Open My Eyes, Lord

Hello!
  Sorry for the late night post, we were out at a confirmation and got back after 10:00. It started at 7:30!!  The Mass was a lot of fun, mostly because of the music and the choir. Did you know people applaud after the Gospel is read? I LOVE that! I think we should bring that tradition back to the US. We need more clapping in church, right?  The church in which the confirmation was held is the same where we'll be having our concert on Friday. It's a very nice space with good acoustics and lots of seating. It's very exciting to see this come together!


 Today was a long and busy day.  Kind of emotional, too. Ana, Pedro, Mareeza, and Racquel picked us up around 10:30 for what I thought was a tour of Remanso. I mean, it was, but it was a tour of the poorer area where most of our kids at the Creche and St. Joseph's Center live.  For most of this trip, I had been wondering where our kids come from and how needy they really are. That's not to say I didn't believe they had needs, but I wasn't sure what the starting point was for some of them. How much do they want for the basic things in life? Today, I got my answer: Dirt roads, houses made of clay and sticks, some made with bricks (but not many).  Kids from the Creche living with their 7 other family members in 2 room houses. It was very eye opening. Until today, I didn't know what kind of life these kids were living.  Some of our older teens from the St. Joesph Center have children of their own! Perhaps by choice, but not likely.  That's why Racquel's Creche and St. Joseph Center is so important to this community. She and her staff (Ana, Mareeza, the Creche teachers, Dorigna...) aim to break the cycle of poverty that these children come from. Perhaps their parents couldn't avoid this life, either, but the men and women we see working here on a daily basis try their best to give these kids something to look forward to. Something to show them there's more to their life than small houses and young families. They can be something better. They can get an education and become a new person with a different life.  


 I was stunned for most of the morning. I'm resting my voice anyway, so it was a good excuse to stay silent, but I just couldn't stop thinking about what I had seen.  I felt one hundred emotions at once: fear, sadness, hopelessness, anger.  I'll admit, I teared up a bit while we were out. If you know me well enough, you know I hate crying in public. I don't want people to get the wrong idea since I'm liable to cry for a million reasons, not just because I'm sad. However, these were sad, frustrated tears. Thank goodness for sunglasses. I am grateful to Sue for inviting me down here. She has the right idea: music can give these children something  to look foward to. It can give them a chance to feel good about themselves and change their own lives.  I believe this whole-heartedly, which is why I became a teacher in the first place.  I am glad she gave me the chance to give this experience to the kids in Remanso. 


 The rest of the day was lightened a bit with a  traipse through a Creche teacher's back yard 'orchard'.  Lots of yummy things to eat and a few strange fruits I have never heard of. We stopped at a restaurant near the shore of the San Francisco river to take in the view. The water was bluer than blue and the scenery was very pretty.  


I didn't get too much sleep last night, so we came back to the house after lunch and tried to nap. Unfortunately, I didn't. I rested, but never caught on to sleep.  I'm hoping a full day without a nap and a late night confimation will do the trick! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!    


Please keep the children of Remanso in your thoughts/prayers.  


Until tomorrow,


  Jamie

One type of house in this neighborhood. 

Neighborhood kids in our music program.
The girl's name is Amanda.