Well so this is my 2nd month in Yapacani. This is the last month of mission that I will be here without a fellow sidekick. My site partner Connor comes at the end of November and I am excited. I actually got to meet him for a couple of days when we went down to the city of santa cruz to start the process of getting his 1 year visa. The 1 year visa process here for Americans is simply frustrating, long, and stressful. He is still in the process of getting it, so please keep him in your prayers that everything goes smoothly. Pray por favor.
I find company with the Salesian aspirants who I hang out with when I go to the seminary and when they come to Yapacani. They have been great to me and I know that they truly enjoy my company. I'm older than all of them so I kind of feel like their big brother sometimes, especially when I'm teaching them English, they look up to me that I came to their country to discern my vocation and serve. I tell them how proud I am of them for taking the much bolder step by entering formation at the seminary. I told them that if they continue to learn english through out formation, they will be ready to give homilies in the USA in English when they come to visit me haha.
I'm still trying to find the balance of spending time in San Carlos and also being present at my mission site in Yapacani. I'm still learning how to efficiently make the most of my time here and not to spread myself to thin. Last week, I just found out that there is an amazing boarding school with about 60 kids in a nearby rural community. The director there would like it for me to visit there when I can. I'm all for it and have made trips there already.
This month was particularly busy in the Canadian Sponsorship Program called Chalice. Chalice is in over 10 countries. There are over 900 kids and over 30 elderly that are sponsored here in Yapacani, Bolivia. Great job Canada! The people in Canada do not speak spanish so my job here is to be the translator, English is my most useful gift that I can offer to this program right now. I can be translating anything from letters between sponsor children and their sponsors, budgets, powerpoint presentations, letters between the offices, and emails. All the translating helps my spanish. The documents that I look most forward to translating are the child introductory letters. In order for a child to be sponsored and receive benefits, their living situation first has to be assessed on our end with a "family visit" to where they are living. After they are approved that they indeed qualify for the program, the child or parent needs to write a child introductory letter to the sponsors in Canada and hope and pray they get selected to be sponsored. I feel I have a big responsibility to translate correctly the child's plea letter to get a sponsor. I wish I could articulate it better but I am glad to be a part of the bridge of help between the people of Canada and Bolivia. The letters I translate can be really eye opening of the physical and spiritual poverty here. I think last month I translated at least five letters for teenage mothers who left school to take care of their new born babies with the teenage father of the baby cowardly checked out and gone. Those letters are not fake in order to receive money. I've seen the young mothers with their infants and they are for real. The young teenage girls are stripped of their childhood too soon and forced to grow up. God prevails and shows His loving and generous heart to both the mother and child who are dearly loved by Him. I received a stirred feeling once when one of the secretaries pointed out that one of the teenage mothers named the baby's middle name after the sponsor's first name whom she was writing a letter for, to explain to him her current situation. I believe God places that desire in the hearts of some people to generously support others. Its great to witness the impact the sponsors make on the hearts of the Bolivians here who are appreciative, the Bolivians encounter generous love from strangers thousands of miles away whom they will never meet.
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| photo taken from google images |
Sometimes I go on family visits with one of the Secretaries who has a moto we ride. He does an assessment of what the family lacks or has and decides if one of the children in the family is eligible to be sponsored. My friend/coworker was telling me that If at least one child gets sponsored in the family, it helps the family out a lot. I can see how thankful the kids and their families are for the support they receive when they write their christmas cards to their sponsors. Yes thats right, they are writing christmas cards now and they will be sent out at the end of this month. I think I translated over 600 Christmas cards from spanish to english lol. I have had a little help from a wonderful english teacher at the university in santa cruz. When I first came to yapacani I could only translate 5-10 cards a day, last week I averaged 50-60 cards. It can be very tedious but what gives me Joy is knowing that it will probably make some old lady's day in December when she receives a Christmas card that she can read from her spanish speaking sponsor child in Bolivia... It might even make her week.
Sin mas decirte, Me despido de un abrazo y un beso. Que Dios y La Virgen les bendigan Bolivia y Canada.
ATTE
Adam
(5 example Christmas cards below with real names changed)
Dear Sponsor: Natalie French,
In this card I write to you to wish you 65 days of love, 129 days of happiness, and 171 days of luck. When you close your eyes, say a wish and it could become reality and I'm wishing you a Merry Chirstmas and a prosperous new year 2015. Well, without more to tell you I say goodbye with a big hug asking God to take care of me.
Best regards,
Mauricio
To Rachael Brennen,
Hello Dear sponsor,I greet you I'm your friend Osnar andres vallero and I wish you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year from myself and my total family.
Best regards,
Osnar andres vallero
To George Ohoulihan,
Hello: First a huge greeting to your dear family that is so perfect . So long I have dreamed of having a sponsor like you, I'm thankful for this. In this Christmas, may you receive a thousand congratulations and may everything pass by wonderful and marvellously with prayers I extend my goodbye with happiness. Ciao "bay bay"
Best regards,
Mariela
Dear Sponsor Henry Stevens,
I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year and that it may pass by well with your friends and family. I want to thank you for the help that you provide to me and my family. I want to say I am the best student out of my class and I want to say that I am twelve year old. I say good bye with a big hug and many kisses and may God bless you and your family.
Junin
Dear Fred Pickerton
First I send you and your family and friends cordial greetings and a big hug. I congratulate you with this new year that is coming and that it passes by well and may Christmas with God and your family be good as well and always have prosperity in all your moments of your life. Thank you for the help that you give me with the benefits, that is the bread of each day for my family. I thank you very much for your support. I say goodbye with a big hug and may God bless you each day in each moment.
Best Regards,
Renee
