Korean Lunch & a busy week

Last week the Fathers and Brothers invited us to a Korean lunch. What we didn't know is that we would also get a Korean language lesson and alphabet history, and would be led in song by all the former missioners. Below are some singing a song they taught us. It was wonderful to see how full of energy and good humor they were!

The sisters also sang in Korean and a few of them were dressed in traditional Korean clothes.

This was my favorite outfit. The mask was often used by poorer lower class people to mock the wealthy and powerful in their community.

Below is pictured our delicious meal:

Now of course we don't spend all of our time enjoying delicious food, music and dance with the fathers and brothers but have had very provocative workshops on a number of topics. Last week we had a session on the history of Maryknoll, on Racism, and once a week we have scripture study with a franciscan brother. Today and for the next two days we will have workshops on non-violence. The three women running our retreat usually run their retreats in prisons or with teens who have had problems with violence- so it is even a new experience for them. In many of the workshops we have discussions and activities that give us the chance to internalize the bigger questions and really examine our own life experiences, choices, and challenges. It is difficult to communicate how meaningful (and at 

times exhausting) this can be. I am so thankful for the opportunity to delve deeper into my own identity, privileges, and presumptions even if it is challenging and at times emotional. I feel a deeper strength and empowered by this self awareness that the workshops help bring out.

Our scripture study class does not require a lot of reading, but last class we delve in to the details, history, and background of the culture of the two very short passages that we examined. One was from Jeremiah and one from Luke, and both are usually read during advent. I have never taken a scripture study class before- and in college while in one class we read a couple books from the bible it was from a completely secular perspective. I truly feel it is a privilege to share in this experience, and can't wait for the next class, which is not until mid October. We will be going to Washington DC next week and so I am excited for that adventure as well. Minh and I decided to stick with seeking cultural experiences and went to a Filipino mass at St. Annes this past Sunday. It was the first time I attended mass in a language I didn't understand. The priest sometimes switched in to english- and so I feel like the mass was about 3/5 filipino and 2/5 english. The music was beautiful. Two of the sisters in our class are filipina so I will have to ask them to teach me some songs!This is the sunset over the Hudson river not too far from where I am staying. God bless and I hope the sunsets are lovely wherever you are!

I know what esperanza means!

I know what esperanza means! Hope yes. But as we were talking in class today Cecelia one of the Lay missioners who is originally from Chile, was talking about how the word comes from the word esperar or to wait. To wait for God. Right now some regions will be closing and so a few of the lay missioners placements may change. We don't know when we will find out so we must esperar con esperanza. They sent us all notification in August that because of financial reasons Maryknoll will be focusing on fewer regions (one or two in Latin America, one or two in Africa, and one or two in Asia as opposed to the current fourteen regions- some of which contain multiple countries.) 

pictures

I just made a shutterfly site to post my pictures. I think you can actually order prints from the site. I haven't gotten a chance to upload a lot but am getting started.

http://renatheresa.shutterfly.com/

Gardening

Today was a beautiful day. Minh, another lay missioner, and I went for a walk this morning and then we had a lunch bbq with the Maryknoll affiliates. This groups is made up of former lay missioners, family and friends of former and current missioners, and anyone interested in being involved in Maryknoll from the states. It was really great to chat with them. One of the affiliates had visited El Salvador for two weeks last year and so we talked about the nutrition and gang prevention programs they have there as well as the clinic run by the sisters. Afterwards one of the affiliates took us over to a vegetable garden on the fathers property which is grown to be given to food pantrys and midnight runs. 

We weeded around the beets and leeks for a couple of hours and then walked back to Bethany- checking for ticks upon our return. We went to spanish mass at St. Annes. The pews were packed full-it did not feel like I was in the U.S.  In the Church there was a statue of Jesus (same pictured below) that the people called Afterwards there was a band playing outside and people gathered.

The next day a group of four of us decided to go to a nearby park for a walk and to enjoy the beautiful afternoon and sunset. We came upon the same group and the same statue that was in the church was under a tent in the park. A procession of girls brought gifts and you could smell the incense in the air.
There was a lot of dancing and music. Below you can see one of the bands that played. The flad says Banda Reina del Cisne. Cisne is a town in Ecuador. I asked someone and they explained to me that this was a celebration that was traditional in this particular town in Ecuador, and now the large population in Croton brought the celebration here.
This picture was taken after about half the crowd had already dispersed, so you can see it was a big event!

There is one girl with a blue banner (on the left side of the picture.) she was the winner of a kind of contest, and there is one girl from each age group that won the same kind of banner. It was a beautiful celebration and I felt fortunate that we came upon it like we did (especially having attended mass with them the evening before.)

Settling Settling Settling

I am excited to sleep tonight so won't write too much- but I want to document now because I know it is only going to get  more crazy in the future. This morning we listened to the rest of the stories of the lay missioners and sisters, each story more unique than the next. They are stories from the Philippines to California, from Illinois to Connecticut to Florida. Of lives, deaths, moments of meaning, and moments of deep questions of faith. We finished the morning and spent the afternoon talking about vaccinations, as well as signs and symptoms of diseases that are not issues in the U.S. like typhoid, yellow fever, malaria, polio etc.

After we walked over to the sisters main building. There are currently about 400 in residence there some coming and going and the retired ones who mostly stay there. We saw their library as well as chatted. One of the sisters, Virginia, was 97 and encouraged me to play sodoku because she plays it daily. She was a tremendous story teller! She had the best sense of humor and delivered punch lines straight faced, and did not miss an opportunity. She did not look a day over 70 and was so warm and welcoming to all of us. Between the hugs exchanged after our biographical stories today and at the sisters I have a years quota covered:-) The sisters told the story of the history of Maryknoll, and spoke fondly of the founder Mother Mary Joseph, a big woman in every way. In a quote I have posted below she expresses how highly she values a good sense of humor:

"I would have her distinguished by Christ-like charity, a limpid simplicity of soul, heroic generosity, selflessness, unswerving loyalty, prudent zeal, an orderly mind, gracious courtesy, an adaptable disposition, solid piety, and the saving grace of a sense of humor."

I found that was SO true of all the beautiful women I met today. We shared dinner in their beautiful dining hall. The women that I sat with had served in South and Central America in a time when the roads had not yet been paved. Before email, which revolutionized the mission experience, and before telephone service and electricity in the areas they were serving. They faced extreme hardship and witnessed a great deal of suffering, especially the women who served in El Slavador during the war when Maryknoll sisters Maura Clark, Ita Ford, and Dorothy Kazel as well as Maryknoll lay missiner Jean Donovan were murdered. They not only had to identify the bodies but face the realities of countless other injustices, and many more murders of religious and peasants. 

On the walk back from the sisters we saw four deer sitting under the trees behind Bethany. I appreciate the peace here. It is also such a blessing to be able to be focused completely on preparing for mission. It is a luxory that travel abroad, peace corps or other organizations don't have. I will be traveling to El Salvador with Nan (Nancy) and Erika. Nan has such a huge heart and has traveled around the states. She is passionate and always keeps the group animated and is motherly to everyone. She has recently been a high school youth group leader but in the past has owned a record store which was a hang out spot for teens, and worked for radio and broadcasting companies. She has never traveled to Latin America and doesn't speak spanish (yet:-) Erika is a year older than I am and worked in the Dominican Republic for a year with sisters doing service work, studied abroad in El Salvador and has even had typhoid before. We have different experiences but will hopefully be an amazing team (along with the sisters, brothers, and lay missioners in El Salvador already:-)

I am anxiously awaiting news from my sister and brother-in-law and my to be nephew! 

Have a good night <3

 

MaryAMAZINGknoll week one

Wow. I can't believe that I have only been here a few days. Everyone feels like family already. The 8 other lay missioners have such diverse backgrounds and life experiences and we all share a passion for life and service that it feels like Bethany really is overflowing with joy and peace! Bethany is the residence hall, contains a chapel, the administrations offices and classrooms where we spend our time. There are also three maryknoll sisters who just took their vows this past August in training with us who are also preparing for overseas placement. That makes a group of 12 of us:-)

I am so excited for all that we will be doing in these upcoming weeks, and am looking forward to a week long trip to Washington DC the first full week of October! I have already musically participated in Mass here at Bethany and have visited the Congregation (maryknoll sisters) and Society (Fathers and brothers) buildings which are a pleasant walk away. There are apple trees around the property so we will be picking them and using the press in the kitchen to make cider in the fall. From our classroom windows we can sometimes see deer wandering across the property. We have to be EXTREMELY careful though- because there is a very high level of lyme disease in the area (and while beautiful the deer don't help!) We all check for ticks anytime we are outside. I am eager to take pictures of the area to post because it is so nice around here, but that is for another day!

Camp Raya del sol aka Campsunshine!

Volunteers at Camp sunshine always wear a yellow shirt, but everyone wears a smile, like Karely demonstrates below:-)

I spent the week volunteering in the tot lot during spanish speaking week of an oncology session. So all the kids either were sick or had a brother or sister who was sick and currently under treatment. Many came from New York or New Jersey but families flew in from Florida and throughout the country.

Throughout the week our method of travel was a the red wagon campsunshine taxi. In the taxis we brought the kids to the waterfront of Sebago lake, to the big kid playground, and across the wish pond. We pulled them to the Garden where they watered plants and spotted tomatoes and grapes growing. 

There is always a lot of singing and dancing every night at campsunshine, with a performer juggler coming the first night and the lead councilors clapping and dancing to a campsunshine classic "Gimmie your heart". The second night everyone dresses up in their favorite costume and kids and parents are welcomed to the stage to perform in the talent show. 

These are some of the beautiful smiling faces that lead all the volunteers to return year after year, all the donors to give as much as they do to keep the camp running year round.



 Sunny the bear, Chippy the chipmunk and Lupy the bear helped us keep the kids entertained.

On the last night the Celebration show gives each age group the chance to go up on stage and perform. Below you see the girls are all ready to show the audience their hokey pokey skills;-)

I almost didn't make it to camp since my car broke down, but I am so blessed to have wonderful sisters, and an awesome brother-in-law. Diana woke up early to give me a ride to camp, Ben picked me up sunday to bring me back to Freeport for my Parents 30th anniversary, and Nina took me back to camp afterwards. Nina also drove me all the way back to Topsham at the end of the session. Not all of the kids who come to camp sunshine will have their brothers or sisters around, unfortunately. One of the most inspiring things is that many families whose child has passed on or has been cured will come back to volunteer in gratitude and also so they can witness the magic of campsunshine again.