Madre del Redentor

A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people. - Mahatma Gandhi

This morning I was awakened (muy temprano) by a herd of...high schoolers.  Not exactly what I had in mind, but nevertheless we got out of bed and went to say hello to a group of 50+ missionaries from Pheonix, AZ that will be staying at Santisimo Sacramento this week.  They will be building multiple houses, helping deliver clothes and food, and assisting  I must say that today was really nice not feeling like the newbies anymore!  We actually had to have a little chat with the ladies about las faltas cortas (short skirts)...

This morning we went to San Jacinto again for Sunday mass.  It’s nice for a change of scenery from Santisimo Sacramento and to socialize with the people of the pueblo.  The people even had all of the missionaries and us nurses stand in front, so that they could bless us for the work we will be doing with the Piurans this coming week.  There was a lot of commotion this week after mass because one of the missionaries bought ice cream for all of the kids.  We then all headed across the plaza for lunch with the parish staff that included a variety of traditional (and delicious) Peruvian dishes! 

People running up to be doused (there is usually a puddle of water on the floor afterwards) with holy water after mass. I ran foward as well - I'll take all the help I can get. :)

Rosi loves ice cream as much as I do :)

Deliciosa!

The amazing parish staff!

After lunch we headed over to a nearby town, Catacaos to shop in its famous open market.  It is geared more towards tourists with all sorts of little carved trinkets with Peru written on them, colored vases, leather shoes, and food vendors. It was a lot of fun to walk from booth to booth and view the colorful art; however, we were under the watchful eye of many of the church staff, making sure that everyone was safe.

A plaza in Catacaos

We then headed over to Madre del Redentor, a school specifically for girls who are identified as being at-risk in their communities for being targets of sexual abuse or exploitation. They come from all over Peru – the jungle, desert, and mountains.  Run by a group of nuns, the school serves as a refuge for these girls, providing them with education and life skills to help them succeed after they must leave at age 18.  Immediately as I got out of the truck, a smiling young girl hugged me, claiming me as hers, and grabbed my hand to show me around the compound.  Ana,12 years old and an absolute sweetheart, has only been at the school for 2 months.  Her family lives 8 hours away, yet she told me that she has been less homesick this past month and genuinely likes living at Madre.  After she gave me a tour and I bought a couple homemade bracelets the girls make to raise money for the school, we all grouped up for an ice cream social.  We had a blast dancing to the Macarena and Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie”!  Then the girls showed us a variety of traditional Peruvian dances in authentic costumes. I was very reminiscent of my Polish dancing days! :) 

Ana showed me her dormitorio.

Doing the Macarena!

We made it back to Santisimo Sacramento just in time for la misa. However, I must admit my favorite part about going to mass every day is getting socialize with the church members afterwards.  We have made many friends who come visit us each day, especially a group of small children who beg us to swing them around. We also get to see nuestra familia de Marquette, which is always a treat! Unfortunately, we found out tonight that their house was robbed yesterday. :( We comforted a crying Erika, as she talked with someone from the church. Luckily, we have some money that MUSNA raised this past year, plus some more from a past student Jessica that we can use to take them shopping and replace some of the things that were taken. Although, the family was obviously hurt by what happened, it definitely was not the end of the world.  Even though they don't have much, what was taken were simply "things."  What they do have a lot of is love. :)

Besitos,

<3 Lisa

p.s. Shout out to mi familia en los Estados Unidos who are together tonight! <3

p.p.s. Shout out to Kristin - thanks again for the disposable cameras! I used it at the open market and when my camera ran out of batteries at Madre :)