Today was bittersweet. We had our despedida (farewell party) today at Casa Damien this afternoon. Where we said goodbye to those who have influenced us and changed our lives for the better. More about the end of our day later...
This morning, Sr. Annie, Abel and Danelo picked us up in the van to take us to Mass at the Cathedral in Guayaguil. Mass was supposed to start at 10:00 am. When we arrived, the collection was being taken up. Abel asked the usher when that next Mass would start, and he replied in about 15 minutes. So, we took that opportunity to go visit the iguana's in the park across the street!
There is a swarm/herd/pile of iguanas here trying to get to the lettuce that they are fed each morning. The younger ones are more brightly colored green, as they get older (and bigger) they turn more orange.
They are literally, everywhere. On the ground, in the trees, above your head, in fact, you have to watch that you don't get "dropped" on!
Following our iguana visit, we went back to the Cathedral for Mass. When we arrived, the priest was giving the homily! So clearing, our timing was off. We had waited outside for people to come out "of Mass", but that never happened.
We watched and participated as best we could from the back of the sanctuary. When it was time to receive Communion, Eva made a very interesting observation. About 80% of the people assembled, did not go up to receive Communion. She commented on how sad that was and wanted to know why. I asked Sr. Annie to confirm my thoughts, then explained. The Latin American Church, because of its colonial history, continues to make it difficult for people, placing restrictions on them. Subsequently, people don't feel worthy to receive Communion. It is very sad, and I think, contrary to what our Holy Father is trying to teach us during this Year of Mercy. All people should be welcomed to the table of the Lord to receive the graces and sanctification that Jesus provides in His Body and Blood.
The Cathedral featured beautiful shrines/artwork of saints native to Latin America, like this one of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patroness of the Americas.
Following Mass, the group (except Annie and I) took a walk up the 444 steps to the top of Guayaguil where the city was originally founded. The area is called Cerro Ana. Others will have to post their pictures of this.
We went back to Casa Damien for the last time today for lunch and our despedida. Lunch today was moros y lentajes (rice and lentils), plantanos fritos (fried plantains), pina (pineapple) and ensalada (salad).
Juan Carlos celebrated his birthday today, so we celebrated with him. He got a birthday hat, crackers and peach juice (as do all the patients who celebrate birthdays). We sang to him in both English and Spanish and took lots of photos (Annie said that he always complains that no one remembers his birthday, but they always do)!
Following this was the sad and inspiring part of the day. We celebrated our despedida (farewell party). All the residents gathered to say their farewells to us. Carlos spoke for the men and Estar for the women. They both expressed how honored they were to host us, to spend time with us and share. Our kids made Maria and I so proud. They had truly given more than they received, they learned, laughed and prayed with the residents. The women taught the entire group how to sew. They watched cartoons and telenovellas together. They played dominos with the men and worked hard to make the place better and cleaner. The residents each gave us a gift of a peace bird and some notes cards. You could see on their faces how impressed they are by these young people giving up their time to come visit them.
Following our despedida, we went for a walk on the Malecon. It's the water front along the Guayas River which spans for about 2 miles. There is a boardwalk, restaurants, activities for children and families galore, especially on a Sunday afternoon. We even happened to run into another group from the U.S. - they were from a community Church in Washington state, but there leader had grown up in Oakland!
At the end of the walk, Danelo drove us to the Mall del Sol - a large shopping mall to rival any in the states. There is a large food court there with gigantic TV's which were playing a local soccer tournament. Families had gathered to watch. The kids had their choice of food options - most choose those they were comfortable with such as KFC, Pizza Hut, Burger King or Chinese Food. Maria and I had our favorite from Naturissimo! Pan de yucca (the lighter colored "bread" which tastes like sour dough but is gluten free), tortilla (which is the yellower colored one made of corn with cheese inside), and yoghur (a drinkable yoghurt). Delicious!
Danelo, Sr. Annie and Abel dropped us off. We had to say our goodbyes to Abel tonight as he is not able to take us to the airport tomorrow morning. I will keep in touch with him and do my best to encourage him to continue to study hard. Hasta Luego Abel, until we return!
Duermes con los angelitos. Mañana vamos a Quito!
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