La Purísima
From November 29 to December 7, we celebrated the Novena to “La Purísima,” leading up to the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. This is the biggest celebration in Nicaragua.

Praying the rosary at a Purísima celebration at a parishioner's house

“How nice it must be to have a mother.”

18-year-old W. was just talking to me about how his childhood; his mother died when he was two; he was raised by an uncle.  There are a lot of kids in Nicaragua that don’t live with their parents.  Some are “gifted” (the literal term) to someone else to raise.  Too often it’s because the mother doesn’t want them - perhaps because the new boyfriend doesn’t want her children from a previous relationship.

Stories like W.'s  help me understand the Nicas’ great devotion to our Lady.  W. himself agreed that part of why he wants to become Catholic is because of Mary…because it will be good to have a mother.

As my Spanish has improved, I've been able to have deeper conversation with men, women and youth about Mary, and we sisters have been able to talk about our relationship with Mary when we give reflections during Liturgies of the Word.  

Yoder as Juan Diego at the home for the elderly

The image of Mary here is primarily the Immaculate Conception, but there is a growing devotion to Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe.   The youth put on play about Our Lady of Guadalupe at the church at the home for the elderly.

Here are some other pictures from recent activities:

Zac and Alexis came to paint the church- and made friends with Sandy, Valeria and other local kids.

Thanks to Kristi B.  for funding the project to repaint the parish church ( as a bonus, she helped create a wonderful cultural exchange experience as well as provided temporary work for local youth.)  You can compare the photo at the top with one somewhere on the right and note the difference!  Folks are duly proud of their "sunshine in the valley."

Thank you also to Steve D., Kristi D., and their kids Zac and Alexis for coming on down during Thanksgiving.  It was a great experience- playing with the local kids, shopping in the market, eating nacatamales, communicating in spanish and sign-language with the local paint crew, visiting the poor local school on their last day of classes, and spending time with the Sisters.  Oh, and yes, riding the little Ruta bus! That was about as scary as the scariest amusement park ride, don't ya think?!  

Steve and a local young man paint and manage to communicate quite well! Steve made quite an impression on Yader.

Sr. Charlotte with one of her English students, Rosita, and Rosita's mom. Rosita received a certificate at the promotion ceremony.

Another of Sr. Charlotte's English classes (with parents) at their promotion ceremony.

Maryuri's First Communion

July 16 - Maryuri has been waiting for this day a long time...the day she'll receive Jesus, and - we must be honest - the day she gets to wear the white dress and veil! Thanks to many of you who have sent dresses, she was able to pick out the one she liked.

The evening mass almost didn't happen, due to torrential rains... M. arrived soaked (as did everyone...all the kids walked, and some great distances... hence, not all dress were pure white! One girl couldn't get there... the river was too high).

What REALLY made me happy is that M. and her brother have continued to come to Sunday mass...actually, the whole class still crams into the first two pews each Sunday, even though they don't have to anymore! They are also asking to continue coming to class. We will start a "perseverancia" group with them.... I'm excited!

Sangre de Cristo Church

Above is a 2007 photo of our parish church, Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ). The yellow is even dingier now, but it still looks “happy” against our green mountains!
The bus is called the Ruta, and comes by somewhat regularly, between 6.30 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. We are in the midst of the rainy season, however, and I suspect the Ruta will get to the point where it can’t get out to our area…the potholes are becoming lakes.
Walking is a muddy adventure. I wash my sandals and feet every night to get the mud and cow by-products off. Sr. Charlotte can write sometime about her “baptism by mud and manure!”
The cows don’t share the road with buses and cars… they rule! Big fines if you hit one.

You can plant a watermelon on the top of my grave...

and let the juice s-s-s-slurp through (old Camp Ho Mita Koda song). Watermelon and S'mores and and cohetes (firecrackers) were our reminders of Independence Day here. The cohetes were actually to celebrate our parish patronal feast of Sangre de Cristo (kind of long story on why we celebrate it July 4...won't get into that). No one but the three of us sisters thought about the US celebration, which is O.K.

The feast of the Blood of Christ... Sangre de Cristo... was great...Yajaira and several musicians did a fab job of joyful singing, with guitars, guitarrones, and an accordian. Muy alegre! The bishop was happy so many people showed up...the parish coordinator, Jose Matilde, did a great job of getting reps from many of the mountain missions to come.

Sr. Roseanna had 7 kids make First Communion, and I was madrina...sponsor...to two young people in the confirmation class. Sr. Charlotte not only prepared for the mass (she is parish liturgy coordinator) but also sang in the choir.

Bishop Carlos Enrique was so pleased so many folks from the mission communities came, he spontaneously invited them to return every 3rd Sunday of the month for catechesis and liturgy. So we found out today, at this same-said mass, that we (the parish "team") will be planning these catechetical days! Well, that's how it goes here... something gets announced from the pulpit, and you find out that you are doing it / in charge of it at that moment! We're sort of getting used to this manner of collaborative ministry....

Anyhow...it's why we are here- for catechesis and evangelization. And the people want it...especially the young folks.

Speaking of which... I gave my first retreat talk (in spanish!) at a SINE retreat- Sistema Integral de la Nueva Evangelizacion. Last week we took 24 of our youth to a mission community for this 2-day retreat (along with 40+ particpants from the mission of La Esmeralda). The bishop and his driver carted the kids in the back of two pick-up trucks (no, we didn't drive one....we are still shopping for our used jeep, and will NOT be hauling kids nor adults in this manner!)

Following the retreat, the youth are ON FIRE... so pray.

I asked them, what do you want? What do you need?

Sister, we want to go out and evangelize, but first we need formation.

How cool is that, I ask?!!!

Saturday evening we started our pequena comunidades...small communities, which will continue the process of SINE. The youth have lots of questions, and this all new to me... I don't know what I am doing as I accompany them...but the Holy Spirit is in charge, so I will not worry! Still, pray with me!

Hola!

Hola! OK, we have better access to the internet, so I think I'm going to get semi-serious about this blogging business.

Hmmmm, this may be a dark second entry, but it is a snapshot of the reality here:

Today in Jinotega, Nicaragua...in our little barrio of El Llano de las Tejeras...an elderly neighbor died...Senora Editha. It amazes me how quickly the neighbors (many of whom are related to Editha) rallied to prepare for the funeral and the rezo. Everyone drops what they are doing, grabs a bucket and mop to clean the church, looks for chairs for the rezo, etc.

A rezo, by the way, is like a wake service.

The funeral usually happens within 24 hours...soon followed by the burial...as no one can afford, nor is accustomed to, embalming.

How do people find out about the rezo and funeral, as their is not time to publish an obituary, nor do most people read newspapers? If the family can afford it, they pay for a truck with loudspeakers to pass through the town and barrio, and someone announces the arrangements.

At the rezo this evening, Editha was laid out in her own house. Family and friends gathered inside and out, much like our US-style wakes, chatting, drinking coffee, and nibbling rosquillos... traditional cheese cookies. Many brought flowers. Flowers are placed around the coffin in 2-liter pop bottles. This will continue for 9 days, with nightly rosary and prayers at the house.

There is a little window on the coffin so the body can be viewed... and for obvious reasons, you don't hear too many comments like, she looks so good! You see death as death is...no make-up.

Tomorrow after the funeral mass...misa del cuerpo presente... the mass of the body present... the coffin will be carried in a pickup truck to the cemetery, and people will follow on foot. There may or may not be musicians, or music playing from a loudspeaker mounted on a truck.

In 9 days there will be another funeral mass, and more people may be present as they will have had enough time to hear about it and plan on traveling to Jinotega.

In one year, even more will attend the memorial mass... if relatives live out of the country, they may come for this service.

If you vote for a lighter topic for future posts, let me know!