Update on the Quake

Hi everyone, just a note to say that I'm in Quito and OK, we've not been directly affected with harm or property damage, although aftershocks keep people very nervous, even here in Quito. On the coast, rescue and relief workers are still recovering survivors, but from what I've seen on the local news and social media and heard from friends, there is an incredible amount of urgent work to be done and there are many villages that still haven't been reached yet. But there's a beautiful solidarity among the Ecuadorian people in the relief effort. I'm on my way back to the mountains for this week, and I'm hoping to head out into these efforts next week with some religious sisters and the organization Caritas. In the meantime, I'm working on providing a way that friends back home can help out with donations if desired, and hope to have that posted soon. Please keep everyone here in your prayers, especially that the hearts of the people might continue to bring good out of the tragedy. Thanks!

Checking In Safe

Just a note to say that I'm safe here in Ecuador. We felt that earthquake here in Chontal, we're about 80 miles from the epicenter. The houses shook and there was some movement in the mountain and we lost power for a little while. But everyone's fine and there's no real damage here, thanks be to God. It was a loooong quake. Please join me in praying for those who've lost their lives, and for those who've lost livelihood.

Visit to An Angel

Pope Francis is visiting Ecuador just when I've come back, so I'm missing all the activity. But earlier this year I had the chance to help Franciscan missionary sisters send off a man, Don Ángel, to this residence for abandoned seniors in Quito. Don Ángel was someone I occasionally got to see in Puerto Quito, but had become homeless before the sisters found him a small temporary shack to live in, and then were able to coordinate with this residence in Quito. Right now, Pope Francis is visiting his house, and so even though I'm a little sad to not directly be a part of the acitivities, I'm very happy for Don Angel and all the people like him who are getting the visit of their lives! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWYzVxal310&feature=em-lbrm

Updating!

underconstruction

I'm in the process of updating this blog, as well as A Living Monstrance, to better communicate with everyone - so it will be in transition for a bit!

I am back in Boston and will be ready to post again once the blog is updated!

Thanks!

Jerome

Scarlet's Recovery

With the generosity of a few people plus collaboration from the locals, the fundraiser for Scarlet was finished on Mother's Day. I didn't win anything in the raffle, but Scarlet has her cast off and is recovering well and crawling. Thanks to those who donated!

Opening Up for Lent

This Lent, here I've started to open the chapel in the evenings when there isn't a Mass. It goes from 6:30 to 8:00 with adoration. It's the free offer of God's heart that is always open and inviting. People here are not accustomed to this type of personal freedom, they are only accustomed to the church being opened for scheduled community events. I'll be going around offering little leaflet invitations. Please pray that God will draw all freely and personally to His heart in the church! "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him." (Jn 6:44) When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all to myself. (Jn 12:32)

I was able to buy about 20 bibles for the community here using funds that I had planned to use for returning to Boston for the funeral services of Fr Jim but have redirected for benefiting the people here in his name. It took an 8 hour round trip to Quito to get them, I bought them from the Pauline bookstore there. They are good because they have a plastic cover and have large type in the New Testament, which is important for the rural areas as there's often a lack of vision care there. Plus, the cover has a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe...

Along with this, I'm doing a presentation on different relevant themes in the Bible, each Sunday of Lent. I get out the video projector and put together a Powerpoint presentation with other dynamic elements, and go into some of the cool things about the Bible, the background history, and some personal stories, with multimedia. The idea is not a class, but biblical "paseos", or outings, like you would make an outing to a river (that is common here). The idea is that the Bible is like a river, a big mystery with a lot of entry points and a lot of different ways to make use of it. So, it's coming to know the Bible in the same way that someone would come to know the river, by guided visits. Please pray for the people and for me!

And so it was great for me to read what Pope Francis shared last Sunday about Lent and the Bible:

How do we hear the voice of God? We hear it in his Word. For this reason, it is important to know Scripture, because otherwise we do not know how to respond to the attacks of the evil one. And here I would like to return to my advice of reading the Gospel every day. Read the Gospel every day! Meditate on it for a little while, for 10 minutes. And also to carry it with you in your pocket or your purse. But always have the Gospel in hand. - Pope Francis, Angelus Address, 2/22/15

Have a great start to Lent!

On To Chontal

I've left Puerto Quito and I'm in Chontal now.... I will miss my neighbors:

But it's on to Chontal!

After a trip to Quito, I finally got to take this picture that I had wanted to for a few years. Of course, my mother's side of my family is from the country Armenia, and so I have a little fun telling the people here that my Mom's side of the family is from Armenia - that I'm actually half Ecuadorian!

More coming soon ...!

Hat's Off

20150126_151558

At Amigos del Arca, practicing for the Hat Dance tomorrow:

20150126_154435

20150126_151516

A New House

I'm in Puerto Quito now, getting fully moved into a new cement house for a couple of weeks. The house is owned by the Franciscan sisters here. My next door neighbors got their house through the sisters' efforts. There's a single mom, with her 3 disabled daughters, plus another daughter and a son. Three of the daughters have their own kids, so there are about 8 little kids going about. I got a picture once when I coralled them into the back of the jeep. They are awesome kids!

Here's the picture of the house I'm settling into for a few weeks:

20150111_183144

20150117_121744

20150117_121812

There's not always running water, but I have a water tank that I use for washing, like an outdoor shower.

20150118_092829

My first night there, I was reading in a chair and falling asleep, when I felt something squishy land on the back of my neck. I found out later it was this guy. But he died the next day, after he fell from the ceiling again and landed on the cement floor ...

20150113_190326

Here are some more early pictures of the inside. There's a kitchen, two bedrooms (though one doesn't have windows), and a living room. The bathroom is outside, with a toilet and shower (though with the water situation, showers are rare).

20150110_162537

20150112_223619

20150110_162507

20150110_162512

20150110_162529

I was also able to make a Friday visit to Amigos del Arca, the local program for the disabled in Puerto Quito:

20150109_134424

20150109_152157

20150109_152248

20150109_152430

20150109_133517

All is going well, I hope to visit Quevedo soon and Santo Domingo.

I hope to write again soon!

Rebuilding Homes

Hi everyone, Here's the latest video with an update on the reconstruction that has happened in Chontal, through the funds raised in the Gofundme fundraiser. Enjoy!

http://youtu.be/7al-psGEAaw

In Memory of Fr Jim

Friends, please remember Fr Jim Czerwinski, OFM in your prayers, a friar who passed yesterday unexpectedly in Boston. He was found in his bed in the morning at St Anthony Shrine in Boston. It was a surprise to all. He was a good friend to many and he really gave himself to those who are at the margins of society. I met him when he arrived in Boston a few years ago, through a men's faith sharing group at St Anthony's. He helped me a lot in a time of need, and he was a big supporter of my vocation, of my mission to Ecuador and this blog (and the book that came from it). He was a constant confessor and spiritual director at the Shrine, and a man of the people, someone who was always out and about with the people who frequented the Shrine. He was particularly mindful of the poor and people going through tough times, and always generous with his time and attention. We shared a lot of meals and chats together (we saw eye to eye on a lot of things), and made a few short road trips. I remember when I left for Ecuador for the year in 2013, he gave me a bit of cash and also a suitcase that was just what I needed, and that I still use. I will miss him a lot and there will be a hole in my life.  A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter: he that has found one has found a treasure. There is nothing so precious as a faithful friend, and no scales can measure his excellence. (Sir 6) May he rest in God's peace and always be remembered.

Fr Jim Czerwinski 6

https://stanthonyshrine.org/2015/01/02/please-pray/

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Sorry, I've been a little behind on updating, but I'm hoping to do a monthly update soon. I've been in Chontal since December 15, and will be leaving on Monday to go to Mindo and then to Puerto Quito on Wednesday. I'm hoping to visit a lot of folks in Puerto Quito, including students and teachers at the high school, as well as the children in the village Santa Cecilia who will be receiving their first Holy Communion. I'm aiming to make it to Quevedo and Santo Domingo in January as well, so it'll be a busy month. I'll be living in a new, small house owned by the Franciscan sisters, close neighbors with a local family that is full of kids, so I'm hoping to survive that! There's the possibility of visiting US lay missioners in the eastern part of the country too, but that isn't finalized yet.

In Chontal, I had the joy of supporting the local school in a lot of ways for Christmas. I brought down a Santa outfit that I bought with a donation from an anonymous friend. The school had their annual Christmas program and celebration party, and Papa Noel made an appearance. I had brought some fake snow as well, so that got worked into the presentation.

The kids hear all know about Papa Noel, but it is the first experience of him coming to Chontal. I asked a young girl about a week beforehand, "Is Papa Noel coming this year?" She looked down sadly and lowered her voice and said, "Papa Noel never comes here." Well, that all changed! It was just great to give both the kids and all the parents too a big lift, that they are important and special to God, especially in this Christmas in the midst of the crisis of the landslides, a crisis that doesn't yet have a long-term solution.

I've been visiting with people most affected by the landslides who received funds from our fundraiser, and am hoping to share a video soon, it's uploading now to Youtube.

Here's a video of the Santa presentation. I tell the kids that it's from Jesus that I get all my generosity - and my joy. Then I start with the ho-ho-ho laughing and everyone applauds, it was great! Afterwards, I told the people I would ask God if he would give us some snow from the North Pole, but I needed the faith of the kids. You can hear the "Sii"s when I ask them if they beleived God could do that. Then I ask them for a louder response, you can hear the "SIIIIII". What's funny is that afterwards, a lot of people ask me how I did the snow thing. I tell them, the faith of the kids :) .....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMFXOtOhO9g

One Is Coming After Me

Rumor has it that someone is coming after me to Ecuador ...

Volaré

Volaré - no it's not the car from the 70's (I guess it was a small car???)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnWHQCgByWg

It means, I'm flying this Thursday to return to Ecuador, to visit Chontal, Puerto Quito, Quito, Mindo, hopefully Santo Domingo and Quevedo, and also hoping to make a visit to the lay missionaries from the Family Missions Company that are located in the Oriente.

I'll be accompanying the people in Chontal in the Christmas novena and for the New Year, making a birthday party, too. I'm trying to arrange for getting a Santa suit to bring, too, we'll see ... I hope to have something to follow up on regarding the fundraiser as well. I'm working out a role in some pastoral work and possibly language sharing, so we'll see ...

In Puerto Quito, the kids from Santa Cecilia will be receiving their First Communion some time after Christmas, and I'm hoping to come and surprise them with a visit. I hope to catch up with a lot of friends and share in some of the activities in the program for the disabled.

Right now, I have a return date set for March 25, the feast of the Annunciation. We'll see what transpires....

The image here is a picture of a new print I have in my apartment here in Roslindale:

The Bridge Is Still Alive

Still alive, and re-assembled

More Dios Les Pague

Last Wednesday evening, about 12 of the donors to the fundraiser Relief for Chontal gathered at St Anthony Shrine with a few of the friars for a presentation of appreciation for their generosity. It went very well, though I forgot to get a picture! :(. Anyway, I will be keeping updates *********************

This weekend are the patronal fiestas for Chontal - the full name of the community is San Miguel de Chontal. Please keep everyone in your prayers if you could!

Dios Les Pague 2