Misioneras Marianistas

All the darkness of the world cannot

extinguish the light of a single candle,

yet one candle can illuminate all the darkness.

- Jewish Hanukkah Prayer

I returned this morning with Deysi from visits to two communities Capuli and Pichampampa.  We stayed overnight in both the communities before returning home to Otuzco this morning.  

Our first day was spent in Capuli. There is no Church or Chapel in Capuli so Don Isidro has offered a large room (where potatoes are stored) as the church area for the community of faith to gather.  This is where we presented our tema (theme) for the meeting.  We then stayed the night in a little room in Don Isidro’s house before rising early to walk to Pichampampa.

We rose at around 6:30am and were on the road for our long journey to Pichampampa.  It took us the better part of two hours to get to Pichampampa.  We met some travelers along the way, who were traveling further than were and were able to have some good conversations. 

The community at Pichampampa is a community ‘sin luz’ -that is with no light/electricity.  Life in the community is simple; most people who live there work the ‘chacra’ doing agricultural labor. 

When Deysi and I arrived at the house of María and Jesús we put our bags in the chapel, rested for a little while then headed to the field of snap peas where una abuelita, María and Jesús were at work.  We joined them for two hours picking snap peas by hand.  We were picking the peas so that family could sell them in Trujillo.  During our agricultural experience I was reminded of the many times that in prayers before meals, we pray for those who might not have received just wages for their labors, I don’t think I will ever be able to pray that prayer in the same way.  The work that we did was difficult-in the pueblos we visit all the agricultural work is done by hand- there are no machines for farming here.  It is slow and laborious; I pray that María and Jesús receive just compensation for their labor and that one day all may receive just wages for their labor.

We had a simple lunch before preparing our tema for the kids.  We had an eager bunch of youngsters who were really engaged in our tema of the ‘Parables of Jesus’.  After the tema we moved back to the kitchen as the sun was beginning to set.  Jesús and la abuelita prepared us supper by candlelight in the stove which is a fire in the corner of the kitchen fueled by eucalyptus plants. 

It amazes me how much light a single candle can produce.  In a community without electricity, 2 candles lit up the entire chapel, and one candle lit up the kitchen.  The above quote about candles really speaks to my experience.  Oh and the stars of night- brighter than I have ever seen.  Our tema went really well with the adults who asked to see more parables on our charged laptop which was the only form of electricity in the community that evening.

We retired to the potato room for the night to rest before rising early again to head to Otuzco (another 2 hour journey by foot- 'Linea Once' as Deysi likes to say).  The generosity of the campesinos is inspiring.  The two adobe homes we stayed in were very simple, yet the people offered what they had- a bed in some cases, a mat on the floor in others, but always a substantial meal and gracious hospitality.

We rose at 6am to begin our walk back to Otuzco.  We were on the road walking by 6:30am as the sun was creeping over the mountains.  I think walking is a really good mode of transportation.  It certainly provides ample time to think and to transition from one place to the next.  For me it has also been a way to be in solidarity with the campesinos who we work with.  Most of them do not have cars or motorcycles, so when they travel to the Centro for jornadas or other programs they normally walk or try to catch a ride for part of the journey in comvi or a truck.  I think too, walking has reminded me of the long journeys of the disciples and early Christians…traveling great distances by foot to build communities of faith.  We are doing that in our own way as Misioneras Marianistas.  

This little guy was the son of the senora who cooked for us in Capuli

Harvesting pea plants with la abuelita, Jesus and Maria

Deysi, Maria and I in Pichampampa

Giving the tema "The Parables of Jesus" in Pichampampa with the adults and young people-this is the first time I was able to actually present part of the tema (woo hoo! Spanish is coming along! )

Our bed in the potato room in Pichampampa 

Somos Misioneras Marianistas