Today I did communion services for 15 people in the village of La Legua plus two people in the Hospice Center that I had visited before. I was happy to learn that Manuel is not dying but that he just needed a place to mend. I visited a beautiful part of La Legua I had never seen before. It was an area with many trees because of an aquifer in this area of the desert.
Visiting all these homebound reminded me of how poor they are and in what primitive conditions they live compared to where I do. On the other hand, they are most beautiful people who have not fallen into some of the traps of our society. We each have something to learn from the other.
Fr. Joe and I had lunch with 20-some men in a drug rehab program named Vida Nueva (New Life). Father wants to expand my half-day retreat into 1-1/2 days. I think Ginet is going to help save me by getting another parish group to help. Pray for me because I am winging lots of this while having done some homework.
There is a great opportunity for Fr. Joe to add four more rooms onto the rehab center. They are semi-framed and $5000 is needed to complete them. Each room houses up to six men. Do we have any psychologists in the parish who could help complete this project through their contacts?
The afternoon was spent loading the van and then delivering furniture and clothes to some families. The van is really on its last legs and I am very happy that we will soon be shipping the parish a new one.
After evening Mass, Fr. Joe, Ginet, and Marlit cooked dinner for my Peruvian family and me. We had turkey, the turkey that had been in the manger the evening before. ☺
Next week I will be taking my goddaughter along to expose to some of the ministries that I am helping with. She is very excited to help. She is 9 and hangs on to me like one of my own children, which she really is.
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