Día del niño in the Capilla

As I mentioned in my previous post, Paraguay celebrates the day of the child in August, but due to rain and congreso we ended up celebrating this past Sunday. Although we were a little worried in the beginning since 10 minutes before start time we had ZERO kids (promptness and punctuality aren't really the Paraguayan style if you haven’t caught that yet), we had a great turnout. 

 

 

 

Saint Francis Xavier

Today, the Catholic Church honors St. Francis Xavier. He along with St. Thérèse of Lisieux are patron saints of missionaries! It sounds weird to call myself that, a missionary, but when you get down to it I guess that's what I really am. Here's a link to an article if you want to learn more about St. Francis Xavier and his life.

Kindred Spirits

Last weekend was just what I needed. Mary, a past VOICA volunteer that served in Indonesia, came to visit me and packed my weekend with tips, new ideas, travel talk, reality checks and Albuquerque knowledge. And, I got to feel a little bit more my age when we went downtown to play pool and get a few drinks with her brother and his girlfriend who live in Albuquerque and who, like Mary and me, love to travel!

From the minute she walked through the door, Mary boosted my level of excitement by like a hundred. She told me stories about what her training was like in Rome, which was nice to hear since I’m here by myself and sometimes don’t have a clear idea of what I can be doing.  More importantly, she shared what it was like serving in Indonesia. She lived in a small village on the Indonesian part (west) of the Island of Timor teaching English to people of all ages and helping out in a health clinic for almost one year. Although a very different culture than Paraguay, it was great to learn about what she did, the challenges she faced and what it was like living in a hot, humid climate. Her stories about her mission are the best preparation I’ve received so far! Hearing about how she perfected taking showers down to only using two scoops of cold water and actually getting clean was just the reality check I needed. She told me about the wonderful friends she made, the beautiful things she saw, the inspiration and confusion she got from a different way of life, the things she witnessed and heard stories about that made her realize how much we take our freedoms, safety and health care for granted, the struggles she had with learning a new language and not being fluent when thrown into a world where English isn’t common, the foods she ate, how she dealt with missing friends and family back home, the things she wished she would have brought,  and that it’s OK to want to look somewhat presentable and not frumpy all the time.

In addition to sharing about her experience, Mary really took it upon herself to help me with my mission and will be back multiple times before I leave. She brought me a Spanish book and is giving me homework, helped me get books about South America and Paraguay and even helped me go through my clothes and downsize yet again.

The Bad News of Talking with Mary: I’m pretty sure I will get sick. Mary got Dengue Fever and the other volunteer living with her got malaria, and from what she told me about other VOICA volunteers, sickness and disease seem to be a common experience. Yikes! According to the CDC, malaria isn’t in the area of Paraguay I’m serving in, but none of the symptoms associated with any of the diseases volunteers have experienced sound good, so I’m definitely splurging on the best mosquito repellant I can get before leaving!

Some pictures from our weekend...

Disbursing of Thanksgiving meals at Annunciation Parish (the church we go to). The parish collected supplies and money for meals to feed 200 families and more than 1,000 mouths. 

One of the 3 U-Haul trucks filled with Thanksgiving dinner supplies. Most of the meals didn't even go to members of Annunciation parish. 

Pick up site for families from St. Vincent de Paul parish.

San Felipe de Neri Church in Old Town Albuquerque.

San Felipe de Neri Church in Old Town Albuquerque.

It’s official. I’m accepted!!

For the past year, I’ve been searching--searching for something that combines my passion for learning about new cultures and helping others. Five months ago, I began volunteering at the International Institute in St. Louis after hearing about it from a friend who started volunteering after she served in the Peace Corps in South Africa. I was a teacher’s assistant in an advanced English class for adults and loved it! Although satisfying, I wanted more. I found what I was looking for a few months ago, and now, I’m finally “reaching out and grabbing it.” Beginning this fall, I will be training to become a VOICA volunteer. 

VOICA or the Canossian International Voluntary Service is a nonprofit organization associated with the Canossian Daughters of Charity, an order of nuns founded by St. Magdalene of Canossa. VOICA provides lay men and women (not priests, nuns or monks) the opportunity to grow and live in faith and to share their gifts with others. VOICA volunteers are currently serving in Togo, Congo, Uganda, East Timor, Albania, Indonesia, Angola, Paraguay and Brazil, helping out at a hospital, bakery, library, cyber-cafe, professional center for women and schools for boys, girls and refugees.

I learned about VOICA through the CatholicVolunteer Network/Response Volunteer Directory. It’s a great source of volunteer opportunities both in the U.S. and abroad! Also, in case you’re wondering, even though most of the organizations have ties to the Catholic Church, you don’t have to be Catholic to volunteer.

Why VOICA?

In addition to helping people and learning about new cultures, I’m hoping to help myself by strengthening my relationship with God. Where better to start than the epicenter of the Catholic faith? As part of my preparation, I’ll be spending about three months in Rome prior to going to my mission site. (I’ll practically be neighbors with the Pope!). I’ll be living in a house with other volunteers, learning about the Canossian sisters, communal living, volunteering in general and language and other skills specific to my mission site. (This includes cooking—for those of you who know me well, this and eating the foods I learn to cook, might be my biggest challenge). Once I get to Rome and the VOICA staff has had time to get to know me and what I can do, I will receive my placement.

I’m beyond excited to start this new experience, and I need your help! First and foremost, I’m asking for your prayers. I know there will be difficult days, and I ask for your help in getting through them. Knowing that I have people out there thinking of me and asking God to help me means the world.

And now, what I’m sure many of you were expecting, I'm asking for your financial support. I need to raise $2,000 as a donation to VOICA to help cover the expenses they will incur having me as a volunteer for a year, which is about $5,000. That’s in addition to the cost of maintaining the mission. Because of the generosity of my family and their willingness to house me (Thank you Jenny & Matt!) I have been able to save money to take care of my plane tickets to and from Rome, medical insurance, food, and personal expenses in Rome and personal expenses while I’m in my mission.

For small amounts, checks can be made out directly to VOICA (just put my name in the memo line). You can send them to me and I will send them to VOICA in Rome. For larger amounts ($200 or more), donations are tax deductible. Please contact me for more information or if you have any questions.

Thank you! Grazie! (I’ve got to start practicing sometime :) )

P.S. If you’re interested in learning more about what some current VOICA volunteers are doing and what past volunteers have done, here are some of their blogs. I’m addicted!

http://katiehile84.blogspot.com/

http://karen-missioncongo.blogspot.com/

http://xtremeretirement.wordpress.com/

http://ceciliasadventuresabroad.blogspot.com/

http://www.easttimortrip.blogspot.com/