Another Journey

Dear followers of “Sister Act 3”,

I have been procrastinating about updating this blog and now it’s time to leave Nica land for a short while. I will be traveling to the States for Holy Week in Detroit and then Easter Week in Chicago for congregational meetings. There will be over 400 of us gathered there as we meet and plan and enjoy each other….and that we do, very well. Once back from Chicago I’ll have two days in Managua and then be off with the other two CSJs from here to meet up with our Marie Hogan (Leadership Team) from the States and Jan Kurtz who ministers in Lima, Peru, for our gathering of C/SSJs who live and work in Latin America and the Caribbean area. This happens every 5 years and in a different country each time. It will be a great two weeks sharing and meeting and enjoying with others who are engaged in similar ministries with our sisters and brothers in this part of our world. I will blog after the events and let you know how everything unfolded. We return on April 29^th, so I’ll check back in sometime in the beginning of May.

While I’m in Detroit I’ll be connecting with the students from Shrine Junior and Senior High School and bringing them a bit of the reality of life in a tropical/dry Nicaragua which is the second poorest country next to Haiti. They’ve been collecting funds to pay for a cow which will be a great help for some family.

The timing is just right, since this has been their Lenten project and it will help the connection between ‘here’ and ‘there’. Thanks to Mary Ann and all who have put forth effort into this project.

The last time I wrote we were engaged in starting a ‘vivero’ nursery of trees. The 15,000 little black bags now have been filled and they have seeds within and hopefully are growing and thriving. After 3 – 4 months they will be able to be transplanted. They are part of a reforestation project. The big challenge is keep them watered. We haven’t had rain since forever….and it’s nowhere in sight! Everything is VERY dry, dusty and non-green!! It will be good to experience some RAIN in Michigan and Illinois. Remind me not to complain about it when I’m there!!!

May Holy Week bring many blessings and Easter a time of great joy and celebration of ‘life conquering death’.

Until next time when we meet at “Sister Act 3”, many thanks for all each one does to make this world a better place for everyone.

Love and peace,

Jeanne

The Nature of Things

As we read of still MORE snow in the northeast USA, we find ourselves trying to find a bit of shade and a bit of breeze SOMEWHERE. It is unseasonably hot and they tell us that the much needed rain that normally comes in May will not arrive until July. The climate is off all over our small green planet and we have some responsibility for this. We’ve just experienced the second devastating earthquake in our western hemisphere, in Chile. We were warned of a possible tsunami event but thankfully we didn’t experience the huge waves that were expected. We did have some winds and rain during the night after the earthquake. What a welcome sound…rain on my tin roof!

Maria Veronica and Juanita examining a 'find' from nature in the rural school of Los Filos.

I’m writing of these events because part of what we’ve been involved in lately is the formation, for this year, of our ecology brigades among the school children, youth and adults. These folks are our forerunners of a more healthy, more kindly treated natural environment. We have been visiting our very humble rural schools…some of them with all children in grades 1-6 in the same room and with only a few desks and very little more. They are very aware of Madre Tierra (Mother Earth) who surrounds them at all times. They know the trees, their leaves, the flowers, the birds, the native animals and how to use the leaves and flowers for remedies and medicine. They will be involved in helping to raise consciousness about the dangers that face our environment and the health issues connected thereto. They will be helping to clean up their homes and communities and encouraging their families to do so while seeing that garbage is cared for properly. These children will also be responsible for cultivating and maintaining their school gardens that will supply them with tomatoes, sweet peppers, lettuce and other veggies that they wouldn’t normally have included in their diet. It is indeed a formidable task with six months of drought each year. However, youth have a way of circumventing the impossible and making some progress. They’re proud of their T-shirts and caps that set them apart... shirts that say “I care for the environment” on the front, and on the back, “…and you?” They will help with reforestation because one of Nicaragua’s MAJOR problems is the cutting of trees on the hillsides. This is done to provide wood for cooking and for the making of charcoal. Both of these items can then be sold and thus provide a little income for families. It’s a Catch-22! They need the cash to supplement their beans, rice and corn diet, but in so doing they are facilitating erosion, driving the water table lower making it even more difficult to locate underground water, and disturbing the balance of gas exchange. An approach to this dilemma is to replant three trees for every tree felled.

The beginning of a tree nursery....filling 5,000 plastic bags with prepared soil!

To get started in this latest aspect, we had a day long workshop with representatives from each of the six areas in which we are working. There was time for sharing and learning and time for working. It was quite literally a WORKshop! We filled 5,000 small black plastic bags with properly mixed soil. Now I’m here to tell you that that constitutes WORK!! The spirit was great and in spite of the heat and DIRT, we managed quite well. This is the first step in developing a vivero (nursery). Eventually, the seed of a tree will be planted in each one, carefully watered and tended and eventually transplanted in the various areas where the children and youth live in an effort to replace trees that have been cut down. We’ll have another ‘go’ at it again in three weeks. By then my body will have recuperated!! It’s called “stoop labor”!! The goal is 15,000 saplings!! And so…seed by seed we move into a healthier future!

With the coming of the rainy season, we’ll be able to place the famous ‘pregnant cows’ in their new homes. Because the folks rely on the uncultivated ‘greenery’ for food for the cattle, we can only move this project along during the rainy season. Everything in its time! However, there are three families anxiously waiting for cows and within a couple of months this should be a reality for them…soon a calf and then milk and cheese to eat and sell. The students at Shrine High School in Royal Oak, Michigan, are sponsoring a part of this project by their donations during Lent. We’re grateful to them and also to all who help us along as we accompany the people on their journey to a more dignified and healthier life. The chickens will also be placed soon with two families in Los Planes de Cuajachillo 2.

I’m looking forward to our Assembly in Chicago during Easter Week and will be spending Holy Week in Michigan. Holy Week here is vacation for all….including for those responsible for printing newspapers!! There’s no connection with religious motives, it’s just the time for everyone to be “off”. Since this is the case, it’s an opportunity to come home a week ahead of our Assembly. I’ll see some of you then and I look forward to that.

Thanks for whatever you are doing to be aware of all our sisters and brothers throughout the world .. especially those who do not have the opportunities as do some of us, for a more dignified and healthier life.

Gratefully,

Your sister, Jeanne

Blessings In Disguise

I’m trying to keep up with regular blogging, and so far so good!

I thought that for this posting I’d describe for you a blessed moment on the bus! Now, the bus and the ride in itself do not seem to have the trappings of a blessing….however, the people one has the opportunity to meet can indeed be a blessing. Last Friday the usual groups of those seeking money appeared on the bus as I was riding on my way to the office. Two young children came on to sing and strum a guitar. They were definitely not candidates for the choir, but their energy was definitely worth noting. Next a blind gentleman, who appears frequently, got on the bus and played his accordian. Finally, a VERY ELDERLY woman with long, flowing, white hair and a crutch was basically lifted up onto the bus. She was alone and at the mercy of folks who helped her. She sat next to me and there was definitely something special between us. She was very poor, but clean and sporting a white apron. She spoke so softly I had to put my ear next to her mouth. She wanted to know what bus route we were on. I told her it was the 114 and asked where she wanted to go. She told me “el Zumen” (the name of a well known area) and I said that indeed she could get there on the 114. She had the most beautiful wrinkled, brown face and was just a whisper of a person. I asked her age and she told me, “I’m 90!” I asked her what she was going to do at “el Zumen” and she just held out her opened palm. She wasn’t asking me for anything, just demonstrating that she would be asking for alms from those waiting in that area. It came time for her to leave and several helped her down the bus steps. We were delayed for several minutes at this stop….this happens when the bus of the same route is too close to the one preceeding it. So, I continued to watch her walk up and down with the aid of her crutch and with one hand extended. Several people gave her something, while others tried not to see her. It occurred to me that “prayer happened” when this humble yet independent woman sat next to me. Such determination to do what she had to do to survive. She is a symbol for me of the extreme situation of so many of our people. At her age, one would hope for a peaceful, dignified place to rest and receive assistance. Not so for so many of the very poor of this world. There is no rest, there is only struggle to survive each day….and yes, there can be dignity in the very midst of it all. God does indeed visit us, especially in the poor.

What indications of love and dedication did you encounter on Valentine’s Day but also today and each day?

Thanks for keeping up with ‘life in Nicaragua’ as experienced by your sister, Jeanne!

Un Nuevo Amanecer

Now that my blog is on the CSJ website I am being nudged by several to post more frequently…my goal is every two weeks, but there’s always hope for once a week. Time will tell.

The people of Nicaragua are in solidarity, as is the rest of the world, with Haiti as they try to rise from the ashes and begin life anew. However, for the Nicaraguans there’s a deeper feeling because of the geographical closeness and the levels of poverty both experience - Haiti is the poorest of the area and Nicaragua the second poorest. The other connection is that in 1972 Managua suffered a very devastating earthquake and you can still see some of the resulting destruction in buildings that have never been demolished. Lives lost were incalculable. Then in 1998, Hurricane Mitch created incredible loss and damage over large parts of Nicaragua. Such similar suffering draws groups closer in compassion.

The past weeks since my return have been pretty active with planning sessions, left overs of evaluations of projects, dedication of a new project….and just general reentry and fitting back into the rhythms of each day. It’s only been three weeks since I left the States…but it seems like months.

The weather continues to be fairly pleasant and we snatch each day and appreciate it because we know that the extreme heat and rains are on their way. I guess it’s the best way to live….appreciating each day and the gifts, challenges and opportunities it brings. A loving God gives us a certain amount of time each day and then it’s over and into the next! We often speak of each day as “un nuevo amanecer” which translates as “a new dawning”. It seems an excellent way to view each new day.

Japanese Ambassador, Shinichi Saito, and his assistant listening to Brother Chepe explain the process of drying hibiscus petals which are used to make a bright maroon drink which is a popular in Nicaragua.

Last Friday, we had a new experience. The Japanese Ambassador and two of his assistants, along with a representative of an Austrian group working with development, came to the Finca (our farm that is used for inservice on matters agricultural). He came because we were inaugurating our project for the drying of fruits, vegetables, herbs, etc. that can then be packaged and sold. It’s the beginning of a micro-business for some of our women.

Sr. Anabel, CSA, (directress of Cantera), Lutgarda (directress of the Finca) and the Ambassador viewing photos of the women learning the process involved in dehydrating fruits, vegetables and herbs.

I won’t go into how ‘secardores’ (units for drying) function but just say that solar energy, fans for moving the hot air and wooden and metal ‘ovens’ are all part of this process. There were moments of mini-panic as final touches were put on the building and clean up began. We don’t do too much ahead of time here in Latin America but it always seems to get done! Not important that we were taping photos of the process on bulletin boards just minutes before the distinguished arrival! Everything was very festive and national anthems were played with flags of each nation flying. Ribbons were cut and words were said … can you imagine being a Japanese speaker and trying to speak Spanish! Well, he did it quite well in spite of only being here 2.5 years. He also speaks English so I was conscripted to sit with him and his assistants after the ceremony when we were having refreshments. At one point we were trying to get the Japanese flag higher off the floor so it wouldn’t touch the ground and ended up using concrete blocks and twine. I repeated to the Ambassador the director’s comment of , “tecnologia avanzado” (advanced technology!) and he responded, “Muy avanzado!” (VERY advanced) and then laughed heartily. He was very impressed with what he saw as he toured the Finca and told me that though everything is simple, he was indeed very impressed with all he saw. That was high praise and the folks really appreciated hearing it. The folks who have been receiving training in the process of dehydrating fruits and vegetables were present for the ceremony and rightly proud of the undertaking.

I will close for now and once again express my gratitude for your interest and involvement in our efforts here in Nicaragua to accompany the people as they move forward in their own leadership qualities and accomplishments. The building of self-esteem based on their individual and collective spirituality is indeed beautiful to observe.

Love and gratitude,
Your sister, Jeanne

The Journey Continues

“Cantera

Center of Communication and Popular Education

Merry Christmas and New Year

We sing of peace and solidarity among peoples , of women and men who construct a new world.

Constructing Dreams and Utopias”

January 17, 2010

Managua, Nicaragua

Yes, I’ve finally returned to Nica land… Sunday the 10^th. I arrived just fine but eventually accepted the fact that one suitcase did not arrive with me! The following day with a fair amount of insisting it finally appeared. It feels as though I’ve been back for at least a month. I left cold and snowy Detroit and arrived in breezy, ‘just right’ weather here in Managua. Actually, it’s a little chilly at night, in the higher 60’s. Now don’t be jealous. We will soon be into really hot weather. Just yesterday, as I was returning from hospital visits, I realized that I was really warm. The sun is more intense here…so I found myself some shade in which to walk!

We’re into planning for this coming year, preparing for the inauguaration of our building for drying fruits, vegetables and herbs which will be attended by the Japanese ambassador. Japan has helped in the construction of this project. I’ll write more about this later .. after the event on January 29^th. We’ve also met with our community promoters and are off to a good start with them and our projects that we’ll be pursuing this coming year.

Speaking of projects, I want to say a very large GRACIAS to all of you who have so generously contributed to our work here in Nicaragua. Without you and grants from other countries there would be no work with the poor here. You are all included in our nightly CSJ prayers.

Soon after I returned I learned of the death of one of my friends who, along with his wife Madge, have been supporters of our projects here. Jack Kinsella is a good friend whom I met during my years at St. John Oakland. He was a faithful Spiritual Care Volunteer and served our people well. I always looked forward to our conversations. His thinking was broad and open, accepting of differences and eager to embrace new ideas….and his spirit was one of blessing. I will miss Jack and pray in gratitude for his life gift. I also pray for peace and comfort for Madge and his children and family.

I had wonderful times in the States and saw many of you during those days. Reuniting with family and friends always leaves me very grateful for each one of you. It was hard to return but now that I’m back in the swing of things, it’s good and right to be here. It did take me a few days however, to feel at home in my ‘second home’. Cultures are so different and sometimes I don’t realize how much I’m impacted by the differences.

Of course, along with the whole world, we here in Central America are feeling so deeply with our Hatian sisters and brothers. For those who were here in 1972, it brings back horrible memories of the terrible earthquake experienced here in the Managua area. They estimated that 20,000 were killed then, but this looks like there will be many more deaths in Haiti’s capital area. We still have remnants of the devastation such trauma can cause, not only physically but emotionally and mentally as well. Such disasters tend to bring about closer ties among all of us as relief is sent and life begins anew. We pray that Haiti will arise from the ashes and be able to build a better future. We all have a part to play in this dream.

I’m finding myself involved with our Cap Corps young women. These are volunteers in their 20’s who are here for two years and who are involved in various areas of mission and who develop their community life around spiritual and cultural growth. They will be praying with us at our community evening prayer a couple of times a month beginnning this week. They are a source of life and energy as they generously give of themselves. We also have Jesuit volunteers and two volunteers at Batahola Center who interact with us. It keeps some of us older folk, younger!

For those of you who are aware of my inward as well as my outward journey, I find that I’ve moved beyond my trying to understand “why” I’m here and have accepted that the gift of the present moment, wherever we may be, is where the focus needs to be and where the Spirit resides. This, I find, is a more ‘aware’ stance and so I journey on, grateful for each of you as we accompany each other.

Love and gratitude,

Your sister, Jeanne

The Minimum Necessities

Jeanne learning how to strip dried corn from the cob

Dear Blog Followers,

That doesn’t sound too flattering for a name but what do I call those of you who faithfully tap in hoping to find some updated news? Suggestions are welcome!

In a little more than three weeks, I’ll be northern bound, praying that whoever picks me up at the airport remembers my jacket and gloves! It’s hard to think about COLD when it’s so blooming humid and hot. It rained hard all last night but is bright and sunny today. I have come home soaked to the skin twice this week because of the heavy downpours we’ve had. The point is that we are now in the DRY season, WINTER. Well, it will never be winter here, but it will be dry….someday! I did manage to get my laundry dry yesterday, which was a minor miracle. One becomes grateful for any little thing….small breeze, bird call, a turned down boom box, a smile from a child, frosting on the end of your nose because you’re eating a piece of greatly frosted cake without the assistance of an implement, etc….you get the idea.

I’m looking forward to time home so I can connect with a number of you who so faithfully hang in with this far-flung friend. I’d also like to remind all with whom I’ll meet that red beans, boiled bananas and white rice are not items I’ll miss in my diet!!

I just received word that I will be able to connect with friends I’ve not seen for many years who live in Falls Church, VA. They are generously flying me to D.C. so we can reconnect and catch up on each others lives. I’m so grateful for so many friends and the various ways in which our lives have intersected and paralleled. While home I’ll make my annual retreat (Cleveland) and connect with my CSJ Mission Circle in Wichita right after Christmas. I’m grateful that I extended this visit in order to peacefully reconnect.

Two young friends just 'hanging out'

Life here continues to be hectic in terms of government – but not physically dangerous. The people continue to struggle for daily sustenance, especially in the rural areas where crops did not do well due to lack of usual rainfall. Some farmers chose to risk using seed to do a second planting and hopefully the ‘out of season’ rain we’re receiving will give them an additional % of harvest of beans and corn.

One of my favorite entertainments….bus riding…continues to amuse me. The other morning I took the wrong bus! Imagine, after almost two years here, I still do such things. Well, I immediately noted the error and hopped off at the next stop and boarded a bus that would take me where I wanted to go. Actually, it was a happy fault because this bus was much more comfortable and had fewer people on board. The usual flow of folks come and go….preachers of the Good News and seekers of a few coins, sellers of ballpoint pens and parasite medicine, people asking for help with medicines or operations, children singing and begging (this is one of the more disturbing aspects), a blind gentleman who is a ‘regular’ who sings a hymn and then hopes for a few coins… and the list goes on. These are daily reminders of the extreme poverty the folks live with. And there’s no sign that this will change anytime in the near future.

One of the blessings is that this year we did not have as many problems related to hurricanes and tropical storms. For that we’re grateful. Also, it’s dawning on me that we’ve not had a volcano threatening to explode lately. Since we have five active volcanos in the country, it’s unusual not to have one of them getting het up!

Pablo, Alejandro and Claudio discussing new latrine construction

I continue to visit our rural sisters and brothers and that’s always a joy. The community promoters are indeed an inspiration as they do their best to help their local area improve in small but meaningful ways. We meet with them monthly for an entire day and soon we’ll have a two day gathering of all the leaders from both rural sectors (Mateare in the north and Belen in the south) to report and evaluate and dream and plan. The group of women who meet every 15 days – that’s how you say ‘every two weeks’ in Spanish! – is also a joy for me. It’s not too hard to get there, but returning sometimes presents a challenge…but then I’ve always enjoyed challenges!! I accompany English speaking visitors on occasion and do written translation. I also am privileged to be Spiritual Companion for two women. Interacting with our “dear neighbors” is another ‘typically Sister of St. Joseph ministry’ which we enjoy. Joe Mulligan, SJ (from Detroit and Gesu Parish) and I connect periodially, especially at the ‘every 15 days’ Mass he offers at the Government Physical Rehabilitation Hospital. I visit there on Sundays, and on Saturdays I try to get to the women’s hospital and visit those who are there due to cancer related problems. So….I am privileged to be involved in a variety of activities and also just a lot of ‘presence’ with the people. This is in answer to several of you who ask, “What do you do?” I do keep busy but also take time to reflect and relax. I remind myself that being 71 should have some perks!!

I’ll close for now and send this on its way, thanking each of you for who you are and what you do each day to make God’s plan for each of us and all of us become a reality….a dignified, healthy, respected life in the here and now.

Blessings and gratitude,
Your sister, Jeanne

Alternative Approach to Celebrating One's Birth

Saludos amigas y amigos de una Nicaragua MUY, MUY CALIENTE! Greetings friends from a VERY, VERY HOT Nicaragua!

I think I´m doing better with blog posts. I know that many of you check in often and wonder what is going on down here and don’t discover a new posting. So…I am trying to be more current. Today I want to share with you how I celebrated, lived, survived my 71st birthday on September 8th!

Seventy-one years ago on September 8, 1938 I arrived during the wee hours of the morning…like 3:00a.m.!! I’ve been an early riser ever since!!

This year I began my special day for giving thanks for the tremendous gift of life, an incredible set of parents and two big brothers by rising early, spending time in prayer and reflection, preparing a special breakfast of bacon, a perfect omelet, coffee and toast and enjoying my surroundings. Shortly thereafter I left for our office in the center of Managua.

Together with Claudio and Vero, my companions in rural ministry, we started for the campo. We were destined for a farm unknown to us where there were pregnant cows waiting to be selected by two families. Well, I don’t know if they were really eager and waiting to be selected but such was their destiny that day. Claudio who drives the truck was not well, but insisted on going. Actually, we can’t do such trips without him! We nearly met OUR FINAL destiny when Claudio failed to see a stopped bus in the road ahead of us. Vero gently called his attention to the looming obstacle, Claudio jammed on the brakes, the truck slid cattywumpus on the road (providentially, there were no vehicles approaching from the other direction!) and came to a halt a little shy of the still stopped bus! Silence prevailed in the cab for quite a while afterwards as we got ourselves back into normal breathing and heart pumping patterns. Later, we picked up a fellow who SAID he knew where in the hills the farm was located but instinctively I began to question his certitude. I’ve learned to “read” the slight hesitation, the manner of speaking that says, “I THINK I know!” Well, we took the right arm of the road as directed and started DOWN a ‘non-road’. The farm was known to be in a VALLEY! Finally, after much cautious creeping over the ‘trail’ that was narrow, deeply crevassed and precipitous, we stopped to ask a local farmer the whereabouts of our destination. “Oh yes, it’s just a little further on, on the left hand side.” he said. Now, ‘a little further on’ is a very wide open expression down here!

We did finally come to the farm and gratefully got out of the truck confines. The family was delightful, the cows, calves, and other animals were friendly and they served us a glass of the universal solvent, Coca Cola, which we greatly appreciated. I had great fun inside the corral taking photos until both Vero and Claudio said, “Please come outside the fence!” I was making them nervous even though the family said the cows were gentle by nature, and so I found them to be! At last the two cows were selected…I’m never sure what the criteria is that is employed. One was chosen because it had no horns!

We then went to the “nearest” town, Villa el Carmen, to sign the appropriate papers. Now of course, it was noon time and everyone knows that nothing functions except stomachs during this time. We found a home where a woman was willing to feed us for a reasonable price. It was the family front room and we ate at their table with the family dogs participating. My meal was a gift because it was my birthday, which was thoughtful. Finally, offices opened and papers were signed and we returned to the scene of the “purchase” with the fellows who needed to return there and retrieve their choice of cow. Now it was time to start home….and by a much different route. We had arrived by the wrong route…a real road was very near the farm…so off we went toward home but before we were on the main road a large panel truck came careening around a curve at a far too great velocity. Claudio did a ‘graced’ maneuver and got us out the way of the menacing evil truck….second mini-miracle of the day!

Later that evening, as I was relaxing and waiting for a new group of volunteers plus Chepe, with whom I also minister, to arrive at the house I was thoroughly surprised and DELIGHTED to receive a phone call from my sisters at my home base, Goldengate Community in Detroit. I’ve forbidden folks to call because it is too expensive but somehow that command was ignored and I was so glad to hear their voices and greetings. It made my day!

Eventually, Chepe and the six new Capuchin volunteers arrived. I sent Chepe out for ice cream and pop and we had a great time chatting and getting to know each other. I had supplied the cake which Cantera gives each of us as we celebrate our day. It was a great ending to a very FULL day. Was I grateful for life? You know the answer!

The next day I was surprised by my women’s group in Los Planes de Cuajachillo with a fiesta. The cake was a large pineapple upside down version…very delicious.. and the children had prepared a sign with “Feliz Cumpleanos, Juanita” preceded by lots of balloons! I was gifted with their presence, singing, and…green peppers, tomatoes, a granadilla (a large fruit used to make a delicious juice), fresh milk, a pitahya (a, Nica purple fruit for juice), bananas and red beans. All of the above are products of their little farms and lovingly grown. I was surprised and humbled by their generosity. I had unnerved them prior to our gathering by not arriving, as I always do, on the 1:10pm bus from mid-Managua. They figured I wasn’t coming…and after all the preparations! Well, I arrived about 1:45 by truck with Javier driving. I had the inspiration in the morning to ask him if by chance he was going to Los Planes that afternoon! Well, it’s a good thing I was not traveling by bus…how would I ever have arrived back in Batahola Norte with all the produce gifts!!?? No one had thought of that! All in all it was a great birthday and I give thanks for all the folks in my life…both in the North and in the South…and in some further off places!

Life here continues to take its toll on the people as countries pull out of their previous commitments … some choosing to support African nations, others finding themselves tightening belts due to the international financial situation and still others who find it difficult to work with the current political situation.

Thanks for each of you and for your interest in our sisters and brothers of Nicaragua and in my journey with them.

Love and gratitude,
Jeanne