nicaraguamissionstories

[nicaraguamissionstories]

HELLO EVERYONE

May 25th:  Today I have finally found a place with High Velocity Internet!!! So I am uploading the ten day experience Chuckie and I had together.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did, or at least 50% because that would still be terrific!

Here I am in Leon waiting for Dr. Rose, a Cardiologist from North Carolina, who will be reviewing some patients in need of heart surgery. Thank you for sticking with me and for following the steps on this journey.

I am struck by how sacred we all are, how sacred every step is for each one of us – reflecting on Teddy’s Chalice pictured to the far left in the photo above.

As you read along, you will need to scroll back to April 26th where our adventure begins. It is one of the flaws of reading a story in Tumblr…if you want to experience it chronologically you need to scroll to the beginning…but believe me it is worth it!

I am happy to say that seven people responded to my plea for a donation towards the $750 necessary for the first phase of editing, giving me a great start! It is exciting and nerve wracking to be on this new and unknown path. Thank you for your support.

And please remember that as you read about the Sewing Center, the Sisters in La Cruz, the Colombian Priests now attending in La Cruz, the well being dug at the school Fray Teodoro Institute, and the many other needs – YOU TOO CAN ADD YOUR SUPPORT by sending donation in a personal check to: CONNECTICUT QUEST FOR PEACE, INC. and on the memo line writing what you wish to help out with. Then send your check to the attention of:

CT Quest for Peace

Attn: Jane McCaffrey

PO Box 356

Georgetown, CT 06829

 Despite our ongoing struggle within the country, we lift our thoughts and prayers to a place where we all are ONE, and give thanks for your prayers, concerns and thoughts about our plight world-wide. May we not imagine a “utopia” for us all, but rather a place where dark and light might join together, one accepting the other with grace and compassion, for the ultimate GOOD of the greater purpose. I am beyond grateful for your continued interest and presence in my life.

[nicaraguamissionstories]

TIME FOR GOODBYE

Monday May 6th: And so now our story comes to a close. We arose early and had breakfast, checked out and went over to the airport. We were too early (another Niehaus flaw!!! Ha ha) so had to wait for Chuckie to check in. We made some last minute purchases, she checked her bag and with a quick hug…she was out the gate.

Nicaragua has a haunting element to it…if it is really part of your soul, you just can’t stay away from it for too long. It calls to your Spirit and urges you to return to her arms, albeit arms that are torn and worn from the edges.

My friend Rosanne Fischer sent me this poem by Aggie Dillard…

“I am a frayed and nibbled survivor in a fallen world, and I am getting along. I am aging and eaten and have done my share of eating too. I am not washed and beautiful, in control of a shining world in which everything fits, but instead am wandering awed about on a splintered wreck I’ve come to care for, whose gnawed trees breathe a delicate air, whose bloodied creatures are my dearest companions, and whose beauty beats and shines not in its imperfections but overwhelmingly in spite of them, under the wind-rent clouds upstream and down…”

 …this for me is Nicaragua…this for me is Her essence…as it is Mine…as it is for each one of us.

[nicaraguamissionstories]

BACK TO MANAGUA

Sunday, May 5th:  We were up on time despite the never ending cantina music that makes sleeping impossible. The bus actually travels down to the dock to turn around so we got door to door service. It was a teary goodbye to Ayde and family, but all good things must have their transitions. I slept most of the time on the bus and Chuckie nodded off her and there. As we were coming into Rio Blanco, the rains were already beginning. 

Gersan and Felipe came to meet us in the truck, which was finally repaired, and drove us to Managua. It was great to see them again and we shared lunch together. They took off for Esteli and we cleaned up a bit to get ready to see Father Chico Solanos.  A seminary student accompanied him to visit us at our hotel Las Mercedes where we enjoyed a cool drink together. 

I first met Chico 20 years ago. He had just had a stroke…and here he is one of the few Capuchins still working in Nicaragua from Teddy’s community. It was a very tender time with him, as his age and poor health are clearly manifested. He felt it important to tell Chuckie about a “trauma” that Teddy shared with him. Chico began sharing a story about how Teddy’s grandfather had tied his left hand behind his back because he thought it wasn’t correct for anyone to be left handed. Chuckie was familiar with the story and reassured Chico that she was aware of how strongly that effected Teddy. I had never heard about it before so it was a curious story but what impressed me was Chico’s intent in wanting to communicate this to Chuckie…like it was a jewel he held that he wanted to make sure she had. Both of us wondered if this might be our last encounter with Chico. This man has been such a rock for me over the past 20 years…but even rocks need to move on.

We spent the rest of the day reflecting on our trip and remembering the “ups and downs”. We marveled at how spectacular, how mysterious and how filled with synchronicities this trip had been with the right people showing up at the right time and everything always coming together perfectly. It was like riding a cloud for 10 days.

[nicaraguamissionstories]

ONCE AGAIN...ON OUR WAY

Saturday, May 4th: This colorful flower of Sister Lydia’s greeted us on our last morning in La cruz. Our good buddies Sultan and Tyson were also there to wish us a good trip.  

And a final picture with the Sisters. Zenelia is to the left, then me, S Lydia and S Juana. It was a tearful moment as always to say goodbye but we look forward to our next encounter.

We zipped along with Vicente up river to El Coco and the morning view was just breathtaking.

Since the river is so low, we were able to see some of the Petroglyphs that usually are underwater.

We arrived to El Coco and made our way up the “cheese hill” and found Migdonio waiting for us. We had plans to head to the farm he and Ayde have to celebrate one of their daughters birthdays. I gifted Migdonio with one of the baseball hats and he was very happy to model it for us!

As we are driving down the road, Migdonio casually mentions – oh, we just passed a sloth.  A SLOTH!!!  BACK THE TRUCK UP!! I wish it was possible to upload a video to this Tumblr account because I have the most stunning video of this little creature. I did upload it to YouTube and you can find it at:   https://youtube/zEov4feWwUE.  If that doesn’t work....here is a pic for ya!

We pulled into San Pedro, dropped our stuff in the house, and ten minutes later we were heading down river with Migdonio to the farm!  Can you believe this! What an action packed trip!  You are probably tired just reading about it, but we had this calm, relaxed vibe going on – with good energy and stamina – never once getting sick. Mind boggling.

Once we got to the farm the FOOD WAS ON!!  We had chicken soup, tortilla, salad, cake and more cake. Chuckie took a break in this hammock and then looked down to see a Turkey walking under her, commenting: just be glad I ate already!

Yuhesi (Ayde’s daughter) named her daughter after Chuckie calling her Eileen. She is the cutest little girl. Chuckie brought a little dress for her and Yuhesi immediately put it on her once she knew it was a perfect fit.

We hung out most of the afternoon and then headed back to San Pedro so we could catch the evening mass and then get some sleep for our 3am early morning departure on the bus for Rio Blanco. It was hard to take in that things were already coming to a close.

[nicaraguamissionstories]

DAY OF THE CROSS

Friday, May 3rd:

Preparations began early on this Day of the Cross. The night before they had a procession bringing in the cross and today is all about Confirmations with Bishop David. The community receives one visit a year from the Bishop in May to celebrate their Feast Day (Day of the Cross) and conduct the Confirmation ceremony. The cooks and vendors were busy getting food ready for the celebration. And Chuckie had a chance to try fried pig skin for the first time (not bad she reported).  

There were some 100 young people who participated in the Confirmations from various surrounding communities. The long line wrapped outside of the church as they began to file in.

Seven priests (including the bishop) participated in the special day. And each one of them prayed over each candidate. It was a sweaty, long ceremony with some of the young women dressed in bridal gowns – a Nicaraguan tradition. Each community selects a particular outfit so that they stand out as a group when presented. The girls in the group below elected to wear white blouses with black skirts and the boys had a greenish shirt and black slacks.  Pictured third from the left is Father Flavio, a fruit of Father Teddy’s.

The priests used Teddy’s chalice during the mass which remains in La Cruz in memory to him and the community he served for so many years.  The church was packed and many people stood outside or in the exterior corridor. Wanna play “WHERE’S CHUCKIE?”  Here is a hint: Look behind the middle pillar for her famous green blouse (ha ha ha).

Once the celebration ended there were family activities, kid’s games and music with folkloric dancing. Afterwards the bishop met with the delegates to get a sense of how things are going now that they have a new parish priest.

I was at the meeting while Chuckie took a rest back in our quarters, when suddenly someone called me to say Nikolas Escoto was looking for us. I ducked out and found him at the gate and he asked if he could see Chuckie. She came out  and he told her he wanted to show her the bible that Teddy had gifted him with. He said he prays every day with the bible.  

Then he said he wanted to show her something else and he walked us over to the front of the church where he had Teddy’s motorcycle that his son Alvaro had bought from Teddy. It was in perfect condition!  Chuckie jumped on it for a couple pics but this is my favorite of Nikolas with his wife Maria. I love the towel she has hanging on her shoulder…just like my Grandma Clara Rudawski!  

That night we shared our last meal with the Sisters. I don’t know why but nearly every single meal we shared together was filled with unruly laughter. One night Sister Lydia began telling a “joke” that lasted about fifteen minutes and was no where near funny…but just getting through the process was hysterical. Someone would walk in and see us acting like fools and it would just make us laugh harder. Then, for some reason, when Chuckie ate she stuck out her elbows (like lifting the flaps on a plane) and the Sisters couldn’t stop laughing at her. We giggled and snorted until we cried each night… and it was a time of deepening our friendship even further.

[nicaraguamissionstories]

WAKE UP CALL

Thursday, May 2nd: Early in the morning, Sister Lydia and I heard the clanking of a bell that went on for a good three or four minutes. I figured it was some kind of community signal that it was time to get up. About fifteen minutes later, the bell began again and rang for about one minute. I figured it was a second wake up bell for those who fell asleep. Then about ten minutes later, the bell gonged once again but with just one loud stroke. Oops…I thought…this isn’t a wake up bell!  Immediately, the community began singing in Miskito at their Morning Prayer service!  Here they had been ringing their church bell which Teddy had gifted them with many, many years ago. You can see it in the picture above, inside the fencing to the right. We rushed around finding our clothes and trying to get our act together. By the time we came out of the house, here comes Chuckie casually walking out of the church – the service had ended – Good Morning - She said. Sister Lydia and I were so embarrassed that we had missed it all. Then Lydia turned to me and whispered: “Well, there’s another thing she inherited from Father Teddy – getting up before the bell rings!”

We turned our attention to getting our gear down to the dock for our early morning departure, and here was a woman waiting with a thermos of coffee and fresh baked bread to send us on our way. This community is so loving, and warm, and generous. It was a resurrection moment to be in their presence.

Once we got on our way, the trip went really fast. We had planned to have Fish Lunch at our friend’s Agustine’s house in Anglo America but unfortunately one of the delegate’s mother had died so everyone was at the burial. As we boated by the location, Father Mauricio disembarked and stayed with the community to conduct the service for the family. He didn’t get back to La Cruz until early evening. What a missionary spirit.

We, on the other hand, were focused on something else: THE FINAL BASEBALL GAME. Sounds terrible, I know. But here was the last game between Puerto Cabeza and Mulukuku and we weren’t going to miss it. I put on my new Baseball Series T-shirt and off we went. Of course we needed a ride there, and a caponera came past us. He already had two passengers up front. So Chuckie squeezed in front and I got on the motorcycle behind the driver!  What a trip!

When we got to the game, it was packed!!!  We bought our tickets (although we didn’t have to) and got new bracelets. Then we paid for a teacher who teaches in Muelle Real to get in too. We bought more shirts (ha ha) and then made our way in. It was standing room only, but we moved through the mob to the far end of the stands and somehow climbed to the top for a great seat.  IT WAS AWESOME! People were talking Spanish, English and Miskito! And there were horns blasting everywhere (which Chuckie particularly enjoyed!).

We looked to the left and we saw the “cheap seats” which were accessible by actually a pretty sturdy ladder!

We didn’t get to the game until the 7th inning and Puerto was trailing Mulukuku 4-1. I was all about rooting for Puerto Cabeza and began my plan to encourage my team (even though there were Mulukuku people to the left and right of us). Don’t ask me how it happened, but Puerto took on new life and started scoring like mad, and the next thing you know the game was tied! The crowd was really enjoying the competition. The next thing we know, Puerto took the lead!!  It was the final inning and Mulukuku had their last opportunity to score and low and behold…PUERTO WINS!!!  The crowd went crazy!  It was awesome!! Here is the Puerto Cabeza team taking a moment to pray in gratitude for their win.

We were so pumped and left the stadium after they award ceremony began. It was amazing energy. Here was our caponera waiting for us so we got on and took off back to town to eat some tacos at my favorite “restaurant”.  We placed our order and were having a great time when I asked Chuckie where her T-Shirts were. She had forgot them and her hat on the caponera. I went down to the corner and he was nowhere in sight. I saw Vicente’s sister and told her what happened. She asked me to describe him and so I did. Oh, I know that guy, she answered. We’ll find him!  I went back to eat with Chuckie without much hope and we let it go as best we could, when all of a sudden the guy pulls up. He had one of the T-Shirts and her hat, reporting that they had fallen off the bike and by the time he turned around to pick everything up, one of the T-Shirts was walking away! Ha ha! We were glad to get back what we did.

We went back to the church and watched everyone getting ready for the next day’s Confirmation activities. The place was buzzing! They had woven palms together to make an attractive awning and flower holders. The work was very impressive.

Then we wandered into the parish house and took a look at some of Teddy’s things that have been collected and put on display. Mauricio and Victor want to buy a glass cabinet to put his things in to preserve them while giving people access to them. They are very interested in seeing some kind of small building or chapel being built to display his possessions and provide a place for meditation. My favorite picture: the one where Chuckie’s toes show as she snaps the photo!

One item not on this table is the ceramic candle holder that Teddy used for his morning prayer in La Cruz. When Chuckie visited Teddy’s private room in La Cruz, only six weeks after he had died, she found the small, ceramic piece with a small candle still in it. When I met with Elena Jarquin (who lives in front of where Teddy’s parish house was) she had told me the story of how their family got up early to make tortillas and how they always saw Teddy’s candle lit in the wee hours of the morning. “We knew he was praying for all of us and it gave us a sense of deep comfort and hope”, she had told me. Later she repeated that story to Chuckie during one of her visits. Chuckie was so moved by her story that she decided to gift Elena with the candle. So in the afternoon we made our way over to her house and Chuckie gifted it to her. Both Elena and her mother wept tears of deep gratitude for this sacred token. It was yet another touching moment for us in this mysterious visit filled with wonder and awe.

Later that night we made popcorn with the Sisters for supper. It was delicious! As the day came to a close, we couldn’t believe we had been in Kara and back to La Cruz already. Time – and Miracles – sure fly.

[nicaraguamissionstories]

TRIP TO KARA

Wednesday, May 1st:  We were pretty much ready by 5am for our trip but Nicaraguan life was on its own schedule. Our team gathered and ready to go by 7am.  The new boat was offered by Carlos who also accompanied us, driving the motor. Then we had Vicente, Felix, Mauricio (the new parish priest), Sister Lydia, Chuckie and myself. This was a NICE boat – complete with canopy and large seats to accommodate our Large Seats. Here we are ready for our adventure!

I have to say that Father Mauricio and Deacon Felix were the greatest trip companions. They had such a good sense of humor and playfulness. We really had a good time with them.

This group of Colombian Missionaries have been here in Nicaragua for a few years now. Their congregation is called “Missioneros Kardimissio de San Juan Eudes” and were founded by Humberto Lugo Arguelles in Colombia. They have been welcomed into the Siuna and Bluefields Dioceses They have a wonderful missionary spirit and fraternity. Father Elberth is in San Pedro with two members of his community, and here in La Cruz is Father Mauricio and two deacons, Felix and Victor. It is lovely to see how they interact between themselves and within the community. They support one another across parishes and work together to share the load. Mauricio came to La Cruz just a couple months ago, so it is very impressive to see him visiting Kara for the first time as their new parish priest just two months into his term…whereas Father Tomas went to Kara FOUR YEARS after he took on the parish (yikes) for a one time visit.

We made our way down river slowly because of some problems with the motor but eventually it got going. Unfortunately it consumed more gasoline than we expected so we had to stop midway on the river to buy some gasoline. We ended up doing the same thing on the way back too. Our methodology was quite good I think….I would jump off the front of the boat with the line to keep us close to the shore, Felix and Vicente jumped off with the large jug for gasoline and trekked up the hill to buy what we needed while I held the boat. Chuckies job? Taking a picture of me!

We arrived into Kara at 1:30pm and this time it was very different from our first visit because the people were expecting us. I had made several contacts with Deacon Eliseo and they were so excited to see Father Teddy’s sister, the new parish priest, and to receive a second visit from me, Sister Lydia and Vicente. All the little kids clamored around to haul our bags speaking Miskito, Spanish, English and who knows what else! I had brought some rosaries so I gave one to each little one who had helped us. Outside I heard a woman saying that her son had helped carry bags but didn’t get a rosary…so I ran out to repair the error:  well, here was a ten-month old who was just starting to walk! I busted out laughing along with the mother and I gave her a rosary for creativity.

There was a big lunch of rice and shrimp (delicious) and immediately afterwards our group naturally broke into two and the people took us on a tour of the town – something which didn’t happen in our last visit. We saw their baseball park, school, houses, parks and animals. It was very cool. Since we were a group of 7 now, the men stayed in the parish house and we three women stayed in someone’s private home. It was amazing – individual rooms, a place to bathe and the bathroom close by. I felt weird being in a room by myself with two large beds so I invited Sister Lydia to join me and we were very happy together. The funny thing is that all the beds were really just boards with a sheet over the top, and no mattress in sight. Chuckie hadn’t seen our beds and in the morning I said to her: “man, my bed was so soft last night I could hardly sleep!” Chuckie had this surprised look on her face and asked how it was I had a soft bed when she only had boards to sleep on!

Once we had our things sorted out, we jumped in the boat with the deacon’s son, Vidal, and he zipped us over to the other community called Sandy Bay. When we visited there a few months ago, it was a pretty decent visit, but this time felt different. It was all kind of sketchy and uncomfortable feeling. The church continues to be a run-down mess. The delegate, Stanley, arrived but was very ill. Father Mauricio was very kind and compassionate with him as they talked about the church and the limited number of people attending (there are only 8 and they are all Stanley’s family). It just isn’t viable. It was sad to see this building in such disrepair and the members looking basically the same. We left feeling discouraged and disappointed.

Then Vidal took us to see a couple sea turtles that had been harvested from the ocean, and it was probably the saddest sight I have ever seen. Here were these amazing creatures, maybe three feet in width, upside down on their backs…dying. Suddenly I remembered being at Como Zoo as a kid and being able to ride on the backs of the turtles. And then a stuffed animal turtle I had won in a raffle at my grandparent’s church. Turtles have always held such a special power for me…and now here was one upside down, dying and looking at me with its soulful eyes. I asked Vidal why they were torturing the poor animal by leaving it there upside down. He told me that it could survive up to 36 hours like that. It was terrible to see. I wasn’t interested in the slightest of taking a picture of this horrific scene, but found this one on the internet so you too might feel some compassion for this magnificent brother of ours.

The boat ride back to Kara felt sad, long and tiring, but when we disembarked, the community was ready to go with a mass and celebration of their new image of St. Francis. In our first trip, the community had talked about St. Francis being their patron saint but that they didn’t have an image of him. The church was packed with people!  Mauricio and Felix did a precious job celebrating the mass with Eliseo – all in Spanish, English and Miskito. At the end of the mass, Eliseo and other members of the community lifted up the wooden St. Francis statue, together with his fond wolf, and carried it around. Chuckie shared a few words about Teddy’s affinity towards animals (I wanted to add a word about turtle care!) and the story of Francis and the Wolf. She talked about Teddy’s liturgy book and how it held three photos: one of his parents, one of his goddaughter and one of a wolf. Chuckie’s family donated the money to have this statue made and here it is in front of the altar…along with the photo Teddy had in his liturgy book.

 After mass, Eliseo and the pastoral committee began a meeting and I wondered where Mauricio had disappeared to. Here he was outside the door listening to confessions. About thirty minutes later, with the meeting well in progress, Mauricio entered and pardoned himself for being occupied. With all the benches and chairs occupied, Mauricio took a squat on the floor to meet the members. It was such a natural gesture for him to sit there at everyone’s feet as he began to ask each one their name and what their responsibility was in the church. There was an automatic chemistry between him and the community – it was beautiful to observe. There was a man who only spoke English and Miskito so Mauricio asked if I would translate. He expressed how happy he was to hear Chuckie talking because he could understand everything she said!  It was a very special time and it lifted my heart to feel a sense of encouragement and excitement among the community for themselves and for the new priest who responded to them with such compassion.

As the meeting was winding down, I noticed that Sister Lydia was fading fast. I mentioned that the three of us looked beat and maybe we should hit the boards (hee hee). Without a pause in her step, Lydia sprang to her feet and we were off to bed. We were so exhausted that Lydia and I fell asleep immediately. All of a sudden she woke me up to say that dinner was ready! I told her I wanted to sleep so she went to the door and I heard her say: “Monica says she is asleep and not able to have dinner.”  Good grief.

With that I was between awake and asleep, and I could hear Chuckie in the distance trying to shew kids out of the house who were looking for more rosaries. Over and over she repeated: “No more rosaries. No Spanish. Night night.” I fell back asleep with a smile on my face.

[nicaraguamissionstories]

DAY ON THE TOWN!!!

Tuesday, April 30th:  Our first line of business was to visit the local and only High School in La Cruz, Institute Fray Teodoro Niehaus. But first things first…being that it is a couple miles away and it is a scorching hot morning…we consider how we might find rapid transportation. Sister Lydia suggests waiting outside the church gates until a “caponera“ comes by. A caponera is a motorcycle that has a seat soldered to the front of it. It even comes with a canopy covering it and a SECURITY BAR!!  As we jumped on and the motor took off, Chuckie yelled out for me to call home and have her insurance coverage increased!

After our hilarious and quite frankly ridiculous ride, we arrived at the High School. The new Director is Candida Siles Rocha who has taught at the school for many years.  The school attends over 500 students during the week and Saturdays. She and the sub-director (Ivan Castrillo) took us around the grounds and showed us their projects for reforestation and a well they are digging for water to the school. Right now children have to bring water from home to drink during the hot day. Chuckie was able to give the school $300 towards the water project in a donation from a sister and brother-in-law of Father Teddys’.  They were thrilled, especially since donations to the school are not common. It was a very special visit and Teddy’s presence is clearly felt there. He often referred to being the “godfather” to this school bearing his name, and regularly gave a hand with projects, necessities and missions that the school pursued. Candida’s stories were endless of how Teddy saved the day at the last minute with paper or books or other materials they did not have. We could have spent all day there.

Here is the director and sub-director with the statue of Father Teddy that the graduating students from 2016 commissioned to be casted.

Candida and Ivan were quite excited talking about the first Miss Fray Teodoro Pageant they were about to have. I thought I would roll over laughing when she sent me this video only a few days ago. I took a screen shot of the video…although it is blurry it gives you an idea…too funny.

Without our carriage in site, we walked from the school back to town, once again with a feeling of a deep gratitude for the visit and the obvious footprints that Teddy has left everywhere. At the edge of town is the Ball Park and the playoff games were in process. It was the perfect opportunity to get out of the sun and see just exactly what was going on there.

We went up to the ticket window to buy our tickets when some man dove in front of us and announced to the girls at the window to not charge us because this was Father Teddy’s sister!! The girls looked a little freaked out and so we said we wanted to contribute to the cause and so we paid the entrance fee of one-dollar and six-cents and got a little fluorescent bracelet to indicate we had paid. Once inside the park we found some seats high up to get a good view of the game between Siuna and Puerto Cabeza. It was great to see people enjoying the game, being together as a family, and generally having a relaxed time.

As we were enjoying the game, the man who had dove in front of us in line came to me with a pen and paper and wanted to write Chuckie’s name and any other pertinent information. I saw him run up to the announcer’s stand where they were calling the game and playing music. It must have been about ten minutes later that the announcer begins to speak about how the series is dedicated to Fray Teodoro, how he donated land to the park, how he encouraged working and playing together as good wholesome fun, and how his sister was currently present in the park! Ha ha!  Then he asked the entire park to give her a big round of applause to which the people gladly responded.  I felt like I was with a movie star! I also got a plug for having visited the communities and for the Book Project about Teddy and his communities. Then he added that we were both invited free of charge to attend all the games!  We both were glowing. As we left the game, we saw a woman with a logo of the series on a T-Shirt. We asked where we could buy some and she indicated the ticket booth, where we promptly went to purchase shirts at an amazing $6.00 each. We were so excited!  Later in the week the Mayor’s Office – who was hosting the event – allowed us to buy the remaining 20 baseball caps left over from the game at a discount price.  We walked back to the Sisters just giddy with our shirts and the fun we had at the game.

We got an additional chuckle off of this sign that read “BEAST PARKING HERE”…which was the horse parking lot.

As things usually go here in Nicaragua, at the last minute we find out our boat wasn’t available for our trip the next day and that we have another person (the Deacon Felix) joining us on to go to Kara. Since I had made large snack bags for everyone, we ran out and found some substitute materials so he would have some snacks too. And as for the boat…God only knows what happened – but in the morning there was a new fancy boat for us.

[nicaraguamissionstories]

ON OUR WAY!!!

Monday, April 29th:  Thanks to my godson, Jefferson, we got a quick truck ride down to El Coco to meet Vincent. We arrived early and so we had time with Elena Soza and Eliezer Miranda at their house on the riverbank of El Coco. For the next couple hours we watched these young guys haul 30 pound crates of cheese up the steep hill from the boats on the river. The crates were then loaded onto the trucks to bring the cheese into the communities. The guys were soaking wet from the liquid buttermilk seeping from the cheese onto their backs. For each crate they receive ten cordobas (about thirty cents). Since the hill is so steep they have to walk in a zigzag manner to make it up the hill. Sound like an appealing workout in hundred degree heat??

Vincent was early and we were very happy to get on the river with all of our bags weighing down the panga as his son pushed us off. Next stop…LA CRUZ!!!

Sister Lydia and Sister Zenelia were waiting for us at the dock when we arrived along with about four young guys to help carry all of our baggage up to the church. We weren’t even there five minutes when the new priest (Mauricio), deacons (Victor and Felix), their bishop (Humberto Lugo), and a couple seminarians came to greet us. What a welcome!! They spent almost half an hour getting to know us and extending the warmest Bienvenida!  It was a special treat for us on top of seeing the sisters and the pets (SULTAN and TYSON!!!) and the neighbors…everyone eager to see us as much as we were eager to see them.

After we got settled, we took a stroll around town greeting people and making a few purchases. We heard that the baseball game playoffs had been moved from San Pedro to La Cruz since the teams that were winning were closer to that area such as Mulukuku, Laguna de Perla and Puerto Cabeza. We commented to one another that it would be fun to see a game and then as we came around the corner on the main street we saw this banner:

“LA CRUZ DE RIO GRANDE EXTENDS A CORDIAL WELCOME TO THE 63RD CARRIBEAN BASEBALL SERIES 2019”

Below the large print was the phrase:  “IN DIFFICULT MOMENTS, SPORTS UNITES US”, referring to the ongoing conflict between the political parties.

And then to the left of the banner was the dedication of the baseball series to non-other than Fray Teodoro Niehaus! With that dedication we knew attending a game was in our future!

We stopped by Elena Jarquins to visit with her and her family. Of course they brought each of us a LARGE glass of juice that we did our best to slurp down. The sweat was just pouring off of us, so we waited until the afternoon when it was cooler to visit one of our favorite families – the Escoto Family. Located just outside of town, we traversed the winding road, steps, bridges and small hill top. When we arrived Doña Maria’s eyes filled with tears! The family was hauling water from a well over a kilometer away, and suddenly they all came running to the house to see us. Nikolaus Escoto was one of Teddy’s faithful friends over the many years of his mission work, transporting him up and down river from La Cruz to San Pedro in the boats he and his son operated. One of the last motorcycle’s that Teddy had, he sold to Nikolaus’ son Alvaro. Chuckie was hoping to get a glance at it, but Nikolaus said it was down at another house being worked on. In the meantime, Doña Maria was busy making a refreshing drink and baking some banana bread for us. Within minutes she came out with a big plate of food, so we did our best AGAIN to drink and eat! Here is a snapshot of Doña Maria, Don Nikolaus, Chuckie and one of their granddaughters.

After our full day of eating and drinking we arrived back to the convent to find Sister Lydia making a PIZZA in honor of her special guests!  She was very creative and had little hotdogs cut up on the pizza. It was actually very tasty.

After pizza Chuckie broke out all the spectacular sewing materials she had collected from many different people to help with the Sewing Center Project. As Chuckie unpacked one bag after another of thread, scissors, sewing notions, and buttons, Sister Lydia commented continuously – “…and you carried all this down here for us??”  In addition, she gave Sister Lydia $1,100.00 towards the construction of the sewing center building.  I think Lydia was in shock at the amount of money people had so generously given for this cause.  We could see how touched she was, it was almost uncomfortable…and then Chuckie reached out and gave her a big hug. It was a very sweet moment that was clearly bringing hope to the Sisters and the Sewing Center for the women in this remote part of the world.

The Sewing Center which still needs a floor, doors, windows, electrical work, tables, and sewing machines. In the meantime, Sister Lydia sews with her pedal machine in the convent where women come to share the machine.

Later in the evening we had a good laugh watching Sister Juana with the hatchet. We still aren’t sure what she was doing exactly, but our dog Sultan was on his best behavior, just in case!

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OFF TO CHURCH

Sunday, April 28th:  

Early in the morning, David (Ayde’s brother) stopped by. People were arriving to get their kids to Sunday school and preparations for the Confirmations scheduled in the next week. We sat on the porch with David and Ayde as he poured his heart out. You may remember that David spoke to what he experienced as a miracle with Father Teddy. (If you want to refresh your memory about his story, just scroll back to Friday, May 26th 2017 to the entry entitled “Final Visit…San Pedro”). In his own words, David began sharing his testimony with us of his physical healing and the conversation he shared with Teddy at that difficult time in his life. Before you knew it, all four of us were crying like little children as he spoke so tenderly and reverently about his experience. He repeated his testimony practically word for word as he had shared with me back in 2017. And then he told Chuckie: “…your presence here reminds us to not forget the miracles we have experienced with Father Teddy and the mysteries that continue to happen in our daily lives because of his impact upon us…your visit in this moment is like reliving Father Teddy’s essence in our midst, as God reaches out his hand to us.” Our conversation together was maybe 15 minutes but it lifted us into a space almost outside of ourselves, on a different plane, in a different realm – that was magical and mystical – and it took us a while to touch ground again after our time ended.

After we dried our tears and got ready, we headed off to mass at the San Pedro church where several people were baptizing their babies. We had a chance to meet the new parish priest from Colombia, Father Elberth Rios Martinez, who was very nice. As usual many friends were excited to see and greet us. Everyone wants a picture!  Here is Chuckie with Octaviano (who designed the San Pedro church) and Georgina who has worked in the church and hosted our groups countless times.

Once we finished with mass, we went with Ayde to visit Sister Dora’s house. She showed us the plants she has planted and uses for natural remedies. In addition to all her work with the church she also leads the Third Order Franciscans in the community. Sister Dora even prepared a Fruit Buffet for us with papaya, watermelon, mango and cantaloupe which really hit the spot!

In anticipation for next week’s birthday party at Ayde’s farm, we purchased a piñata, candy and some gifts. As we returned to the house, this guy was in front of us….as if life isn’t hard enough.

Later in the evening, Father Elberth stopped by with his team of about 8 people for dinner. They had darted out after mass to another community to continue with the upcoming confirmation preparations. We had an enjoyable dinner (almost 15 people in total!) chatting it up and getting to know one another.

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TO SAN PEDRO MY FRIEND

Felicito, Sister Dora and Ayde accompany us in a refreshing Club Soda called Ensa flavored with the taste of grapefruit (not all of us considered it “refreshing”).

Saturday, April 27th: The guys hit the road back to Estelí before 5am and since we needed our beauty sleep, we didn’t get up until 6am. We wandered down the road to get some coffee and juice and then Migdonio came to pick us up around 7:30am. We arrived into San Pedro before noon and were happily received by Ayde and the whole family. Once we got settled in, we took a tour around town. There was a Caribbean Baseball Series going on, so nearly everyone was at the game located across the river. We walked around enjoying the calm of the town.

Eventually we made our way to the church where Ayde said they were having a meeting for the sector called “Fray Teodoro” (where we figured we were destined to be!). I walked into the meeting first where Sister Dora, David, Ronaldo, Felicito and Israel were seated. Everyone was happy to see me and we all hugged. Then I said I brought a special guest in representation of Father Teddy….and you should have seen their faces light up as a little gasp escaped from each of them when they saw Chuckie!  It was a great moment.

Afterwards we checked out the church’s new kitchen and dining room construction which they hope will be finished by later this year.  Then we walked over to the Radio Station to buy a couple Radio San Pedro T-Shirts and send a shout out to the community. The church is in the process of remodeling the Parish House located right next to the Radio Station, and the workers were proud to explain their work and the progress they were making on the project.

The kitchen in progress...

There has not been any rain in San Pedro basically since last November. All the wells have dried up and there hasn’t been any “city” water for over a month. Most people travel to outlying farms or friends to bring in barrels of water to do their cooking and cleaning. All bathing happens at the river…but as you can see from this picture below, there isn’t much water there either. The river usually tops where Chuckie is sitting on the steps. It really is a sad sight to see how Nicaragua is drying up.

After checking out the river, Ayde had special plans for Chuckie and that was to paint her toes!  Maribel did a fine job – even applying tiny, shiny stones – while we munched on Ranchitos Nacho Flavored (Nicaraguan Doritos!).

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As we anticipated our trip, I kept sending Chuckie silly count down photos. This was one of my favorites!

 CHUCKIE IN NICARAGUA

Friday April 26th:  

Chuckie had no difficulties in making her flights and connections, arriving promptly at 11:30am here in Nicaragua. Unfortunately, I had the opposite experience. As I left Estelí, a big cloud of smoke began escaping from the hood of the truck. I pulled over and my mechanic quickly came to see what the problem was, revealing the air conditioning pump had exploded. Unsure of what other damage there might be, I called my backup crew of Beto, Gersan and Felipe and they came with the Cachorro Van and bailed us out. In the middle of the work day they drive all the way to Managua and then Rio Blanco, staying the night and leaving the next morning…now THAT’S Family!!

But poor Chuckie! She didn’t have phone service so I couldn’t connect with her and we didn’t get to the airport until 1:30pm. You know, it is one thing to wait two hours for someone when you know what is going on, but when you have no idea and our mind is left to wander it can be a dangerous thing. I was so relieved to see her when we finally embraced in the airport!

I was also relieved that we had a van instead of the truck because with all of our baggage together – including numerous donations for the Sisters in La Cruz, the St. Francis Statue, plus our own gear – we were stuffed!

It felt like a long drive into Rio Blanco but somehow we managed to pull in around 7pm. The roads were a dark, dusty mess, but the guys managed it somehow. And our hotel was very helpful accommodating the extra rooms and even storing all our baggage in a downstairs storage room to avoid hauling everything up and then down again in the morning. When we finally got to bed after a great dinner, we felt only gratitude!

Our three handsome companions – Felipe, Beto and Gersan. Chuckie gave each one of them a new t-shirt for their efforts and they were proud to display them!

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ONE  YEAR  LATER . . .

Turbulent waters and restless clouds…but the Sun still beacons onward.

Wednesday, April 10th 2019

To apologize for this lapse of time since I last communicated seems so preposterous. How do I explain a year’s absence? Despite the absurdity of it, I am picking up what is left of my dignity and writing to you once again.

When last we met, I was in a whirlwind after political unrest here in Nicaragua created a deep vacuum in which many of us fell into. In the middle of the attempt to overthrow the government, I tried to stick it out in La Cruz as long as I could, visiting 8 more communities. But with all the road blocks in the country, we were unable to receive any provisions in La Cruz. Soon there was no corn or rice or beans. I had friends who arranged for my transportation back to Estelí the end of May.  It was a harrowing experience sitting at roadblocks for hours or trying to cross on foot to the other side where I waited several hours for a different transportation.

Crossing the road block on foot in Rio Blanco where tires have been burned in the road. Graffiti on the side of the parked truck says “To Hell with Daniel”, referring to the president of Nicaragua.

By the end of May I was back in Estelí by way of back roads and remote routes. The problem once I arrived is that we were prohibited from traveling because of the road blocks and the fact that things were very unsafe. There were more food resources in Estelí but they were quickly evaporating without any new trucks allowed to enter. The trucks with food were detained at the road blocks only to lose all their produce and other perishable products. In the community where I live (only a mile from the south road block) we heard the gun fire back and forth all day and night, and then heard the daily reports of cocktail bombs, captures and killings the following day. All we could do was stay in our homes and venture out quickly in the morning to look for food. All foreigners evacuated immediately. All I could think was – how convenient to have that as an option when those who live on the margins don’t have such solutions.

I guess I became numb to a certain degree. Just going through daily survival and not feeling capable of even updating the Blog. I was thinking in circles and wondering if the end of the road had finally come for me here in Nicaragua. Our phone signal was limited and I didn’t have the speed to upload pictures to the Blog so I continued to fall further and further behind. Not to mention feeling useless as time marched on and this BIG work was still unfinished.

Finally in late November (six months ago) things felt stable enough to return to the coast and wrap up the final three community visits. Riding a wave of depression and discouragement, I picked myself up again and gave it another try, visiting the Miskito communities of Kara and Sandy Bay. Father Tomas, Sister Lydia and my faithful friend Vicente accompanied me there.

On our way to Kara, we ran out of oil for the motor. We waited at the side of the riverbank (our arms wrapped around a tree truck to keep from floating onward) for two and a half hours in our panga until finally we were rescued by one of the boats coming from Bluefields who sold us some oil.

This Indigenous community in Kara was so impressive to me. They received us with such warmth and love. The mass was celebrated in Spanish, Miskito and even a little English.

We had an ultimate Closing Mass after the visit to Kara in La Cruz, but it felt anti climatic after the expectations I created around the work at the beginning of April. Once again I left for Estelí feeling discouraged and aimless now that I had finally finished the visits.

Returning in December I avoided working on the Blog and anything related to the work on the book. Instead I buried myself in other projects – a scholarship group retreat, a visit from the cardiologists from North Carolina and other work that trickled in. The months clicked by and I continued to procrastinate. I had come to a crossroads of “Now What?” and had no idea how to move forward. So why bother with the finishing pieces if I didn’t know how to proceed afterwards? I knew I was in trouble when those who had provided the grant to do the work began asking where my final report was. I didn’t know how to explain how lost I was or how the ball had rolled out of control. All my momentum was gone. I cried out to Teddy blaming him for having chosen a person so inadequate to face such a grand feat.

A statue of Father Teddy made by the people. It was created for the local high school named after him in the community of La Cruz.

Over the past four months, people, groups and donors have begun to return to Nicaragua with a tone of dipping their toe in the water to see if things are really as bad as the media reports in the states. Fortunately, the visits have been without disturbance and people have left with a sense of wanting to reconnect with their projects and the people they serve. I suppose that renewed hope has awakened in me too – somewhat – concerning moving forward with this work at hand.

In March I was able to consult with an editor in New Mexico who felt she could guide me to a place of organizing the book. Her name is Carolyn Flynn and I met her through the Living School Program with the Center for Action and Contemplation. Her email to me summed up what she hopes to do: “…we will develop the essence of what makes the book captivating…create a title and subtitle…and organize the structure of the book. To get there, we'd work on chapters and I’ll guide you in seeing where in your writing you have really got everything working, in terms of your voice, your images, the most important spiritual lessons and insights.”  We plan to begin our endeavor in early July. Until then, she sent me “homework” assignments to get me ready for that junction.

Towards that purpose the cost would be $750 which she says will definitely get me on my way. So somehow I will try to raise that amount. Upon the completion of that phase, she will help me evaluate which direction to go and even make some connections with publishers. It is a big project to say the least, but I am willing to make some baby steps toward that end, despite the inadequacy I feel. If you are interested in contributing to this work, you can send your personal check to: Connecticut Quest for Peace, Inc. and on the memo line write “for Monica”. Then send the check to the attention of:

CT Quest for Peace 

Attn:  Jane McCaffrey 

P.O Box 356 

Georgetown, CT  06829

 On Saturday, April 6th I celebrated 56 years of age…now 20 years in Nicaragua. Our political situation remains relatively calm but uncertain. To be honest, I don’t have a sense of my inner barometer about which road I am on. I guess I am like the country right now, relatively calm but uncertain.

A hopeful visit will come in the form of Eileen “Chuckie” Niehaus – Teddy’s “baby sister” (as he once called her) – who will arrive God willing on April 26th. We will make a journey back to Kara to once again reconnect with the Miskito people. It was a plan that she and Teddy had that never was able to be realized. I hope the seed within will once again be watered and fertilized to continue its growth towards the fruition of this project. Your prayers and good wishes – as always – will help that become a reality.

Right now my plan would be to continue with the blog updating monthly with things such as this upcoming trip with Chuckie and other outstanding pieces of homework I still have like visiting one of the priests Teddy formed from La Cruz, Father Flavio. I also want people to be able to track what the experience of writing a book is like (at least from my perspective). So you are welcome to come along for the ride if you still want to take a chance on me!

Thank you for extending your patience to me for the fragility around my edges and for leading with compassion and mercy – since that is what we are all most desperately in need of.  Today it is raining in Estelí for the first time in six months…bringing healing to the plants, the people, the animals and all that is connected in this Divine Dance.

Here I am at 56 headed off to the gym with my friend Sonia. A friend who is real jokster with me asked me how old I was and I told him.  He responded “you don’t look that age”...I thanked him and then he added “YOU LOOK MORE LIKE 65!!”  There always has to be a fool in our midst to keep us on track.

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An Important Update

Hello Everyone on this 2nd of May 2018. This short update is meant to fill in a bit of a gap here in the Blog.

I completed the mission trip in April to 8 communities but a few days after returning, political unrest in Nicaragua set in resulting in many communication channels being inoperable.

A couple days ago I made my way here to La Cruz de Rio Grande where I am about to embark on the SECOND TO LAST Mission Trip to 9 Communities. I return to Esteli on May 20th (God willing) when I hope to upload the information from both the April and May Mission Trips to this Blog.

On June 21st, Dios primero, Eileen “Chuckie” Niehaus will accompany me to the final three communities. Bishop David Zyweic will hopefully celebrate a closing mass on June 28th. Then….onto compiling the book!!!

Thank you for your prayers for a safe mission trip, peace in Nicaragua and throughout the world, and Gods loving hand upon us all.

In gratitude Monica

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What 55 looks like on me April 6th 2018!

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HOLY WEEK IN LA CRUZ