Mission Follow-up!

On January 28^th, 2009, blessed by the outpouring of support from my benefactors, I arrived in Ecuador, full of zeal to be once again in this country I have loved so dearly since my first trip in 2004 and to continue in the work I had started in September of 2007 at Fundación Santa María del Fiat. I returned to the States on May 29^th, just in time to attend my Pre-Orientation for medical school at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. The months between were packed full, and I arrived home exhausted in every way. But perhaps this is as it should be, for Blessed Mother Teresa would say, “Give until it hurts.” I could rattle on and on about all that occurred, the ups and downs, the joys and the challenges. But I know your time is valuable to you. So I invite you to glimpse into my mission life by relating to you a story about one particular young woman: Señora María.

I first met María in the fall of 2007. She lives in a tiny community, La Rinconada, nestled into the oceanside cliffs at the furthest edge of the province. She, her fisherman husband, and her two (now three!) delightful children soon became dear friends. In the typical yet forever astounding show of Ecuadorian hospitality, my first trip to La Rinconada included an invitation to her home for deliciously fresh fruit juice, straight-off-the-boat seafood and a pile of rice. Her warm smile and easy laughter paired with the tender love within her family immediately drew me to them. I distinctly recall comparing myself to this dear friend, close in age but what seemed to be worlds apart. Due to other responsibilities, I could not return to this serene little village with much frequency, but as often as I could, I snuck away on Saturday afternoons with Father Othmar who celebrated Mass every week in their chapel dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

When I returned to Ecuador in January, many things had changed at the foundation, including the work they needed me to complete. Instead of primarily caring for our resident children, I filled two roles: community-based first aid instructor and clinic nurse. At the request of the foundation’s healthcare outreach, another volunteer nurse named Sara and I planned and implemented a ten-week basic first aid course that we taught in four of the more remote communities. To my immense elation, La Rinconada was chosen as one of the locations. María, despite her lack of access to education beyond elementary school, is a very intelligent woman, and she was, of course, eager to attend the course. Week after week, Sara or I would take the twenty-minute bus ride up the coast then walk the twenty minutes down the newly paved road to our destination. Emerging from the forest to come around the bend where the ocean first came into view never ceased to be a breathtaking moment for me. And there, every Monday afternoon in one of the community’s two classrooms, a beautiful thing would occur. Twelve people from the community, from pre-teens to the middle-aged, would gather to be empowered with knowledge about their health. Nothing earth-shattering was covered in the lecture material: vital sign assessment, prevention of disease transmission, basic anatomy. But their lives were touched. They were amazed that these crazy white girls hiked their way over every week to teach them. They were challenged by the experience of being in a classroom setting when some of them had not even finished elementary school. They were thrilled at the opportunity to improve themselves. María, her newborn baby, and her twelve-year-old son completed the course at the top of their class.

Had life circumstances been different, María could be the one starting medical school this fall. Instead, she and her husband will continue to care lovingly for their three children. They will continue fighting to get one more step ahead. They will continue the daily routines of fishing for lobster and washing their clothes in the river. Their life is simply and truly beautiful.

And me? I have the opportunity to study medicine now, to gain the knowledge necessary to care for people like María and her family.

Neither path is better. And we both will be fulfilled by pursuing the Lord’s Will with great joy and fervor. But I certainly realize the great gift it is to have the opportunity that lays before me now. May it not be taken for granted.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support. May you be blessed abundantly in your own daily mission.

With Love, Prayers, and Appreciation,

Mariya

Un Señor...

Last week I was working in the pharmacy of the small clinic that the foundation operates. In the intense equatorial heat of the afternoon sun, an elderly man rode up on his bicycle. As many other patients that day, he had come to have a prescription filled. As we chatted with him a bit amidst the exchange of medicines, he told us that he rode his bike 30 kilometers from his home to arrive at our clinic, where medicines are often sold at lower prices than other pharmacies. 60 kilometers roundtrip. And why? To save $1.20 in bus fare. This dear old man must have been over 70-years-old. He came without complaining about the nuisance of the long trip. He even joked that the exercise is good for his cholesterol level. He was just doing what had to be done, with simplicity and a smile.

Peace and Blessings,

m

Headed back...once again.

Thanks to all who have so generously supported this work, I will be returning to Ecuador on Wednesday the 28th of January!!!!!! I will post an update as soon as I can, and in the meantime, please continue to pray.

May you be blessed!

Peace,

m

The long-awaited update...

Sunday, January 11th, 2009
Baptism of the Lord

Peace of Christ! I hope and pray that this Christmas season has been a blessed time of peace and joy for you and yours. The following is a copy of the letter I will be sending out to friends and family, summarizing my time in missions and explaining the next adventures of this little soul.

As you probably know, my life in missions really began during my time as a nursing student at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio. Throughout my university years, I became increasingly involved with medical and catechetical mission work in the country of Ecuador. I had always thought my future would be in Africa, amidst the poor there, but after my first visit to South America, my heart was captured by the Ecuadorian people and the ministry to be completed in their country.

I graduated with my Bachelors Degree in Nursing in May of 2007. Thus, after four years of study interspersed with five mission trips ranging from ten days to three months in length, I graduated from university and moved to my beloved mission territory. Teaming with Fundacion Santa Maria del Fiat, a beautiful Catholic foundation on the coast of Ecuador, I was privileged to be the nurse for approximately two hundred resident children with backgrounds of abuse, neglect, and abandonment. The work was difficult and immense, but I treasured each moment. After six months with this foundation, I felt the Lord’s conviction upon my heart to return to the States to pursue medical school. I want to be a physician in service to those who are ignored, those who are forgotten, those for whom no one else cares. My departure from Ecuador in March of 2008 was incredibly trying, as I loved the work I was doing. But Jesus was offering me an invitation to drop my nets and follow Him. So I did. Now, ten months later, I have been offered a place in my top choice medical school, University of Minnesota, Duluth, a school committed to training family practice doctors for rural communities. The Lord is so faithful to His little ones.

In these past months, I have been quite busy with prerequisite courses, MCAT preparation, and medical school applications. Nonetheless, in many ways, my heart remains in Ecuador. In order to have everything arranged to enter medical school this coming fall, I had to leave my mission much sooner than I had anticipated or desired. I have been back to the foundation for two quick visits since I left in March, and there is still much work to be done. The foundation is actually experiencing a bit of turbulence as new and unexpected challenges face the work they have done for forty years. Since I have already been accepted to medical school, there is a window of time available for me to return to Ecuador and continue in the work I have already begun. Having this unexpected gift of time is an amazing opportunity.

An important lesson that I have learned during my time in missions is that one of the best gifts we are able to give to our fellow man is the gift of a loving presence. Sometimes in mission, it was easy for me to be overwhelmed by the needs of the people around me. If only I could better equip the doctor’s office that these children could receive the best that healthcare has to offer. If only I could build a latrine for this community to prevent the spread of disease. If only I could provide clean drinking water to decrease the incidence of intestinal infections. And of course, that was what my work as a healthcare provider was all about. But I had to constantly come back to the root of it all. More than any of the above, which are indeed important issues to address, the children, the people I worked with had a greater desire, a more ardent hunger for my unconditional love. Moreover, the unconditional love and mercy of their Heavenly Father. Pope Benedict XVI stated this so aptly in his encyclical Deus Caritas Est: “Seeing with the eyes of Christ, I can give to others much more than their outward necessities; I can give them the look of love which they crave.”

This is my hope in these next few months of mission. I do hope to continue working as their nurse, especially with a new project the foundation is developing to provide home care to the sick of the surrounding villages. But also, especially as the foundation is experiencing such hardship at this time, I hope to be a presence of love for my fellow workers, the children, and all those I am blessed to encounter. Now all that remains is the resources to make this mission possible, as I am ready to leave as soon as possible (hopefully by the end of January or beginning of February). I have been a student and missionary for long enough that my personal resources are meager. And I know that the economy is in a difficult place right now. Nonetheless, I feel that I must again give my Fiat, my yes to the Lord and trust that He will continue to provide for His little worker.

I am just that. Little. A little drop in the ocean. But as Blessed Mother Teresa would assert, the ocean would be less without that drop. I trust in His plan for me, I trust in His Providence. Thank you for taking the time to read my story. Please pray for me. Please help my little miracle to be realized, if you can.

St. Joseph, St. Gianna, St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Faustina, Blessed Teresa, pray for us.

Peace and Blessings,
m

PS: Please contact me at mehachey@yahoo.com for a mailing address for donations. Thank you!

How can I be most pleasing to Your Heart, Jesus?

Peace of Christ in abundance. I do hope that this Easter season has been most blessed for each you, as we are reminded of just how much Jesus loves us.

I write to you from dear Minnesota, where the loveliness of springtime is chasing away the snow and cold. It has been an immense few weeks. I arrived in St. Paul on March 13th, started my MCAT class on March 15th, and life has continued at an intense pace. Getting myself on the plane and back to the States was the most difficult thing I have done in my young life, I do believe. Going down the walkway between the terminal and the plane, I stopped in my tracks with tears pouring down my cheeks and asked myself if I could really do this. Can I really leave this place I love so dearly? Well, by the grace of God and His conviction upon my heart, a few painful hours later, I was greeting my father in the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport.

And now? I am a student again. Physics, chemistry, biology, everything. Wow. Enlightening and exciting at times, laughably painful at others. But my objective is clear, and I am pursuing it with all my being. I am in the midst of understanding and managing the details of this pursuit, figuring out just what to anticipate and to prepare for in these months to come.

I am a crazy person, I have decided, with all these moment-to-moment changes. But our Jesus has been reminding me at each step that I belong only to Him. I have stopped asking, "Lord, show me Your Will" and instead I petition, "Let me please Your Heart, Jesus. What can I do to be most pleasing to You? How can I love You better?" And in this way, He will guide me through these days to come. If He says, "Bring your books and go study in Ecuador for the next few months," great! If He asks me to stay where I am, here I will be.

Thank you all for your love and support. Back at the mission base, they are gearing up for the new school year. The USA missionaries who are still down there are in the midst of a few new projects to help the situation of the foundation. To read more and support their important work, please refer to www.missionsantamaria.com and to the latest entry in Maribeth's blog (www.missionarymb.blogspot.com).

Peace and blessings,

m

A new mission...or a continuation...

"...every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit."

-John 15-

Peace and blessings to each of you.

I write today what will likely be my last post from Ecuador. The Lord has placed a new call upon my heart, a new mission of love: I am going to pursue medical school.

My time in Ecuador working with Fundacion Santa Maria del Fiat has been extraordinary. I love the outreach, the misioneras, the children, the people, everything. Of course, there have been difficulties along the way, but I have absolutely loved the time the Lord has given me here.

I also love my work as a nurse here and could be very content in this profession always. But a few weeks ago, the Lord placed on my heart that I must reconsider attending medical school, as it has always been in the back of my mind. I prayed and listened for His voice and continued my work here. Then one day in Adoration, He convicted my heart. I opened Scripture to John 15:1-11, and it confirmed what I needed to do. It speaks of bearing fruit for the Lord...being pruned...abiding in His love...doing all things through Him...all that His joy may me in us and that our joy may be complete. And I just knew. I must pursue medical school.

There are medically underserved populations all over the world, and I feel called to bring them the care they deserve. It is a long road from here. But I put all my confidence in the Lord, and He will care for me, His little one. And on my part, I am ready to work to make this a reality.

The most difficult part is that I must now leave this place I love so dearly. I start a MCAT prep class on March 15th, the only class option that finishes before my July test date. Therefore, I have to leave in under two weeks. It is incredibly sad to say goodbye to all my loved ones here, but I know that I must, as Simon and Andrew when Jesus called them from their fishing to be His disciples, leave my nets and follow Jesus...therein lies true joy.

I am in Tena in the Amazon region for a week with the medical mission from Franciscan University. From there, I will head back to the Coast to bid farewell and leave on March 13th.

Please pray for me that I may offer the difficulties of these goodbyes as a consolation to His Most Sacred Heart and that I may always live in abadonment to His most perfect will.

En Cristo,
m

The new loves of my life...

"O Jesus, I promise You to submit myself to all that You permit to happen to me, make me only know Your Will."
-St. Gianna Beretta Molla-

Peace, peace of Christ to one and all in this Lenten season...

How I hope each of you is very well and blessed, in the midst of whichever mission you may be. As far as the mission of this little soul in Ecuador, I must say that life is beautiful.

Maribeth and I journeyed to Quito last week to welcome our new nurse and fellow Franciscan alumna, Sara Ogrodnick. To be back in my old stomping grounds of Quito is always great...I think I was born to live in the mountains! It was great to be with Sara and our Quito host family again, and hopefully, we successfully oriented dear Sara to life in Quito, where she will be in Spanish classes for the next few weeks.

We were also going to take our second planning trip for Franciscan University´s medical mission to the Amazon region of Ecuador, but as things often work out in Ecuador, it ended up that our priest friends there who we need to finish up the plans were in another province for an eight-day retreat. Sometimes you just need to laugh. Ha.

Oh, but all this typing without yet telling of my new loves. We returned to the Santuario, our home away from home, on Saturday morning, and basically headed directly to one of the family houses to be the mothers of the house while the missionary mom needed to be away for a few days. Wow. To be a mother at all I am sure is an immense experience, but to all of a sudden be a mother to thirteen children was indeed an adventure! More than the love and patience needed to be a mum to these very special children, I was impacted by the minimal resources that the houses run on. There is always food, but not always the best food that little children need. There are clothes, but keeping enough clean by hand-washing and hanging on the line in the rainy season while new not-toilet-trained toddlers have arrived is another story. Buying diapers, water, very simple things often is a stretch. This foundation and their mission is so special. We must find a way to back it the best places for these beautiful children.

And my loves. Well, we arrived back to the Santuario to the news that three new children had arrived: four-year-old Steven and his two-year-old twin sisters, Sarita and Ximena. I have yet to learn their complete story -- we may never know all the details -- but their family lives in the streets, searching through garbages for the necessities of life. Steven is four, but he only speaks a few words. He arrived very ill. The beautiful news is that an amazing and loving family has already taken Steven into their home with arms wide open. His little sisters...oh, my. How I wish I could offer them a home! The first day we spent at their house, they were crying off and on all day; I did not see a single smile. The next day, by afternoon, they were dancing with us and playing tag, with smiles that consumed their entire little faces and laughter that could lift the saddest of spirits...being the precious little girls that they were born to be. Sarita and Ximena. They soon will be leaving to stay with a foster family, but these precious babies will be so very special to me always, always. If I had the means, I would keep them forever. Alas.

And so my life continues in this little corner of the world. The missionaries have a week of vacations soon, so Maribeth and I will return to the maternal life, caring for the eight children who will not be living with families for vacation time. Lots of prayers to St. Gianna for us please!

I love you all. I have finalized my plans for a trip home from March 28th-April 14th, first in Minnesota than a few days in Steubenville. Hope to see many of you!

Peace and blessings,
m

PS: Poll of the week...should I go to medical school? :)

The harvest is abundant...

¨After this the Lord appointed seventy others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this household.' If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, 'The kingdom of God is at hand for you.' ¨

-Luke 10:1-9

My dear ones...

Peace of Christ to each of you in abundance. I pray that all is well and blessed for each of you...and I congratulate my Minnesotan counterparts in successfully coming out of the deep freeze! ;) Believe or not, although the oceanside in this sunny weather is marvelous, I do miss the Minnesota winter. I am a crazy girl.

Well, I write with a week delay because there has been much excitement on my side of the equator lately. First of all, many goodbyes with the majority of the children leaving for a month or so of vacations, and second of all, my sister and mum came to visit! It was lovely to share my little Ecuadorian life with them, and they are great travel pals. We hugged children, visited the beautiful city of Cuenca in the Sierra, and spent some time of the beach...it was great. I hope to have pictures up of their time here soon. It was such a gift just to see them after four months of being here but also a great joy to share firsthand with them just exactly what their Mariya is doing down here. :)

With the absence of most the children, my work at the base has drastically slowed down. I am taking a few days to recollect, perhaps have a little self-retreat, and make a plan for this month. I plan to travel to the areas where this foundation has mini-extensions of their work (for example, locations where two or three missionaries live working in parishes in outlying communities). Also, we will be returning to the Amazon to complete the planning for Franciscan University´s medical mission in March. Soon, on February 7th, we will celebrate the arrival of Miss Sara Ogrodnick to our growing gringo population. Much to look forward to in the days to come.

I promise some better stories of the children here in the posts to come...I think the Ecuadorian sun is getting to my storytelling abilities today! :)

Much love and blessings,
m

Anti-lice campaign! And more! :)

"His love is brought to perfection in us..."
1 John 4:12

Hello dear ones, from afar...

Peace of Christ to all. All is well. I might as well begin by saying that if any of you have heard the news about the volcanic activity in Ecuador, we are not affected by it. A difficult situation for the people there, but to calm any concerns, I am nowhere near it. No worries, Mum and Dad.

Besides the excitement of volcanos, life is so beautiful here. The last few weeks, other than the day-to-day tending to the sick ones, I have been working on the paper work for the Ecuadorian National Institute for Children and Family who we collaborate with in caring for the children of our foundation. As tedious as re-examining each child's file can be, it is great to see that the children have been well-attended and are growing as children should. In other medical news, we have been waging a war on head lice the past few days. Apart from our boys' and girls' homes at the main base, we have 30 children who live together with their siblings and misionera mothers in a cluster of homes in a local pueblo. With head lice abounding, we did a full treatment on all the children plus misioneras...shampoo, laundered bed clothes, you name it. What excitement!

The elementary and high school are wrapping up their classes for summer vacations, which means that many of our kids will be leaving for about a month...either to their homes or foster homes. My, goodness, I love these kids immensely...it will be so different without them here! So I am hugging them a bit longer these days in anticipation of not seeing them for awhile. :) Let's take advantage of every moment we have with the ones with love, eh?

Speaking of which, I am thrilled to announce that my mom and sister will be arriving in Ecuador next Tuesday! What a gift! It will be amazing to have the joy of their company and to share this life with them.

It is time for this missionary nurse to sign off...that each of you may be exceptionally blessed...

En Cristo,

m

***A reminder...www.missionsantamaria.com for anyone interested in supporting this work. It is truly incredible what they are doing for the families of Ecuador. Truly amazing.

He is born...what could be better?

¨Before his gaze all falsehood melts away.¨

Spe Salvi, Pope Benedict XVI

Dear ones,

Peace to one and all. He is born! Let us rejoice indeed! Well, in this week of Christmastime on this little peninsula, all is blessed indeed. Things have been very tranquil with the school closed for the week and a majority of the children away for vacations, and it has been a blessed occasion for this little nurse to have a little rest and extra prayer time. I have been blessed to be able to spend more time in Adoration of Jesus in the Eucharist...and indeed have experienced what Pope Benedict speaks of in his new encyclical letter. Sitting before His Eucharistic Heart, alone in His Presence, in His loving gaze, all that is not of Truth is illuminated away and I am penetrated to my innermost being. Interiorly, in a manner that cannot be articulated, I am reminded of my mission in this life, of who I am striving to be. Held in His arms, gazing upon the Face of Jesus, opening my heart to the love He so ardently desires to pour into hearts. Recognizing my littleness and inadequacy, and trusting completely in His Mercy for His little ones.

This week, in addition to a beautiful Christmas Vigil Mass (the Birth of our SAVIOR...wow), we had the annual Mass for the elderly people of the surrounding communities. Hundreds of ¨ancianos¨ (ancient ones, as they say) came to the Santuario for Mass and a meal. Dear ones laying on mattresses, blind ones with canes, from far and wide. A beautiful thing. On top of all of the beautiful liturgical celebrations, we have been taking many trips to the beach with the kids who remained with us for vacations. Ah, life on the beach...watching all these dear ones jump and giggle in the waves as the sun starts to set over the water. Life is beautiful.

May His perfect peace be in each of your hearts in this time of Christmas. Our Savior has been born unto us. Our Savior. Amazing.

En Cristo,

m

Gloria!

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."

--Luke 2:8-15--

Greetings of Christmas peace and joy to all!

Well, after a week of wrapping up the last medical consults with the kids for the year and saying farewell to the children who left for the week to celebrate with relatives, we have arrived to the eve of the Birth of our Messiah. Beautiful. Instead of snow, we have rain (usually it is sunny...Maribeth has been telling me that the Lord is blessing me the precipitation, even if it is not snow...ha). Instead of my family, here I am with these dear children who need the love of a family and these beautiful misioneras who give up their life for Jesus and this work. It is different, but it is perfect...because it is His Will.

I pray that each of you have a very blessed, very peaceful, and very joyful Christmas...surrounded by those you love and who love you...thankful for our Messiah who was born and died that we may live...

In His Love,

m

My little Superman.

¨Jesus touched them and said, ¨Rise, and have no fear.¨

-Matthew 17:7-

A blessed third week of Advent to each of you!

Peace of Christ. In this time of expectation, awaiting the celebration of the Birth of Our Savior, I hope all is most well and blessed for each of you and your families.

This week was wild...hey, aren´t they all! A little one of our´s, 8-year-old Fernando, had his guardian angels working overtime. This little one has been with us for about one year. He is the only child of parents who most likely will never be able to care for him again, and he had been in a foster family before coming to us. It is the goal of the foundation to re-unite families after the appropriate rehabilitation, but sometimes it is impossible. Therefore, hopefully, someday he will have a family to belong to. In the meantime, he belongs to our family here, and we love this crazy one dearly. He apparently was a really difficult child upon arrival with a really difficult background. For example, he had grown accustomed to having to defend himself, whether in the streets or his own home; therefore, he was always carrying rocks in his hands, even when sleeping. Although still difficult sometimes, the love of this place has greatly transformed his sense of self and security. Praise the Lord. Well, last Tuesday, with aspirations of flying like Superman, Fernando climbed the roof of the little store attached to the high school and ended up falling through the roof onto a stone staircase below, about an 8-meter drop. Thus, he was brought, with a significant loss of blood, into our mini-consultorio where the doctor and I were attending patients. After assessing the little one and controlling the bleeding from the laceration on his head, we had to embark on the 1-hour-plus ride in our old, old van with roads in terrible conditions to the nearest hospital with emergency and xray services. By the grace of God, Fernando is free of fractures and there is no evidence of other cerebral damage. A miracle. We spent the night in the emergency room, and then he was released to our medical staff here at the base. Therefore, for the past few days, Fernando has been my life. He had to stay in a more tranquil environment than the house with 29 boys in which he normally lives, so we moved him to the house of the misioneras for the week. There I spent my week, giving his medicine, cleaning his wound, reading books, playing cards, and sleeping by his side. Oh, my little son. There were also many others (including Maribeth and Jim) who gave of their time to care for him this week with great love. Blessedly, Fernando is doing incredibly well, and he has returned to life as usual...hopefully, with a different vision of how he can emulate Superman, minus the roof-climbing escapades. :)

Now back to life as usual for me as well! This is the last week of school for the children before Christmas vacation, so we are wrapping up all our check-ups with the doctor. Most of the children leave for vacations, either to their own homes or to foster families, but there are some who stay with us. What a joy to celebrate Christmas with these dear ones!

Well, I must be off. I hope to get back to email some time this week to reply to ya´ll who have so kindly emailed with your love and prayers. But in the meantime, I love you all dearly and hold you in my heart of prayer.

LOVE,

m

A trip to the Amazon

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Father, send now Your Spirit over the earth. Let the Holy Spirit live in the hearts of all nations, that they may be preserved from degeneration, disaster and war. May the Lady of All Nations, who once was Mary, be our Advocate. Amen.

Hey, all...peace...

Well, off we went to the edge of the Amazon this week. We headed out (Maribeth, Jim, Co, and I) to explore the possibility of having the Franciscan University medical mission go to this location in Ecuador when they come in March. It was a blessed trip, and it could be a truly amazing thing to have the mission group there. Highlights? Swimming in the Rio Napo and meeting a really beautiful bunch of mission priests. Oh, need I mention having a monkey climb all over me? (Check out the new pictures I posted.) This area, especially the pueblos deeper into the jungle, is really quite isolated. How amazing to have the chance to make the sacrifice to come serve these people, with hearts full of Christ´s love and medical attention.

The majority of my week was spent traveling, and although I love everywhere I have visited in Ecuador, it was great to come back to the Santuario. We arrived just in time to celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, a beautiful celebration of Our Lady...not to mention, two new misioneras made their consecration to the Lord and the community and another group of young people received their First Communion.

This weekend there is also a group of Ecuadorian seminarians staying with us. As impromptu as can be, the priest they came with asked me to share my testimony with them. It was such a beautiful thing. With Maribeth and Jim as well, we ended chatting with them for quite a bit...what is cooler than hanging out with future priests. :) Let us pray for our priests worldwide! What a vocation!

Well, the sun is shining this Sunday afternoon in December. Wild not to have snow or cold...but it is Advent time nonetheless, as we await Christmas when Christ is born anew in our hearts. And all is blessed.

My love from afar...

LOVE,
m

It is love alone that counts.

"Without love, everything is painful, everything is tiring, everything is burdensome. The Cross, taken up hesitantly, is crushing; taken smilingly, by free will, and with love, it will carry you much more than you carry it. Love makes time eternal by giving a divine value to everything."

-From I Believe in Love, a book based on the spirituality of St. Therese of Lisieux-

Peace of Christ to all!

*Living love. This is the call of my little heart. St. Therese also says, "It is love alone that counts." Rereading the little collection of quotes I have of St. Therese, the Little Flower, has been a beautiful inspiration for me to remember that in everything I do, whether it be cleaning a wound, attending to the fever of a little child, organizing files, sweeping my floor...if I am not doing it in love it does not really matter. On the other hand, if I can commit myself to living love in the small things, being attentive to the dignity of every person...therein lies true peace, joy, fulfillment, and sanctity. It is love alone that counts.

*So what has living love entailed for Mariya Papaya this week? Well, I am more and more accustomed to the 6:30am blood draws for lab work, and I am well practiced in my pep talk for the more reluctant patients. Oh, my. The climate is changing from rainy to sunny season, so as typically accompanies climate changes, we have many sick ones. I am also well practiced in the ¨Drink Water¨pep talk. :) Finding a way to facilitate availability of water is the trickier issue...when the water from the faucet cannot be drunk without being boiled first, when there isn´t proper storage for the water once it has been boiled, when it uses precious resources (gas and manpower) to attend to the issue, when the kids are at school all day...it is enough to keep me thinking and acting. The majority of the kids leave for Christmas vacation in two weeks, so we are working in getting all the control check-ups accomplished before the end of the year.

*Other randomly exciting news? Our fellow missionary volunteer, Jim Campbell, arrived safe and sound, and the base is excited to have him back...us too! There seems to be a lack of strong male role models for the children here, so it is an amazing gift to have a great Catholic man, such as Jim, serving here, loving these kids. Also, Padre Othmar, founder of the foundation, returned from his trip to his homeland of Switzerland, and it is wonderful to have his prayerful presence among us once again. And a really beautiful surprise for me this weekend was that at the last minute I found out he and a few others were going to La Rinconada to celebrate the Mass yesterday...so this crazy gringa was able to go with! What a joy to be back in that little pueblo! My work there has been set back due to my responsibilities at the base, but my heart is there in so many ways. I need to return soon. My love for maternity nursing was also rekindled when I realized how many pregnant women there are there at this time...SO beautiful. I am going to look into how I can serve this dear ones and their growing wee ones.

*Ha. Funniest occurrence of the week? Well, the 15th birthday for young women here is a really big deal, so every month there is a fiesta for whichever dear one is celebrating her 15th birthday that month. Yesterday one of the gals, Gabriela, in the pre-community (women discerning misionera life) turned 15; therefore, there was a fiesta last night. A typical part of these fiestas is that each group (boys´ home, girls´ home, misioneras, etc) present a dance, song, or something of the sort. Well, the gringos were invited to present as well. Just imagine. We had decided this time we just didn´t have the creative energy or time to plan something, but at the last minute, Maribeth and I decided that for Gaby, we just must. So there we were, lip syncing to ¨My Heart Will Go On¨ in a little peninsula on the coast of South America. What a funny life. Gaby had asked us to sing it weeks ago, so Maribeth had bought the song to give to her at some point...didn´t imagine we would present it in such a manner, but I think she enjoyed our craziness. It is love alone that counts.

*Also, I have the great joy of letting you all know that Jim started a stateside foundation, Mission Santa Maria, to help out the base financially. Please check out the website: http://www.missionsantamaria.com/.

*Hey, I love you all and hold you dear to me always...may the Lord bless and keep you, may the Spirit enliven you in your own missions, and may we live His perfect Love...

En Cristo,

m

Joy in the little things...

"He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury; and he saw a poor widow put in two copper coins. And he said, ´Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; for they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all the living that she had."

-Luke 21:1-4-

***Dear, dear, dear family and friends!

***Peace to you each of you! Let us rejoice in this day as the Church celebrates Christ the King! In celebration of this Solemnity, all the people who live at the foundation (children, teens, misioneras, crazy gringas, etc) walked from base to a pueblo a few villages away to celebrate the Mass, followed by a procession through the town. Lovely, hot, and so Ecuadorian. I was accompanied in the procession by two new little girls, one holding each hand, twirling the littlest one, Angelica, in circles as we walked...so that her little blue dress spun about and her sweet laughter was raised to the Heavens. A blessed Sunday indeed.

***Well, this week, I continued to update the records from the past year, as well as planning the weekly appointments with the doctor. I am learning to find new approaches to get some of the more reluctant patients to their appointments...some of the boys and young men here are just not interested...well, for the blood samples I understand a bit more. :) Also, as a notable highlight, I gave a talk on parasite prevention at 5:45am...that is a personal record. We received a donation of anti-parasite meds, and I helped the misionera doctora talk to all the groups about preventions before we gave the medications. Fitting into the kids´ schedule here can be a feat, so there I was, at the crack of dawn, talking about boiling water and wearing shoes and showing picture of parasites. What a life. In my world of nursing and medicine here, the other main development is that I was able to meet with another local foundation, Nobis, that runs a little clinic a few days a week a few pueblos away. When I have a bit more time in January and February when most of the kids leave for summer vacation, I am going to be able to devote more time to working in the surrounding pueblos (like La Rinconada); therefore, I am networking with at least this foundation to share ideas and resources.

***This week, the students of the elementary and high school hosted "Open House" days wherein local schools were invited and our students presented what they are learning in each course. It was really a neat thing. There was dancing, Ecuadorian food, math games, and more. It was a beautiful opportunity to see how the schools here function. The high school religion department did a beautiful and powerful presentation on abortion. Seeing those pictures and hearing those stories was a great reminder for me that we need to fight for those babies, advocating for the truth. In Ecuador, blessedly, abortion is illegal.

***As always, every day is an adventure. Maribeth and I celebrated our 2-month Ecuadorian anniversary on the 22nd, and we are thankful for what has been and look forward to what is to come. Being constant in my daily prayer is really the only way this life can be lived with joy and efficacy...pray that I live this truth!

***I love you all whole bunches...peace and blessings...

***En Cristo,
m

***PS: Jim Campbell, FUS alumus and missionary, returns today to serve with us here!

Here comes the sun, doo, doo, doo, doo...

Kindle in my heart the pure fire of Your love...

Dear ones...

***Peace of Christ from afar. Today I write to you from a little beach town called Salinas where Maribeth and I are spending our Sabbath day of rest. :) I hope to delve into St. Faustina´s biography from a chair on the beach after I finish here.

***It was a blessed week. I have realized my number one priority right now in the consultorio where I work is organization. I have the goal of having the medical files and consultation records in order by the end of the year. Then I will start in with new projects, such as little health classes/activities for the children, focused on prevention; I am constantly brain-storming ideas to make the healthcare more preventive rather than reactive. Meanwhile, I have truly become the base´s nurse...I cannot walk from one part of the base to another without having at least one mini-consultation with some dear one en route. Building patient confidence in their health care worker is a beautiful and challenging thing

***Maribeth and I had the blessing of meeting with the approximately 20 young women in the house for gals ages 14-20, I believe. They meet every night after Mass with their house mom (the missionary who lives and cares for them), so we had the joy of joining them for the evening. They are precious young girls, and Maribeth and I feel called to work with them in some way or another. So the other day we started by sharing our testimonies...how we came to give our Fiat to Jesus in our lives and in this mission specifically. It was a gift, and we shall see what comes of this ¨women´s group.¨

***In other news, Maribeth and I are English teachers. :) Our students are some of the missionaries here, and we teach for two hours every Friday. Wow. This will be a great adventure, I am sure.

***Well, for now, I shall sign off. Please know that I hold you all close to my heart in every moment as I live here what I am called to do, console the Sacred Heart of Jesus with my little offerings of love.

***LOVE,
m

***PS: We hope to post some new pictures the middle of this week.

PPS: Ah, the little song title to the blog refers to the gradually changing climate here...from rainy to sunny...here comes the heat!!!

PPPS: Special love to the Sanford family this week...especially in thanksgiving for their Monday Rosary! You all are amazing.

Lagrimas de Sangre

No hands, no feet on earth but yours

Yours are the eyes through which He looks

compassion on this world

Christ has no body now on earth but yours

-St. Teresa de Avila-

Well, hello there, dear ones...

*Peace of Christ to all. Ah, as another week of the vida gringa has passed, I write to you on the day after a great celebration of the association/foundation that we are working with. Yesterday we celebrated the 17th anniversary of the day a statue of Mary the Mystical Rose that they have here cried tears of blood. The misioneras from around the country came to the Santuario as well as other friends of the foundation and people from the surrounding pueblos, and it was indeed a beautiful thing to partake in this special day. In addition, on Saturday my dear fellow missionary pal, Maribeth, turned 23-years-old...and my nephew/godson back home turned 2-years-old! What a weekend. :) For me personally, it was a blessed weekend to be in prayer and to recommit myself to my work here.

*Last week, we arrived back to our home on the peninsula just in time for this little nurse to help with the traveling surgeon foundation that comes three times a year for three days to perform charity surgeries. It really is a well-run operation. They have one surgical suite in a semi-truck, and they used another surgical suite at the local hospital. Mostly gallbladder removal and hernia repair this trip. Monday they consult the patients recommended by the clinic the foundation runs then Tuesday and Wednesday they operate. I spent Tuesday in surgery, and Wednesday I was the post-op nurse. A world away from the post-op units I experienced during nursing school but a post-op unit nonetheless. I took a few pictures that I will post next week. It was brilliant, really. Great group of docs and a well-organized foundation. If you would like to read more about their foundation, they have a website: http://www.cinterandes.org/. They also have opportunities for foreign medical students.

*The other day, our missionary friend Fatima introduced me as "the nurse in charge of the health of the people here at the base." Wow. I have been learning bit by bit from the missionary health care worker who I am taking over for, and I have been brainstorming new ways to improve the health of the people here, but the other day, the great and beautiful responsibility of it all struck home. We are about 300 people living at the base, children, misioneras and other workers such as professors and cooks. There are certain things expected of me, such as attending to those who are sick and planning the well-child check-ups, but there is definitely potential for new projects to improve the health here. Please pray for me as I focus in on new and old ways to promote the health of these dear ones, to give to my work the compassion, efficacy, and energy to provide the quality care that they deserve.

*It is a such a joy to become more and more a part of this community. The misioneras continue to be incredibly loving and inspiring...to the point that they very, very often tease Maribeth and me about becoming misioneras. Also, I have been blessed to get to know the older children who live at the base a bit better, such as the lovely high-school age ladies who get a kick out of their gringa nurse whom they call "Papaya." (Johanna, wild, right? Maribeth started calling me Papaya, and I remembered it is a good way to teach the pronunciation of Mariya...so I started using it when introducing myself. So funny.) I would love to work with these gals more, perhaps a women's Bible study or something of the sort.

*Well, dear ones, I hope each and every one of you are doing well. May you live each day as a consolation to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

*Love and prayers,
m

Heading back to the coast...

"Let the peoples renew their strength...you who I took from the ends of the earth, and called you from its farthest corners, saying to you,´You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off.´" Isaiah 41:1, 9

Happy Sunday Eve!

Peace to all. Well, after a week in Quito, in just under two hours we will board the bus to head back to our little coastal home. Blessedly, I completed quite a bit of research...but, of course, there is always more. My research highlight of the week would probably be that I got in touch with the local office of Pan American Health Organization (the Americas regional branch of the World Health Organization), and they gave me a stack of literature on the health of the Americas and Ecuador specifically. Now, I have some reading to do...in Spanish nonetheless. Also, I revised the survey form the doctora and I use for our health census in Rinconada. And I prepared a bit more for the English classes Maribeth and I will be teaching to a few of the misioneras. This and more...

Well, included in all this excitement, Maribeth and I were able to enjoy a bit of Ecuador cultura. We stay with a dear family here in Quito that showers us with generosity. They are incredibly sweet. So not only did we experience our first Ecuadorian soccer game in the Quito stadium, we also learned of the celebration for El Dia de los Difuntos (November 2nd, All Soul´s Day). There is a thick fruit drink called “colada morada“ and a special bread in the shape of a baby (“guaguas de pan“) that are consumed in abundance during these days. No one seems to know the exact story (I´m still researching that one), but from what I understand thus far, it is a mixture of Catholic and indigenous traditions. Apparently, traditionally the family makes this drink and bread and spends the day at the cemetary. Then some of the food is left for the dead as while, in indigenous tradition. Masses are also celebrated in the cemetaries and the catacombs of churches. It is interesting...and delicious. Also, Maribeth had never experienced the joys of the Ecuadorian speciality “cuy“ (guinea pig), so we went with our Ecuadorian papi and grandparents to a special place to eat cuy today. I tell ya, nothing like a roasted rodent on your plate. Really, the meat is delicious...and you get an great study of anatomy at the same time. Ha. Oh, my. Check out the pics in my web albums, if you like.

It has been a lovely week here...studying up, resting, enjoying the culture. But it is indeed time to head back. The Lord has renewed my vision of the work I have been called to with the foundation, and it will be good to be back.

Until next week, all my love and prayers...

Besos y abrazos,
m

New phone number and new pictures!

Dear ones, greetings to you...

Just a quick note to let ya´ll know that I have a new phone number posted in the sidebar. Also, I posted new photos that you can access through the link at the bottom. Enjoy!

Besos y abrazos,
m

If we love one another...

"Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another.
No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us."

John 4:11-12

Hola, hola...

Peace to one and all. I write to you from the city of Quito tonight. We arrived early this morning and will spend the week researching various topics that have come up over the last month (information on public health nursing, therapy for a little boy with cerebral palsy, materials for teaching NFP, how to teach English to the misioneras, how to help the foundation financially, etc) as well as taking a little extra time just to be still and to pray...reflecting on what has passed and preparing for what is to come.

It was a blessed week in Òlon. The children at the base are getting used to their new nurse (the gringa with the name they can´t pronounce), and I am beginning to be a familiar face to the people of the surrounding pueblos. I learned about the vaccination schedule used by the Ecuadorian Ministry of Health this week and last while attending children at two daycares in more isolated villages, and I learned to remove stitches. Four new children were brought to the base this week from a violent and unstable home situation. They seem to be adjusting bit by bit and are receiving plenty of love...not to mention regular meals, medical care, and clothing.

Well, for now, I shall go. I will post again this week with my photos from the past month.

Hasta pronto, with much love,
m