highs and lows

lord, grant me the serentity to change the things i can, the courage to accept the things i cannot, and the wisdom to know the difference. –st francis of asisi

a new season means it´s about time to update you again. it has finally turned into winter here. for all the midwesterners reading this, you would laugh at the word, as winter here basically means highs in the 60s and lows in the 50s…pretty mild to apply the word, but chimbotanos are cursing the weather and cringe whenever they have to go outside…i personally am really enjoying the break from the heat. things like walking through the market or between patient`s houses for hospice seem so much more manageable these days…although, other simple tasks like drying laundry are much more difficult, considering clothes take a few days to dry without the sun.

june was a complete roller coaster for me—it brought both the highest highs and lowest lows of my experiences thus far in peru. i won´t go into the lows here, but i will tell you that i took a much-needed vacation! my beautifully amazing friend heidi (from my loyola years) came down to visit me! the visit could not have come at a better time, as i was in dire need of seeing some of the more beautiful parts of peru, being reminded of the incredible country and culture i live in, but mostly, needing to be in the presence of someone who loves me and knows me outside of this context. we dined well in cuzco, climbed the mountains of macchu picchu, and enjoyed the tourist sites of lima. this being my third time to macchu picchu, i was almost dreading the actual travel part of heidi´s visit. as i mentioned when allie came, there´s an incredible guilt that comes with seeing a part of the country that most of my peruvian friends will never have the opportunity to see, especially when i am choosing to live in solidarity with them. however, the third time was indeed a charm! we went during the festival of inti rami—the incan festival of the sun, which celebrates the winter solstice and honors the sun god. unfortunately, we weren´t able to go to the festival`s culmination, a ceremonial sacrifice of two llamas, one balck and one white, in the ruins of sacsayhuamán. it was incredible to be there during that time, as cuzco became an unending party with countless parades and dancing in the streets. the most beautiful part for me was that the majority of the people celebrating were peruvians. obviously there were a ton of tourists, but it was encouraging to see a cultural festival in cuzco that brings peruvians together, one that is not designed specifically for gringo tourists.

june also brought another huge festival specific to fishing cities like chimbote—the feast of san pedro and san pablo (saints peter and paul, patron saints of fishers and farmers). the city was filled with events and fairs and concerts. it was incredible to see chimbote come so alive! san pedrito ends on june 29th with a special ceremony—the idol of san pedro is carried down to the port in a procession of incense, flowers, and hymns. the entire city watches as the statue is carried by boat throughout the bay to bless the waters.

a quick update on work situations—
work at the posta continues to be a little challenging. currently i am working two days a week in the clinic, as well as one afternoon with the promotoras de salud (health promotors). i could not have imagined what i was getting myself into when i accepted the title of leader of the group, a title that continues to frustrate and humble me! i had anticipated that i would be there as a reference person for the health teaching aspect. instead, i have been charged with leading the group in all senses of the word, which has been incredibly challenging, to say the least. imagine going to pluto and being handed a group of baby aliens and told, ``well, they`re all yours`` without any sort of instruction, knowing what to feed them, where to get diapers, or means of communication with the little devils. well, this might be a bit extreme, but it has been interesting! i have definitely had to look to outside resources and be creative with what i do with them, but the truth is, i´m still not exactly sure where to go with them sometimes…if anything, it has been another lesson in humility and creativity…

time at hospice continues to go really well. i currently spend three days a week doing home visits in the community, although i am considering adding more time in the upcoming months…i feel like it was a smooth transition, and my time there is always well-spent. a typical day consists of visits to 8-11 patients, providing wound care, IVs, bed baths, massages, foley and nasogastric tubes, and spending time chatting with patient and family. one of the most beautiful parts has been working with the staff. as difficult as the subject matter is of hospice care, they always seems to bring joy to the work and truly touch the lives of the families we work with. that is the true beauty of hospice: providing patients dignity in death while allowing them to continue living fully in the last phase.

last week at hospice, i had another ´´this is why i`m here`` moment. the patient i was with has always been one of my favorites—he just turned 20 and is dying of leukemia. i ended up at his house alone for about an hour, waiting to meet up with the rest of my team to visit more patients. he isn´t much of a talker, and is generally pretty depressed, but always seems to brighten up a little and talk with me. it was so basic, but we had beautiful time of just playing cards and talking and laughing. it seems trivial, but it´s moments like these that remind me of my mision here and encourage me—i am alive to love god and love others, whatever that may look like, and not just in chimbote. i was laughing out loud, thinking about how beautifully sacred the moment was.

we are also in the beginning of planning and brainstorming for a new ministry in chimbote. hermana juanita is dreaming about starting a home-visiting program for patients with cronic illnesses. the work would be very similar to hospice, but we would be serving a different patient population. many of the potential patiants are people who are interested in hospice care but do not necessarily qualify, as their diagnosis is not yet terminal. the project is still in the beginning phase, but i`m really excited about being a part of the group that will initiate this much-needed service in chimbote.

i have also been working with the youth at the parrish in preparing them for confirmation. it has definitely had it´s challenges, but mostly in the frustrations of typical peruvian meetings, such as starting at least an hour late every week! but on the other hand, i have really loved getting to know the kids and spend time with them. i honestly love kids at that age and i am finding that peruvian adolescents are remarkably similar to u.s. adolescents! we had a huge confirmation event last weekend at the parrish as a way of introducing the kids to the other groups. the day consisted of numerous relay races, a dance-off, and a concurso de barras—each group performed a song and cheer in competition with the other groups. although my community of kids took third place (mostly due to faulty judging…), it was a lot of fun. one of the beautiful things about this culture is that although adolescents still get embarassed easily, they always love a good dance competition.

the end of winter will also come with some major changes for our missionary community. todd will be coming to the end of his two-year term in august and is headed back to california. it will be incredbily hard to see him go, and all of chimbote is already wondering about how some of his projects will continue in the upcoming years. one project that he will be leaving in the hands of the youth council of the parrish as well as the missionaries, is constructing a new youth center at the parrish! the community is really excited about this project, as it will provide computers, classrooms, as well as general space to hang-out. there is unfortunatley very little for youth to do in chimbote, along with limits of safety, so the project is being met with great anticipation and excitement! much of the funding is coming from outside sources, and we are still looking for financial support. if you are interested in supporting the center financially or with materials, please let me know by sending an email: courtneyjcranston@gmail.com. thank you for the support!

fortunately, we will also be recieving two new missionaries in august! jen is a recent graduate from st. louis university and is going to be working in the parrish. we are all hoping that she will continue some of todd`s ministries as well as bring some fresh ideas to the parrish. marcelle is an experienced nurse from texas. she is thinking about joining us at hospice, and hopefully helping with the new home-visitng program (although she doesn`t know that yet!!). the transition will definitely be challenging, but i am really excited to have fresh new faces and be reminded of the excitement and energy of starting a new mission!

love god. love others.
-corina