Mis queridos,
I can't believe it has been 10 months since I left my dad's house with Beth for our epic roadtrip before coming to Peru. This reality hit me as I am getting ready to share this beautiful country with my dad, stepmom, and little brother later this week. I could write about all of the things I have missed back home in the last 10 months, but that would be a little pessimistic. I could also fill you all in on the things that I have learned in Peru in the last 10 months, but that post would be extremely long. Instead, I just want to ask you all for your prayers for my family, their flight, and their time here in Peru. I am super excited to see them. It has been 10 months since I hugged my little brother or played games with my family. Things that I didnt realize until I actually sat down and thought about the fact I will be able to hug my little brother in a matter of days, I will be able to actually hear my dad's voice without the internet connection cutting out, I will be able to cook a meal with my stepmom, all things I am looking forward too. This trip is definitely a blessing for me and is much needed at this point in my mission. I can´t wait for my family to meet Elvira or Sra. Victoria. I am excited to share this culture which I have slowly adapted as my own over the last 10 months, the colors, the dances, the food, the history. I hope I will have the opportunity to post shortly after their visit.
Cuidense mucho,
Kari
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Holy Week
I know it´s a little late but we are at least still in the Easter season. Here´s my Holy Week in a nutshell.
Palm Sunday-Went to Mass in La Ensenada...even though it was the same liturgy...I really missed starting in the Newman lobby..
Tuesday-Chrism Mass. ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. I seriously can´t describe how happy I was during this Mass. I was absolutely overwhelmed at the sight of many of our priestly and seminarian friends who were present. It was the first Chrism Mass I ever went to and it most definitely won't be the last.
Wednesday- I found out my grandpa passed away. I was a little surprised by it but clung to my faith as I went to Mass downtown. Thank you all for your prayers during this time.
Thursday- Mass of the Last Supper. Same liturgy but inside the church, there was a large table with fruits and bread...literally...a supper. Afterwards there was Adoration for a few hours. It was so beautiful to share this moment with all of our friends here. Also, we had to have the Blessed Sacrament removed from our house making the absence of Christ even more real for me during this Tridium.
Friday-Statsion of the Cross in the neighborhood! We went from house to house for the first 11 stations and for the last ones, every part of the neighborhood met at the church and finished them there. It was so awesome to see crosses arrive from all parts of La Ensenada followed by all sorts of friends. Afterwards there was Veneration of the Cross and Good Friday Liturgy.
Saturday-Easter Vigil! We were in charge of the liturgy so we had to make sure we had enough people to read and organize everything. It was a beautfiul experience that taught me a lot more about the Easter Vigil than I ever knew. In Lima, there arent a lot of people that enter the Church during the Easter Vigil like in Tulsa so that means it only lasted an hour and a half and not the usual 3 hours. Afterwards, we headed home with some of our friends to eat all of the goodies we couldnt eat during Lent. This list includes: cake...but really awesome chocolate cake, beer bread, no bake cookies, candy, pisco sour, you name it!
Easter Sunday-We decided to head downtown to go to Mass in the cathedral and met up with the community of Barrios Altos (the other Hearts Home here in Lima). When we arrived, there was a procession going on. It was impressive. Processions in Lima are a huge think and this one was a procession of Mary and when she arrived at the door she "greeted" Christ Resurrected and He returned the greeting and afterwards both statues made their way in the church followed by a sea of people. Mass was celebrated by the Archbishop..who also happens to be a cardinal..NBD. The music was beautiful and I cant describe how thankful I was this day. After mass, we went out to lunch (a rare occasion) and headed home to spend the afternoon visiting our friends. That night, one of the priests from our parish returned the Blessed Sacrament to our house and we ended the day with an hour of Adoration. How awesome!?!?!!
I hope you all had a blessed Holy Week and continue having a blessed Easter season.
With all my love and prayers.
Palm Sunday-Went to Mass in La Ensenada...even though it was the same liturgy...I really missed starting in the Newman lobby..
Tuesday-Chrism Mass. ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. I seriously can´t describe how happy I was during this Mass. I was absolutely overwhelmed at the sight of many of our priestly and seminarian friends who were present. It was the first Chrism Mass I ever went to and it most definitely won't be the last.
Wednesday- I found out my grandpa passed away. I was a little surprised by it but clung to my faith as I went to Mass downtown. Thank you all for your prayers during this time.
Thursday- Mass of the Last Supper. Same liturgy but inside the church, there was a large table with fruits and bread...literally...a supper. Afterwards there was Adoration for a few hours. It was so beautiful to share this moment with all of our friends here. Also, we had to have the Blessed Sacrament removed from our house making the absence of Christ even more real for me during this Tridium.
Friday-Statsion of the Cross in the neighborhood! We went from house to house for the first 11 stations and for the last ones, every part of the neighborhood met at the church and finished them there. It was so awesome to see crosses arrive from all parts of La Ensenada followed by all sorts of friends. Afterwards there was Veneration of the Cross and Good Friday Liturgy.
Saturday-Easter Vigil! We were in charge of the liturgy so we had to make sure we had enough people to read and organize everything. It was a beautfiul experience that taught me a lot more about the Easter Vigil than I ever knew. In Lima, there arent a lot of people that enter the Church during the Easter Vigil like in Tulsa so that means it only lasted an hour and a half and not the usual 3 hours. Afterwards, we headed home with some of our friends to eat all of the goodies we couldnt eat during Lent. This list includes: cake...but really awesome chocolate cake, beer bread, no bake cookies, candy, pisco sour, you name it!
Easter Sunday-We decided to head downtown to go to Mass in the cathedral and met up with the community of Barrios Altos (the other Hearts Home here in Lima). When we arrived, there was a procession going on. It was impressive. Processions in Lima are a huge think and this one was a procession of Mary and when she arrived at the door she "greeted" Christ Resurrected and He returned the greeting and afterwards both statues made their way in the church followed by a sea of people. Mass was celebrated by the Archbishop..who also happens to be a cardinal..NBD. The music was beautiful and I cant describe how thankful I was this day. After mass, we went out to lunch (a rare occasion) and headed home to spend the afternoon visiting our friends. That night, one of the priests from our parish returned the Blessed Sacrament to our house and we ended the day with an hour of Adoration. How awesome!?!?!!
I hope you all had a blessed Holy Week and continue having a blessed Easter season.
With all my love and prayers.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
I'm on a roll...
Three new posts in less than a day?? I'm surprised I've found the time to make this all happen! Really, it's just that in the last week or so, there have been a lot of little "ahHA" moments I've wanted to share but have already written my sponsor letter for this month. So...I made sure to take some time to post this week.
The other day, I went with Patrick to visit Elvira. Elvira is one of our new friends and I had only been to her house once before and Patrick had never met her. She is rather sick and can't really walk. She often complains that nobody cares for her because her daughter works to help pay the medical expenses and her other children are living with their families. Her youngest daughter takes her to speech or physical therapy every weekday and makes sure she has food to eat. Whenever we visit her, she talks our ear off or simply asks what's new with our life. She remembers everyone's name and is anxiously waiting to meet Sophie.
This past Sunday with Patrick, we were simply talking and she asked if I could help her with her physical therapy exercises like Sr. Maria had done. Clearly I said yes since I plan on studying PT when I get back stateside. I started to move her arms and legs and couldn't help but recognize the confirming sign God was giving me in that moment that yes, I need to study PT when I get back, when the conversation slowed and we found ourselves in a moment of silence. She had once asked Sr. Maria to learn how to pray the Rosary and the last time I saw her, we gave her a Rosary. Patrick and I hadn't prayed the Rosary yet so I asked if she would like to pray with us while I continued to help with her exercises. She said yes with a beaming smile and a glimmer in her eyes that really warmed my heart. We began to pray the Rosary and she even led a decade by herself. In the midst of this moment, I found myself in awe of the fact that I was physically helping her with her exercises, we were emotionally helping her by simply taking the time to visit, and we were all being spiritually fed by the Rosary. Thinking of this really just blew me away. I can't really put into words what I thought or felt, but it was a moment that I wanted to take and share with you all.
Please pray for Elvira, her health, and her family. There are many days where we are unable to visit her and i know she is longing for a simple friendship.
Miss you all and praying for every single one of you.
Kari
The other day, I went with Patrick to visit Elvira. Elvira is one of our new friends and I had only been to her house once before and Patrick had never met her. She is rather sick and can't really walk. She often complains that nobody cares for her because her daughter works to help pay the medical expenses and her other children are living with their families. Her youngest daughter takes her to speech or physical therapy every weekday and makes sure she has food to eat. Whenever we visit her, she talks our ear off or simply asks what's new with our life. She remembers everyone's name and is anxiously waiting to meet Sophie.
This past Sunday with Patrick, we were simply talking and she asked if I could help her with her physical therapy exercises like Sr. Maria had done. Clearly I said yes since I plan on studying PT when I get back stateside. I started to move her arms and legs and couldn't help but recognize the confirming sign God was giving me in that moment that yes, I need to study PT when I get back, when the conversation slowed and we found ourselves in a moment of silence. She had once asked Sr. Maria to learn how to pray the Rosary and the last time I saw her, we gave her a Rosary. Patrick and I hadn't prayed the Rosary yet so I asked if she would like to pray with us while I continued to help with her exercises. She said yes with a beaming smile and a glimmer in her eyes that really warmed my heart. We began to pray the Rosary and she even led a decade by herself. In the midst of this moment, I found myself in awe of the fact that I was physically helping her with her exercises, we were emotionally helping her by simply taking the time to visit, and we were all being spiritually fed by the Rosary. Thinking of this really just blew me away. I can't really put into words what I thought or felt, but it was a moment that I wanted to take and share with you all.
Please pray for Elvira, her health, and her family. There are many days where we are unable to visit her and i know she is longing for a simple friendship.
Miss you all and praying for every single one of you.
Kari
PICTURES!!
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| Patrick and Pitty |
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| Mr. Giraffe |
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| Patrick...being Patrick... |
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| Katy and I |
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| Didn't know I could cut hair did ya?? |
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| When Sr. Maria came for her visit at the beginning of February, we had a retreat where St. Rose of Lima used to live, pray, and offer up penances...NBD. |
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Pitty
Yesterday, we decided to take some kiddos on a fieldtrip to the zoo. Now, I wasn't extremely enthused about this leading up to it because I have been a little under the weather lately and exhausted. However, I am extremely happy I decided to muster up the strength to go.
The whole point was to give the children something to do with their summer vacation, especially those don't always have the opportunity to leave the neighborhood or visit an attraction in Lima. We have a friend who has a friend that works in the zoo and he made some calls and was able to make it to where 7 adults and 23 children could enter without paying. HOORAAAAY!! In the end, we were only 6 adults and 6 children, but the day went so wonderful!!
I was extremely touched by Pitty. A little girl that comes from a very poor family. First of all, I was shocked her mom said she could go, secondly that she had the money for the bus, and thirdly that she showed up an hour early (not the norm in Peru). For Pitty, it was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. She was so excited all day to just simply be in a new place, see animals she has never seen, many she has probably never heard of, and to make new friends with some of the others that went.
I learned a lot from Pitty yesterday, or rather, she showed me a lot of things that still have me thinking. Her ability to be amazed by the littlest thing was beautiful. She was so excited to see new plants and flowers (neither of which are in La Ensenada...) and animals, and even more excited when we got to the giraffe. She had been waiting all day to see the giraffe and when we finally arrived she couldn't help but flash an ear to ear smile. I don't know if it was the size difference that impressed her or the distance (Pitty is rather small and the giraffe was within arms reach). It was obvious that seeing the giraffe made the whole day worth it.
PS...totally tried to post pictures but it took too long and I have to get running to the chapel!
Ciao!
The whole point was to give the children something to do with their summer vacation, especially those don't always have the opportunity to leave the neighborhood or visit an attraction in Lima. We have a friend who has a friend that works in the zoo and he made some calls and was able to make it to where 7 adults and 23 children could enter without paying. HOORAAAAY!! In the end, we were only 6 adults and 6 children, but the day went so wonderful!!
I was extremely touched by Pitty. A little girl that comes from a very poor family. First of all, I was shocked her mom said she could go, secondly that she had the money for the bus, and thirdly that she showed up an hour early (not the norm in Peru). For Pitty, it was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. She was so excited all day to just simply be in a new place, see animals she has never seen, many she has probably never heard of, and to make new friends with some of the others that went.
I learned a lot from Pitty yesterday, or rather, she showed me a lot of things that still have me thinking. Her ability to be amazed by the littlest thing was beautiful. She was so excited to see new plants and flowers (neither of which are in La Ensenada...) and animals, and even more excited when we got to the giraffe. She had been waiting all day to see the giraffe and when we finally arrived she couldn't help but flash an ear to ear smile. I don't know if it was the size difference that impressed her or the distance (Pitty is rather small and the giraffe was within arms reach). It was obvious that seeing the giraffe made the whole day worth it.
PS...totally tried to post pictures but it took too long and I have to get running to the chapel!
Ciao!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Sacrifice.
Life is full of it. Just try to remember that this Lent, as your struggling with your own little sacrifice, it is all for God and that no matter what your sacrfice is, Christ already suffered the ultimate. I wish you all a fruitful Lent and pray that you are truly able to enter into the mystery of the Passion.
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