 |
Walking With the Poor - Notes From the Field |
|
INAUGURAL MISSION AWARENESS TRIP TO BOLIVIA September 3-11, 2005 Before the trip to Bolivia … at home in Guatemala Whenever I’m home in Guatemala, I am honored to get out and see sponsored families, co-workers and subprojects in this country. We now sponsor close to 100,000 children, youth, aging, seminarians and young women religious in Guatemala. There is a wonderful abundance of people and projects to see. San Jose Nacahuil is about one hour north of the capital, Guatemala City, over winding roads which are only intermittently asphalted. Distance-wise, it is only 18 kilometers. Statistics say that 70 percent of the folks here cannot read or write. In this hurting area, we have 576 children sponsored, together with 64 aging and 35 teenage youth on CFCA scholarships. One remark by Don Agustín, the school director, “We are so close to the city, yet so far from development.” I think I came close to greeting each of the sponsored friends today, so many heartfelt expressions of gratitude for the love of their sponsors and for the presence of CFCA in their lives. One measure of the impact of the CFCA program here is the fact that there are 166 little girls enrolled in school as compared to 154 little boys. Before CFCA’s involvement, things were highly weighted the other way. The project encourages parents to reflect on CFCA’s third core value regarding the dignity of the person. Our gathering took place in the school constructed by the people of the community with the economic help and encouragement of a CFCA sponsor named William. The school now serves 419 students from preschool through junior high. Of those students, 225 are sponsored. The well-prepared program included formal speeches, words from the mothers, musical numbers by preschoolers to teens, poems based on our core values, gymnastics by the teens, talks and musical intervention, and a hot lunch of soup and chicken. I felt a strong community among the moms who had spent the better part of two days preparing this delicious lunch for literally hundreds in this CFCA community of San Jose Nacahuil. Ciudad Peronia, Guatemala In this inner-city parish of struggling families, we have 200 children sponsored. Veteran missionary Father Elias and a group of four religious sisters from Mexico have created a very admirable spirit of community. They have all kinds of hopeful things underway: the elaboration and sale of a great variety of soy products, courses in sewing and cooking, a day care for the children of working mom’s, and literacy classes for those who never had a chance to go to school—taught by mothers who did have that chance. With tears in their eyes, several mothers spoke of their appreciation for the chance to belong to the CFCA community. A mother of six with cancer wept openly. A Mayan woman spoke of the horrors of the war in El Quiche and of her experience of painful racial discrimination while contrasting this reality to the love she feels in the CFCA family. A good number of children specifically thanked the sponsors for their new beds. In these emotionally packed and teachable moments, a few songs from the heart really come in handy. Everyone enjoyed singing together, and afterward, we had a snack of nutritious and tasty soy products. It was after dark before we packed up and began the three-hour trek to San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala. I usually try to get an earlier start toward home, but how I treasure each of this day’s experiences. Tonight, at CFCA-San Lucas, we hosted a nice group from a Presbyterian church in the Twin Cities. Three of them were already CFCA sponsors. Seven more became sponsors this evening. The staff from Hermano Pedro stayed until late in the evening in order to sing for the group and to answer any questions they might have regarding Guatemala or the CFCA sponsorship program. I take inspiration from the team here. Later in the week, we made a pastoral visit to the CFCA subprojects in Patzicia, Patzun and Comalapa. Very first mission awareness trip to Bolivia It’s a long way to Bolivia. CFCA’s travel expert, Sandy, discovered that the best way for myself and my wife, Cristina, to travel from Guatemala to Bolivia is to fly to Mexico City, and then through the night to Santa Cruz, Bolivia. I greatly admire the sponsors who are making this inaugural mission awareness trip journey to Bolivia. I have come to know and love many of these sponsors over the years. Our travel route this time: San Lucas Toliman to Guatemala City to Mexico City to Guayaquil to Santa Cruz. We lucked out with a half-empty airplane for the long portion of this flight (Mexico City to Guayaquil to Santa Cruz). Cristina and I had been on the road for 24 hours when we touched down at Viru Viru Airport in Santa Cruz. We soon discovered that some other flights of sponsors had been delayed. Fortunately, we all ended up in Santa Cruz at about the same time. We set a new MAT record on the number of non-arriving bags. Good-natured sponsors seem more concerned about not having on hand the special gifts they had brought for their children. They eventually got all their bags. Cristo Mensajero de la Paz Our first visit on this MAT was to subproject CM in Santa Cruz, Cristo Mensajero de la Paz (Christ Messenger of Peace). This is a community-based project centered in a community-focused parish. Father Simon, the pastor, was here with us for this gathering. Using as its anchor a comedor or lunch service for children, teens and aging, this project serves 171 sponsored children, 20 aging and eight CFCA scholars. Susana, subproject coordinator and mother of two, is a professional social worker who obviously makes home visits to each family. The nutritional part of this program is essential, but it is only the beginning of the process to form community in an area racked by machismo, domestic violence, drugs and division, problems which literally fill the orphanages of Bolivia. Children, mothers and religious sisters are fervent in their appreciation of the CFCA presence in their lives. One sponsor remarked, “I’m on gracias overload!” Teresa de Los Andes Home for Special Children and Teens Sponsors were able to spend a long time with the special children and young people at Teresa de Los Andes Home, lovingly conducted and guided by gentle Brother Alirio of the Brothers of Divine Providence. We have 103 of these special children and teens sponsored. Brother Alirio directs a pleasant, peaceful and professional home which also has it own school, hospital and farm. He states that work on the farm is very therapeutic for the young people. His next project is to use equino-terapia or horse therapy. Brother Alirio confirmed something I’ve believed for a long time, “The best thing for the inside of a person is the outside of a horse.” He expresses gratefully that CFCA is their most reliable source of support and solidarity. I stand in gratitude for the testimony of Brother Alirio and these humble brothers and staff at Teresa de Los Andes Home. Hogar Sonrisa Mariele A Swiss missionary, Father Luis, celebrates Holy Mass for us and for the community of girls in need from subproject HSM, Hogar Sonrisa Mariele. The girls performed very moving singing and liturgical dances. Ninety-five of the teens are sponsored at this very nice home run by Italian Sisters. In all of my travels in the CFCA world, this is the first time I have seen a performance on roller skates … and very well done. Sincere appreciation and lots of preparation shined through several major musical productions. After a supper of whopper-sized hamburgers, the gym floor filled with sponsors and girls doing a potpourri of folk and modern dances. Sponsors remarked that it felt good to move after so many hours on the plane.
In Subproject OKI—Okinawa in rural Bolivia, there are 711 children and 85 aging sponsored. Okinawa is 130 kilometers from Santa Cruz. Missionary religious sisters from Japan affectionately coordinate this large subproject. A young Japanese sister on an electric bass bigger than herself kept the cement gym vibrating. I asked for 12 children to help with the song “Pancho Lopez,” and I got 200. I got the distinct feeling that they were listening when I belted out a Bolivian version of “Vamonos Patria a Caminar.” Native dancers in full indigenous dress seemed to have jumped right out of a John Wayne western. These children are the true “McKenna’s Gold.” The dancers told me later that they had practiced in their small village church. Today, it seems like we saw all the families served by the project. For years, this area has been served by the Maryknoll Fathers and the Japanese religious sisters. I had the joy of accompanying a mission awareness trip participant and sponsor as she visited the family of her sponsored boy, Carlos Alfredo, in the hamlet of San Antonio. There is a beautiful bond between Carlos and his sponsor of seven years. At the decorated entrance to his adobe, thatched-roof home, Carlos recited a personally composed poem in honor of the sponsor. This simple poem expressed many noble and loving sentiments of a 13-year-old boy confident of himself and proud of his humble family saying, “Madrina (Godmother), I would give my life for you.” Carlos’ mother is vice president of the CFCA mothers’ group in this area. One MAT participant remarked, “This home has a dirt floor but it’s more organized than mine at home.” Father Peter Hereley, our MAT chaplain It’s wonderful having Father Peter Hereley, O.P., with us. He is one of our initial CFCA presenters. Early each morning, Father Peter celebrates the Holy Eucharist for our traveling community. Thanks, Father Peter, for your inspiring testimony. Subproject Okinawa A This Tuesday of our Bolivian trip finds us in the vast area called Okinawa A, located some 100 kilometer from the city of Santa Cruz. Bolivian Sister Nora Cordon coordinates this program for 326 children and 38 aging. They were all here to receive us in full native regalia and were they psyched for a fiesta! Sister Nora is noted for her leadership in building community among the sponsored families in the vast areas of Retiro, Puerto Nuevo, Rancho Chico, Limoncito, Manchego, Rancho Nuevo and Nueva Esperanza. This cool and windy morning, in the dust of our outdoor “theatre,” Sister Nora personally led the vivas (daily prayers) or Hayayas in Quechua in honor of the padrinos (sponsors) and for the CFCA program. It is good to see Sister Nora again. I met her years ago when she served the Mayan people of San Pedro Soloma, in Huehuetenango, Guatemala. Working hand-in-hand with Sister Nora are three North American Salesian volunteers. These inspiring young people are impressive in their total commitment to teaching dance and to the children and aging with whom they dance. We had a good time today visiting families of sponsored children and aging. This has been true of this entire MAT. Montero City We finished up this day visiting a subproject in Montero City, in Bolivia, 52 kilometers from Santa Cruz. Under the leadership of coordinator Cristina, the subproject serves 226 children and teens. The most common illnesses at this subproject are malnutrition, tuberculosis, conjunctivitis and skin infections. During a wonderful snack of local foods prepared by the moms, we were entertained by a student band—an accordion player and three guitarists. Cochabamba Early the next morning, we headed out to the Viru Viru airport in Santa Cruz for the 40-minute flight to Cochabamba. I want to say that wherever we went in Bolivia, the CFCA teams on the ground were extremely helpful and conscientious for the welfare of the MAT participants. In each place, the CFCA scholars (CFCA scholarship recipients) were also on hand to assist in any way needed. It’s encouraging to see that we are developing a good group among the sponsored children and CFCA scholars of Bolivia. Beginning with the colorful musical reception we received from the children at the Cochabamba airport, this has been one of those “you-had-to-be-there” days. This first day in Cochabamba included visits to two subprojects lovingly coordinated by Sisters of the Hijas del Divino Salvador (Daughters of the Divine Savior). In partnership with these dynamic sisters, CFCA has been present in Barrio Primero de Mayo subproject since 1994. We currently have 544 children, 30 aging and 18 scholars in this dusty, wind-burned neighborhood. Always smiling, Sister Leonor, the subproject coordinator, tells us that the presence of CFCA in this area has had a tremendous influence. In terms of religious practice, when the sisters arrived here in 1993, they were made to feel very unwelcome by strongly entrenched fundamentalists. At the Catholic Mass, there were only the four sisters and two other people. Now Sister Leonor tells us the Catholic church is packed. Since CFCA is open to sponsoring children among the different denominations in the barrio (neighborhood), even the relationship between the groups has become very open and cordial. “The purpose of CFCA is to create a worldwide community of compassion through personal outreach.” (From CFCA’s Ends Statement 1) In their commitment to the people and in their understanding and enthusiasm for CFCA, these sisters remind me of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in CFCA’s Palay and Angelo projects in India. Day two in Cochabamba As with each day of the MAT, we began this day promptly at 7 a.m. We have been blessed with Holy Mass each day either in the early morning or during the day in one of the subprojects. The first stop today was in the southern part of Cochabamba, a place called Alto Pagador, where 74 children are served and two students are on CFCA scholarships. There was good attendance of the parents. My impression here is that CFCA can help to form community, even in much-challenged areas. Final day of the MAT in Cochabamba The day began with the Holy Eucharist, celebrated by Father Salvador who was himself sponsored as a seminarian through CFCA. He was accompanied on the altar by eight major seminarians who are currently sponsored. Again, we literally filled a huge gym which forms part of a Franciscan compound; I would estimate 800 to 1,000 children, teens, elderly, co-workers, religious sisters and seminarians in attendance. They were all excited about it and dressed for this CFCA folkloric festival, representing the regional costumes and dances of many parts of Bolivia. The special children, a dozen or so in wheelchairs powered by other special children, won the hearts of everyone with their dynamic dancing. Performances of great quality spoke of enthusiastic and loving preparation. To me, they also spoke of a loving relationship between the CFCA coordinators, co-workers and sponsored families. Children and parents never let the MAT participants escape from the dances, nor does anyone escape from having handfuls of confetti lovingly placed on one’s head. I understand that this is symbolic of the “specialness” of the person. So abundant was the dose of this wonderful welcome, that it caused us to shed confetti on the bus, throughout the hotel, and in my case, on the plane all the way from Cochabamba to Santa Cruz to Panama to Mexico City and then home to Guatemala. Sincere congratulations to our Bolivian co-workers for a well-prepared and well-executed first mission awareness trip. Sponsors were able to spend quality time with their sponsored children. All of us were able to visit a good number of families in their homes. Back home in Guatemala I write now from CFCA-San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala. This Monday morning, the children from our little country school in Pacoc are having their Independence Day celebration in the CFCA auditorium. The march from Aida fills the air. I look forward to being with the CFCA community in Kansas City on Sept. 16, and from there on to Kenya on Sept. 17. I wish you God’s blessings, and I ask for your prayers.
Bob Hentzen |
|
 |
|
Sponsor a child with CFCA |
Privacy
Policy | © CFCA |