo making decorated cars and doing traditional dances. To me, this was the best part of the feasts, as it was arranged and carried out by the people themselves. You can see videos here of each of the dances, in high definition.

During one of the nights of the fiestas, there was a "_____ Got Talent" type of competition. But instead of various people from the pueblo sharing their different talents, only one member of the community sang. (The priest won the event.) Afterwards there was a lot of talk around about why there weren't more local people participating, and why different talents weren't showcased. One person that would have been great is Don Benjamin Enriquez. The next night, he was out playing the lemon leaf outside of one of the tiendas. This traditional, natural music-making is dying out as an art, and I've talked to him about maybe, if possible, to find a way to make an informal space for him and others like him to exercise their talents. (When I asked him for permission to share this video, he lit up and said sure, as his music hardly sees the light of day.) He's only using a leaf from an orange tree!

Life in Chontal is less stable than in the States, and there are times without electricity, internet, or water. I've drawn on my old Franciscan days to use buckets from the water storage, whenever there's no running water.

Mindo

Because my time has been occupied in Chontal and Quito, I haven't spent more than a few days in Mindo. But that hopefully will change once I get the visa extension, and it looks like I might stay in a local hotel renting monthly. I hope to work out a general schedule between Chontal and Mindo, and see if I can arrange places in both locations according to that. So we'll see. And important aspect of having a base in Mindo is the much more stable internet situation there than Chontal. I could never have a remote, online job in Chontal, whereas in Mindo, that's a possibility.

Quito

I finally did visit Darwin and the Capuchin Franciscans in Quito, starting in September 8, which is the day the church celebrates Mary's birthday. The residence in the south of Quito, which is former house of formation, is named for Our Lady of Guadalupe, and it was a good few days I spent with them, as it offered a different experience of the church in Ecuador from what I'm used to in the area around Chontal.

As they were very hospitable and friendly, and they have an active relationship with neighbors, I ended up returning to stay on several instances. I'm grateful for all of that. I stopped by for their celebration of St Francis of Assist on Oct 3 and 4, and it was a good place to be for those evenings.

The section of Quito is a poor and tough part of the city, so there's some caution to be had. As it's up a hill on the west side, there are also great views over the city toward the mountain ranges in east, southeast, including the snow-capped volcano Cotopaxi, the highest peak in Ecuador. I have a few photos at dusk and sunset times here and here.

I also had discussions with my friend Rosa at the language school Vida Verde about doing some training in technology with the teachers (training in Google Classroom). There might be more discussion coming up on that once I get the visa extension.

Fundraising: Sharing in Poverty Relief and Missionary Support

I'm considering soon putting together a fundraiser to share publicly, for two principal reasons

Poverty Relief

If you've been reading these updates since 2015, you may remember in that year that I lived next to the Bazurto family. A large, poor family with a range of disabilities, we shared a month in January that year living as next-door neighbors. With help from others, I was able to support them through tough times and help a few of the grandchildren get eyeglasses as well.

Two of those grandchildren are now teens, and they were involved in a dangerous motorcycle accident in the city of Quevedo, where they both sustained damage to their legs. The boy José's situation is better, but the young girl, Jessica, appears to have almost lost her leg. Working directly with the Franciscan Missionaries of St Joseph, I was able to send $75 to help with the care of José, and $150 to help with Jessica. IN a fundraiser, I'd be looking for people to help cover that cost, as I have limited resources myself, and also as a way for you to share with me and the Sisters in the act of lifting up friends who are quite poor.

My costs to be here

I'm looking for help with the increase in the costs of my being here: visa expenses (another unplanned $500) and airfare expenses (about $200 more than typical). All the daily accompaniment here, and all the ministries and projects of all different shapes and sizes that grow out of it, I do for free. Free to the Diocese and free to the people. I personally pay for all of my living expenses, save for invited meals once in a while at someone's house. And the simple, daily accompaniment includes many moments, events, and conversations that have a distinct effect on peoples' lives. In fact, in the spirit of the Incarnation and the Crucifixion of Christ, in a deeply spiritual and human way, I would say it's more important than projects and buildings, however good those may be. To cover my costs to be here, I have found work periodically in the US (and hope to find some type of online work from Ecuador, we'll see), but that is very difficult to sustain, and I'd also like to allow people to participate in that presence in their own way (on top of reading these updates that hopefully bring you into the accompaniment, which I do for free and with a lot of time and effort). So, I'd be looking for financial support to help me with that.

I'll have more details if and when I setup the fundraiser, but wanted to keep you all abreast of what is being thought about and planned.

A Loss in Boston

During my time here in Chontal, I received some sad news from my cousin Jim that his brother Patrick Kiley died unexpectedly. He had been struggling with cancer, but things happened rather suddenly at the end. We connected sporadically through the years, but with the memories I do have, his place in my heart will always will be there. Please keep him and the family in your prayers. May he rest in the place God has prepared for him, and may God give peace to his wife Kris, and his brother Jim and all our family. May we all be together again someday in God's house.

Latino Immigrants in Boston

Again, I'm not doing any online teaching or language activities yet, as the I'm not settled into any place with good internet. I'll review this once/if things settle out that way, likely after I get the visa extension.

Online Workshops and Teaching Videos

The online workshops and teaching videos are still available - come on by and check them out by clicking on an image below.

I am still continuing to develop these workshops and teaching videos. As the foundation is accompaniment in life, there are a few that you might find beneficial as the pandemic is winding down, or if you are experiencing any type of a life transition. I'm continuing to offer the Pandemic ReBirth Workshop, as well as the Tree of Life. Feel free to contact me directly if you're interested. And you can share the link freely as well.

I’m also (still!) aiming to put together another Food in the Desert video soon, and hope to be able to move forward in publishing the fourth book in the spiritual reflection series. (Yes, I've been writing that for months! But it will eventually get done!)

Health

My hip arthritis has been ok, and I've been able to get around fine, with a little pain and discomfort. I've been mostly resting it away from any sports, and it actually feels very good now, although I've lost some flexibility and strength. I'm still trying to keep a regular, basic exercise regime of mixed light activities and my therapy exercises, but it's difficult to maintain while I'm in the midst of travel. As things settle a bit, I can get some more focused exercise in.

During the last night of the fiestas, I went to the dancing with some of the medical staff here in Chontal and was able to try dancing for some hours (actually, from about 10pm until 3am! Though most continued until 5 or 6am - very typical for the fiestas). It ended up being some good exercise for my hip, and the first in a long time. I was surprised to find that it felt good, and the next day I felt more range and flexibility, with reduced pain. Maybe I need to get out and dance every night!

I also must have had some type of contact with something when I went up the mountain to Chontal Medio recently, as you can see from this itchy rash on my arm. It's suspected that it's Caracho, a small tree in the poison ivy family that is very potent. I've tried to figure out how it happened, to no avail. But it's said that on hot days, the poison can enter the air and you can get symptoms if just walking beneath the tree. Though I doubt this happened to me, apparently, in some countries, you're supposed to kindly greet the plant as you pass by, while in other places, you're supposed to insult the tree defiantly and spit toward it once to three times, after which, you can handle the tree all you want. I guess I did neither!

Otherwise, I've been healthy and fine.

Financials

There are no significant changes in the B2B financial situation. Below are the links to the financials.

I am also including a list of my monthly expenses here. As noted in the July update, these are now *personal* expenses that don't show up on the B2B ledger. So I'm including these here if you're interested in seeing how much I'm spending.

July 19-31   $306.29

August    $643.36

September    $798.75

October 1-11    $954.58

TOTAL July 19 to Oct 11   $2,703

Costs continue high because of

  • higher visa costs, including more trips to the cities, some lost investment in the change of visa goal, and unexpected translation costs (there will be some more higher costs to come);

  • donations made

  • Return flight purchase at higher than expected rate

As mentioned above, for these financial reasons, and to open more opportunities for participation, I'm considering doing a fundraiser soon.

Here are the current financials for Barriers to Bridges (I’m still working on updating the balance sheet). Additional expenses of $275 were incurred to keep the website operational. (Over the summer, I had explored cost cutting in this area, but found that this was in fact the least expensive way to keep a space of informing and sharing, given my limited time available to make major changes.)

Other Stuff

Here are some odds and ends of views and experiences: 

 And here are two live links that I'll keep updating in real time:

Reflection & Vision

My vision continues to be the same: I'm going to focus on continuing visiting people in Chontal, especially those who are sick and in difficulties. I'll also be considering what might be possible with young adults, youth, and kids. However, I can't be fully based in Chontal, in part because there isn't enough stability to stay connected to the outside, and also I need some separate space from the clergy there in order to grow ministries that are complementary and augment the sacraments.

I'm aiming to have another base in Mindo soon, with the aim to focus on spiritual workshops and intercultural activities.

Unless I have a problem extending my tourist visa, I'll return to the US on January 11 for medical appointments and to hopefully address my hip situation.

I'm following through so far on getting the Professional Visa. How this turns out will affect planning of any activities. Because of high costs, I'm limiting my travel and expenses outside of these two places and Quito.

**************

I was invited to guide the second night of the novena for the fiestas of San Miguel, and as evening approached, the lights went out in the pueblo. As the hour approached, I went down to the church and bought some candles to light it up. Folks came, and we processed in the darkness to the house (a different house each night), which happened to be the hotel house where I usually stay.

The host family gets to participate a lot, in the middle of large crowd of about 40 and candles set about in the darkness, I was invited to share a reflection off of the angel's visit to Joseph after he finds out that Mary is pregnant.

With a few willing volunteers and some fun, I set up the dynamic of the Hebrew marriage. First, the boyfriend goes to the girlfriend's house with the payment for marriage. Once that payment is made and accepted, the marriage is established. Then, he returns to the father's house and begins construction of an addition, while the wife waits with the promise of his return. In about a year or so, when the father is ready (as he's planning the party to come), he sends the son to go and pick up his wife and bring her back to the new digs. There is a marriage ceremony with only close people, and then a big marriage feast with a whole bunch of people invited.

Joseph is in the position of having paid the dowry and now preparing a place for Mary and him in his father's house, when he gets news about Mary being pregnant. He can't have any contact with her, and that's the quandary - there's no explanation. He's left completely in the dark. That's the context of the angel coming and giving the explanation that Mary could never give.

And once Joseph has clarity, then he's free to take Mary into his home, and be at peace.

So, I finished presenting and explaining with a few laughs, and finally got to the importance of listening when God speaks. How do we recognize His voice, the voice of an angel?

Well, I said, I'll mention three of the many signs. The first, I said, was a sense of clarity. Everything seems clear. I looked around at the darkness. We have light.

And once I finished saying that, the lights in the house came back on as power returned to the pueblo.

One of the most basic and sure ways that we can know that God is speaking to us, is when we have complete clarity. It opens the way to freedom and to peace. Think back on your day, your month, your life. When have you had a complete clarity? What did you feel free to do afterwards? How did it give you peace?

When did you hear from an angel?

Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,* yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus. (Mt 1:19-25)

**************

I was walking through Quito on a sunny day and passed a homeless woman asking for money. I stopped and found a dollar in my pocket, and returned and squatted down to her and handed her the dollar while offering a greeting. I moved to one knee, and we began to talk. Her name is Lourdes Gallegos, and after talking for a while, she looked at me and said, "Are you a missionary?" I said, yeah, sort of. She asked me if I would ask others to pray for her and her family. I assured her, sure. By that time we were having a long conversation, just two fellow human beings, brother and sister in life. I was talking to someone just like me. Like talking to another self.

Some 20 plus years ago, when I was a younger guy living in the Back Bay of Boston and making a lot of money, I used to get upset at all the homeless people around. I mean, angry and annoyed. Get a job, I would think - and sometimes say it. You know what the problem was? They were "homeless". I was just seeing them from the outside. They weren't really people.

It wasn't until I started to experience the dawning of grace in my life that I started to realize that there is a lot hidden behind appearances. God is hidden. And one day a movement inside me grew out and made take the step beyond the surface. I worked past the fear and awkwardness and crouched down, and as I began to talk and dialogue, everything else melted away and I realized that they were just real people. People like me. Beyond all that stigma and messiness was - another self. And it was hidden behind homelessness in the streets. That's the sign that shows where God is.

Maybe the greatest story of the conversion of St. Francis of Assisi is the day, after coming back a failure in his military dreams, he sees a leper coming toward him from a distance. Having always been repulsed by lepers to avoid them, this time he does something completely different: he comes down from his horse, and embraces and kisses the leper, and gives him some money. From then on, he saw leprosy as the sign of where human treasures were hidden, people just like him, and he began to live with and share with lepers. Discovering the miracle of the hidden God.

I was in a few taxi cab rides recently in Quito, where I like to talk to the drivers and ask them about what they see happening in Quito and Ecuador. On two successive days, I talked to drivers who were thinking of migrating to the US. In their perspective, there's no work in Ecuador, the situation is worse than ever after the pandemic, and in the States there is plenty of work. Get $4k or more, and they can practically risk their lives to pass first through the dangerous Amazon into Colombia, in canoes and snake-invested jungle. Then they make their way up stage by stage in the channels that exist. We talked about how difficult it is to go legally and get a visa in the US. And of course, we talked about my own situation: I'm in the process of trying to get a visa: in Ecuador. I'm going the other way!

So, one driver stopped in the middle of our conversation, noticing this reality: "We're all trying to go up there, and you're trying to come here!"  We laughed. But I could tell it threw him into a curveball of some deep thoughts. So, I said, "It's because I find treasures here. I find God here."

Remember that everything we have, our possessions and money and talents and abilities, our time, is a means to discover treasure in people. Jesus in the manger and on the cross points us to where God is. He is hidden, below the surfaces and appearances. In the places that society and our natural affections wouldn't expect. While everyone wants to climb the mountain of life, don't be afraid to go the other way.

Treasures - and the hidden God - await.

"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." (Mt 13:44)

Closing

Thanks for reading. Again, I hope it all helps you enter into the experience. Feel free to comment or reach out anytime, and I'll post again when it's time.

-Jerome

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