Working at home

This week Padre German is gone and I have little to do in the communities. So there’s not a lack of work for me in the villages. But that doesn’t mean I lack for work.

Since the weather is cooler and we are having a bit of rain, I have tried to do a bit of wash whenever there is hope for sun.

On Monday, I spent most of the day reading – because the electricity was gone all morning.

Tuesday I went to Santa Rosa to get some supplies.

I have had to make a number of phone calls and to send and receive e-mails in regard to the coffee association project and another project.

I also had to deal with an infestation of zompopos, leaf-cutter ants, that did a job on my rose bush and a few flowers. Yuck!

But today I decided to stay here to do some work that I’ve been putting off.

I spent the morning going over scholarship applications for students in Maestro en Casa, an alternative education program that provides distance learning for the Honduran equivalents of middle school and high school. The students have texts, listen to radio programs, and meet on weekends. St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Ames has been providing partial scholarships for the past three years.

I still have to go through one more set of applications that I’ll probably review tomorrow morning.

In the afternoon I spent time working on a booklet I am preparing for the base communities.

Last year I prepared a set of readings and questions for Saints of Charity, since the diocese was celebrating a Year of Charity in preparation for the hundredth anniversary of the diocese this year.

Now I am preparing a set of questions for Saints of Mercy to celebrate the Jubilee Year of Mercy. It’s not easy trying to find information in Spanish and English that I can use to write reflections and questions that will be understandable to our people.

I managed to finish a few and to put a dent in a few more but this will probably take me a few more days.

About 5:00 PM I decided to put these aside and went upstairs to pray in my prayer room.

But I was soon awe-struck by the sky, the clouds, and the sunset.

As I looked east I noticed the light on the mango tree right next to the house. Last year there were no mangos but this year there are numerous flowers that I hope will provide fruit for me and many others here in Plan Grande.

This evening I’ll take it easy after a light supper.

Tomorrow, unless I get a call from Padre German I’ll probably spend it here working on the scholarship applications and the base community booklet. I also have to work on a meeting with youth group leaders on Sunday. But I long to get out to the communities.