Hope all's well with you. I'm down for my monthly few days visit from the hills to the coast (Frias to Chulucanas) so taking the opportunity to send a little letter with a few recent pics.

 

May has been a very colourful month so far. We began with the blessing of images of Mary which are then taken from house to house (family to family) every evening for the month and the rosary prayed. This is a practice in the whole diocese - so if every family has it's "slot" that's 85,000 rosaries... 425,000 decades!!

 

 Dios te salve Maria, llena eres de gracia, el Senor es contigo ...

 

I then went, with our 3 lovely parish Sisters (Helen, Palepa, Saani) up to Lagunas - an 8 hour drive to the other side of the parish - where we spent a week leading courses for parish groups and finishing with a 2 day paediatric "campana medica" with volunteer medics from the USA. The courses went well and, as always, the faith and commitment of the people is very moving and powerful. One man on the Sunday morning had left his home at 3 am walking to be in time for the Mass at 9 am - and then (of course) walked home! There's such enthusiasm and a hunger to learn and pass on to others the faith. This year the theme in the diocese of all our pastoral work / meetings / visits is  to deepen understanding of what it means to belong to"la Iglesia" (the Church). A big topic but with a whole year to work with!

 

 always LOTS of singing ... and group work

 

Then the docs arrived  with suitcases of medicines and equipment - 5 of them (3 docs and 2 nurses). They were a wonderful group and it was a pleasure and privilege to work with them for 2 days, helping with the translation. It was the first visit EVER of a "campana medica" to Lagunas which is a fairly remote and very poor part of the parish. The 3 medics saw 300 children in a day and a half. Amazing! Every child was treated with great kindness and given a good examination. I became so confident after a day of translating for Dr Brian Costello that I offered to give him the morning off - "don;t worry I can take over from here!". Fortunately, for the children's sake, he declined my kind offer.

 

 the REAL doctor...

 you can trust me I'm a doctor (well sort of...)

  ... the return of the real Dr Costello!!

 

What a great blessing for the people to have these medical campaigns - 3 times a year in the diocese. A lot of the money that was donated when I was in the UK recently - and pledged in the coming months - is used directly to finance these health projects. Money very well spent!

 

Then back to Frias and the celebration last Sunday of the Dia de la Madre  (Mother's Day). They really go for it here in Peru - not just a box of chocs or bunch of flowers but a full blown FIESTA with the National Anthem solemnly sung in the Plaza, followed by Mass and then spilling back into the Plaza for communal lunch provided for ALL mothers by the mayor, music and free drink (for the women only!), gifts from the mayor for every mother etc etc. As the day progresses the Plaza is filled with a throng of dancing mothers ... and the few menfolk who feel confident enough to stay with them!! Happy Dia de la Madre  to all mothers.

 

 the National Anthem... then to Mass

 then back to the square ... and dancing through the afternoon

 

To my pleasant surprise I turned round at one point to find a young Norwegian lady, Tone, standing next to me - a very RARE experience in Frias! She's a doctoral student studying the effects of the "El Nino" storms (1983 & !997) on the vegetation in the area. Like most non-English young people she spoke perfect English. She told me she thought I was a "local" due to the hat. Somehow, even with the sombrero, I don't think i could quite pass as a local ... your vote?! 

 

 Norway meets England ....................... in Frias

 

Well amigos that's some recent news. Always enjoy hearing yours too when i come down and connect up the computer. Will be out visiting our rural communities in the campo for the next few weeks - and on and off for the next 8 months. Will be in touch again in a month or so. Until then take care and Dios les Bendiga.

 

con afecto,

 

 

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