Well, it has been over two months since we arrived in Picota, Peru - we can hardly believe it ourselves! This is our first blog entry since arrival. We have had some difficulty with internet access - but bear with us! We will be moving into a house with a decent internet connection soon, and should be able to keep up with our blog a lot better. But for now, let me back up a bit and catch everybody up...
When we loaded our family into the plane on November 4, I didn't quite know what to expect. I was surprised to find myself quite nervous about our newest mission adventure, yet the Lord kept telling me to just TRUST.
Upon our arrival in the city of Tarapoto the next day, we were greeted by Fr. Francisco Granados, a missionary priest from Cordoba, Spain who also serves in Picota. Father made us feel instantly welcome, and became a fast friend. He helped us load our bags into his pickup truck, and we started our trek down the windy road that runs through the jungle along the Huallaga river, all the way to the little town of Picota. In the dark of the night, with no street lamps or artificial light, I simply sat back and enjoyed the beauty of the jungle flora, silhouetted dark against the starlit sky. The moon's reflection on the river was beautiful, and I couldn't help but feel that God was wooing my soul, once again - blessing me for following Him blindly to a strange, new place.
We arrived at the Casa Pastoral, where a missionary congregation of Compassionist sisters live and serve the community. We got out of the truck and proceeded to kiss the ground of our new mission site, following the tradition of Pope John Paul II. The sisters, who hail from Spain, Cameroon (Africa), and Peru, led us through their beautiful garden, past lush fruit trees, and under arbors of grapes. Father and the sisters had prepared us a little temporary home amidst the rooms used for retreats and other events. Father had thought of every detail - and had stocked a small fridge and shelves with everything we would need to get started. He had even bought us some pots, pans, and cooking utensils. The sisters had made up some beds, brought over some of their own dishes and flatware to use, and had prepared a vase of fresh tropical flowers from their beautiful garden. Our hearts full, and our bodies completely drained, we thanked our new friends and quickly headed to bed, excited to see our new home in the light of the next day.
The sun rises early here, and so do the people (they must do so to get a jump on the intense heat of the day!). We were still tired and groggy, but were brightened by the colors and the bounty of the garden just outside our screen windows! I think Eden may have looked something like that garden. We explored a little, and I soon fell in love with a small palm hut that serves as a Eucharistic chapel - right in the middle of the garden! What a place we had been brought to!
The Lord continued to exceed my expectations (why am I surprised?). The first time I walked into the parish church, I became certain that God truly was wooing me! For, posted on large signs hanging above the altar were two of my favorite quotes from St. Therese of Lisieux (for my sisters from Little Flowers household, the quotes were, "In the heart of the Church, I will be love," and "To draw close to Jesus, it is necessary to become very little."). Anyone who knows me will be able to understand what a huge confirmation that was for me that I was right where I was supposed to be - and that I was safe in the center of God's will. On top of all that, the name of the parish is "Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro," which means "Our Lady of Perpetual Help." That just so happens to be the name of the parish where my sister works full time as a youth minister and director of confirmation (and the parish of some of our friends and supporters). Leaving family behind in the states is never easy, and this little "coincidence" (or shall I say, this "God-incidence") made me feel as though my sister and I were linked in our work somehow.
We spent the next several days getting to know the town. We took walks around the plaza to meet people and introduce ourselves, we showed up at church events to make ourselves known and get a feel for the parish, and we went with the sisters to the market to learn a bit about the food of the area. We all agreed that the Peruvians here are an especially warm and affectionate people. Our kids especially enjoyed our occasional visits to Father's house, for he has a number of pets, including a tiny (and very naughty) monkey that he had been given at one of the jungle communities where he ministers.
Since our early days in Picota, we have had lots of wonderful experiences.
• Father took us to a breathtaking jungle waterfall for swimming and a picnic.
• Kevin joined many of the parishioners in a 2-day pilgrimage to Moyobamba for the consecration of the new cathedral there.
• I was able to help with a youth conference that included about 250 youth, some from Picota and many from remote jungle communities. I gave a chastity talk and a testimony, and also planned and led a candle-rosary, incorporating scenes from "Jesus of Nazareth" and "The Nativity" to help with the meditations. For some of the kids who came from remote villages, it was their first-ever multi-media experience! I pray that those inspiring scenes will stand out in their memories for years to come.
• Kevin and I spent two days teaching catechesis and pedagogy during a special seminar/retreat for the lay ministers from the jungle communities. The theme of the seminar was Sacrament Preparation. Father Francisco asked us to teach them about preparing couples in their communities for the Sacrament of Matrimony, especially helping them to see their newly-founded families as true "Domestic Churches," centered on prayer and the pursuit of sound spiritual formation for the whole family.
• The other missionary priest from Cordoba, Father Juan Ropero, returned from a visit to his home in Spain and has also been a blessing to us. Both of the priests here are friends of our other Cordobesan friend, Father Antonio Gama.
• We were blessed by the bishop at a special Mass that he celebrated here in Picota, and he presented us with missionary crucifixes for Mom and Dad, and medals of Our Lady of Perpetual Help for the kiddos!
• Maria joined a class of girls from the parish who were preparing a special Christmas dance to honor the newborn King. The little girls danced it before the life-size nativity scene set up in the plaza late Christmas Eve night during a celebration hosted by the parish.
• We have taught multiple preparation classes for the sacraments of Baptism and Matrimony here in town. It is such a gift to help couples get excited about starting and raising a family in the Faith!
• We have just begun to meet some of the home-bound people of Picota, and have started to make regular visits to bring Christ to His beloved poor. Doña Emilia loves singing visitors, and so our kids visited with Daddy this week, chirping away to her heart's delight!
Padres Francisco and Juan, as well as the sisters, will be away in Lima to catch up on some much needed rest until mid-February (you see, this is summer vacation for the southern hemisphere). When they return, we will join them in a meeting about all the ministry for the year to come. The Fathers have some ideas about what they would like to add to our ministry repertoire, and so do we!
Among other things:
• we will be starting up a marriage prayer/study group to meet weekly,
• Kevin and I will tutor in an extra-curricular study-hall program the parish has begun to help children with their homework (since many parents are not educated),
• we'll be helping the priests with the start-up of a newly constructed "soup-kitchen" for the poorest of the children in town,
• and we will take our kids to play and assist at the parish's special needs school.
Please continue to keep our family in prayer - and know that you are also in ours! We hope to blog again soon within a week or two - hopefully from our new house! God bless you! Remember that we are all called to be His missionaries - wherever we are planted!
Prayers,
Andrea Brown
P.S. If anyone would like to help us get our hands on some good Natural Family Planning materials in Spanish - we would be very grateful! We need books to teach, and books to hand out (workbooks, perhaps?). The audience here would balk at anything too thick or complicated - so simple, but sound is the key. I think we will need to look for thermometers down here, since they measure in degrees celsius… but let me know if such things are available in the U.S.A. because whatever we find down here will be expensive and not made for NFP. Please comment below or email me at mrsandreabrown@gmail.com if you can help.
