Thursday and Friday

Photo is in La Piedra Church.

Wednesday ended with a fiesta next door to the St. Monica chapel. Mostly we danced till we almost dropped. The last dance went 20 minutes with high intensity aerobics. We got to squeeze most of the St. Monica chapel people whom we know.

Thursday morning I took Communion to the residents of the Hospice Center. Then I fed some of them, clipped their nails, and messaged their arms and legs. I saw my old friend, Manuel, who was the first resident and whom I have visited for years. Others delivered food packages, gifts, or built a house for the Tarman family.

Thursday afternoon I did a liturgy of the Word service at St. Monica chapel preaching about who St. Monica was and why we should use her as a model. As always, we finished the day with evening Mass.

Friday morning my group went to La Piedra where our missionary team from last year donated money for the village to enlarge their church by 35%. The village leaders made presentations and invited me to speak. Not being prepared, my Spanish abruptly came to an end. Then we broke into community and danced, eventually ending again in high-energy aerobics. We ended with lots of hugs and kisses. St. Monica sponsors 25 families in La Piedra. Another group taught the orphan girls how to play soccer.

In the afternoon one group took a boat ride in the Pacific Ocean in the harbor of Paita. I helped Steve Yandell deliver ice cream to the orphan girls. The showed their approval my making us dance the Macarena. I need to rest soon.

This evening we are going to a Healing Mass in a village. Fr. Joe will celebrate Mass for a charismatic group. We are going because of Debbie Yandell’s brain tumor, Clara Burkhard’s gum cancer, and the illness of the husband of one of our missionaries.

We are sleeping well at night.