further reflections from yesterday...

At last night's meeting, I asked the group to share some of the highlights of the day with the group. What were the experiences that will stay with them? What are some things that touched their hearts? These are their responses: at Mass - the faces of the children, the way they were dressed and even though some were obviously very poor materially, they were not poor in spirit, they all were smiling and happy. The children's participation in mass, they brought up the gifts, without prompting or instruction from the teachers, the choir - the girl playing the drum. The shoe shine boys at Mass - that that is there work, they had their kits, hands and clothes were stained with polish, and they offered their shoe shine kits in the offertory procession. The hospitality of the people. At Center #2 following our tour, the teenagers stayed to play on the playground with some of the children. Mass was being celebrated at 4pm, their was a little boy whose job it was to walk around ringing a bell and usher people into Mass. The teens said that he kept trying to get them to go to Mass! Someone commented on the peacefulness and saint-like qualities of Padre Juan and Madre Miguel when we had met them at orientation. The conversations that are occurring despite the language barrier that exists. The experiences that we are having are just incredible and can't be described in words. One has to visit this place, this country and meet these people to understand what we are experiencing.