sipgina (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} sipgina) wrote,@ 2005-08-03 07:52:00 |
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Pan de Vida
For all of you who don´t habla español, pan de vida is spanish for bread of life. I´ve thought a lot about bread, one of my favorite foods, this last week or so.
Last Saturday, I went to go visit Padre Luis´ family. Padre Luis is the pastor at Holy Cross Parish in Soyapongo, which is close to the capital. My parish back home, St. John the Bapist, has a sister relationship with that parish. I went to meet them in Tacachico, the town by my home here, because they were passing through. By they I mean Padre Luis, several members of his family, Sister Terry, a mad cool Maryknoll sister who lives in the parish, Padre Ortiz, a mad cool priest who is a missionary from El Salvador who has been all over the world. It was a beautiful drive to his home in San Isidro Lempa, and it wasn´t too far from where I´m staying. We spent the day eating and talking and resting in hammocks. It was amazing and humbling being in their company. Then at 6 oclock, we headed for the church to celebrate the mass remembering his mother who had died a year ago. I´ve never met her but it seemed the gospel reflected the beauty of her life. It was about how Jesus was able to feed well over 5,000 people (counting women and children) with 5 pieces of bread and 2 fish, with some left over. Padre Luis´mom started baking bread in their home about 20 years ago, and they still do to this day. Those who loved her said at the memorial service how she always shared whatever she had, including and especially the bread she baked for her community. It seems that those who have little share what they have and those who have much share what they can spare. I´m guilty of it too. I´ve learned that here. But just imagine if God can feed more than 5,000 people with 5 pieces of bread, what we can do through God with all that we´ve been given. In the way back to San Jorge on the bus the next day, I shared some Mamones (a very yummy fruit I´m going to miss) with the woman sitting next to me. She turned out to be from San Jorge, my community, and it was so nice to be able to share that beautiful bus ride with her.
The verb to share in spanish is compartir. I remember learning that when I came 2 years ago for 3 weeks to visit my brother. I spent some time in a day care in the mornings and the kiddos were always asked to compartir. Its a beautiful thing to do. I´m glad I´ve had the opportunity to share what I´ve thought about and what I´ve experienced so far here with ya´ll :) whoever is reading. Thanks for reading.
So I go back to my community for these last few days. I´m leaving there on the 8th to come back to the capital for some meetings and a retreat. I´m finally starting to feel like I fit here somehow and now my time is almost up. But I still have time to say thank you, to eat more tomales, to see the beautiful mountains and flowers that spring up out of nowhere and everywhere, to experience more tastes and smells and sounds and laughter. There´s always more to say, but I wish you days full of life. Oh and please pray or dance for rain, my community could use some for the maiz. Peace and Love to you all.
For all of you who don´t habla español, pan de vida is spanish for bread of life. I´ve thought a lot about bread, one of my favorite foods, this last week or so.
Last Saturday, I went to go visit Padre Luis´ family. Padre Luis is the pastor at Holy Cross Parish in Soyapongo, which is close to the capital. My parish back home, St. John the Bapist, has a sister relationship with that parish. I went to meet them in Tacachico, the town by my home here, because they were passing through. By they I mean Padre Luis, several members of his family, Sister Terry, a mad cool Maryknoll sister who lives in the parish, Padre Ortiz, a mad cool priest who is a missionary from El Salvador who has been all over the world. It was a beautiful drive to his home in San Isidro Lempa, and it wasn´t too far from where I´m staying. We spent the day eating and talking and resting in hammocks. It was amazing and humbling being in their company. Then at 6 oclock, we headed for the church to celebrate the mass remembering his mother who had died a year ago. I´ve never met her but it seemed the gospel reflected the beauty of her life. It was about how Jesus was able to feed well over 5,000 people (counting women and children) with 5 pieces of bread and 2 fish, with some left over. Padre Luis´mom started baking bread in their home about 20 years ago, and they still do to this day. Those who loved her said at the memorial service how she always shared whatever she had, including and especially the bread she baked for her community. It seems that those who have little share what they have and those who have much share what they can spare. I´m guilty of it too. I´ve learned that here. But just imagine if God can feed more than 5,000 people with 5 pieces of bread, what we can do through God with all that we´ve been given. In the way back to San Jorge on the bus the next day, I shared some Mamones (a very yummy fruit I´m going to miss) with the woman sitting next to me. She turned out to be from San Jorge, my community, and it was so nice to be able to share that beautiful bus ride with her.
The verb to share in spanish is compartir. I remember learning that when I came 2 years ago for 3 weeks to visit my brother. I spent some time in a day care in the mornings and the kiddos were always asked to compartir. Its a beautiful thing to do. I´m glad I´ve had the opportunity to share what I´ve thought about and what I´ve experienced so far here with ya´ll :) whoever is reading. Thanks for reading.
So I go back to my community for these last few days. I´m leaving there on the 8th to come back to the capital for some meetings and a retreat. I´m finally starting to feel like I fit here somehow and now my time is almost up. But I still have time to say thank you, to eat more tomales, to see the beautiful mountains and flowers that spring up out of nowhere and everywhere, to experience more tastes and smells and sounds and laughter. There´s always more to say, but I wish you days full of life. Oh and please pray or dance for rain, my community could use some for the maiz. Peace and Love to you all.
