Slideshow from July 2007 mission team

Last night we celebrated the end of the July 2007 mission team by enjoying in our "Sharing the Experience" potluck at Prince of Peace's Community Center. Besides all of the great food, stories and fellowship, there were approximately 100 people in attendance from the parish community to learn more about lay missions.

During the potluck, the following slide show was presented to give the community a taste of our missionary experience. I really hope that you enjoy this (and, if so, I encourage you to leave a comment with your thoughts)!

Now planning begins for the July 2008 mission team. Please contact me via email - sparc(at)houstonpopcc.org - for more information. [FYI - you will need to substitute the (at) for the @ symbol in your email. I can't use it above or I will start to receive spam.]

Oh, last thought ... or question to those at my table - who stole my enchilada while I was on stage? I have SEVERAL suspects in mind! Ha!

POTLUCK - Share the experience!

On August 3rd at 6:30PM in the Prince of Peace Community Center (Gymansium), the mission team will be holding a potluck to share the experience of the recent mission. Everyone is welcome to come and join the fellowship. We ask that you bring a covered dish and serving utensil as there will be plenty of stories, pictures and dessert to be enjoyed!

We look forward to seeing everyone there!

[ARCHIVE: WHAT'S NEW] From Elaine on July 8th

Eucharistic Adoration has officially started with the exposition after 5pm mass. After mass, Father Joseph reminded us all to pray for our own missionaries in Guatemala.

Today's gospel was VERY appropriate. If you missed church, check out...Luke 10:1-12, 17-20. We have 18, not 72 disciples spreading the good news and caring for the sick in Guatemala.

A sense of helplessness and a blessing

I'm feeling much better now, but this Saturday morning, I was suddenly wiped out with a loss of energy and an apparent stomach bug.

As the team leader, this sickness was my greatest fear as we had not quite yet built the veteran team member base to recover for me if I was unable to go.  Since sickness happens quite frequently when anyone travels from home and, especially, in a developing country, the mission team has a protocol document in place for other pre-designated individuals to takeover in my absence.

Fortunately, my sickness was just for the day and Deacon Al and Susan were easily able to handle the duties for which I needed to be absent.

The day began by visiting the Hermano Pedro Hospital, which provides the indigent and society's discarded a place to receive quality medical care and attention.  The hospital is run by the Dominicans with both religious brothers and sisters active in the daily administration,  Many of the doctors working daily are rotated in on weekly shifts from the US (and Houston, specifically) through various organizations, such as Faith in Practice.

After the hospital tour, I felt the need to go back to the hotel and Deacon Al and Susan led the rest of the team to visit the relics of Hermano Pedro at San Francisco church as well as to do some shopping in the market.

Alas, this is were my helplessness really hit me.  While the team was out for the day and I was resting in the hotel, I knew that I needed to complete some shopping to purchase items for use by the mission team back in Houston.  While I was able to walk to the Central Park to purchase a phone card recharge, I had very little energy to do much else other than sleep.

Yet, when the team came to visit and check-up on me at the hotel, they generously offered to do what I could not.  In one direction, Elsa, Nathalia and Victoria headed to the market to make my needed purchases there.  In another direction, Errol and Alma took a jitney cab to another store to purchase all of the coffee that we need for gifts.  [Their adventure was quite impressive as they took a similar jitney cab back to the hotel while carrying 70 pounds of coffee over a very bumpy cobblestone road.]  These folks were saviors for me in my moment of need with nary a complaint or hesitation.

Additionally, I had everyone step in to take care of me, including Adam, Frankie and Silvia checking in on my regularly as well as Lynda making sure that I ate the right things for dinner.

While I know that I am overlooking someone else's help in my list above, I just feel that my brief illness was more than just being sick, but instead it was practical learning on being able to allow others to minister to me.

Happy birthday, Nathalia!

It's always a great treat and excuse to have fun when someone celebrates a birthday during the mission trip.

So with that in mind - here is to wishing you a wonderful and happy birthday, Nathis!  18 years - hard to believe!

~*~*~*~*~

Other team members made sacrifices in being away while their family members celebrated a birthday.  Both Lynda and Silvia / Adam missed out on a special celebration, but what a gift for them to be here in Guatemala with us.

~*~*~*~*~

While Nathis's sister, Victoria also just celebrated a birthday, we will be thinking of Silvia as she celebrates her birthday in the next week.

Postcards from the edge - part 2

The following entries are heartfelt notes from various team members to the community at large as well as their families.

~*~*~*~*~

From Susan:

To Mike, Stephanie and Meghan,

I'm doing fine - it's very safe.  Our hotel is nicer than the one we had in Corpus Christi.  I'm missing you, but it's been a wonderful experience.

Love, Hugs & Kisses,

Sue (Mom)

~*~*~*~*~

From Jenna:

Dear Mom & Dad,

I am fine.  Camp is fun.  We get to meet all kinds of new friends, eat new foods, and make crafts.

See you soon.  Miss you much.

Love,

Jenna

PS - Give everyone an extra hug from me.

PPSS - Send money.

~*~*~*~*~

*** Due to unforeseen technical difficulties, the above blog post was originally submitted on Wednesday, but only posted online now.

[GUEST POST by Susan Gallagher] Come and see

To the staff and parishioners of Prince of Peace and friends from St. Max:

This mission experience is stellar - you must come!  I have experienced a love and appreciation from the Mayan people so great, that I cannot explain it.  I challenge you to deepen your faith by coming to Guatemala on mission.  Every person, young and old, is affected.

With the love of Jesus Christ,

Susan Gallagher

PS: We've had a lot of fun together, too!

~*~*~*~*~

*** Due to unforeseen technical difficulties, the above blog post was originally submitted on Wednesday, but only posted online now.

Yes, Mom - I know that it's late

I have been trying to post to the blog when practical, which means this time of day.  I do get to sleep in tomorrow as we will start our day around 7 AM.  :)

So, while I have read your emails, sleep can occur in Houston!  How's that for respecting my elders?  Ha!

The mission team is presently in Antigua, GT

I will try to post pictures tomorrow since we got in town late today.  Yet, we are in Antigua, Guatemala, which is one of the most beautiful cities of the world.

(Those of you with spouses on the trip better be prepared to go with the next team as this is a place that you will WANT to spend time with a loved one.)

We stopped on the way for an hour in another world famous place, the market of Chichicastenago.  This was something new for the team to do and the condition of the stop was that the team had only one hour to shop and sightsee (including the church).  Only 2 team members were a few minutes late - and rumor has it that there are about 6 to 8 cameras that either videotaped or photographed the event.  Blake and Anna should be on the lookout for this within the next couple of weeks!

Our visit to Antigua is a continuation of the mission by witnessing and praying with those being cared for at the Hermano Pedro Hospital.  Additionally, we will visit many culturally and spiritually significant places during our brief stay here.

More tomorrow.

Lots and lots of business meetings

Mission work is a lot of things, including addressing the business issues that only a personal touch can address. Over the last few days, the mission team leadership has been pulled into almost a dozen meetings to discuss everything from a financial request to build acquire electrical hook-ups for 4 of the 10 computes in Plan Basico (Junior High) that are essentially inoperative without them, to discussion on how our parish community in Houston can best connect spiritually with our brothers and sisters at Sagrado Corazon de Jesus (Sacred Heart of Jesus) in Santa Cruz del Quiche.

While these meetings are often taxing marathons that require immense grace and scheduling flexibility (there is that word again!).

Yet, we have accomplished so much as a result of the business side of the mission. Importantly, each meeting was a success in terms of continuing to build our relationship with those we serve.

Glory and praise to God!

~*~*~*~*~

More on this topic later, but here are some of the groups with which we met.

The team is tired, but it's a good tired

There were no posts on Wednesday night as the team was wiped out from ALL of the hard work the previous 5 days.

As many of you received my emails discussing the number of hours that went into this mission, I pointed out that the team is giving over 3,000 hours collectively.  While this does include sleep, I want to be sure to point out that sleep has been in short supply due to how much passion the team has toward doing all of its work the best possible way and with no less than maximum effort.  There have been many late nights past 12AM as well as starting our days around 5AM with only a few minutes break time in between.

And, truth be told, who wants to take a break when these kids are just waiting like there is no tomorrow to be with you and play with you.

Have you ever had a half dozen little girls in the 5th grade wait outside for you to play basketball?  There is no way that you can just let them wait as you can worry about sleep and high altitude and the fact that kids can run for ever later.

Nothing quite like the team looking dead tired during prayer and reflection to know that each member gave all that they could.

Finding four younger siblings in Guatemala

I have learned from my previous mission trips about the value in a diverse mix of people in planning the team. In particular, I am always on the lookout for teenagers and young adults to join the mission team - the "ninos" (children en Espanol).

Let's be real - I may be on the lookout, but the ninos always seem to fine me through the grace of the Holy Spirit. And this team has been no different.

All four ninos on this team are people that just independently expressed an interest in the mission team (thanks, Anna!). The great thing about the ninos that respond to the call of mission is how they are completely unaware of how they are being used to provide perspective and richness to the entire mission team. Many times, due to the considerable difference in age, the ninos do not understand how much they are valued as equal team members, but by the end of the trip, this becomes ever so clear.

The other side of having the ninos on the team is how much fun they bring. I feel lucky to always connect to them and build relationships that grow into friendships over the years. (On that note, Beck & Andrea, I can't believe that I was unable to catch you for coffee before I left to GT.)

So the ninos that have affected me include, but not limited to my first little sis, Michelle, as well as Raymundo (El Presidente), Andrea K, Andrea R, Beck, and Patricio. By the way, Patrick - your two espousas are still waiting for you from last year. :) And they really do remember you!

Even better, this year, I have added four new siblings to my extended family. Being that each of these four ninos are Prince of Peace parishioners, I feel especially blessed to know that I will be able to see them all the more often. Adam and Frankie as well as "dos ninas loco" (Vicki and Nathis). They are truly my buds and my little brothers and sisters. I care for each of them so greatly that I can only be assure that the mission trip would be greatly diminished without them.

Tomorrow afternoon, I will go shopping with mi hermanos y hermanas and I'm certain that we will have a good time being one big family.

~*~*~*~*~

Goofing around in Chicabracan:

Frankie should know better than to sleep on the bus! Ha!

[Guest Post by Elaine White] AMAZING ADORATION

This week, the Prince of Peace Reservation chapel has been available 24 x 7 in Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration for the Guatemala mission team. When planning for mission adoration, the mission leadership team was somewhat concerned that it would be a great feat to cover over 400 hours of prayer time from parishioners, family and friends. WHO would sacrifice to be present with Jesus at 2am? Well... I have witnessed how packed the reservation chapel is at ALL hours of the day. In fact, during the early hours of the morning, it is not uncommon to have 8 people in the presence of Jesus. A regular adorer mentioned in passing that she has never seen so many people in the chapel over this period of time. I recognized members of the Spanish speaking communities, Knights of Columbus, Parish Council, Finance Council, Living Matrimony, ACTS, SPaRC, (and more) praying together as brothers and sisters in Christ. Additionally, family members from other parishes as well as the general Prince of Peace congregation are connecting with the church via eucharistic adoration. So, WHO is sacrificing to be in the presence of Jesus at all hours of the day? YOU! It touches heart of our missionaries in Guatemala in knowing that they are so loved by their community and that what they do this week really matters. Thank you, Prince of Peace faith community, for your amazing adoration support for the mission team. It is because of your awareness and presence that the team continues to be successful, healthy and safe today. ***** Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration is the adoration of Jesus Christ present in the Holy Eucharist. In the many Churches that have this adoration, the Eucharist is displayed in a special holder called a monstrance, and people come to pray and worship Jesus continually throughout the day and often the night. Christ’s great love for us was shown when he was crucified on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins and give us eternal life. He loves us without limit, and offers Himself to us in the Holy sacrament of the Eucharist. ******

Postcards from the team

Since we are nearing the half way point on the mission, I have asked the team members to provide brief notes for their loved ones and the community to read.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

From Lily:

To Charlie - "Lily says I love you.  Call mother and Mom to say that I am fine."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

From Elsa:

"Mi amor, estoy bien y los extrano mucho a mis cuchis.  Can't wait to see y'all.  Love you. - Elsa."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

From Eusebia:

"Hello, hijos.  Just wanted to let you know that all is going well.  The kids have touched my heart and I've learned so much.  More from them than they from me.  They're wonderful. - Mom"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

From Frankie:

"I would like to say thank you to all who supported me through the mission trip in Guatemala, especially my team and my family.  Because of you, I learned to be closer to God and help someone in need of a prayer or friendship.  Thank you. - Francisco"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

From Lynda:

"A very special and love-filled Happy 16th Birthday to Shelby.  You are my joy and I love you!!!  Mike, Rebecca, and all my love ones, thank you for your prayers.  Mission is wonderful!  All my love.  - Lynda"

Elaine, your presence is felt here

This mission is a success because of your efforts and late nights.  The willingness to sacrifice our personal time and everything else.

I think of you often and wish that you are here.

So before I go to bed, I am writing to say how much I love you and thank you for allowing me to devote so much of us to this.

And, the ladies (and Adam and Frankie) aren't letting me carry anything heavy so I did listen to you to avoid tearing the healing wound.  :)

I look forward to seeing you on Saturday afternoon.

Leave a comment for the team

If you are interested in leaving a comment or words of encouragement, you have the ability to be interactive with the team.

At the bottom of each blog posting, there is the word "Comments" in green letters.  Click on this word and you will be taken to another page so that you can enter in your thoughts, prayers or anything else.  We will read them and be appreciative of you sharing your time with us as a co-missionary.

Peace of Christ be with you!

Photo time...

Let's see if pictures really are worth a thousand words. :) (Click on the photo to see the description.)

A little down time during the mission

During the stress of the mission work, we often turn to our spiritual advisor on the team, Deacon Al, as well as the parish Outreach Director, Susan.

And, well, this is what we get (everyone may want to pray harder for us - Ha!)...

[GUEST POST by Deacon Al Prescott] Good Morning, Sandy

I miss your physical presence here in Guatemala but I do feel your spiritual presence as I know that you are praying for me and praying for the success of our mission. Your prayers along with everyone else's prayers are being heard and answered by God. This is one wonderful and powerful experience for me - I came to minister but I  am the one being ministered to by our brothers and sister here in Guatemala. My team planted a Pastoral seed today - we introduced "Prayer blankets" today, how we make them and how prayers are carried in the blankets. We also introduced the power of community prayer we visiting the sick. We went with part of the community to visit and pray with an ill gentlemen and the community feel in love with this form of prayer.My blogging time is up - PS. "love your cards" you sneaky girl. Love you.

Al

More on the blog tomorrow evening

It's late from a long day and evening so this post will be short.  Ha!

To all of our family and friends following along, the team is doing well and healthy.  Your prayers are being felt here and we think of you often, particularly in lifting you all (and the adorers) back home up in prayer every evening.

So with that, I will listen to the wisdom of my good friends, Lynda and Jenna, to call it a night.

Peace be with you all.

I won the drawing!

This post is more for my wife (and past team members).

Even though I think that Lily (aka Wen-li = Quiche for princess) has rigged the drawing for the icon of Our Lady of Guadelupe so she can win, I actually managed to have Our Lady select me tonight for her visit.

Okay - for those who don't understand this, it's a bit of a long story.  The essence is that the mission team brings an icon of Our Lady of Guadelupe on mission as the intercession of her presence has been felt in protecting the team and encouraging our success.

The story of how Our Lady found us as missionaries (and originally, through Connie and Fr. Tom of SOS) is the long part of the story for another day.  I truthfully fear that I will not be able to do their stories the justice it deserves.

Yet, every evening, we have a drawing to see in which room, this blessed (by Fr. Abelardo, no less!) icon will reside for the evening and next day.  The icon is very special to the team and Our Lady always seemingly finds the person that needs her icon that day.

And, let's just say that today was my day and I seemingly knew it before hand.

Thank you, Mother Mary, for caring us so greatly and sharing in the joy of being called to Christ's love.

The best laid plans

Since I already mentioned that it's critical for the team to pack its flexibility, we had an opportunity to use some of the flexibility this morning.

Every minute of the team's day is accounted for and scheduled.  This especially includes our mornings, which requires that the individual team members succumb to the overall team's movement timing.  The team leaders have been very fortunate to have the team collectively be accepting to the full and orchestrated schedule that have led to few instances of tardy team members.

(Greg - in case you are reading this, I have been invoking you when we gather the team to get ready each morning and evening.  I hear the words "it's okay to be on time" just as you say before our team's meetings back at work and the team hears the same from me as a result..  Thus, this time-tested phrase works on mission in Guatemala too!)

Funny thing with that the team members having to commit to being on-time, many other timing circumstances can still not be controlled.

The first instance for today was that when we were leaving to go to the school in Chicabracan, one of the drivers decided it was time to get gas for the van then, rather than before the team was picked up.  5-10 minutes lost there - hmmm, no biggie.

Yet, as we turned off of the main (paved) road to go down the gravel road into Chicabracan, I thought that everything was back on track and it was time to enjoy the beautiful scenery, hear the tap-tap-tapping sound of the molina grinding the corn, and to smell the morning glory of the countryside.  Also, I got to listen to the team perfect their musical program for the afternoon.

Well, all of this "being in the moment" feelings had to be set aside when we came to a stop about a quarter of the way down the road.  It turns out that men were working on building a potable water line through the area, which meant that this road was impassable.  After driving in reverse, uphill for an fifth of a mile, we got turned back around (after discovering that another road option was not possible either).

We found the "right" road and made it to the school, but only 30 minutes late.

Unfortunately, by being a half-hour late, the team had to scale down and rearrange its first (full!) hour program on the fly.

The challenge for the team is that we had to remember that the task of our activity was not as important as the relationship that we were continuing.  We could have easily cut-out our traditional half-hour bilingual greeting and prayer with the teachers, parents committee members, and team members.  Yet, our efforts would have been hollow without the basis of a relationship.

Selfish fun

For past mission team members, it has been close to three years since we stayed at the Hogar de Ancianos (Home for the Elderly).

[The hogar is run by the Sisters of the Incarnate Word in Houston and its purpose is to provide permanent shelter and safety to lost and neglected elderly in the Santa Cruz area. The ancianos who live at the hogar are provided a clean room, food and spiritual nourishment. The only condition for their stay is that they are not allowed to leave as they will risk being abused or taken advantage of when they go back to living on the streets. Miraculously, the vision of the hogar was conceived by an Italian nun who was killed in an auto accident. Her death served as an inspiration by her friends and loved ones to act on her vision.]

So with all of this background explained, the hogar was always a highlight for the mission team. When we were tired from a long day in the mission field, we felt such energy, love and enthusiasm from the ancianos as they were so pleased to have us there with them. Since they have no family, there are few to no visitors at the hogar. The ancianos are not lonely due to the efforts of the sisters and their assistants, yet a new face is always welcomed by the hogar's residents.

As the last time that I was at the hogar was with the July 2004 team, I truly have missed seeing friendly smiles rather than the pleasant, but sterile environment of a hotel. Thus, when Elaine and I were planning out the sequence for this year's mission team, I decided that I wanted to be selfish in bringing the team back to the hogar. The selfishness was to see my friends from days past even if it meant that there was no purpose or plan for our visit.

With blessings and good fortune, two things occurred to make the visit happen. First, one of our team members, Blake, happened to be very involved with the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and she independently mentioned that the sisters had a place in Santa Cruz that we could visit. (Little did she know of our plans...) Secondly, my wife, being very smart and organized, contacted Sister Maura per Blake and then spoke with Sister Emiriam in Guatemala. Elaine wisely organized a simple, but powerful program for our short visit. Essentially, our visit to the hogar was to be an extension of our mission theme - the ministry of presence.

I could go on and on about what happened Sunday afternoon, but essentially, the ancianos came from all over the hogar to where the room we were asked to wait in. Quickly, there were close to 25 ancianos in varying degrees of health and condition, but all of them still retained their energy and spirit. They sat with us and those, who could, spoke to us. And like she did in the past, one of my favorites, Trevie, found non-verbal ways to communicate as she is both deaf and mute. We shared some chocolate wafers before their dinner and they shared their eternal beauty.

Our biggest challenge was that many in the team wanted to sneak an anciano home with them. :) And, Blake, I will be checking your luggage to see if you did manage to sneak Trevie back to Houston.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Pictures of our visit to the Hogar de Ancianos

Pictures from after Mass at Sagrado Corazon de Jesus

Hola! or as the Mayan say, "Hah cha!"

We are half way through our first full day in Guatemala and have already enjoyed a strong sense of community with our sister parish, Sagrado Corazon de Jesus.

As always, Mass was very moving and humbling. It's hard to accept the thanksgiving from our sister parish community when we only just arrived. Yet, they have been praying for us for months now in anticipation of our arrival. So funny in that we have been doing the same for the same sense of reason. We live thousands of miles away physically and culturally at times, but we are so close in how we think and believe.

Well, this will be a short post as we will need to leave for the Hogar de los Ancianos (Old folks home for those non-Spanish speakers - Ha!). The hogar is run by the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and it is such a blessings that they are willing to welcome us to share with the ancianos.

And para mi espousa - the team is keeping me safe (no lifting!) and sound (mentally?!?). I have plenty of support to make sure that we get the gifts to the right people on time - with the exception of the decaf coffee for O'Nelly. We should remember tonight!

~*~*~*~*~*~

All together new friends after Mass.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Beautiful hibiscus in front of Our Lady at the church

~*~*~*~*~*~

The new salon is finished (look at the roof!) as we used it to meet with the community leaders from the aldea. The old salon is under construction to meet the needs of the children's catechism.

The most important thing to pack

For those of you who have not missioned before, the answer will slightly surprise you. Of course, you can't come to Guatemala without a passport and its helpful to have clothes, toiletries, and other personal needs. Yet, the answer to the above statement is FLEXIBILITY.

When I learned about the mission experience during my previous three trips, the SOS leadership team always reminded us of the need to be flexible. There were countless times to practice this important skill as well - when a bus would break down, luggage would not arrive to our destination, lesson plans would be lost or power would go out.

Today, the need to pack our flexibility was due to changes at the Guatemala City airport. As this facility has been under construction for quite sometime, we did not anticipate the move to the new terminal and baggage handling facility. While, this would seem to be a minor thing to adjust to, it meant quite a rearrangement to our schedule.

Since the facility change occurred just a week ago, the banks / currency exchange offices were not open and there were no bathrooms to be easily found. Being that we try to move the team through the airport expeditiously to get to our luggage, we had to go in search of a bathroom somewhere outside of the airport. After quite a bit of traffic, an Exxon station seemed to be the right calling.

Yet, we were looking to be quite a bit out of luck for currency conversions as all of the banks were closed at 1PM on Saturday, which was problematic for us again due to traffic. Luckily at our rest stop, Katok, midway on the road to Santa Cruz del Quiche, we were able to ask the right people on where to find a bank. Of course, this meant finding the bank in a small town off of the main highway with little assurances that it may be open. Success! Except then we had to convince the bank to convert $1,400 from various team members without the needed Guatemalan documentation. Success again (with a phone calls to override the system)!

So flexibility meant we were close to 2 hours late in our schedule for dinner and Communion Service / reflection. Yet, the team still worked hard to get ready for the next day by being flexible with their sleep needs.

So in everything we do,we always pack our flexibility first.

So we are now here...

For many of us, our first day in Guatemala began on Friday morning in Houston. The anxiety, excitement and anticipation kept many of the team members from sleeping restfully the night before this new adventure began.

In some cases, team members tried to squeeze a last few moments preparing for when it was time for them to share their experiences of Christ's love with people whom they have yet to meet. (See, each team members has several specific tasks assigned to them, but what they don't know yet is that the tasks will not be completed by them alone. For their burden will be shared by their new missionary family and those they have come to serve.)

Yet, here it is - late into the evening of Saturday night. Little pitter, patter of feet hustling to and fro trying to get everything ready for the next day. Setting up our coffee for an early next morning. Preparing our snacks and condiments for Sunday's lunches. Showers trying to brush the dust of our exterior, while our insides are covered in fear of what's ahead.

The energy is present and the Presence is what has kept many of us going for the last 36 hours.

So this is why we have travel insurance...

Hola from the hospital!

A funny thing happened to me this week - I begun to have pains in my abdomen on Tuesday evening and thought it was simply a case of food poisoning or something else mundane. Well, by Thursday afternoon, I was in excruciating pain and in the Emergency Room at Willowbrook Methodist Hospital. Now, keep in mind that my wife had been telling me to go to the doctor since Tuesday evening, but alas, I was not smart enough to agree with her.

So here I am Friday evening after finally going into the hospital yesterday for an emergency appendectomy. Since I won't post the picture of my appendix in this blog post, I will just provide you a link to Wikipedia for your own reading pleasure. Needless to say, I was very fortunate to have access to such good care as my appendix was very close to rupturing.

Now why is this newsworthy to the blog? Well, I thought to myself yesterday how fortunate I am that this occurred now and not right before the trip to Guatemala or in Guatemala for that matter. Yet, our mission team is very fortunate in that we have a really good travel insurance policy in the event that these unforeseen events occur. Our good friends at SOS went through the time and effort to arrange a travel insurance policy for their team and ours.

Obviously, we hope to never need this insurance, but it is there to make sure that we have the best care accessible whether that means staying in Guatemala or flying back to the U.S. for a procedure. That sure is peace of mind to me.

By the way, the picture below is members of last year's Prince of Peace mission delegation along with the Fr. Diego Agapito Santiago. (He's the man with the red shirt, glasses and long hair.) Members of the POPCC delegation for 2006 were Tony Stewart, Miguel Alvizures, Philomela Jamiro, Lily Villarreal, Elaine White, and myself.

Now, on a completely separate, but somewhat related note: I am often reminded in unexpected ways of how blessed I am to be part of the Prince of Peace Catholic Community. Recently, when Elaine and I lost our twins at the end of her first trimester, we received some many loving words, notes and cards of care, compassion and concern. This was also the case when we lost our daughter a few years ago as she was stillborn.

And today, I had the pleasure of receiving Holy Communion from Barbara Crum as she is a volunteer with the parish's Pastoral Care. While my wife registered me as being Catholic, I did not expect that someone from the parish would come by to share their love of Christ and pray with us. I feel so very touched and fortunate. Thus, thank you to all who are involved in Pastoral Care, including Deacon Al Prescott who leads this gargantuan effort. May God continue to bless you for the work that you do as you have blessed so many people in your work.

When in Guatemala, watch out for crazy gringos!

This will be a relatively, brief post this evening as I am trying out a new thing by posting a video on YouTube and then embedding the video below.

Wow - look Ma, no hands!!! It's one of those moments. ;)

So here's the goofy setup, since you will probably be scratching your head wondering why I found this relevant enough to be my first video posted online.

Since we are such happy, go-lucky missionaries in the morning and afternoons in Guatemala and being that the weather is often so beautiful, we often like to pull back the windows on our van to let in the fresh breeze. Well, the go-lucky part of us always like to wave at the people that we see from the road with an "Hola" in the morning and an "Adios" in the afternoon.

Remarkably, the people wave back and reply likewise. I'm sure that they all think we're big goobers, but it's part of the fun.

In any case, since we have been doing this for so long and the indigenous people know that we are in the aldeas (communities), they always get ready with a wave and an "Adios" as we depart for the day on the road. The three girls walking along in this video were expecting the same thing as I passed by. They just didn't realize that I was the last of the gringos that day. Instead that instinctively gave a wave and an "Adios" to their friend who happened to be bicycling along behind us.

I suppose that he was for a moment, an honorary crazy gringo!

To see more videos as they get loaded, check out my YouTube page.

Also, feel free to add a comment here on the blog or on the YouTube page to express your concern with my sanity!

There's no crying in basketball!

One common concern that I hear from people who are unsure about going on mission is that they do not speak Spanish. Usually, my retort is that the people that we visit on mission do not speak Spanish too!

I think that my mom would describe this as being a "smart something or another". Yet, I call it as I see.

In the rural communities, the people there grow up speaking their native tongue of Quiche (pronounce Ki'che; not quiche like the French food). As they have to learn Spanish in school - primarily kindergarten, I think they have an acute awareness of what it is like to not be able to communicate with others due to a language barrier. From this, I have experienced a great deal of tolerance and understanding from our friends in Chicabracan to the fact that I do not speak Spanish.

Actually, the kids go out of there way to try to find the few words that I do know in Spanish to parse together what they are thinking or asking. Sometimes they even pepper in a few English words that we teach them during class.

One such practical experience of non-verbal communication and helplessness (on my part) came a few years ago in an unusual setting.

Since I am limited linguistically, I really enjoy playing sports with the kids. This is something that transcends words, of course. In particular, I play basketball with the girls as this is apparently a girl's sport there and I love basketball. Clearly the boys have never seen LeBron James or Yao Ming because if you toss them a basketball, they turn away like it has cooties.

Well, as we were playing basketball during recess, someone's shot at the basket missed quite considerably and headed down the 10-foot ramp to the dirt road and field below. (I do not claim this air ball as my own, but I definitely kept the kids "cool" by throwing up plenty of air myself that day.) I gave chase to the ball so we could keep playing, except that I forgot one thing... how much it had rained the night before. Aye caramba!!! Eventually I did realize it had rained because I was 20 feet into a very muddy field. Since I didn't want to slide in the mud, I slowed down pursuit of the ball as best as I could and tried to find a dry spot or two.

A few little girls had given chase after me knowing the field conditions and one went to retrieve the ball for me while I headed to the one wash basin at the school to somehow clean all of the mud off of my pant legs, shoes and feet (because, of course, I was wearing sandals).

As I scrambled around trying to wash off without making a scene, I was out-of-luck! Kids started to congregate around me in this tiny room with the low-hung roof. I am often called El Gigante in the rural villages for this very reason. After about a half-minute of trying to wash my foot in the washtub with the one bar of soap, the little girl who picked up the basketball appeared. She had a medium-sized bucket and towel in her hands and she was going to help me clean off.

Actually, she was there to help me wash and dry my feet. PAUSE. Yes, she was doing just like Jesus did when he kneeled down to wash the feet of his disciples as told in John's Gospel.

Needless to say, I was immensely humbled and have always felt touched by this simple gesture for which no words were needed.

How long is your shadow?

A challenging part of our work in Guatemala is deciding what may be the larger and the longer term impact of our activities and decisions. This does not mean that we freeze in our decision-making process aka "paralysis by over-analysis". Yet - to keep the metaphors coming - we have to determine how long of a shadow that we may cast.

There are a few things that we have learned along the way that are touch-points to help us along the way. First off, the people that we work with are very resilient to change and are obviously aware that we come from another culture. Now, this does mean though that we have to be careful adjust our Western ways to them.

This issue comes up all of the time in our communication styles. A classic example that was taught to me was regarding a well-intentioned team member several years back. When this bilingual team member was visiting with some local leaders in Chicabracan, he asked them about their sources for fuel in both cooking and illumination. The leaders notably expressed concern about their growing usage of wood. This is observable in the countryside as many of the pine trees have their lower branches removed up to a certain canopy height. The local people do this to preserve the trees and hopefully strike a right balance with their fuel needs.

As the team member and the local leaders spoke, our representative inquired about their use of the sun for power generation. The local people are keenly aware of this potential, but lack the resources for how they can maximize the potential. Yet, in discussing the team member's familiarity with solar power, the Maya thought that he would provide them a solution in a future visit.

See, the cultural divide was in the local Maya leaders interpreting the team member's query into his action.

A second touch-point is that the mission team leaders know that there are numerous issues to address and we will not have all of the answers. Specifically, some of our great challenges will be solved by those unexpected individuals placed by God in our path. We really feel blessed by being involved in this parish-based mission as this allows the creativity and energy of the entire community to spring forth in helping the mission grow. Even if you never travel to Guatemala, you are not limited in helping people that you won't meet in person. How exciting!

Thus, I look forward to sharing other learned guidances with you, but here is where I ask for your own sharings and thoughts. In relation to the paragraph above, we really do need feedback and thoughts from the readers of this blog.

Please feel free to contribute any of your thoughts by clicking the "Comments" link below. (I have highlighted a picture of where I speak in the bottom image.)

If you just want to say "Howdy" or offer up a prayer or suggestion / critique or encouragement, we will really appreciate it. :) We know that we don't have all of the answers, but you may!

By Papal decree

Did you know that by Papal decree that all bishops who visit Guatemala are required to teach basketball lay-up drills?

Well, I suppose since this isn't true, that's probably why you didn't know this. Perhaps at the next Vatican Council, this topic will be covered though. ;)

As you can see above, Bishop Rizzotto is helping the girls at the school with their basketball practice. During recess, the girls were practicing with their teachers because they had a basketball game against another community later in the week. And, yes, in case you are asking already, the girls do play their games in the attire above (blouse, skirt and flats). This is really their only outfit or set of clothes.

Also, these girls are pretty good at basketball too! Especially, considering the Maya are not very tall, the kids are fast and can run, run, run. Unlike gringos like me who come from sea-level, the kids have no problem shooting hoops at 6,500 feet. Whew!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

In case Archibishop DiNardo happens to sneak a peak at this blog, Bishop Rizzotto did do his fair share of work too. In the picture below, he answers a young man's question during the 5th/6th grade faith formation class. Muy bueno!

Missioning to me

In July 2003, my wife and I made our first trip to Guatemala as part of the Sending Out Servants (SOS) mission program. This mission group is the origination and guide to the mission work that we are doing now as part of a parish-based mission program at Prince of Peace Catholic Community in Houston. Many of the reasons we love this experience so greatly (perhaps I am even addicted?!?) is because of how much groundwork SOS has trail blazed for us.

As part of the evolution of the mission program, the missionary teams preceding us were wise to heed the interests and desires of the local community and its needs. For example, as missionaries, we do not run down to Guatemala to tell the people there how to live. In fact, we go to be one with the people and to learn as much or more than what we may teach. This principal led the mission effort directly to one of our core programs today - youth faith formation in the Chicabracan Primero school.

By the time that my wife and I came along in 2003, the mission teams had been teaching on a regular basis for a few years in the school after being invited by the leaders of the rural community (Chicabracan Primero) to teach and share there. This school covers K through 6th grade and is funded by the government. Yet, the parents actually run the school. In the picture above, we had just concluded our farewell gathering with the teachers, parents and the mission team from the 2006 trip.

This meeting is always very emotional because of how much honest love between the community and our team exists already. If you ask any team member, it's very hard to leave after being there for only a handful of days.

In particular, one such farewell is something that I will always cherish and, as I understand, it happened to be the first one that the teachers coordinated. This impromptu celebration was coordinated unbeknownst to our team. Toward the end of recess on our last day, the team members were invited into one of the classrooms where there was a beautiful (and tasty!) cake and hot spiced tea-like drink. The room was decorated with all of the work that the team members and the teacher using this classroom had done during the week. (To have the cake, all of the teachers donated some money and the principal had to drive an hour and half round trip to go to the bakery in town.)

As the celebration began, one of our team members was designated as the translator for the non-Spanish-speaking tea members. Tony is such a great guy - some would describe him as big teddy bear because he sure looks ferocious, but when you get to know him, he's just a warm-hearted gentleman. As the festivities began and the cake and tea were being distributed, one-by-one the teachers at the school began to speak to us and Tony worked diligently through his translation responsibilities.

After awhile, one of the teachers stepped forward to tell her story of how much joy she had with the team members coming year after year to assist her in teaching the children the beauty of God's story. She expressed deep gratitude to us for leaving our families and homes and jobs to spend one week with her community... to be one together in Christ. Now, I can't say what was exactly was being expressed at the very moment, but I do know that the words flowing forth must have had an immense grace to them because Tony had to suddenly stop with the translations. He was so moved by the emotion of the moment and her words that for those of us who could not understand, we could feel the magnitude of the moment. We could see through him and through the teacher how important it was and still is to travel on mission to be one with people of other cultures.

Or perhaps, we travelled all the way to Chicabracan, leaving our families and homes and jobs for another reason.

Perhaps it was for them to mission to us.

My first brush...

So who are these four kids and why are these men playing futbol so effortlessly at 3,000 meters in the Andes?

Well, my journey to Guatemala first started in Peru. You may think that I happened to get lost along the way since I'm an Aggie. Yet, my first brush with another culture in a real and personal sense was when my wife and I took a trip to Peru in August 2002.

Although we climbed the multiple peaks of the Inca trail to get closer to the mountains, we found ourselves closer to God through his many people. We did not get to know the individuals in the picture to the left so much as we came away asking questions about other cultures and the way that they lived their lives.

Now my wife has experienced other cultures in a more substantive sense than myself as she was born in Kenya and move to an "other" culture in the United States when she was in elementary school. Additionally, typical of many immigrant families, my wife's family had to be careful with their finances. Yet, they still were resourceful in experiencing all that there was in their newly adopted hometown of Houston. Furthermore, when the opportunity arose, they would travel to other cultures to visit extended family in England and Goa.

So back to the picture... the four children are boys and girls that we met along the trail. For those who have hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, you know how beautiful the sights are. I believe that we went through seven different ecosystems along the way. For example, the first night was below freezing in the Andes while on the third day we were in the far western edge of the Amazon. It's funny to me and I'm sure that it's funny to the children above when the history books say that Hiram Bingham "discovered" the Lost City of the Incas as the people of this region always lived amongst the trail and the ruins.

We met the two boys on our first day on the trail at a minor resting point. The trail was easy and relaxing for the first half day. These two boys lived with their mother selling small snacks and drinks off of the trail, near their simple home. I was amazed at how kind they looked so I snapped their picture.

This was my first lesson of mission work... I had noticed that someone else had given the boys a Sol (Peruvian currency) after taking their picture. As I thought that would be a simple gesture to do, our guide quickly admonished me after asking him if this was customary. He insisted that I not turn these boys to charity cases. Instead, I was encouraged to thank them for letting me take their picture, which is what I did. Also, I learned that we can't go about throwing money at challenging situations or those situations will gladly follow you home.

The two little girls lived in the town of Olantyatambo. This town is the launching point where all the hiking teams stay the night before entering the trail. The younger girl was crying incessantly as her mom tried to calm her. I found it interesting the impact of American culture all the way down in the remote corner of the world as this little girl wore a Winnie the Pooh shorts. Obviously, these were hand-me downs from some fortunate children in the remembered world. Yet, what I noted was the need to be mindful of how wide our footprint on other beautiful and ancient cultures of the world can be.

The last child is a little girl who was working with her parents to sell walking sticks. It's amazing that we negotiated over these sticks (although mine was quite impressive AND I still have it! Ha!). Out of guilt no less, we shared with this girl some bread that we were eating at a small cafe that night. This little girls is obviously very precious, but I wonder what hers and the rest of the children's life may be now. Hopefully, it's for the better what that may be.

Which all of this leads me to the bottom picture. These are some of the men who carried our gear on the trail. I have no idea how they do it because the altitude is brutal and their loads are very heavy. Above all else though, these men found room to carry a soccer ball to play futbol on the side of a mountain where a bad kick is definitely penalized. I thank these guys for making my trip easier than it could have been, but also for providing joy in watching their playtime early on the third on the trail.

Amongst my friends

In the time ahead, I plan to share various pictures, videos and sounds from my travels abroad while specifically highlighting the communities and friends that we visit in Santa Cruz del Quiche, Guatemala.

The above picture is my beautiful wife with her goofy husband before Mass. ;)

And no, she did not make me write this!

In the photo are children that we work with in the local, parent-run school, which is based in the rural area known as Chicabracan Primero. We took this photo on a typically beautiful Wednesday afternoon outside of the San Pedro oratorio. It always amazes me to see how much joy the children and adults exhibit to us considering all of the violence these communities have experienced over the recent decades.

Even the little boy in red to the left of the picture knows well enough to goof around with the ol' rabbit ears almost being held behind someone's head in the photo. This must be a universal thing for kids. Ha!

Hello, small world!

Howdy to all!

Mucho gusto!

This is my first crack at a blog. As many of my teachers and professors over the years would attest, I have never been one to write essays or diaries for the sake of it. While I may be verbose, the only way that I can really write is to let it flow and not plan something so much. This probably comes from knowing that once I really start writing something, it will take quite awhile to finish my thoughts. Concise, I am not... which you will quickly learn I suppose. Sorry (not really).

Yet, here I am.

So, why am I here anyway? For that matter, why are any of us here? I suppose we are here on this blog to learn a bit about each other. In the philosophic sense, we are here together on this blue marble floating along because it would be lonely otherwise. We constantly run across each other creating small ripples in each other's respective lives. Truly, this blog could be called the 'Skipping Pebble' because once it hits the lake on the first, second or last bounce, the lake is never the same.

And neither are we the same when we are splashed by that first bounce of the pebble.

Most likely my first splash of the pebble came when my wife and I travelled on vacation to Peru. This will be something that I will blog about later, but I was affected by the need to connect to local peoples of the world on an individual level. I have found it challenging not to want to personally know everyone I come across and I particularly want to know their culture, their heritage, their story, how their food smells and tastes, why they follow certain traditions, and what they worry about and hope for. This has to be just the start to me.

Well, as things have a way of happening, I was eventually called for my life's true vocation to be a lay missionary. God sure has a sense of humor because I remember explicitly telling my wife 7 or 8 years ago that I wanted to be involved locally within my community, but not necessarily with my church. Guess who was wrong there?!?

So my wife and I have been involved in short-term lay missionary work in Guatemala since 2003. Additionally, we have been involved in various ecumenical and secular outreach programs since 1998. I would consider these an alternatively or locally located missionary experiences. Without a doubt, each step along the way in being involved in various outreach projects was in preparation for more interesting things down the line. I just wish that I knew what was next.

Likewise, everyone that I have met along the way has been someone to aid me in my journey. These individuals have become many of my closest friends for which I care deeply. Ergo, I also wish that I knew who I would next meet in this journey so I can prepare my 'thank you note' for them in advance.

Thus, in the time ahead, I will be blogging on my experiences as a missionary. Hopefully, this will be mildly entertaining so that you will join me on this journey of adrenaline, joy, sadness and hope.

Come along on the ride as my co-missionary and I hope that you can contribute your thoughts along the way. Because if I know one thing, I don't want to be alone on this journey as with whom would I be able share my experience.