Lent & Tsunamis

Less than a month since my last post…  I hope you are all doing well in this Lenten season!  Things are good for me here in Chimbote.  The past couple weeks have been really busy and a little stressful with preparations for our Catechesis programs in the parish and for English classes… as well as some organizational challenges with the youth movement.  Both Catechesis and English start the first week in April so we’ve been working on making flyers, visiting the local schools, solidifying our leadership teams, and making the yearly plans.  Organizing meetings is the most difficult part, because nights are really the only available time, and it’s impossible to accommodate everyone’s schedules.  We (the missionaries) are also taking a little bit more leadership in the new English cycle.  Kelli and I will each be teaching a class by ourselves, and so we’ve made a few organizational changes and right now we’re working on advertising to draw a larger number of people to the classes.  LENTCH is on a break right now before starting again in April, so that has given me more time to work on other projects, but needless to say I can’t remember the last time I had a free night!

With all this going on I am also trying to embrace the reflective spirit of Lent.  As a community we decided on a sort of material fast to radicalize the simplicity of our home.  To do that, we decided to quit using electricity… which means no lights, no radio, no microwave, no refrigerator, no blender, no charging laptops (and no movies), phones, or cameras.  We stocked up on candles, so the evenings are kind of fun.  Some things are just starting to get challenging, and I think with time perhaps we will get tired of dealing with the inconvenience, which we hope will spark greater reflection.  We also decided to simplify our meals, so our lunch menu every day (except Sundays) consists of rice, beans, and a vegetable of choice.  This will also spark reflection as we tire of eating the same thing every day, and it lets us dedicate less time and energy for cooking, hopefully allowing for more personal reflection time or time to spend with others.  It also creates solidarity between the three of us as we challenge ourselves with the same fast. 

Personally, I am focusing more on my prayer and reflection, meaning trying to go to bed consistently earlier so that I have energy to reflect on the day, looking closely at those moments in which I felt most alive and those moments through which I struggled, asking how I can approach similar situations in the future in a better way. It’s a continual process, for sure.

Something a bit more interesting… we, like people all over the world, were heartbroken with the news of the earthquake in Japan.  Without undermining the gravity of the situation, I would say the climate here that day was quite interesting as Chimbote prepared for a tsunami.  People were out in the streets, meetings were cancelled, and one of our friends came over because, as his office is located very close the ocean, his workplace sent everyone home early.  All anyone could talk about was the tsunami—how big would it be, what would it be like, would we be safe, etc.  There was also talk of another earthquake happening here in Peru.  In the end, we did have a tsunami…. the strongest wave reported at a whopping 20 centimeters.  Many Chimbotanos went to sleep that night relieved, but many went to sleep disappointed at the missed chance for some excitement in Chimbote.  But thank God, and send more prayers to Japan.

With that I will end for today.  Again there is so much I could say… little by little.  Thank you for accompanying me on my journey.  It is best that we make the journey through the desert together!  No sense in trying to do it alone.  Prayers, peace, and discontent to you!