Hola mi gente,
It’s been three weeks in Ecuador and my heart only seems to beat faster and faster each day. Thinking about the fact that I will be living in Monte Sinai for a whole year still sounds crazy to me – saying it out loud is even crazier. Yet, in between all that locura, I am filled with gratitude, love and a sense of joy that both, breaks me and excites me.
For those of you who I might not have shared with, Rostro de Cristo, has volunteers in two different communities. Before knowing which community I would be living in, I remember telling myself to be open to God’s will and tried to reassure myself that no matter where I would go, Arbolito or Monte Sinai, I would be filled with an immeasurable amount of joy and love. Though I still wholeheartedly believe that, I can’t help but express the immense joy I feel while walking the dirt roads of Monte Sinai – a place I got to visit and learn about for the past two years while at St. Mary’s and finally, get to call home.
As the month of August kicks off, our lives in Monte Sinai begin. Though it hasn’t been long since I have been here, there is so much I wish to share with you, that I honestly have no idea where to begin. Our first three weeks in Ecuador have been constantly filled with conversations, meals, dance parties, prayers and random, spontaneous encounters.
Upon our arrival in Ecuador, the current volunteers welcomed us, loved us, supported us and guided us. Their willingness and selfless desire to share every bit of Monte Sinai with us was unbelievable. The way they walked the streets and greeted neighbors was seen in more than just a wave or kiss on the cheek, but in how bright they each glowed while in their presence. The most beautiful part – and the most challenging – was witnessing the countless “hasta pronto” between neighbors and volunteers; two words that despite its simplicity in meaning, symbolized something much deeper. There was so much love, yet so much pain in each hug, each laugh and each tear. Being present to that was powerful.
Our second weekend in Ecuador was spent in Ballenita, at our discernment retreat. This retreat was meant to be spent in community and together, discern which worksite we would each be spending our year at. After hours and hours of very intentional conversation and reflection, I am humbled to share that I, along with my community mate Katie, will be working in a shelter for women and their children who are fleeing extreme cases of domestic violence. This place, far from simple, will be where I spend every Monday through Thursday. Though completely terrified, I am grateful for the opportunity to be present to the women and their children living in this shelter – 1 of the 5 shelters in the entire country. This shelter is a place that hosts strength, faith, deep pain, suffering, and love. While I recognize that this journey will not be easy, getting to know the women and their children, sharing with one another who we are, helping kids with their deberes, attempting to go down a slide in which my hips don’t fit with 7 little girls or simply sitting beside somebody in silence, is a part of this next year that will push me and challenge me in more ways than I can ever dare to imagine.
My heart aches as I begin to know the families in Monte Sinai and remember my own back home. While my time here has been beautiful and the vecinos are loving, funny and caring, my heart knows its missing a huge part of it. Being far from those I love, plus the limited communication hurts. Yet, each night, I go to sleep and on the 4 walls that surround me, I see pictures of the faces of those whom I miss the most and I am comforted by the love that holds us together and I am reminded that my hope while in Ecuador, is to one day, be able to love that hard right here.
We officially said goodbye to the past volunteer community on August 1st. I am grateful for the 7 individuals who poured every ounce of themselves to us and reminded us that this year, while an experience that will change us, is not easy. They taught us the simple things like what bus to take, how much food to buy and where they sold the best bolones. But what they also showed us was that community is both, challenging and beautiful. They told us it’s okay to feel our emotions. They believed in us, they trusted us and they shared with us the place and the people they came to love fiercely over the past year… and for that, I am grateful.
Everything here needs to be taken in “poco a poco”. I try to remind myself of this, but sometimes my eagerness and excitement take over. I can’t wait to spend more time with our neighbors, learn about them, watch novelas, cook with them and talk. My community mates – Jess, Lizzy, Mattie and Katie are each women I love to learn from each day over a cup of coffee or over a gas stove cooking rice and whom I hope to share more about with you in the next weeks. While I miss home, know that it feels right to be here. There’s something about the music blasting late at night, waking up to the roosters crowing and the people here, that can’t be described through words. Unfortunately, my trips to the cyber are not as often, but know that I am thinking of each one of you. I am on holy ground and I am grateful to share at least a tiny, little part of it with you.
Con cariño,
Vale