Futbol, Pageants, Bugs and communism (with a lowercase ´C´)

Hello Everyone! Long time no write...I sincerely apologize! I never imagined it would be this difficult to be consistent with blog posts. There is so much I want to share with you so I´m just going to jump in!

Casa Don Bosco
Work is going wonderfully and so much has happened! Back in September, we hosted the Mundialito, a huge soccer tournament with teams from different Salesian Projects across the country. It seems like the futbol cancha is the only place they can forget/leave behind all the tough stuff in their lives and be like any other kid playing soccer. It was awesome to watch some good futbol, cheer on our Guayaquil kids and watch their eyes light up bright. They used our homework room for a ¨locker room¨ for the teams so we had to clean up a bit on Monday and I learned a new cleaning method! The kids hauled buckets and buckets of water into the room and poured it on the floor. Jefferson and some other kids then ¨swept¨ with brooms to clean the floor before pushing the dirty, trash-filled water out the door. I picked out the trash, the water drained away and we did homework outside as we let the floor dry :)
I definitely now feel at home there even though I still feel like I have a LONG way to go. The kids, staff and leaders know me,  I know my way around and am re-learning more and more math, social studies and computer stuff. The Madrinas (cooks) have introduced me to the delicious and not so delicious Ecua-lunches. I have enjoyed fresh juices, yummy soup, tasty salads and occasionally even a bit of meat, which is like heave :) On the other side, I have also ben served ¨chicken foot¨ soup, cow liver and stomach. I couldn´t make myself eat the stomach (next time) but I am not a liver fan. I even got a countdown from my kids (in English) to try my first bite...but it was grainy and overall pretty gross. I have also glimpsed hearts and kidneys in the kitchen so I am awaiting the day that shows up on my plate!
I was given the privilege to stay with Henry, one of the shelter boys, overnight in the hospital as he was recovering from surgery. He was a lot of fun and full of spunk considering he just had an operation! But that is Henry for you :) We played Monopoly Ecuador (all the spaces were places in the country. Cool, huh?!), I read him a story in Spanish and he hijacked my pillow I brought :) He is a great kid and it is awesome to see what else the Project is doing.
We also have 2 new volunteers, Miriam and Francisca, from Austria. They are here until January and are great with the kids. I occasionally have to help translate, but they are taking Spanish classes in the mornings and can hold their own :) Great girls. We celebrated Jefferson´s birthday on the 17th. I baked banana bread for a ¨cake¨ and kids brought cola and candy and decorated the room. It was a surprise and so wonderful! We sang (in Spanish and English), said a few words (like a toast) in true Ecua-fashion, and danced/listened to music. It was so much fun!

In the last couple weeks, numbers have risen to 45-50 kids (from 25-30). It has been awesome and a bit overwhelming. So we´ve split into ¨teams¨ by age (5-8, 9-10, 11+). I am with the 11+ crew and things are giong well although I really miss my little ones! Jefferson annuonced a paseo (field trip) for November 18th and so the kids are earning points for that right now (attendance, discipline, doing homework, etc). Everyone who has 100 points gets to go! It is a fabulous motivation tool :)
I brought glow-in-the-dark skeleton earrings for Halloween from home and wore them last week and the kids LOVED them :) I seemed to always have a kid with his/her hands cupped by my ear and calling others over to look. We also had a really fun dance party (with the 11+) since they had exams that week and were done. Picture middle school dances with the circle and someone dancing in the middle. It was very entertaining and I was dragged into the middle multiple times. Best/craziest part? We were dancing to incredibly inappropriate songs...but they were in English so I was the only one who knew that! (ie Shaggy´s ¨Wasn´t Me¨) Yep. Haha. But is was great fun being goofy with them.
I am loving it more than ever, but there are definitely bumps along the way. I have had moments/days when I struggle with why I am there...when the leaders give up talking to me because they get frustrated so I´m left out of decisions or the kids go to one of the Ecua-ayudantes when I am sitting right there already walking them through it. It is easy to look back and know my presence is important and my help with English indispensible, but in those moments ¨At least I´m here¨ just doesn´t help. I´m also praying for help with the frustration I have been feeling with a particular boy. He is older and isn´t studying. I work with him on addition and it is 2 steps forward and 3 back...We leave one day and he is solving the problems on his own, correctly, then the next day he gets every single one wrong and needs me to walk him through the whole process, including counting. I am at a complete loss as to what to do...it is an essential skill, I don´t seem to be helping and getting frustrated at that doesn´t help. So I´m trucking through and praying God will bring some clarity!

Community - Mt. Sinaí
Community has been full of life. I have been meeting new people, deepening relationships with those I already know and giong to awesome events.
I´ve gotten closer with a family we affectionately call the ¨BibKids¨ as there are 5 children and they all have Biblical names. They live right down the street and have school in the afternoons so I can hang out in the mornings. I help with homework, sing along with songs, play with hair, learn other games and I even gave one of the boys a haircut! It looked pretty good if I do say so myself! Just the other weekend, they invited us over and we watched Transformers 3 together and had popcron :) We were all laying across a mattress with the kids climbing in, out and over us the whole time.
I´ve been learning to make bracelets over ¨girl talk¨ with Valyria and usually spend all of my Sunday afternoons at her house. I view Monica (Valyria´s mom) as our Ecua-mom :) We have a ton of fun with here kids and she is amazing. She is always giving us advice, teaching us new things to cook and welcoming us into her home. It is so comfortable to be there.
I am also in love with LuzMaria and her son, Ricardo. I go over whenever I can to help with his English homework but it is hard as he has school in the mornings. Nonetheless, I have had a great time with them. They are such sweet, warm people. I spent most of a Saturday with them, playing dice with Ricardo, looking at family photos, and playfully being made fun of for having 2 boyfriends in college. (They were joking with me that I had 2 at once Haha). It is juts gerat to be getting to the point where we can do that with one another. On top of being able to joke, we are also able to go deeper. I have sat with friends as they have cried, telling me their struggles, was guided through a beautiful prayer exercise at a birthday party, had a reading from Mass explained to me line by line followed by a discussion of how big our God is and had a neighbor join hands with her kids as I was about to leaveto pray over my health and insomnia. It is a beautiful depth of relationship that I am excited to continue and strengthen.
With making these connections, we receive fun invitations. During the Week of the Family, there was a 24 hour Vigil in the next sector over where the Virgen del Cisne (Swan Mary) was also visiting. It was unbelievable! There were hundreds of people, craft booths, food, music and rosary or mass going on every hour. We almost got hit by a runaway firework (a tree saved us) and attended a Mass led by the Bishop! Our priest, Father John, was also a part of the proceedings and we saw a lot of our parish there. We celebrated the Feast Day of Santa Teresa de Avila (one of our churches is named after her) with fun and games and the Sinai volunteers performed ¨In the Jungle¨ from The Lion King. Pretty sure the Ecuas thought we were crazy but it was fun! One of the committees from Katie´s work at Hogar de Cristo put on Reina del Octubre, a beauty pageant. It was awesome! There were dance performances, a portion called ¨Typical Dress¨ which were beautiful costumes, and lots of intermittent dance parties between judging categories! It was here that I learned the basic steps of salsa! :)
Beyond structured events, we also get invited to things like lunch that turn into ¨Best Days Ever¨ to quote my housemates. After surprising his mom with a cake and cola for her birthday, we were invited to a crab lunch the next week at a member of the church music group´s house. We spent the entire day there, just hanging out and chatting, looking at pictures, listening to music and then playing ¨penitencias¨. Basically, you pull a piece of paper out of a hat that has an embarrassing act on it that you must perform in front of the group. Naturally, we were a little nervouse. Most ended up giving kisses on the cheek or goofily dancing for like 20 seconds. One person got to dance with a broom and another kiss the dogs. Haha. It was fun. Had our crab ¨lunch¨ at about 4:30 and we each had a whole crab. It was just sitting there looking at me...reminded me of The Little Mermaid and Sebastian :) It was delicious and an adventure as we had none of the ¨tools¨ we usually use at home! This was followed by more dancing until we finally had to head home.
In case you couldn´t tell, dancing is pretty big here :) and I don´t mind at all. There is a Festival of Dance coming up soon that my housemate, Elisa/Mandi, is participating in! I am loving becoming a part of Mt. Sinai and am revelling in the connections I am making.

Community - RdC Volunteers
Shrinking community down a bit :) Just like my relationships with the Ecuadorians are developing and changing, so are the ones with my housemates and fellow vols in Duran. We are really growing and have experienced so much in the last couple months! My house has been ¨messing¨ with things as we went ¨communist¨ last month and combined all of our personal stipends in a community fund. Apparently we are the first to do this and we managed to survive! It is a huge exercise in trust and also a blessing to be able to support your housemates in another way (financially) if they need it. We have also had fun with creative meals/snacks ranging form strawberry french toast to pesto pizza, caramel corn to donuts. (We had dirt cups for Halloween and that was pretty awesome!) The last few weeks, we have been dating each other (making sure to spend an intentional hour or more with your ¨date¨ that week), played Telephone Pictionary the other night (shout out to my Thetas!) and have grown close through ¨de-licing¨ and haircuts, surprisingly unrelated. Everyone´s personalities continue to blossom and we share more as time goes on and it really shows in what we do and how we are interacting. Wooo, go Sinai! (Below are pictures from our Halloween themed Community Night!)



Jack-O-Lantern Drawing Contest



Pre-Donut Eating Contest (with no hands!) ...video should be posted soon!

Post...notice the powdered sugar all over our faces!! :)

Not to leave out the rest of the RdC community, who I love and miss, I really enjoy when we are able to get together. In the beginning of October, Sinai hosted a Praise and Spirituality Night (as we are blessed with musicians) that we all wanted and needed. We filled the evening with prayer and song, enjoying each others´ company in the presence of God. The RdC vols are just awesome people, I love any time I get to spend with them. I have cherished Thursday nights at AJS, hanging out with the girls before ASP meetings. I got to spend some time with Arbs this past week and loved it too. I hope we continue to get together and grow as a greater Rostro community as the year goes on.

Anything Else/Randomness
A little more about me personally...my physical health has been a struggle for me here. In case any of you haven´t heard, I got ¨bug-tested¨ back in September and had: Amoebas, e. Coli and Giardia. (Exciting, I know) Took my meds to clear them out, felt better for about a week and my stomach is back to being grumpy. So that is a continual thing I am trying to work around :P Some days are awesome, others not so much. I was really struggling with my insomnia for awhile but my community supported me through it all and my aids arrived from my perseverant parents. So I am, mas o menos, back on track :)
A funny story about prescriptions...I had to go to the Entrada to get one of my scripts as none of our pharmacies had it. I left early for work, brought a $20 to break (really hard to break big bills here) and $2 change for bus fare. I get there and my meds are $21.25. I did not have enough change to make it to work and back so I had to go home to get money (30 minute bus ride) to turn around an get to work (late). I look back and laugh but it was not funny at the time! :)
I am learning so much about myself and my faith - what I need, what I don´t, what is the core of me and what I was because I needed to be - and ways to address that. I have found that doing the big monthly shopping trips for the 3 houses has given me an outlet for needing to feel in control, on top of things and accomplished as it is rare to feel that way in any other aspect of life here :)

That´s it for now...post to come on the medical group that was here! Thank you so much for your letters and prayers!!! They mean so much and letters from home (and writing replies) gives me life and fills me with joys. Muchas Gracias! I´ll leave you with a few things:
⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³ Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.Do not be conceited. ¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”says the Lord. ²⁰ On the contrary:
   “If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
   if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
 ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
---Romans 12:9-21
Matt led a Spirituality Night with this verse and we pulled ¨The Heart¨ of our community from it :)

And a quote from the awesome Henri Nouwen, courtesy of Bernadette (Belén):
¨One of the most rewarding aspects of living in a strange land is the experience of being loved not for what we can do, but for who we are. When we become aware that our stuttering, failing, vulnerable selves are loved even when we hardly progress, we can let go of our compulsion to prove ourselves and be free to live with others in a fellowship of the weak.¨

What is Prayer?: A Reflection

Written September 9th

Obviously, as a faith-based program, a lot of our days and discussions revolve around spirituality, our walks and experiences in faith. Part of this is structured, like our daily evening prayer and spirituality nights, while some is more organic. As we have now been through a couple weeks with every housemate having led prayer in their own way and talking about when they feel closest to God, it has made me ponder the question: What is prayer? I know there are a million resources our there and I´m not sure there is actually an answer...at least not a ¨right¨ or ¨definite¨ one. So below you will find my reflection on the question, not my answer to it.

It is an interesting questions and an important one to figure out, at least for your own spirituality and discovering how it is going to fit into your life. I also believe that it is a very different question than ¨How do I pray?¨ and should be the first to be answered. Afterall, how can you figure out how to do something when you don´t know what it is?
I believe prayer is a time that you set aside and spend with God. I believe it can be a moment as you speak to Him, when He speaks to you, or even as you are both silent, simply enjoying each others´ presence. Notice ¨time you set aside¨. I do not mean that it is something separate from your day-to-day life, in fact I hope it becomes the opposite, so engrained in your thoughts and actions that prayer is always happening. (But that is a goal to strive for and not yet a reality for most of us.) I was instead suggesting an intentionality. In my experience, prayer most serves its purpose (which varies) when I am intentional and aware that I am bringing God into that time with me.

I know that may seem simple (and a ¨duh¨ moment for some of you) but I think the foundation is supposed to be. It is simple to say ¨build a house¨ and another thing entirely to do it. Deciding that you are building a house is, however, the essential first step as it would do you no good to gather materials and start hammering things together without first knowing what you are building. How one goes about building is up to the individual and varies in traditions, personal style/comfort and the purpose.
What prayer ¨looks like¨ can vary in as many ways as the type of house someone may build. One of our prayer nights this past week was a self-reflection and one thing we thought about was beliefs we have outgrown. I have outgrown the belief that to pray your eyes should be shut, hands clasped in silence. I still think that is an option, but it is definitely not the only way. Think about the ways you spend time with your friends...sometimes it is one-on-one, delving deep, other times it may be with others or sharing an activity you both enjoy. I personally love just being with my friends, even if our primary focus is not on one another. Writing letters (or emails :) ), shouting ´Hello´ as you pass, getting to know their friends...the list goes on. When you apply this to your relationship with God, you can really be praying at any time. Spend some time talking to Him - verbalizing, thinking, writing, singing - and/or listening to hear His voice in silence, in His word, in worship. Do things you both enjoy (acts of service, loving others, being in fellowship, reading the Bible, reflecting on your day, using the gifts He blessed you with, etc) and just remember to include Him in it! You would be amazed how much He talks to you when you invite Him into your days.

With these things, I considered whether prayer was always an active process or if it could be passive as well. Reflecting on my experience (with God and with friends, to keep the metaphor going), it is totally possible to be passive in your prayer life, always letting God come to you. But I found that being active is more effective and beneficial. Do not mistake ¨active¨ for activity or doing though. I am simply suggesting you participate.

I hope this was mildly interesting, helpful or even a good reminder for those reading. I certainly hope it can be somewhat applicable in your life. No matter what this post meant or didn´t mean to you, keep praying! (Whatever that looks like to you :) )

I would welcome comments on how you view prayer and maybe ways you go about incorporating it into your life. Maybe I can use it for a prayer night here in Ecuador!

Quick Clarification!!!!

Apparently I need to put this out there for many to read, for the first time or as a reminder...

International Postage is 98 cents

(3 stamps or go to the post office!)

Also, here is my address-

Madison Skogsberg o Megan Radek
Rostro de Cristo
Casilla 09-01-1024
Guayaquil, Ecuador, South America

Hope that clears up any confusion!! :)

Poco a Poco

I´m having a hard time knowing what exactly to write on here, so please bear with me! (And if you have a request/idea of what people would like, let me know!)

We´ve officially been in-country a month and on our own for over half of that. I think everyone is really starting to get the hang of our schedules and getting an idea of how our Ecua-lives are going to be :) A few general observations:
--Thank the Lord I am a deep sleeper. Nights are filled with confused roosters, guard whistles, water truck horns and dogs barking with blaring music from our neighbors starting around 6am.
--A new cuisine. Fresh fruits and veggies abound with freshly baked bread from panaderias. Rice and lentils are staples with eggs occasionally. We buy our food daily and typically spend 5-7 dollars for the six of us.
--Watch the road! Driving on the same side is about where the similarities seem to end. There often are not marked lanes, buses drive like compact cars and it isn´t irregular to make a left turn from the right lane or visa versa. Basically, driving is always an adventure!

A little more specific:
Community life is under way and I am loving it! We cook dinners in pairs, which has been a fun learning experience. We´ve had everything from the typical rice and beans to pesto veggie pizza bread, all made from scratch :) Our dinner conversations range from the pillars of Rostro to our days, serious to crying from laughter. Our house is full of characters! We have daily prayer (a reflection on that to come) and awesome Community and Spirituality nights. We´ve played UNO, written bucket lists, reflected on where our walks with God have been and where He was with us that day. We have house jobs (I´m the CFO, wahoo! Haha) and a chore wheel to keep the house livable :) We are all starting to learn how each other works and realizing we still have a lot more to figure out! As long as we stay centered on Christ, we´ll get there poco a poco. After one of our conversations on community, my devotional included this verse, which I think provides a good perspective:
"Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others." Philippians 2:1-4

Casa Don Bosco, the focus of half my days and even more of my heart <3 I take a 45 minute to 1 hour bus ride to Parque California and the Via Daule, a major highway, then hike my way up a really fun hill. (Please note the sarcasm here. Haha) Sometimes I am lucky though and get to walk with some of my kids. Atop this hill lies Casa Don Bosco, the central location of the Salesian Project whose goal/mission is to keep children off the streets (living or working). It is a multi-faceted program that includes shelters, schools, vocational training, refuerzo (reinforcement) and more. I am working at the Refuerzo Escolar. This is part of the prevention aspect of the program and a majority of these kids still live at home but come from rough backgrounds, are behind in school and/or their moms attend the vocation workshops (cosmetology, first aid, sewing, etc). We feed them lunch - a soup, plate of rice and some side with juice - then work on deberes (homework) - assigning work when they do not have any - and finally recreo, a safe space and time for them to play and just be kids before we send them home with a small snack.



Our ¨Homework Room¨

The Cancha :)

It has been quite the ride, learning how the flow works (that sometimes there isn´t one), trying to explain long division in a way I didn´t learn it (they do it differently here) and in a language I don´t have a handle on yet. Luckily, the kids are very forgiving and there is just a lot of laughter and them teaching me :) They have no problem offering word suggestions or correcting me when I´m wrong. So I am trying not to stress about it, focus on just being there and being a loving presence. This is a pretty easy task most of the time as they are really wonderful kids. They range from 4 to 15 years old...I just want to take the little ones home with me and the older ones are my saviors! They basically run the program (under Jefferson, my 21 year old boss) and take over when I am completely lost :) They are also the first to laugh at me, but it is friendly and I laugh along. Once I get a hang of the language, I know I´ll be giving them a hard time right back! I am truly enjoying every day and learning all the while. Like which kids need you to sit with them through the entire assignment, what fighting is real and needs broken up and what will dissipate in 30 seconds, not to sing under your breath or you will end up singing The Star Spangled Banner 3 times for the whole room, and that all of them, even the ´tough guys´, just want you to love them. Poco a poco, I will figure it out.

Showin´ some attitude...with my shades. Haha

Spanish is getting easier. I am typically able to get the "gist" of conversations, pulling out words and phrases I know and piecing things together. My vocab/recall definitely needs some work and it is coming through interactions and occasionally study at home. I´m usually able to get my point across, even if it is really rough. Next step: verb tenses! Little by little (poco a poco), I am learning.

Thank you to everyone who is reading, for your patience, your interest and your willingness to put up with me! I am in the Honeymoon Phase and enjoying it while it lasts!!!

Please feel free to send letters, it is often the highlight of my week. They don´t have to be long or fancy, I just want to hear about your life too...and I promise I´ll write back <3

Your prayers have been much appreciated! It warms our hearts and calms our minds to know people at home have us in their prayers. If I could, I´d like to request prayers for strength and stamina through our exhausting days and good health as our bodies adjust! (Half of my house is already sick, including me!)

You are all in my prayers as well! I am thinking of you Yotes as you start the new year, go C of I! Shout out to the SALTines: you guys are seriously going to blow this year out of the water. I am so excited to hear how God uses each and every one of you on our campus <3

The title of this entry is truly how I am trying to live out this year, reminding myself that little by little my Spanish will improve, I´ll get used to the heat, I´ll make lasting friendships, cooking will become more natural, I´ll grow closer to God, time will go on.

Poco a poco, I am living. Love and miss you all!

Marisol

Remember that one time I went to live in Ecuador for a year?

So much to cover! About a month to be exact...here we go! :)

Arrived in Ecuador safe and sound. Despite having to run to to grab our connection in Miami, we made it! Our luggage on the other hand, did not. Luckily we have an awesome crew and everyone was really great about living out of our carry-ons for a bit :)

We were welcomed by the fabulous ´10-´11 volunteers and Megan, our In-Country Director. We took a silent van ride from the airport, just taking in our surroundings and the country we´ll be living in for the next yera. Driving through Guayaquil, a large, bustling, metropolitan city, held many similarities to home and yet was distinctly different. I couldn´t tell you how, it is just something you have to experience to know.
Starting our 2-week in-country orientation, we headed to our respective homes. Monte Sinai, the area I will be living in, is a more rural-feeling invasion community outside of Guayaquil and the newest Rostro site. Unlike Guayaquil, it bears little resemblance to the United States. We have gorgeous sunsets, hills/mountains and one main newly paved road amongst and around mostly cane houses with interspersed concrete homes. Born and raised in Idaho, I am loving feeling like I don´t live in a city.



Our puppies! Wookie and Clubber

Our orientation included getting introduced to neighbors, visiting potential worksites, learning the ´Ecua´ ways and picking the old volunteers´brains for practical ways to apply everything we learned in Boston. It was an encouraging time and a true blessing to witness the relationship and presence that were developed here in the last year as the old volunteers greeted neighbors, led music in mass and everyone knew their names. It fostered a hope and excitement for what this year will come to be for me and my communitymates. I am looking forward to learning everyone´s stories, getting cooking lessons, playing with and loving on the kids and just truly becoming a part of this neighborhood.

*Quick shout-out to Mt. Sinai - Aaron, Becky, Jeff, Jenn and Marita - for making our transition such a warm, loving and easy one. We were all completely aware you were in your own transition and you welcomed us into your lives and home with open arms. Thank you! I was hard to say goodbye...you guys are awesome :) I am so thankful we are here to create our own year and not replace you because it would be impossible. Miss you already!*

Another blessing in Mt. Sinai is the thriving parish, Bautismo de Jesús. There are 3 churches: Corpus Cristi, Santa Teresa and San Felipe. Between youth groups, music ministry, rosary, catechism and more, there are so many fun and life-giving ways to get involved. All 3 churches have a bit of their own identity but are connected through the parish. There is an Irish priest, Father John, who actually just returned from a trip home! I am looking forward to getting to know him and learning his visions for Mt. Sinaí. Being a non-Catholic, I am encountering a lot of new things in my structured faith experiences and I am excited to see what God does with that!  I had just gotten the hang of Mass when we left Boston and now I´m trying to catch on in Spanish :)

So while Arbolito and AJS (the other two Rostro houses) have a lot of crossover between worksites due to proximity, Mt. Sinaí has our own set. There is a wonderful organization, Hogar de Cristo, which has 3 different positions for RdC vols: one in Pastoral Ministry (establishing women´s groups in the area), Proyecto Mision (community organizing) and Salud (healthcare). Additionally, a teaching postition at San Felipe - an elementary school a few blocks from our house - and two placements with the Salesians in afterschool prorgrams at Bastion Popular and Casa Don Bosco. Touring them, meeting with potential co-workers and getting a feel of the programs, I had a problem: I liked so many of them! From the atmosphere to the missions to the people, I felt like I couldn´t go wrong!! Some would say that is good, but we have a discernment process were we decided, as a community, where everyone will be for the year and I felt I wasn´t going to be able to contribute. I spent a lot of time in prayer and talking things through iwht the old volunteers who had so much wisdom to impart! I was torn between finding the right balance of following my heart and passion, getting a challenge and God´s plan for the year. After much tribulation, we all figured it our and - this may be a surprise to those who know me well - I am not working in a medical placement. (Insert shock here! Haha) I have felt God pressing on my heart since I was accepted to Rostro that this year was going to hold something big and different for me and what better way to do that than pull me out of the thing that has governed my life and especially my last four years? I could not deny the joy I felt in my heart (and huge smile on my face) when I was surrounded by the kids at Casa Don Bosco, so that´s where I´m working! (More on the awesome-ness this entails in my next post). My community fit so wonderfully in the other positions: Mandi teaching at San Felipe, Bernadette in Pastoral, Katie in Proyecto Mision, Patrick in Salud and Matt at Bastion working in a similar program to mine.

Orientation wrapped up with us visiting Las Playas (the beach!) to the old vols a chance to say goodbyes and then cleaning each others´ houses so that the first time we came home it would be clean and beautiful and we could focus on settling in. It is a very cool process to be dirty and tired, feeling gross, cleaning a house that isn´t yours but knowing someone is doing the same thing for you. Some photos at the end of our awesome house!


The short walk to the beach!



It is starting to feel like home as we get in the swing of things. Keep us in your prayers, you are all in ours!

Just a little something to share that was really reassuring to me as I thought about my purpose here, trying to be the Face of Christ to others and to see His Face in them, and how daunting it is, especially with the language barrier:
¨When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn´t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God´s secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness – timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit.¨ - Paul (1 Corinthians 2:1-4, NLT)

Fe, Esperanza y Amor <3
Marisol

Oh! P.S. I am going by Marisol here. It is a lot easier for the Ecuadorians to understand and pretty much sounds just like Madison spoken with a Spanish accent anyway! (Mahr-ee-sole vs. Mahd-ee-sohn) I even have some people who call me Mari like Maddie :)

´Togetherness Room´

Dining/Kitchen area

Our AWESOME Library :)



My room...yes those are Sesame Street sheets that I am using for a curtain :D



My closet...with my suitcases as drawers. Haha

 

Last Post from the Good Ole US of A

Howdy everyone!

So I just spent the last 2.5 days in silence so, if you can, picture me writing this blog but speaking it out loud. Because that's what I'm doing. Haha.

Well the past week has been so awesome and crazy as we busily prepare, squeezing in whatever we can before we head off tomorrow (eek!). We covered some more logistical things and self-care, and even had an entire day devoted to teaching. This is totally understandable as most of the JVs will be in teaching positions and a lot of RdC will be as well. And if you aren't in an actual classroom, you'll be trying to manage 50-100 kids in an afterschool program :) So the day was well spent. I'm starting to wonder if God is calling me to teach in Ecuador...we'll see where this goes.

So us leaving is getting more and more real by the day and I'm getting excited to really see what our community will be like. We got a little taste when we met to go over "real life situations" that could be addressed by Our Way of Life and seeing how everyone viewed the realities of our pillars (Spirituality, Community, Hospitality, Simplicity and Service). It was a good look into how we interact and discuss things. I'm happy to say things went really well and we're all pretty close to being on the same page! Definitely relieved because if we weren't in a good place -in the States, well rested, in A/C and with fake scenarios- it could be scary to think how it would go in-country. But luckily we passed with flying colors! Haha.

I've been really starting to miss home and everyone in the 208. Shout out! Love you all. Don't forget to update me on your lives as I'm trying to do the same for you with mine!

Oh, so my days of Silence. We ended Orientation with a Silent Retreat at a retreat center in Holliston, MA. It wsa rather luxurious, rooms all to ourselves including a bathroom, 2 twin beds, a desk AND a balconey! We were encouraged to use the time to rest, read, journal, reflect, process, whatever we needed. I will admit that I was dreading it but it ended up being really great. (Although meal times, with everyone together - remember the characters I showed you before - were kinda difficult and filled wtih laughter). I enjoyed my time to sleep, talk with God and just try to let my body and mind absorb the last 2 weeks. We also had Spiritual Directors, which I had never experienced before. I think it was a nice benefit and it gave me things to think about :)

But now we are back at Boston College, finishing up our last day. They are having a few last sessions and a Commissioning Mass for us. Then all that is left is to pack and hang out for one more night. I doubt I'll be sleeping much...I am excited to finally start this journey, but sad about the people and relationships I'll be leaving behind. I am really hoping we'll all write one another.

So I have no idea of my flight plan for tomorrow...just that it will be Boston-Miami-Guayaquil. Tomorrow I will be in Ecuador. Wish me luck and pray for strength! Also keep the JVs headed to Belize and Micronesia in your prayers, they leave tomorrow as well.

Paz y Amor.

Orientation!!

Hello All! I am currently sitting on in the O'Neill Library at Boston College, just over halfway through with orientation. There is absolutely no way that I can convey everything I am feeling and tell you all that I have experienced in the last week but I will try to hit the important parts :)

Starting with leaving home...I successfully packed (no overweight bags!) and made it onto my flight. I've been told that may have been one of the harder things I'll have to do. I cried. (That's right, all of you who know me well, there were tears.) I cried with the hugs (not goodbye, I'll see you later), gathered myself and got through security, cried sitting at my gate and then again on the plane. And on the 2nd plane. These were not 'bawling' sessions, but tears flowed freely, silently, down my cheeks. It's hard to face the reality of leaving your family (shout-out here to Kaitlin who also came to see me off! TL). And it still hasn't completely hit me yet (scary thought. what the heck is that going to be like?!)

Then the whirlwind of orientation started. Rostro and the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) pair up for this so I had about 40 new wonderful people to get to know, share fears and excitement with, and now am growing to love. 15 of those are my fellow Rostro vols. We have all hit if off from the beginning. I mean, these programs attract similar people in the fact that we want to do some good in the world, have a faith (of some sort) and have felt called to international work yet we are also all so different. I have loved getting to explore the depths of these similarities and differences through sessions, free time and meals. It is relatively upsetting that I will be saying goodbye to all the JVs in less than a week...we have grown so close. :P

As exciting as this time has been, it has also been exhausting and draining. We are at breakfast by 7:45, which we eat in silence, spend the day in sessions about topics ranging from Spirituality to Safety to Physical Health (try to eat lunch after that! haha) to Cross-Cultural Interaction and Transition and the list goes on. These are deep, long and thorough conversations/lectures, a lot of which involve extensive self-reflection. Today we spoke about relationships in-country (romantic and/or platonic) and how that affects your experience and your community. A fellow volunteer, Mandi, put it so well...it's like we're playing Chubby Bunny: we are so full, and really can't handle anymore and yet we keep shoving more and more in. It's amazing and just as important as the first thing we covered, but we are so full right now. The day goes until 9:30-10ish and then we all of course want to hang out!

So I have really enjoyed getting to know my community-mates that I'll be headed to Ecuador with and speaking with Rostro alum about their experiences. You can see the crew below:

Back Row: Liz, Billy, Lindsey, Katie, Emily, Me, Patrick and Megan (our In-Country Director)

Middle Row: Matt - Front Row: Brittany, Ali, Julia, Alli, Molly, Chris, Mandi, Bernadette

And as if you couldn't tell with the program we all signed up with and Matt plopping himself in the middle of the picture, we are characters. See below for a little proof:

An important and exciting note, on Saturday I found out where I will be living and with whom! Monte Sinai is the newest Rostro community and I will be living there with Patrick, Bernadette, Matt, Mandi and Katie! So excited!! It's nice to know a little bit more about what to expect when we head down.

So that's where I'm at. Ready to see what the rest of orientation brings. We are already getting a little anxious and just ready to 'jump on a plane already' but I'm trying to enjoy my time here. It hit me that I don't know much about what's going on at home when I jumped on fb so I could post this update and saw that my great-uncle had passed away, and a couple from school got engaged, among other things. So feel free to write a letter or shoot me an email to fill me on your lives and what is happening around the world!

I hope everyone is doing well. Please keep the RdC and JVC volunteers - both here at orientation and around the world - in your prayers! This is a crazy transition time for all of us.

Logistics!

A re-post of a note from Facebook, just so I don't leave anyone out! :)

So I leave in 48 hours for a year-long mission trip in Ecuador with an amazing program, Rostro de Cristo. (To learn more, visit their site! www.rostrodecristo.org) My cellphone service will be shut off for the year and I will have intermittent internet access. Because I will not be online often, I will not be checking facebook (it would be overwhelming!) so please use one of the following avenues of communication :)
 
Snail Mail*:
Madison Skogsberg o Megan Radek
Rostro de Cristo
Casilla 09-01-1024
Guayaquil, Ecuador

*From my handbook: The Ecuadorian postal service is generally reliable. Letters from the US take a week or so to arrive and soft-padded envelopes take a bit longer. Due to heightened restrictions and hefty fees, we ask that no boxes be sent to volunteers; please use padded envelopes. Mail must weigh less than 2kg (about 4lbs) or volunteers will have to pay customs fees.** RdC has a post office box in Guayaquil, and mail is picked up once a week.
VERY IMPORTANT: Send everything through the US Postal Service. FedEx, DHL and UPS will not deliver to Guayaquil or the RdC post office box. **I will now be charged for ANYTHING that is not a letter or card. I will have to pay for this out of my small stipend. This is not a big deal unless I receive like 4 packages in a month. So if you would like to send a package, PLEASE coordinate with my parents. If you would like their email or phone number, please ask! :)
 
Email Address: madison.skogsberg@yotes.collegeofidaho.edu

Blog: http://madisonsyearinecuador.blogspot.com/  (obviously. haha)

I would really love to hear from you throughout the year and will do my best to keep everyone posted on how things are down on the Equator!

The First Post...in two pieces.

Well...if the beginning of this blog is any indication of how it is going to go, I apologize! Below you will find the first half of my first post, started over 3 weeks ago...then I'll finish the thought where I am now, about to jump on a plane to orientation!!!

(First Half)
So I had my first dream about Ecuador, and subsequently felt like this would be an appropriate time to make my first blog post!!

So, first of all, the purpose of this blog is to help chronicle my experience working as a year-long volunteer with Rostro de Cristo (Face of Christ) in Duran, Ecuador this coming year and share it with family and friends back home. My departure for orientation is a short 3.5 weeks away (July 17th)! (insert excited/nervous sound here lol)

I want to preface this blog and year with a disclaimer: if you are looking for a happy-go-lucky, everything is just peachy depiction of the next year of my life, don't expect to find it here (request a personal email and I'll see what I can do). I am committed to making this as real as possible. So when things are amazing and wonderful, I'll let you know. But if I'm struggling with homesickness or the fact that I can't communicate at my placement well, or the poverty is overwhelming, I'm not going to hide that.
Along with that disclaimer is one about regularity and consistency. I will do my absolute best to update this site often but once I am in Ecuador, my internet access will be variable.

To bring everyone up to speed and explain the title of this blog:
After speaking with lots of physicians, thinking and praying for a long time about what I would do after graduation, I was led to year-long volunteer programs. With the intention of applying to medical school during the next year, I primarily researched domestic (state-side) programs. However, God had a different plan than I did (imagine that!) and continued to put RdC in front of me. I argued...repeatedly reminding Him that A) Ecuador is a LONG way from home and B) I was on a track & med school interviews couldn't take place while I was in Ecuador, so that obviously wasn't where He wanted me. Yet, He wouldn't freaken let it go! So I finally begrudgingly applied, and through the application process I grew to love what RdC is all about about and wanted to know more about Duran and the Ecuadorian people. At this point, I was so sold that I told God if He didn't want me there, He couldn't let me get a spot ;) Thankfully, after interviews I was offered a spot in their program!

2nd half...From today...at 5am, the day of my flight
So here I sit on my bedroom floor, piles and boxes around me, no sheets on my bed and very bare walls surrounding me and I am unable to come up with a feeling. Anxious? Excited? Nervous? Content? ...or none/all of the above? I couldn't tell you. I know that I'm not remotely tired and my stomach and throat feel a little funny...and there it is. Fear. Of being unprepared, leaving my friends and family, leaping into this journey that I never pictured myself on.
So that's why I chose to title the blog "Leap of Faith". I believe it was, is and will be incredibly applicable to how I got here and this experience, this blessing of a year of service in Ecuador.

I ask for prayers for myself and the other 2011-2012 RdC volunteers as we leave our homes and head to Boston for orientation and also for the current volunteers in Ecuador as they are saying their own goodbyes in preparation for their return to the states. Hopefully I'll have an update for you again soon!

Paz y Amor,
Madison