Hello everyone,
Well, I’ve been back from Ecuador since July 31, and a lot’s happened since the last update (including some health challenges I’ll write about below)! I’ve been working on this update off and on for a month, and am finally able to publish it, so I hope you enjoy it!
MORE ABOUT LIFE AND MISSION IN ECUADOR
It has been great to be back in Ecuador, though another health issue has popped up to slow things down. But it’s also given me some space to catch up on things that have been behind.
I still believe that the vision continues, as it has always:
“For the vision is a witness for the appointed time, a testimony to the end; it will not disappoint. If it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late.”
And part of keeping the vision alive is completing updates like these and continuing contacts. It’s been difficult this year, but I’m hopeful to recover this coming year.
As I’ve been mentioning over the last year plus, I’ve taken important steps in bringing together the spiritual and social/language/cultural aspects of the mission into a practical vision. It’s been tough arranging priority to that this past year, but I’m dedicated to it. As I’ve mentioned, it is a lot of work, and since these are new concepts that aren’t really recognized, there’s a need not only to generate and present examples of the vision, but earn confidence at the same time. And at the root is my spirituality and life in Christ. So, my focus remains on that as a first priority.
Although there are great practical possibilities for this vision in Boston, the root is the relationship with Christ rooted in the mission both in Boston and in Ecuador. So, as I mentioned last time, there continues a development of relationship of people and activities in both Ecuador and Boston, and a going back and forth.
“But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.”
CURRENT EVENTS IN ECUADOR
Migration and Crime
Elevated crime still continues, but still primarily only in certain areas on the coast. Elevated migration also continues, but I’m not sure how that’s changed since the more aggressive policies in the US. But, as I mentioned before, for probably 99% of the people, life continues much the same as before.
Outside Help
Ecuador did qualify for a larger loan from the IMF, as they seemed to be impressed with how the current administration has handled the economy. Whether being more in debt to the IMF is a good things or not is debatable, but in the short term it will provide needed funds.
Aqueducts in Quito
A whole section in the southern part of Quito has gone without water for a week because landslides destroyed one of the aqueducts that supply the city. The mayor and the national government are fighting about the response and who’s responsible. That political tension often leaves the people at a standstill on how to respond. But even more, I notice that designs here in general lack what we in engineering would call “redundancy.” A good design would have a built-in fall back in case something fails. Like you make a backup copy of your computer’s hard drive, in case it fails. But infrastructure here - especially electrical and now this water - aren’t built with redundancy in mind to handle emergencies. For example, electric grids aren’t connected in a way so that another grid can temporarily take on the needs of a neighboring damaged one. And I believe this is done because of the cost. Things are typically built in Ecuador in minimal functional ways (houses start this way). There are funds for the back-ups. So, the several aqueducts that feed Quito are all separate from one another. The newspaper was just raising the need to connect the aqueducts for redundancy, in light of a whole 400,000 people going without water.
in Quito
I arrived in the morning in Quito, and stayed at my friend Rosa’s place. She owns a Spanish school Vida Verde in Quito, and it was good to catch up after almost two years with her, her son Mateo, and the staff at the school.
Rosa, Mateo, a friend of his, and me
There was a group of about 16 school administrators from Virginia visiting, and when I was stopping by the school, there were salsa lessons, given by Fran, who I got lessons from 11 years ago. He’s a distant cousin of Pd Julian who was the priest in Chontal who facilitated the connection with the Franciscan Missions to build the church I funded there. Anyway, I tried to learn some more salsa steps on about 5 hours of sleep with my arthritic hip, and it was fun. (More about that group later.)
It was good to catch up on a lot of things with Rosa and Mateo, from memories and stories, to what was happening locally. It was a really nice time.
The views in certain parts of Quito can be stunning. From the rooftop of the school, you can see snowcapped volcano Cotopaxi in the distance. It’s one of the highest active volcanoes in the world, the second highest peak in Ecuador, and a national symbol.
Looking south over Quito toward Cotopaxi in the distance
A zoomed view showing snow-capped Cotopaxi in the distance.
A twenty-minute walk also takes you to a lookout form the east side of the city over the neighboring valley of Guapulo towards the airport, which is always a stunning view
Rosa and her school are in the Floresta section of Quito, which is probably the best to relax and experience some new things. I mostly took walks and spent time in a few coffee shops for a while:
In Quito, I was able to get a new phone chip that gave me a new Ecuador phone number and internet data on the carrier Claro. I was also able to visit the church down there the Catholic university for Mass, and also the adoration chapel there several times. Those are places I’ve been visiting for years in my stays here, and it was a real grace to be back and pray there.
When I’m in travel mode in Quito, I like to wear some protected travel pants I own. They were donated to me when I was working with the St. James Society, and they are really useful for traveling. They had grown some big holes in the interior pants pockets, and everything was falling through. With Rosa’s help, I found a seamstress nearby who repaired both pockets - and saved the pants! - for just $6. It was a reminder that sometimes it’s just repairing a small but fundamentally important thing to save a treasure!
We ate home-cooked healthy food in Rosa’s place with another student, a young man from China. We also headed out once to a small place owned from Fran, the salsa teacher, with mixed vegetarian food. This dish includes salmon on a mixed plate - it was great!
It was a great four-day stay to start getting adjusted again, and on Monday June 30, I headed out to go to Mindo
in Mindo
The Mindo bus schedule had changed, though someone had told me hadn’t, so I got to the terminal La Ofelia in Quito looking for a bus that didn’t exist! Instead of waiting 5 hours somewhere for the next one, I decided on plan B. I took a taxi to Carcelén, another, bigger bus terminal that sends out a bus every half hour that, though it doesn’t go directly into Mindo, passes by the main road that takes you there. I got a ticket, and later got one of those buses and got off at the main road to Mindo. There, I got another 15-minute taxi ride to take me into Mindo. I checked into the same hotel where I’ve stayed in the last two stays in Mindo, where the manager Isidro lives with his wife Karina, and their two children Liam and Zoe.
Zoe and family
It was great to see them all, and to see how Zoe is doing, with it being 2 years since she began ill with Leigh Syndrome. Zoe reminds me of my own sister, Lisa, who lived her life in a similar physical and mental state (though slightly more disabled than Zoe, I would say). I could see some of myself or my brother in 5-year-old Liam growing up with a sister with a dependent disability, learning how to relate to her and love her. The family moves around the hotel public space as they tend to things, and at one point I saw Isidro holding an open syringe up in the air as milk flowed down a tub into a button in Zoe’s stomach. There were many an evening where I would help my mother holding that syringe, as it fed my sister, not by the button by a GI tube through her nose into her stomach.
Zoe responds to sound and touch with smiles and other reactions, though she is blind. And she’d gotten quite big!
Liam had his 5th birthday on July 1, he’s becoming much more mature than when I knew him at 3 and a half! Anyway, my job was to take him out for a half an hour before the party time, so it all could be organized:
But he’s too smart now, and he caught a glimpse of a balloon while we approached the hotel and knew what was up!
Shortly after Liam’s birthday, Karina had to take Zoe to the children’s hospital Vaca Ortiz in Quito for treatment. Essentially, doctors want to do an MRI to get an update and advanced prognosis on her, and that means waiting around for up to a week in the hospital in Quito. Karina has to stay with Zoe all the time in the hospital - it’s very stressful and taxing on any family. Unfortunately, because of some of Zoe’s complications from her Leigh Syndrome, and logistical delays (there are only a certain number of MRI machines and priorities are always shifting), Kari was in the hospital with Zoe for 3 weeks and counting. It’s really challenging on the whole family, on their mental health, and on their relationships. It’s a difficult reality.
On a video call, I was able to break out the charango and at least offer some music and songs, including Happy Birthday with the staff in other families to one of the nurses providing care there. It seemed like a nice lift, at least.
But the road is still more difficult and complicated for them. Although Zoe is somewhat stable, life expectancy for someone with Leigh’s Syndrome is only several years. The family does get support from some international connections (the hotel manager has helped in the past), but they’re having to make some really difficult financial decisions, too. July 20 passed, which was the two-year anniversary of the day she fell inexplicably ill, a day I remember well by accompanying them for hours as the total surprise and confusion set in. It’s also the date of my sister’s birthday, and the relationship I described before was even more felt.
Camila is Karina’s 11-year-old niece, and she spends time after school at hotel sometimes. So between Camila and Liam, there was a lot of kids play time! I showed Camila several card tricks, and she was excited to learn them. And then we would practice them together so she could do them with her friends. It was great!
Liam enjoyed all types of play. Having just turned 5, he’s still very clingy, so it was so hard to get away from him, lol! But he’s really energetic and playful, but does an excellent job accepting limits and “no”, I was completely impressed.
Casa de Piedra
I had the chance to visit Casa de Piedra, where I used to stay on short stays in Mindo, to offer my condolences to the family. The co-owner Henry managed the business with his sister and co-owner Mariela, and they are friends. Henry became sick suddenly last year, and died within a few weeks. It was a shock. So it was good to visit and offer condolences and prayers. I have a lot of memories there, and have know them for over 10 years, so it’s still a bit of processing. I had hoped to go back and visit again, but on July 11, I became sick and had to stick around my hotel, so sadly I wasn’t able to catch up more with everyone on another day. But at least we had that one visit.
Around Mindo
A lot of of the town The small businesses all around are pretty much the same as when I left in 2023, and it was great to see a lot of old friends.
Jorge and Alejandra and Jairo sell items in stores next to each other, and we spent a lot of time catching up, and doing language too. Pamela is an artisan with two sons I’ve known for many years, who I caught up with, plus Luis from Venezuela, a musician who used to play in the hotel I stay in ten years ago! Teran, an artisan, and Felipe from Uruguay who runs a wonderful boys’ soccer school, and lots of other people.
Segundo and Luis are brothers from Otavalo who own stores selling indigenous items, and I was able to spend time with them, too. Learning new Kichwa phrases, doing some English, and telling them how the Kichwa I learned from them back a few years ago served me in meeting some Otavaleños I ran into on the streets of Boston! And I met some new indigenous vendors to continue to get to know and share language with.
Here are several photos from around:
Prayer in different places
One of my first stops is always a visit to a hidden away location near where the Nambillo and Mindo Rivers join, where I can sit by a large rock there and pray for a long time. It’s been a special place for me to pray since 2013. Both of these rivers, as all the rivers around Mindo and this region, have their origin in the volcano Guagua Pichincha, that forms the western border of Quito.
These days, the spot is along a path that leads to a reserve, though you have to cross the river on a 3-cable bridge, or in a manually driven tarabita (cable car). I happened to reach that spot on a walk, and got a few photos of people crossing over. I plan to head over some day and check out what’s over there - you can go for $5 for an afternoon.
Nazareno and Cecilia and their children still live in the retreat center, taking care of the property and tending to guests. Originally from the coast, they are poor, and I met them back in 2013 when I first started coming here. We catch up when I visit the property to pray in the chapel, and this year I showed up un-announced for a nice surprise. It was good to catch up and they invited me for a meal. We’ve supported each other in different ways over the years, as they are always welcoming and accommodating in allowing me into the property. The last time I was here, I donated my tablet computer to them so their daughter could use it for her college courses. The one she had was on its last leg, and I think it was a needed step up. The family also makes a natural, grain and seed-based bread that I buy each week, to eat healthily. It’s fantastic.
The retreat center property is owned by a religious community that I think is originally from Belgium. Rarely is it being used these days, except for Samuel, who is a local deacon in his 60’s. Samuel used to be part of a German religious community that had a property outside of Santo Domingo several hours away. The community ran into internal conflict and began to split. I used to visit there to take some retreat time back in the mid-2010’s. The community lived poverty close to nature, with a German orderliness :). In any case, the rest of the community members returned to Germany, including Samuel’s family (he’s married with children), but he remained behind and eventually settled in Mindo and became an ordained deacon for the Diocese of Santo Domingo. In fact, his community used to make the original healthy bread that Nazareno and his family now make. I cross paths at times with him when I visit the chapel at the retreat center in Mindo.
I also spent time praying in the parish church in Mindo, and also going to Mass each week, plus a weekday Mass, too. Right away I was recruited by Pd Freidin to lector in the Masses, so it’s always a grace I enjoy.
In the church, I ran into a lot of people as well and caught up with, including the priest Pd Freidin and Reynaldo. We have conversations sometimes after Mass about social and cultural realities and faith in Ecuador and the US. I also ran into Uswaldo, an 88 year old senior who I used to catch up with to hear about the history of Mindo. He was just recovering from health problems and now walks with a cane. When I was leaving, we embraced.
I also ran into Tatiana, an Ecuadorian woman who has a husband from the US or Canada. When I was last in Mindo, she was guiding an informal conversational English gathering in Yumbos chocolates, and when she had to leave the country for a long spell, I carried the ball for a while. In any case, I was surprised to see her in church, because she was a member of a nondenominational house church in Mindo. When I realized it was her, she explained that she and her husband had returned to the Catholic Church. Hearing about my health problems, she referred me to her uncle who has a different holistic medicinal practice in Mindo, but I never had the chance to really follow up.
Magic Tricks
Before coming to Ecuador this time, I started to get inspired by watching some card magicians on YouTube to learn a few simple tricks myself. And while I was here, I learned several more. I found they are great to use with adults - it makes everyone smile and think! And if they’re good sports about participating the trick, and are impressed and inspired, I always offer to teach people how to do it themselves. So, a few people learned a few new tricks, too, it was fantastic! But what I don’t do is just explain the trick, and I don’t continue if someone doesn’t “play” along, if they don’t follow instructions so they can try to figure out or break the trick and “beat” me! A few people were frustrated by that.
And yet this is how God is with revealing Himself. If we just trust and go along with what He’s doing in our life, there’s always something amazing that comes about. It’s something that can inspire us to learn to do, too, and God wants to teach us how, so that we can do the same things that He can. This is what Jesus is saying when he says in John’s Gospel: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.” (Jn 14:12)
But if we don’t step out and trust, but take things into our own hands to “figure things” out, to deconstruct and invalidate it for our own ego’s sake of winning, we not only miss out on the joy of wonder in the trick, but we miss out on the inspiration it gives us, and then the joy of learning to be able to do that same thing yourself (to your own amazement), and pass that same experience along to others. We really miss out on a huge aspect of life! If we don’t participate with trust - become a disciple - God will stop with the “trick”, and He won’t reveal the mystery to us. And we’re left wondering in frustration. And this is what Jesus is describing to the disciples who are following him along in Matthew’s Gospel:
“He said to them in reply, “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because ‘they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.’ Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: ‘You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and be converted, and I heal them.’ “But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.””
And when he addresses everyone in John’s Gospel: “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind.” (Jn 9:39)
God’s grace and mysteries are for those who trust, like a child.
And so, I use the cards with children as a great tool for engagement! We use counting and language (English), and manual skills and presentation as I taught several different tricks. To see the joy of being able to carry out tricks was so priceless. Everything that builds a child’s sense of wonder, accomplishment, capability, intellect, and skill is so important. And that’s what I use the cards for.
It was so unexpected of a source of engagement, but it really was a special tool of grace during my visit this time!
Seek Discomfort
Finally, just before heading out to Chontal, one day I was coming out of my room and a large group of people were entering the terrace of the hotel for a big meal. Lo and behold, it was the same group of people from Virginia who had been at Rosa’s Spanish School!
I had the privilege of accompanying them as they went around and each shared a summary of their 2-week-long experience in Ecuador. Everyone had a lot to say to process the experience, and it was universally a transformative experience. If I could sum up the common theme than ran through everyone’s response, it would be something like: “I really was unsure about coming, I’m an organization person and this trip was a big step out of my comfort zone, but this trip was amazing in how I opened up and took a big step in growing myself and in knowing and bonding with everyone else.”
One of the folks mentioned their climb to the base camp of Cotopaxi, and how they never thought they’d be able to do that. When they got there, a big sign looked her straight in the eye: “Seek Discomfort”. I thought it was the fitting theme for what everyone shared, and at the end of it all, they asked me to say something. I was really humbled and grateful for that, and also feeling like this is my kind of group, where everyone is welcome to share. So I thanked everyone for being allowed to witness all the amazing stories, and I went back to that phrase. My life and relationship with Ecuador has shown me over and over how rewarding it is to not stay in the comfort zone, but seek discomfort. I was so happy for them, and at the same time, it’s exactly the type of experience I want to facilitate for people in my Into the Waters visit.
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.””
And the next day, I set out on the bus to Chontal.
in Chontal
I arrive in Chontal on July 8 and I only stayed 2 days. But they were two full days!
I was catching up with so many people I hadn’t seen in a long time. And some had moved on. Some like Tania and Maritza and Paola, have gotten married and live in other places. Tania, who was the youth group leader and who coordinated for Christmas gifts for the kids in the daycare for a few years, and who took my English pronunciation class a few years; Maritza, her aunt (yes, same age), who also participated in the youth group and took the English course, whose father I accompanied through the end of his life as he slowly died from cancer in 2016; and Paola, daughter of Ramiro and Alicia where I stay, who I remember back in my first visit to Chontal alone prepared the room for me to stay in, and later shared in living through the first 4 months of the pandemic together in the family house. It’s kind of mind-blowing to see them all grown up!
The kids
And the kids I haven’t seen in a year and a half, were now like completely different people! I couldn’t get over how much they’d grown, but as someone said, it’s the longest I’ve gone without a visit since I first came in 2010.
Now, there’s a new crop of kids coming up, and of course I spent time with them!
One of the great activities is opening up the cannister of fake jelly beans. There are great flavors and nasty ones, and you have to eat the one that pops up when it’s your turn. It’s a huuuuge hit for the kids! We went through all the candies in just two days.
The other things I did was get out the cards for some magic tricks, sitting on the church front door. We practice counting and letters in English and have fun. It’s an opportunity to do something different together, have fun, be amazed, have fun, and … build rapport. Simple spontaneous quasi-guided activities provide enough structure for the kids to unite with an adult, but hand over enough freedom for the activity to still belong to the kids. I believe this is wonderful way to support kids making their own sense of community and play and activity.
Visits
But I did magic with adults, too! Oscar and his wife and their kids, and others, too. The word it elicits is, “Wow!” And that’s the attitude that opens us up to God.
I caught up with a lot of people and families. One family I visited was Fernando and Ximena, and their daughter Valentina. Their other daughter, Katty, is in college studies in Ibarra. Ximena teaches alone in a small school room up in the mountain, where I had visited the kids a number of times and got some Christmas decorations for their school. She’s still teaching there, but unfortunately I didn’t have time to visit. I hope to the next time I can come.
Fernando is a professional word-worker, and he makes all kids of furniture for sale and other cool things. He also makes furniture for churches, including altars, which are really high quality. He does great work!
He also has a wooden barrel out in his shed that ferments and hold liquor. Mixing the local grain, sugar-cane-based alcohol guanchaka with various fruits (he wouldn’t divulge), and letting it ferment for a year, he has a really nice whiskey that he pours once in a while straight from the barrel.
I got the cards out, too, for a trick or two, and it got smiles and laughs and Wows out of everyone. Valentina wanted to learn one, so I showed her, and then she tried. It worked the first time, and she was so excited! She then got inspired to show me her baton twirling. She went into her room, and got out her baton and her phone, to show me different examples as she twirled away. I was thoroughly amazed! Her father turned to me and said, “It’s a lifelong dream for her.” She was so proud, and I was so amazed and inspired, and glad to see that she felt comfortable and safe to show what was deep in her heart. It was an edifying experience. When we feel free to let our own inspirations out, it makes other people feel safe and free to bring theirs out, too. I guess I’m known for that there. Freedom in the Gospel is contagious, for anyone who is open to it.
Prayer and the church
I was able to spend some time in the church in prayer each day. The adoration time was special again, as always.
Revisiting the plaque for a little while is also a little ritual I have:
Finally, one thing that immediately stands out now is the new interior drop down roof. It actually looks fantastic, and you can notice the difference in temperature. The plan is also to replace the upper window in the back wall of the church with a wooden-framed screen, a suggestion I made to start because the original design was to remove the heat through a chimney effect that way. I wondered how much effect it would have, so an inexpensive test could have been done. But either way, the overheating of the church seems to be resolved!
If you remember, we contributed $200 to this effort, and so thank you to us coming together as one community with the people here to produce this benefit!
The current priest has left Chontal, and his final Mass was there while I had to return to Mindo. I couldn’t make it back because of health concerns, but we exchanged some lengthy text messages and said our goodbyes. He’s moved on to a parish close to Otavalo, and a newly ordained priest has taken his place. I’ll meet him the next time I go to Ecuador.
The current fundraiser
I visited Ines and her family. Ines is the community president who was also the church president for many years. We’ve worked together on a number of projects and activities, and I’m coordinating with her for our part in the funding of the new schoolyard roof.
It was great to catch up with her and her family, and we had a meal together as we talked about the fundraiser, the needs of the school and also those of Rafaela and her family. I got the final numbers on the fundraiser that the school had back in March for her family. They still have money from that fundraiser set aside for the family, and the medical attention they were getting was in the free public system. Putting all this together, it seemed best to then share $300 of the fundraiser instead of the planned $500, because we weren’t reaching the overall goal. Again later on, if the family really needed something, we could look for more. But it seemed that funding wasn’t urgent, and there was a reserve for them. Rafaela and her mother Janeth weren’t in Chontal when I was there, as they were already in Guayaquil where Rafaela was finally beginning to be admitted to a hospital for surgery prep (! More below!). So, I left $300 cash where I was staying, and Rafaela’s daughter Naomi came and picked it up after I left. This will be all of our gift to the family from the current fundraiser.
The schoolyard roof was originally planned to start in mid-August, but there’s a delay because of a change in leadership in the organization that’s procuring the supplies. I’m in touch with Ines, and so far was have raised $1470 - $300 = $1,170 for the roof. I’ll be speaking to her as a schedule finalizes, and hopefully we can raise a little more to give a cushion, but I think that so far, this should be enough to combine with the community funds to build the roof. But things are often shifting a little bit, so I’ll see. When the time comes, I’ll electronically transfer the money to someone in the village, who will deliver the cash.
Here are some the latest views of the school and schoolyard. It’s actually such a beautiful view and space, and having protection from sun and water would be a huge benefit! At this time, the rain season is wrapping up, so there more dryness with clouds. But when the dry season goes full swing, the strong sun is brutal!
Rafaela
I don’t have an updated picture of Rafaela, and she wasn’t in Chontal when I was there, but I wanted to include a picture. She’s now seven!
And great news! On August 7th, Rafaela underwent open-heart surgery in a hospital in Guayaquil, after a month in the hospital getting ready for the surgery. Outside of an allergic reaction at the end / after the process, she has been in recovery. So far, so good! I’m in contact with Janeth these days to see how things go. It’s such wonderful news!
Since 2019 the family’s been told by doctors that she needed to now start planning on surgery, and after so many obstacles and so much time, it became a reality. There are some in the family who thought - understandably - that Rafaela’s overall care would eventually become far too costly over the years (she has a number of medical issues), and instead of trying to find funding to provide for it all, it would be better to just let nature take its course. This is not so uncommon in the rural areas, where life is hard and there are more obstacles to more advanced medical care. So Janeth’s persistence and endurance over the years is just so remarkable, and real testimony to a mother’s love. It’s very moving to think about, and the support we’ve given over that time is a part of Rafaela’s also her mother’s. So thank you to everyone who has supported over this time, and I hope you feel in some way like a part of the community.
The cemetery
On my last day in Chontal, I also visited the cemetery to pray. A few people had died and were entombed there since I had last been there, so it was good to spend time remembering both those who were already there, including Guillermo Nogales and Eduardo Bosmediano among others, as well as the new people entombed there.
On my way back, ran into Sabina, the wife of one of the people who had died several months ago, and someone I’ve known for many years along with her son William, who was president of the community many years ago. She was out buying some vegetables from a truck. We embraced and greeted, and amid tears I listened to her talk about her husband. It was one of the first times she was out of the house since his death. And as she grieved, the pain came to the surface. “I took care of him for months in the end, and I knew. I knew he was going to die, I knew it was coming. But you just don’t really know what it’s like until you go through it. It’s so hard for me.” After our time together, we said goodbye, and she went back into the house, and I headed back up to the street.
There I ran into Ramiro, who has lived in Chontal next to the school all his life. He told me the whole story, and how it started with one room and all mud and dirt. During the rain season when the schoolyard was pure mud, each kids had to bring a small wooden box to step into and stand for the beginning of the day (in Ecuador, the day begins with everyone in the schoolyard, lined up, for announcements). It was another piece to the story that we are a part of now.
And after that, headed over to catch the bus.
My health
When I was coming to Ecuador, I had some body pains that had been developing over a few month. My left hip has arthritis, and that always hurts and generously share some of that pain with my knee. But my left shoulder had also become very painful, along with stiffness and soreness in my neck and upper back, and what seemed like nerve agitation. And my lower back would regularly get sore, too! I had felt it was from so much backpack carrying over the previous 9 months or so. I thought I’d get it checked out when I get back to Boston, and that less backpack carrying would help. But just before coming down, my left rib cage started becoming sore, and while in Ecuador, the skin around the left rib cage actually became sensitive. In Chontal, it got to the point where skin in that area became uncomfortable in the shower, from the impact of the water, like when you have a sunburn. There was no rash or outer effects. But it became worse (and maybe because I lugged a full backpack to Chontal), and my gut drew me to decide to leave Chontal early and visit the health clinic in Mindo, just to have a medical professional look at the situation, as I didn’t know if there could be some chance of something going on in an internal organ. So, I only spent a day or two in Chontal, and returned to Mindo early.
in Mindo Again
My health limitations
On July 11, I went to the health clinic in Mindo the next day, and to my and everyone’s surprise, my blood pressure was 175/115! Aftre some meds, it got down to 140/100 and they sent me home to rest, and start blood pressure meds. Over the next 2 weeks, it was adjusted up until the pressure was getting into a more normal range, 120s / low 80s.
During this time, I reached out to a lot of people special to me, and I’m very grateful for all their support. I really would have had so much difficulty without that support, so I hope that God blesses you with His support in your difficulties whenever they come. And if I can be a support to, I’d be glad to.
I went to a clinic in the neighboring town called Los Bancos to get a blood test, which came back all normal except for a little high cholesterol. That was good news. And I also stopped by a lookout that I had been to before. It’s one of the most beautiful views I’ve seen, and I’ve always used these views as cover photo pictures for the Barriers to Bridges website. You can see them here, as the overall views from the restaurant and cafe then follow a path down to a tree footbridge with a breathtaking view. If you want to see a panoramic video of the cafe, click here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/tigkJHG1wDpqn3D76
While there, I met the owner Patricio, for the first time. We hit it off, and he shared his amazing story of how he came to become owner back in 1980. He grew up in Los Bancos, and saw this place one time, and decided he needed to buy it. He found work in the US, saved up, and bought it when he finished high school! He later developed into a hotel with restaurant to support the workers working on a nearby oil pipeline, and after that was over, just continued it. He gave me a copy of his book about the history of Los Bancos and the zone, which includes the story and path of Padre Bernabe, a Capuchin friar who covered the zone many years ago, all the way up to Chontal. I’ve known about him and his fame, and have always felt a connection, so it will be a good read. The whole encounter was a blessing, and I’m grateful for it!
““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. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”
Food in Mindo
Of course there’s lots of different food in Mindo. It’s hard to begin to describe, but here are just a few photos I took along the way:
I took a shot at my own cooking while watching my diet for the high blood pressure. The hotel has its own big kitchen, so it was very useful!
Supporting local people
I also tried to support friends who sell crafts and things from their businesses, people like Jorge, Alejandra, Pamela, and Segundo and Luis from Otavalo.
I continued supporting the Vera family, buying some raffle tickets (to potentially win a cow!), and a rotisserie chicken for their fundraiser. Last time there in Mindo, I had given them a computer tablet I had, as their daughter was in desperate need for her studies. This year, as I left Mindo early, I could only give them the rotisserie chicken!
Play
Being in the hotel a lot made for plenty of time to play with Liam and Camilla! I had brought out Owlette, a special gift from my girlfriend who always accompanied me and has her own stories, and we had an adventure of fun!
““Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.””
I had canceled all my planned activities and visits, and was going to relax and stay low-key in Mindo until my flight home on July 30. But the meds were causing me a lot of dizziness and light-headedness, to the point I was anxious as well. One day while trying to prepare lunch in the hotel kitchen, even though I had just come back from the clinic with a good BP reading, I felt I was going to pass out from the extreme light-headedness and anxiety. I had to go and sit down, and was just about to pull the trigger on being asked to go to an ER (an hour away). But things calmed down, and I ended up being fine. I then decided I would see if I could move to Quito for my time.
It worked out, as my friend Rosa still had space, and helped me out by picking me up to bring me back. Here we all are before we head back to Quito. Frank is a German man who does his own NGO work in Ecuador, in the coast area.
in Quito Again
If you want to see how the clouds roll into Quito from over the mountains in late afternoon, I took a little video on our way back: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ABDB8vVth2H4Uy1JA
Once there, I had an appointment with a cardiologist in a health clinic that Rosa knows. The doctor reduced my meds and took an EKG. After a few days, I started to feel back to normal, and had a follow up with the cardiologist. She said there’s nothing wrong with my heart, the EKG is perfectly normal (I saw it too). So, I have medications for about 4 months or more as I return home to find medical follow up. By the way, the total cost of all the medical attention I received in Ecuador, including several doctor’s visits in Mindo, 2 cardiologist visits in Quito, a blood test, an EKG, and about 4 months of medication was $100!
At Rosa’s, the food was more controlled than I could find in Mindo, and she also has a BP monitor I used every day. My blood pressure was very normal throughout my time there, thanks to the doctors and so many people and God.
Charley from China was still there, and one day we went out for real Chinese food in Quito:
Each day, I visited the adoration chapel to pray. I had a long conversation on the street with a blind man begging on the street on the way back, and the theme was the crime now in Ecuador. I listen to people who are on the outside or the bottom of society, because even when they appear to be blind, they have sight.
Another day, we popped out to the historical center for an hour or so:
It was difficult to get much done during this time, as the med side effects still bothered me a lot until 2 days before my flight. But I am so grateful to have had the friendship of Rosa and the support of so many people in this time. Thanks to everyone and to God for bringing me through!
And I returned to Boston, passing through Bogota on the way home, without a problem.
ECUADOR - BOSTON
Language in Communion
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I had started doing some online language (specifically pronunciation) with Ecuadorians, starting with people in Chontal. I was able to accomplish a goal of offering it in-person in Chontal, while re-doing it again from the ground up as I took the certification course in pronunciation. I’m more confident in it now, but also recognize it’s auxiliary value next to the core activity: promoting and accompanying people becoming adult language/culture learners in communion.
There are opportunities to participate if you are interested:
participate and/or assist in a language sharing group: becoming a language learner and sharing one’s own language
financially contribute to join with the community effort to come together, and support the members most in need while receiving more
If either or both of these interest you, please post a comment below or feel free to contact me: jerome@barriers2bridges.org
Into the Waters: An International Immersion Visit & Retreat
Although this has (STILL) been on the back burner, I’m still very interested in this opportunity for interested people from the States, especially after being in contact with the group from Virginia this time and having conversations with my friend Rosa. I’m still in the process of working out the details, which you can check out by expanding the section below. If you are interested in an 9-day, guided visit to Ecuador in a small group of 4 or less, to join with me in dipping into the culture with local people, feel free to contact me: jerome@barriers2bridges.org.
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• Arrival / Urban life and roots: 3 days in the capital Quito and in Otavalo
○ Up at 9400 feet, we’ll start in Quito and immerse in the culture, including a visit to the equator and the historical center. Next, we’ll visit Otavalo, a global indigenous center.
• Rural life and roots: 2 days in Chontal, a remote rural village in the medio-Andes.
○ At about 2100 ft, in a subtropical cloud forest climate, we’ll experience the rhythm of a simpler, poor rural life, integrated into the life of the local people, including the agricultural roots of Ecuador.
• Retreat & relaxation: 3 days in Mindo, an ecotourist center for relaxation, retreat, and reflection.
○ A global bird-watching attraction, we’ll relax in lodgings very close to nature. Waterfalls, chocolate factories, butterfly farms, artisan shops and a retreat center will provide context for a time of guided reflection and discussion.
• Return: 1 day in Quito to prepare for a return
We will be traveling among the local people, by public transportation and taxis, along routes that I’ve known for years. You must make a signed commitment to stay with me at all times and follow any guidelines I present. We’ll have a period of private time each day for prayer, reflection, or relaxation.
Other notes:
• Travel: There will be some bus travel times from 2 to 6 hours in some cases, where we will see the mountain- and country-sides.
• Safety: We won’t be in the high-risk zones related to narco-trafficking and high crime.
• Health: Certain vaccinations may be suggested. Traveler’s health insurance is at one’s own discretion.
PREACHING/TEACHING & WORKSHOPS
ALM: SPIRITUAL REFLECTIONS
Website/Blog
On the homepage of this site, you can find the latest spiritual reflections that I post to A Living Monstrance. Or, you can visit the site directly here. These reflections come from my spirituality and lifestyle, and are guideposts along the journey.
Books
I’ve also collected the reflections into a series of books, each one containing 150 reflections, in sequential order. The latest book is up to the year 2017, and I have made some progress publishing two more in the series. They’ll make it to publication some day in the next year, hopefully!
You can order any of the books by going here to Lulu.
REFLECTION TEACHING VIDEOS
I have a few series of videos, for your prayer and social life, that go further and deeper than the reflections of ALM. You may find them uplifting if you’re wondering how to pray and understand the Scriptures to find something life-changing in them; and if you’re wondering about how to sort through what is often a confusing social landscape.
Food in the Desert
This video series introduces a way to find food in the Gospels, by reading and living them in the same dynamic in which they were original created. You don’t need to be a scholar, just willing to accept and follow the same Spirit of the authors. (Spanish versions are included later in the playlist.)
A Spirituality of Equality
This video series, produced during the Great Pause of the pandemic, invites you into the village of Chontal to walk along a path of reflection about human equality from a Gospel spirituality and lifestyle. (Spanish subtitles are available on all videos.)
SPIRITUAL REFLECTION WORKSHOPS
I’m still offering a variety of workshops, for both English and Spanish speakers. They focus on life transitions by understanding, sharing and memorializing your unique personal life stories, through a small group encounter with the Christian Paschal mystery of life, death, and resurrection. If you are interested in any of them, please contact me directly: jerome@barriers2bridges.org
Re-Birth from the Pandemic
(Coming soon: I’m going to reframe this workshop to be for life transitions instead of just the Pandemic.) Are you experiencing confusion or anxiousness as the pandemic experience moves to the rearview mirror? The scripture is full of “40” stories: stories about rebirth. Encountering these stories together with our own can help you get back in touch with your personal journey and see a way ahead with hope.
Your Tree of Life
This is a foundational vocation discernment workshop that helps us discover more who we truly are and what we are called to do, from the root of our being. It focuses practically on ministry and/or career discernment, but the experience enters into all of life.
In the beginning creation story of Adam and Eve, the Hebrew people are invited to remember the story of origin that recalls who God made them to truly be, as well as their human weakness that can separate them from following through on this authenticity. The mystery of Christ brings us back into the original garden and gives us access to the Tree of Life. The expression of this mystery in this workshop - through basic applied principles of discernment from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola - allows us to remember our own personal True You stories that make up the core of our own tree of life, as well as those life stories that show us how the protective bark of that tree breaks down.
If you are looking for something to give you a new step in clarity, freedom, energy, and peace - to help you remember again who you really are - this workshop could be for you.
Taller Mi Pascua de Inmigración
This is a foundational workshop retreat for immigrants (now for Spanish-speakers), in which each person has the space to remember, unpack, tell, and honor their story of migration, following the testimony by the People of God of their leaving Egypt and crossing the Red Sea to begin a new stage of life with God. If you know any Spanish-speaking immigrants who you think might be interested, please feel free to send them the information flyer at the More Information button below.
Boston
I’ve been living still in the temporary basement in Roslindale, and I’m grateful to be here!
I’ve been able to catch up with a number of people over the last year or so, and also since I’ve just returned. If you’re around and want to connect, please feel free to reach out.
Language and Culture
Starting in August 2023, I was working again online for the Harborside School in East Boston, for adult immigrants (largely Spanish speakers from Latin America). I’m teaching one beginner-level English class, am an advisor for 2 more, and have been teaching basic computer use classes as well. It’s been good to have some income and stay connected, the people are good people, though the vision of language learning and forming community is different from mine. I’ve been able at times to share language learning skills and pronunciation teaching and tools at times as well.
In 2024, I completed a round of the pronunciation courses with some new and old learners, which went very well. We’ll be looking soon to start classes again with a mix of newer and older learners in the fall in Revere.
The ultimate goal is to develop the course participants into a group, that could meet as desired at regular intervals in an open but guided format. The group was would focused on the identity of becoming language and culture learners, and include specific themes regarding those identities. The pronunciation course is a sort of “baptism”, which leads to a more open exploration. Developing this will be at the center of renewed efforts once the school year calms down!
Spiritual and Pastoral
Barriers to Bridges
Last year, I had some Latino immigrants express interest in:
a workshop/help in learning how to pray
The approach of becoming an adult language learner
the pronunciation course
the migration workshop
I’m aiming to renew efforts along all these lines, which have been back-burnered as my energies have been dedicated a lot to my first year teaching experience.
Franciscan Shrine Hispanic Community
Additionally, a new Spanish language Mass has started at St. Anthony Shrine in Boston, operated by OFM Franciscans. If you remember in the years 2014-2018, I was active in a Latino community at the Shrine with a Spanish Mass. Well, a new priest has arrived from years of service in Lima, Peru, where he knew a number of members of the St. James Society that I had known. In any case, the group, which includes several people from the previous incarnation, is small but we are active in coming together and cooperating with a sense of communion. It’s good for me to be in a space where new buds are growing!
Ecuadorians in Lawrence
I’ve also been invited again to the weekly novena in Lawrence, MA for the Ecuadorians in a local parish there, preparing for the feast of the Virgin del Cisne. Each week, it’s a 2 hour trip up to accompany in prayer and song and food, and I preach a Gospel reflection. It’s been a special experience, since I haven’t been able to be back there for it since about 2017 or so. And my kichwa is a little better, too, and it seems I’m getting to know more families.
Fitchburg
I’m visiting once in a while a friend who’s a Colombian priest in a parish in Fitchburg, and will probably be visiting here more often this fall. We were in the seminary together, and occasional visits can work well for both of us, with the help I provide and the opportunity for me for time away in retreat and pastoral environment.
Health
OK, I’ve written about my health issues in Ecuador. Right now? I’m feeling good, the body pains are still there but calmed a bit for now. I’m working on visiting a doctor about my blood pressure and my musculoskeletal issues.
My weight and overall fitness are pretty good. (As usual, the public transportation system here in Boston keeps me running and walking, and in good shape!)
Financials
There are no significant changes in the B2B financial situation, I’m hoping to offer more the pronunciation course and spiritual/vocation workshops, which can generate some income.
Here are the 2025 financials for Barriers to Bridges (I’m still working on updating the balance sheet). Again, a big thank you to those make gifts, no matter who small. It's much appreciated.
Other Stuff
I’ve included my photos in this update, so I hope to have more photos of odds and ends to share in an upcoming update!
Reflection & Vision
My friend Rosa in Quito was gracious to have me stay at her place for a few weeks, and it was a really big help as I was in a delicate health situation because of blood pressure for part of it. But I've known Rosa since 2010 and my first visits to Ecuador: she's from Chontal where I go, and she was there at the very first Mass and inauguration back in 2010.
Her son Mateo was about 10 at that time. So during my visit, I pulled out a few old videos of him that I had taken back in August of 2010. His mother loved them, of course. And Mateo after all these years gives me a healthy dose of sarcastic humor. I complained once, and he and his mother said, "It's because he likes you Jerome." "Yeah," he said. "If I don't like someone, I literally don't speak to them at all!" Lol. Several years ago, Mateo was on the phone with a Spanish-school student who was going to arrive and no one was going to be in the house except me. "Jerome will be here," he said, "and don't worry: he will make you feel like family." I was moved hearing that.
So this time, I got my fair share of his teasing and jokes, as he's a really intelligent, talented, and well versed young adult now. At one point he mentioned why, "It's because I have a pentagram on my chest!" Mateo is not a church person, and his mother worries about him. But I have no problem with him doing what he thinks is best for himself.
So we were in the kitchen doing dishes after dinner, and somehow jokes about death came up. "Well, what happens after you die?" I asked. He said you get buried in the ground, he said. "And then what?" He said, "Then you become food for others." And I asked, "And what if you don't become food for others?" He laughed, "Then you've lived for nothing!" I laughed and paused. And then I just spoke quietly what came to me out of nowhere, and it seemed the thing to say: "Yeah, to become food for others. And Christians would agree, that's why Jesus died and became food for others." And there was a silence - no response. I think dots were connecting in his head (they were just starting to connect in mine!) And then we all moved on to something else.
But something happened in that quiet moment. I don't know what it was. But I think a seed was planted deep.
See, there was no other way. There was no other way for God to reach this very valuable and loved young man. It took someone associated in his mind with God to become so close over so many years, with nothing obvious happening in the meantime, to feel like family, for the right words at that exact moment when he went deep - and plant the seed.
And I thought to myself: This is what I live for.
This is what mission is.
I've died to my old life, and now I'm food for others.
Your life isn't far from God. In fact, you are - today and every day - in the places and in contact with people that God can't reach through the "religious" channels. They're not going to prayer groups or liturgies or Bible studies or church. And you're not responsible to get them to go, or invite them. No, they're in homes, at work, on the trains, in the street, everywhere you are. You don't have to seek them out, God is already doing that with your ordinary life. With each person just living a grace-led life, God can can reach all the nooks and crannies of society to find everyone He wants - you don't have to seek them out. The only thing to do is love them where they're at. Make them feel like family in the love you have. That's all.
That's mission.
To die.
And become food for others.
"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falling into the ground dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit." (Jn 12:24)
“For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.”
“Come, follow me.”
Closing
Feel free to comment or reach out anytime.
I'll post again when it's time.
God bless you,
Jerome