why they really have hammocks on their porches

This week, Ali and I are talking to the confirmation students about the virtue of Chastity. We mentioned this to one of the ladies we eat with, Ms. Sandra, who said that was good, because things have changed a lot in San Pedro since she was younger. She continued to tell us how when her husband was courting her, he and his friends would stand outside her window and sing songs he had written (he's a local talent now, sings at the restaurants and church). She said how he used to come over after partying and he'd fall asleep outside her window sometime. Ms. Sandra said her grandmother would pull her over to the window and say, "look at that man, is that the man you want?" as he slept off his drink. We all thought that was a riot. Ms. Sandra continued on how her grandmother would regulate their courting. She explained that ladies were expected to take their guests on the porch ("not in their rooms like they do now!) and when she sat outside with her male visitors, her grandmother would come and put her hammock up in between them. She's set herself down and swing back and forth while they visited! "You could barely hold their hand!" Ms. Sandra explained. Ms. Sandra and her husband have had a long and happy marriage ("he even helps with the dishes!" she brags).

Today, we ate with Ms. Martha and asked her about this hammock practice. "Oh yes," Martha said. "why, my mother's head used to hit Abel's knees as she swung back and forth" she said. We asked about people singing outside her window. "Oh, yes, they used to sing. And if mothers didn't like the boys, they'd throw a bucket of water out the window!" She paused. "Abel used to get wet a lot!" She continued, "yes, it's different now. They never let you in a dance alone then, your mothers would come and sit along the wall. They'd be nodding their heads, falling asleep, but you knew you couldn't get away with anything." Abel and Martha have also had a long and happy marriage ("he cooks and does the dishes" she brags.)

Just a little something to think about...

rain, rain go away

Pardon the delay in an update on our return to San Pedro but I accidentally discovered Facebook.com and have been slowly weaning myself away from the dozens of people who I’d all but forgotten about, asking to authorize our status as “friends”, “classmates” or “travel buddies”. Yeah, you know what I’m talking about. This amazing network of on-line pictures and profiles is a welcome addition to our socially isolated status out on the rock. However, while the new year has made me a facebook junkie, it has also brought some pretty bright developments for us San Pedro missionaries.

Well, bright in a sort of metaphysical sense because the past few days have been nothing but RAIN. One of the truly amazing aspects of a society whose transportation consists solely of open-air means (bikes, golf carts and the occasional compact car whose motors are smaller than that in the typewriter I learned my “q-w-e-r-t-y-u-i-o-p” on) is that all events and commitments are postponed or excused when it begins to rain. The excuse of “but Miss, it’s raining” boggled my mind when I stared at my half-empty homeroom at Mt. Carmel last year, filled only with students whose parents plopped them in a taxi so they could get to school without getting wet. The almost phobic reaction that Belizeans have to rain doesn’t make sense until you’ve survived a few rainy seasons (at great cost to any leather shoes you owned) and realize just how wet you get when you’re walking or riding everywhere. I remember the first couple times I shrugged off the rain and attempted to walk to my commitments while dumbfounded Belizeans stared at me from under the shelter they had hastily sought out. Even the men who are usually cat-calling and hissing can only shout out a concerned, “mind that you get wet, Miss!” (the phrase “mind that you…” doesn’t quite translate for us… To us it sounds like sarcastic mocking but to Belizeans it’s a show of genuine concern… Another example, after tripping and falling off a ferry last year a group of concerned men told me, “mind that you fall again miss!”) So, anyways, after you trudge through mud and rain to arrive at your destination drenched to the bone you begin to learn that you are there, on time and…alone, dripping wet. You wait until the event is supposed to begin on Belizean time but everyone else heeded the unwritten social code that allows you to stay home. Although I still venture out into rainy weather at a frequency that alarms my Belizean friends (Always for good reasons though. For example, today I had to pay the water bill… And let me tell you, to show up at Belize Water Service Limited, wringing water out of my hair, clothes and eyebrows to pay a bill to turn our water back on was irony like Alanis Morisette never imagined) I have really shifted into a more Belizean state of mind and taken to staying at home or stubbornly refusing to leave a store I don’t even like for the sake of avoiding the rain. Today the rain was so torrential that as the streets rapidly turn into mud puddles good for nothing but tug-of-war tournaments or exotic swiss beauty treatments and almost every school on the island was closed. This all translated into a nice day off that allowed me… time on Facebook! No, seriously, I spent the day in productive correspondence and planning…

Anyways, in addition to unexpected rain days (it’s like a snow day… only it’s humid and you can’t build a fort) we’re excited to announce that the Youth Group is going into it’s third week of existence on San Pedro. St. John Bosco, pray for us. Hard. Our kick-off went pretty well (and our room looked fabulous!) and now we’re in the process of transitioning from “lighthearted and fun” to “thought-provoking invitation to conversion”. And then the really fun news is that Franciscan is hoping to have a mission trip out here so pray HARD for that one!

Mexico's Rock Star

So, Ann made it and we had an uneventful, 24 hour bus trip to Mexico during which, for the record we stopped several times for food. We had been led to believe, by those who had made this trip in years past, that absolutely no food existed between Chetumal and Mexico City. That we’d better bring lots of snacks with us or be forced to sit, suffering, while our driver sped through the hills of Mexico, unsympathetic to us gringos who didn’t get the memo to pack a lunch. However, we stopped not once, not twice but about four times for food on the way to Mexico City, much to Anne’s VERY vocal surprise.

We, and about a billion other Mexicans (the papers said four million but clearly the reporters were only reporting the average population of one metro car) arrived on the afternoon of December 11. Once we were a few hours outside of Mexico City we began to see crowds of people walking, pushing strollers, riding bikes and standing in the backs of trucks—all on their way to reach Mexico City for December 12. What’s so special about December 12 that would motivate people to walk, ride and bike into Mexico in the freezing cold? (well, lower 70’s). Mexico’s own rock star, Our Lady of Guadalupe. You have to imagine… The conditions these people travel in are pretty extreme. They cook and sleep in the streets. They carry images of Our Lady of Guadalupe on their back, decorated with lots of Christmas garland (which I found kind of amusing. I mean, they’re going to see the real image, right? Is it so they remember what she looks like? Some actions just get lost in translation). They sing songs, they chant, they wave torches and… machetes? It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before. You can only marvel at the crowds and wonder what could possibly be the motivation for all of this?

Here’s the story behind the crowds. Centuries ago, when the missionaries were first starting to work in Mexico, they were having little success among the Indians there. Catholicism was seen as a European practice, something for the “gringos”, the white men. The Indians persisted in worshiping many gods out of fear, some of their practices were pretty gruesome and included human sacrifice. Then, a little Indian by the name of Juan Diego saw a lady on Tepeyac Hill who told him to tell the Bishop to build a Church there. Juan Diego relayed the message and the Bishop was skeptical that a poor Indian would have any sort of heavenly vision and asked for a sign. On December 12, the lady appeared again, this time she instructed Juan Diego to gather roses that were growing on Tepeyac hill (out of season) and take them to the Bishop as proof. When Juan Diego unfolded his apron full of roses, the Bishop was shocked to see not only the flowers but also an image of the woman!

In the image, Mary the mother of God appears as an Indian. Now, I don’t remember all of the symbolism, but her dress is that of a princess and the black sash around her waist indicates that she is carrying a child. When the image was examined closely (which you can’t see on this reproduction) the reflection of Juan Diego kneeling down is seen in her eyes. The experts can’t figure out how it appeared on the apron. The image has remained in the church for centuries and has shown no sign of aging or damage, even after a bomb was set off right underneath it! The real miracle though, was that after the image appeared the Indians couldn’t be baptized fast enough! Juan Diego spent the rest of his life as a missionary to his own people and millions were baptized as a result of the miraculous image. As a missionary, I just found this incredible! When one of my students was baptized last year it made my day, I can’t imagine millions!

It’s obvious that Mexico still considers Our Lady of Guadalupe their Queen. When we entered the square of the Basilica the night of the 11th we were surrounded by millions of people trying to just catch a glimpse of the image. People were camped out, piled up in the square ready to stay overnight. It reminded me of the vigil at World Youth Day, only the people here were packed much much tighter than any campsite I’ve ever seen! Entering the Basilica, I’ve never been in a crowd like that before in my life! All day people were performing before the image, offering “mananitas”, the songs that are performed in honor of a birthday. The crowd was so intense; there were times that I’m pretty sure I wasn’t standing on the ground. We opted to leave that night and return the next day.

We arrived at the square the next morning to find hundreds of Indians in native dress dancing, burning incense and praying in the square in front of the basilica. They would dance for hours and then stop and all kneel down before the Church, praying. It was really incredible to see that centuries after Juan Diego, the importance that this image had on every Mexican’s relationship with God was still being recognized. We attended noon mass in which Indians dressed in their native costumes were offering incense and flowers while chanting, drumming and blowing horns. Can you imagine that during mass? It was incredible! During the offertory, the Bishop came and sat in a chair in front of the altar. Then, a little man dressed as Juan Diego ran up in front of him carrying a bundle while the drums beat in the background. With a flourish, he released the roses he was carrying to reveal a replica of the image… The drums beat, everyone cheered and little Juan Diego stood at the altar with his image for the rest of the mass. An Indian standing in front of the choir held a horn which he blew during the elevation of the host and chalice… it was unlike any mass I’ve ever attended!

While in Mexico I realized just how far God will go to reach His people… staring at this image of Our Lady which was created miraculously, that has been honored for centuries, just helped me understand that what we teach to the kids on San Pedro isn’t just another subject. We’re not just doing fun crafts and songs because it keeps them off the streets (or away from gators), we teach them about God because He is all-powerful… and has the power to change their lives for eternity. We’re not the first people to have proclaimed the Gospel and we won’t be the last. We’re just one of the many in the Church militant, but we’re serving a God who can accomplish anything! Whoa. That was a little reflective. I’m spending too much time around Ali.

My friends and I return to San Pedro on Sunday, keep us in your prayers!