29 noviembre 2009
Mis queridos,
Happy belated Thanksgiving, and advent blessings to you all from Honduras! November has come and gone in the blink of an eye. The storms of rainy season have cooled things off and slowed things down around here, making cold showers even colder, increasing volunteer consumption of tea/coffee/hot chocolate astronomically, and “forcing” us to spend many nights huddled together in our living room, laughing and talking and enjoying being together. Today, however, I’m writing to you from sunny skies, and the ocean waves, blue as ever, rhythmically crash against the shore just yards outside our front door. It feels a little bit different than advent did last year, certainly, but the Christmas music that’s been playing in the sala since after Thanksgiving dinner and the presence of some truly incredible, prayerful, spirited people around me remind me that Christ is indeed coming soon, and that God continues to live and move and laugh and breathe as the Spirit shoots through all sorts of people all over the world.
So – there’s lots to tell since I’ve last written! Although our school year doesn’t officially begin until February, I now feel legitimate calling myself “Profa,” as we’ve started with both “Escuelita” (Honduran summer school for kids who didn’t pass a subject or are otherwise struggling academically) and “Escuela Invierno” (Finca summer camp for our smallest little rompers, ages 12 and under.) Teaching (slash, chaos-controlling) for these two programs has certainly thrown fistfuls of both challenges and blessings in my direction, usually in equal amounts. I’ve encountered behavior problems of all shapes and sizes, struggled with the best ways to teach math with decimals (in Spanish), inflicted plenty of consequences on the little ones, and gone home plenty of days feeling pretty exhausted, frustrated, and broken. At the same time that our kids can often wear on me, though, they fill my spirit to the brim with their silly antics and their laughter and their ceaseless joy and wonder. It’s hard NOT to laugh, for example, when a child gets a naranja (orange) stuck in his pants pocket for a good half hour, and half the class eagerly tries to help him “quitar” it (take it out.) (“Profa… pero cabia cuando la meti!” = “But it fit when I put it in!”) It’s hard NOT to smile when one of your students, frustrated that she does in fact have to attend school for all five weeks of Escuelita and not just one, exclaims, “Bah, Profa! Five weeks! That’s almost a month!” (I didn’t have the heart to tell her that no, Jessica, five weeks is actually MORE than a month. Looks like we will be working on units of time right after decimals…) It’s hard NOT to feel joy when your hands are constantly being grabbed by the little ones, eager to laugh with you and sing with you and share with you their stories and games, eager to follow you, placing in you their trust that you will care for them and protect them. It’s hard NOT to be filled. And while it’s certainly draining, too, and sometimes the dark days seem to outnumber the bright ones, our kids remain constant points of light in my days, and remind me why I’m actually here to begin with.
Thanksgiving was duly celebrated in Finca style – by preparing a huge, traditional meal to share with all of our house parents and tias, Franciscan sisters, employees, neighbors, and local Honduran friends. This year’s menu included turkey and stuffing with gravy, cranberry sauce, two types of potatoes, salad, rolls, green bean casserole, apple crisp and pumpkin pie… which was no small undertaking to prepare for over 60 people! The preparations began weeks in advance, with many special ingredients brought down with visitors from the states… then a spreadsheet was created, explaining who would cook what, and where, and at what time, over a two day period using 6 or 7 different stoves and ovens. I was assigned pumpkin pie duty, and was one of the lucky ones allowed to use an indoor oven instead of having to cook over a wood-burning fire. Nevertheless, the work began at 5:30 am so we’d have plenty of time for all of our pies – 14 in total, in the end! Of course, everyone took a break from the cooking mid-morning to play a fairly cut-throat but good-natured game of football on the campo. My team lost 26-7, but fun was had by all, and only a few injuries were sustained (a minorly sprained ankle – mine – and a near-black eye – thankfully NOT mine.) Cooking at the Finca is a sort of battle against nature, as unfortunately both ants AND rats have made a home in our house as of late, but by some act of God we actually made it to mealtime with all the food intact (though there WAS a close call with the pies, which ended in the violent death by Raid of about 300 black ants.) Always the adventure…
In the end, the food was great and everyone had their fill… but what I’ll remember most isn’t the three turkeys, cooked for hours in our neighbors’ oven and then driven to the Finca in a truck, or the hours spent taking pies out of the oven, but the time we spent together, laughing and talking and sharing and recalling all the blessings in our lives, how much we have to be grateful for. Before the meal began, we strange mix of Hondurans and gringos gathered outside our home and joined hands and said a silent prayer of gratitude for all we’ve been given… and as I grasped the palms of those around me, volunteers and house parents and neighbors and children, I realized how fitting it seems to gather around the table and to give back, in some small way, to those who have given us so much. These people have welcomed us and received us; they have helped us with our Spanish, allowed us to teach their children, taught us about their culture, allowed us to make mistakes, and shared their lives and joys and stories with us… and so we gather around the table to break bread and give thanks and compare directions, recalling the presence of a good and bountiful God who pours out endless blessings on God’s people.
Know that I miss you all and love you dearly, and am hoping and praying that you are all preparing room for Christ’s coming in your respective corners of the world. Please do be in touch when you can – I would love to hear from you!
In peace and in gratitude,
Erin
“Best of all is it to preserve everything in a pure, still heart, and let there be for every pulse a thanksgiving, and for every breath a song.” – Konrad von Gesner
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
por fin... estoy aqui!
Mis queridos,
¡Por fin… estoy aqui! Well, actually, I’ve been safe and sound “aquí” at my new home at the Farm of the Child for nearly a month now, but both my heart and my schedule have been plenty full, and combined with the rising rivers of rainy season which make trips to town more of a rarity (okay, we’ve only been stranded once so far, but it still sounds exciting), getting an update out has taken longer than I’d hoped. Around here, though, no news is good news – so please know that I’ve been safe and busy and well, and am quickly settling into my new home, my new community, and my place here at the Farm.
I wrote you last amidst an escalating political situation – the recap is that just days before our departure from Guatemala, ex-president of Honduras Zelaya made a sneak return to the capital and was hiding out inside the Brazilian embassy, which temporary closed the country’s borders, reinstated curfews and roadblocks, and generally made traveling a bit more difficult and unstable. After changing our plans several times and consulting our families and the Farm’s board of directors, we rushed to a Xela travel agency and booked our flights to Honduras less than fourteen hours before they took off. After a midnight ride to Guatemala City and three different flights (one of which took us to El Salvador!), we arrived safe and sound to the outstretched arms of familiar faces in La Ceiba, and happily settled in to begin our orientation as the first EVER group of Finca volunteers to arrive by plane. (FYI, the political situation appears to have calmed significantly, and the Farm and nearby Trujillo haven’t been at all affected. So while our travel was less than ideal, please know that we’re safe, and the story of “the time I entered Honduras in the middle of a post-military coup regime” will be a great one for the grandkids one day…)
I can’t really begin to describe what it was like to pile eight new volunteers and all our luggage in the back of a Landcruiser and a pickup truck, cross the seven rivers that wind between Trujillo and the Farm, and pull up to the front gate of the place we’ll call home for the next two-plus years. All the kids were there, and volunteers, sisters, house parents, employees… singing and holding signs and playing guitars and drums, receiving us openly to come be part of this family. Some of the kids offered hugs and smiles; some tried to trick us by giving us wrong names for themselves; some hung back awkwardly or shyly. And as we newbies danced and sang and let Spanish swim all around us, we laughed and cried and felt excited and overwhelmed and terrified and grateful.
And I do feel grateful, above all, I think. To be here, to be part of this project. To have such a sense of trust that this is exactly where I am called to be. I believe in this place – not that it is perfect, but that it is good… and after being gone for two years, it’s a blessing to see how these kids have grown and changed, how they are becoming bigger and stronger and hopefully kinder, better people. How the struggling first grader I spent hours on the alphabet with after school each week now loves to read aloud in front of her peers in church. How one of my more difficult fifth graders is now actually a really mature, responsible young woman. How the boy who always held his head a little crooked now runs and plays, full speed ahead across the campo, falling down with the others in a pile of laughter and exhaustion. And it’s still hard – really hard, actually – and there is still a lot of brokenness here – but it gives me strength to see that this place is doing a good job, and that, somehow, with a LOT of grace, I, too, will play a part in the work that goes on here, as do so many others.
And the big news of this month is that, after a two-week orientation, we’ve finally received our job placements for the coming year… introducing Profa Erin, 5th and 6th grade math, science and English teacher (slash, newsletter writer, swim instructor, hospitality co-coordinator, future Landcruiser driver? :) …) While I can’t pretend that it’s quite the job of my dreams, I’m coming to trust that it’s where the Finca needs me, and hoping and praying that the joy and the excitement will come with time. I welcome and am grateful for your thoughts, prayers and words of encouragement as I continue to transition into my new role and in the months of planning and preparation ahead (school here runs from February-November, so the next few months will be full of lesson planning, tutoring, and finding ways to keep our children busy in “winter school”, aka glorified summer camp.)
Know, as always, how much I miss and love each of you, and how much you fill my thoughts and my prayers and my days’ labor. When things get hard and my own smallness overwhelms me, your support keeps me going, and I find myself continually grateful for you… for allowing me to be here, for helping me be here, for your sharing in the good work that is done here – for it is your work, too… and for knowing how deep and strong and wide is the net cast over us which binds us all together.
Much peace to you all!
Love,
Erin
“The answer must be, I think, that beauty and grace are performed whether or not we will or sense them. The least we can do is try to be there.” – Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
¡Por fin… estoy aqui! Well, actually, I’ve been safe and sound “aquí” at my new home at the Farm of the Child for nearly a month now, but both my heart and my schedule have been plenty full, and combined with the rising rivers of rainy season which make trips to town more of a rarity (okay, we’ve only been stranded once so far, but it still sounds exciting), getting an update out has taken longer than I’d hoped. Around here, though, no news is good news – so please know that I’ve been safe and busy and well, and am quickly settling into my new home, my new community, and my place here at the Farm.
I wrote you last amidst an escalating political situation – the recap is that just days before our departure from Guatemala, ex-president of Honduras Zelaya made a sneak return to the capital and was hiding out inside the Brazilian embassy, which temporary closed the country’s borders, reinstated curfews and roadblocks, and generally made traveling a bit more difficult and unstable. After changing our plans several times and consulting our families and the Farm’s board of directors, we rushed to a Xela travel agency and booked our flights to Honduras less than fourteen hours before they took off. After a midnight ride to Guatemala City and three different flights (one of which took us to El Salvador!), we arrived safe and sound to the outstretched arms of familiar faces in La Ceiba, and happily settled in to begin our orientation as the first EVER group of Finca volunteers to arrive by plane. (FYI, the political situation appears to have calmed significantly, and the Farm and nearby Trujillo haven’t been at all affected. So while our travel was less than ideal, please know that we’re safe, and the story of “the time I entered Honduras in the middle of a post-military coup regime” will be a great one for the grandkids one day…)
I can’t really begin to describe what it was like to pile eight new volunteers and all our luggage in the back of a Landcruiser and a pickup truck, cross the seven rivers that wind between Trujillo and the Farm, and pull up to the front gate of the place we’ll call home for the next two-plus years. All the kids were there, and volunteers, sisters, house parents, employees… singing and holding signs and playing guitars and drums, receiving us openly to come be part of this family. Some of the kids offered hugs and smiles; some tried to trick us by giving us wrong names for themselves; some hung back awkwardly or shyly. And as we newbies danced and sang and let Spanish swim all around us, we laughed and cried and felt excited and overwhelmed and terrified and grateful.
And I do feel grateful, above all, I think. To be here, to be part of this project. To have such a sense of trust that this is exactly where I am called to be. I believe in this place – not that it is perfect, but that it is good… and after being gone for two years, it’s a blessing to see how these kids have grown and changed, how they are becoming bigger and stronger and hopefully kinder, better people. How the struggling first grader I spent hours on the alphabet with after school each week now loves to read aloud in front of her peers in church. How one of my more difficult fifth graders is now actually a really mature, responsible young woman. How the boy who always held his head a little crooked now runs and plays, full speed ahead across the campo, falling down with the others in a pile of laughter and exhaustion. And it’s still hard – really hard, actually – and there is still a lot of brokenness here – but it gives me strength to see that this place is doing a good job, and that, somehow, with a LOT of grace, I, too, will play a part in the work that goes on here, as do so many others.
And the big news of this month is that, after a two-week orientation, we’ve finally received our job placements for the coming year… introducing Profa Erin, 5th and 6th grade math, science and English teacher (slash, newsletter writer, swim instructor, hospitality co-coordinator, future Landcruiser driver? :) …) While I can’t pretend that it’s quite the job of my dreams, I’m coming to trust that it’s where the Finca needs me, and hoping and praying that the joy and the excitement will come with time. I welcome and am grateful for your thoughts, prayers and words of encouragement as I continue to transition into my new role and in the months of planning and preparation ahead (school here runs from February-November, so the next few months will be full of lesson planning, tutoring, and finding ways to keep our children busy in “winter school”, aka glorified summer camp.)
Know, as always, how much I miss and love each of you, and how much you fill my thoughts and my prayers and my days’ labor. When things get hard and my own smallness overwhelms me, your support keeps me going, and I find myself continually grateful for you… for allowing me to be here, for helping me be here, for your sharing in the good work that is done here – for it is your work, too… and for knowing how deep and strong and wide is the net cast over us which binds us all together.
Much peace to you all!
Love,
Erin
“The answer must be, I think, that beauty and grace are performed whether or not we will or sense them. The least we can do is try to be there.” – Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
Saturday, September 26, 2009
the journey begins
dearest friends,
a quick update from xela - our time in language school is drawing to a close and I've managed to post some pictures of my time here on my picasa page - http://picasaweb.google.com/erin.ramsey.1. feel free to browse at your leisure!
also, as you might have heard, ex-president Zelaya has made a return to Honduras and has been hiding out in the Brazilian embassy for the past few days. needless to say, the timing is less than ideal for us, as we should have actually begun our journey to the Farm today to arrive on October 1st. we're holding tight and waiting for the final go-ahead... praying for an end to any political violence and for a real peaceful and just solution to the current issues in the country. please keep me and my fellow volunteers in your prayers these days as we make the long journey to the farm, and pray for the people of Honduras, especially the poor who are often so deeply affected and unable to be heard during these difficult times.
much peace to you!
Erin
a quick update from xela - our time in language school is drawing to a close and I've managed to post some pictures of my time here on my picasa page - http://picasaweb.google.com/erin.ramsey.1. feel free to browse at your leisure!
also, as you might have heard, ex-president Zelaya has made a return to Honduras and has been hiding out in the Brazilian embassy for the past few days. needless to say, the timing is less than ideal for us, as we should have actually begun our journey to the Farm today to arrive on October 1st. we're holding tight and waiting for the final go-ahead... praying for an end to any political violence and for a real peaceful and just solution to the current issues in the country. please keep me and my fellow volunteers in your prayers these days as we make the long journey to the farm, and pray for the people of Honduras, especially the poor who are often so deeply affected and unable to be heard during these difficult times.
much peace to you!
Erin
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
"you and english have had 22 good years..."
My dearest family, friends y bienhechores,
Feliz dia de independencia from mountain town Xela! As I write this morning, I sit high perched on the roof of my host family's terazza, overlooking the sleepy city. Last night's rain cleared away much of the ever-present fog that hugs the mountains, and it seems I can see for miles today... the bright-colored rooftops of family homes, t-shirts and sheets and underwear of all shapes and sizes hanging on laundry lines drying in the gentle wind, children playing in the streets below. It is simultaneously difficult, nerve-wracking and SO exciting to think that I've been here for over a month now, and that just two weeks from tomorrow my fellow newbie vols and I will be pulling up to our new home for the next TWO-PLUS years - La Finca del Niño. While I am really, really excited to get to Honduras and begin the "real" work we've signed ourselves away to, my time in Xela has been filled with grace and I've been so grateful for this time to work on my Spanish, drink plenty of hot chocolate and get to know my community before we begin our life on the Farm.
So... where to begin? Since I last wrote, I switched teachers at my language school, Juan Sisay, and I have been SO HAPPY. My new teacher's name is Willberth - he is 28, studying for the bar exam, practically fluent in English, and absolutely hilarious. I LOVE him. We've worked through countless verb tenses, new vocabulary and object pronouns, and we spend a great portion of each class in "carcajadas" of laughter as he tries to explain to me the dozens of sexual innuendos I unintentionally stumble through on a daily basis. My favorite part of our time together, though, has unquestionably been the countless challenging, thought-provoking topics we always seem to end up spenging hours talking about. Abortion. Gay rights. Women's rights. Machismo. Religion and culture and politics and how inseparably intertwined they can be. This country and the human rights abuses it has committed against its own people. MY country and the human rights abuses it has committed against the people here. And globalization and food production and the disparity between rich and poor and who suffers at whose expense... just to name a few. Needless to say, trying to discuss all this and more in a language I still feel so far from having a real grasp on has been... well... humbling. But... ando aprendiendo. I'm learning. And, poco a poco, I'm improving, even when it's sometimes hard to see the progress on a daily basis.
Outside of class, there have been a lot of "firsts" and plenty of tiny triumphs this past month. My first time eating street food and not getting sick. My first time climbing an active volcano (several of my friends and I climbed Volcan Pacaya, one of three active volcanoes in Guatemala, a few weeks ago... at the top we somewhat-unsuccessfully attempted to roast marshmallows over pools of hot lava. It was beautiful and epic and HARD.) My first encounter with the Guatemalan police department - my debit card was unfortunately cloned about two weeks ago, and although all is well now, it certainly provided for some great real-world Spanish practice as I navigated my way through the Guatemalan legal system to file a police report. And my first time celebrating a holiday like a Guatemalteca - last night I rang in Guatemala's 188th birthday and "dia de independencia" by laughing, jumping, singing and successfully avoiding being pick-pocketed amisdt a crowd of thousands of REALLY happy Guatemaltecos at the city's giant block party and independence day concert. Surrounded by many of my new community members and our language school teachers... with Bob Marley music playing between bands and a "Chuckie" doll crowdsurfing above dark Guatemalteco heads (?!?)... I couldn't help but laugh to myself and think how bizarre and beautiful this life it, how strange and sacred and sacramental...
And there have been SO many little graces, too. Like successfully taking charge of a group of a dozen pre-schoolers and six containers of play-doh during an afternoon at Nuevos Horizontes, the domestic violence shelter where I've been volunteering. Or the smell of fresh bread baking at the panderia I pass on my daily walk to school. The warmth of a mug of hot tea in my hands, lovingly prepared by my host mom. The feeling of strong Xela sun on my face as I walk to the market in the afternoons. Tiny children who wander up and down the giant stone aisles of the cathedral during mass, shyly playing hide-and-go-seek with the strange light-eyed gringos who occupy two whole pews. And most of all, the arrival of the last three members of our volunteer class - Alisha, Kristina and Francesca. Por fin, we're all together - todos juntos - and beginning to come to know this incredible, thoughtful, totally unique and absolutely hilarious group of people has been a blessing of blessings. They are laughter and joy and bread for my days...
And you are, too. Know how much I love you and miss you all, and just how often you are carried to heaven in my prayers. My communication will be much more limited once I leave the city and arrive at my new home in Honduras, but please know that you are with me always as my bread for the journey, even though we are separated by years and miles and bad internet connections :) Please do keep my fellow volunteers and I in your prayers these weeks, especially as we make the long journey from Xela to the Farm and arrive to begin our work on October 1st. I can't even begin to imagine the whirlwind of emotions that will be this time of transition, but I KNOW that this is exactly where I am called to be, and I am so grateful to be here, doing this work, supported by all of you. So thank you. I love you. I miss you. And I will see you in the Eucharist.
much peace and joy to you,
Erin
Sunday, August 16, 2009
hola de xela!
Mis queridos,
Paz y bien a todos, and hello from my new home in Xela, Guatemala! After a wonderful summer at home in Florida and many tearful goodbyes to those I love all over the world, I boarded the plane this past Wednesday to begin the first part of my adventure of service at the Farm of the Child. My travels went smoothly, and I arrived safe and sound into the outstretched arms of my host family and my new community here at Escuela Juan Sisay.
Words can’t even begin to describe my gratitude for the kindness, the generosity and the support I have experienced from all those at home and all over the world who are walking with me in this journey over the next few years. Over and over again, as I spoke, wrote and shared the Finca with all of you this summer, I was completely overwhelmed by the goodness of your hearts and your desire to share in this mission with me. You offered your prayers, your encouragement, your financial support, and your own gifts and talents to support me. You had me over for dinner; you helped me practice Spanish; you sent me forth with your love, your hugs, your song, your blessing, and your affirmation. Over and over again, your kindness has completely surpassed my expectations. I wish I could wrap my arms around each of you individually and let you know how touched I have been by the generosity and goodness of your hearts. Please know that I will do my best to live out my gratitude for your kindness by loving and serving the kids at the Finca well… and that I will never stop whispering my ceaseless prayers of gratitude to whatever divine forces in heaven hold us all together in Love.
As for my new life in Xela… so far, I love it! The city is full of bright colors and tiny winding cobblestone streets with narrow sidewalks, and the coffee and hot chocolate flow freely at the city’s endless cafes where we spend our afternoons huddled over our textbooks and notebooks. Needless to say, I might leave a little more “gordita” than I arrived, especially since our host mom is an excellent cook and serves us delicious breads at EVERY meal. Speaking of la familia, they are wonderful. I’m living with la familia Loaraca - Veronica, her husband Carlos and their grown daughter Maria - but there is also a “monton” of extended family that comes over for meals and after school pretty regularly, including the grandchildren, who include Andrea, Andres, and Andre. (Veronica told me: “no habia otros nombres!” = “there weren’t any other names!” hah.) The family has been very kind, generous and patient with us and our baby Spanish, which has provided many opportunities for laughter and confusion.
I began classes at Juan Sisay this past Friday and am so excited to be back in school! Although I do speak a bit more than some of the other students already, I still have a LOT to learn and will be working hard to study and practice whenever I can. Our school tries to foster a sense of social awareness in its students, and helps us get connected with opportunities to tutor in the community, visit local social service agencies, and learn about issues facing the people of Guatemala. Since I just arrived I haven’t been able to do any of this yet, but it looks like I might be able to help at a local domestic violence shelter and tutor a few girls in math on Wednesdays. This will be a great chance to get to know the community and work on improving my Spanish in more real-world situations. Our classes are one-on-one with the teachers, which provides great individualized attention, and it’s very student-oriented, so if we want to take a walk, go visit a store, or study somewhere besides the school, etc, we can. The teachers are relatively young and often hang out with us outside of school… this Friday, after the school‘s weekly “graduation“ for the departing students, we all went to a local discoteca to shake our gringo hips to some latino music… though I do have to admit, I was a little surprised to hear the YMCA playing! (One advantage to being light-haired and green-eyed in Guatemala: there’s never a lack of local men eager to dance with you…)
I have so much more to tell you about, including the crazy and wonderful cast of character that comprises my new community (we are 5 strong now, with 3 still in the states)… but this will have to wait until my next update. Until then, please know that you all are ALWAYS in my thoughts and prayers, and I would love to hear who and what fills your days and your hearts. Know how much I miss and love you all, and how strengthened and encouraged I am to know of the wonderful work you are doing all around the world. What a blessing to be part of such a big, beautiful family of good-hearted people. Your support and your prayers are deeply felt. Know that I carry you with me in my backpack and in my heart, hoping and praying that your days and your hearts are full of good things.
with so much love,
Erin
“I am part and parcel of the whole and cannot find God apart from the rest of humanity.” - Gandhi
ps: I won't be sending updates very often - once a month or so - but if you'd rather not be on my email list, please don't hesitate to let me know, mark me as spam, etc etc :) These updates will also be available on my blog - http://erinramsey.blogspot.com - so if you'd rather peruse there at your leisure, let me know! Conversely, let me know if you're reading this on my blog and would rather get it through email. My internet access is much better now than it will be in Honduras, so I can take care of all those little details now before I get to the Finca.
Paz y bien a todos, and hello from my new home in Xela, Guatemala! After a wonderful summer at home in Florida and many tearful goodbyes to those I love all over the world, I boarded the plane this past Wednesday to begin the first part of my adventure of service at the Farm of the Child. My travels went smoothly, and I arrived safe and sound into the outstretched arms of my host family and my new community here at Escuela Juan Sisay.
Words can’t even begin to describe my gratitude for the kindness, the generosity and the support I have experienced from all those at home and all over the world who are walking with me in this journey over the next few years. Over and over again, as I spoke, wrote and shared the Finca with all of you this summer, I was completely overwhelmed by the goodness of your hearts and your desire to share in this mission with me. You offered your prayers, your encouragement, your financial support, and your own gifts and talents to support me. You had me over for dinner; you helped me practice Spanish; you sent me forth with your love, your hugs, your song, your blessing, and your affirmation. Over and over again, your kindness has completely surpassed my expectations. I wish I could wrap my arms around each of you individually and let you know how touched I have been by the generosity and goodness of your hearts. Please know that I will do my best to live out my gratitude for your kindness by loving and serving the kids at the Finca well… and that I will never stop whispering my ceaseless prayers of gratitude to whatever divine forces in heaven hold us all together in Love.
As for my new life in Xela… so far, I love it! The city is full of bright colors and tiny winding cobblestone streets with narrow sidewalks, and the coffee and hot chocolate flow freely at the city’s endless cafes where we spend our afternoons huddled over our textbooks and notebooks. Needless to say, I might leave a little more “gordita” than I arrived, especially since our host mom is an excellent cook and serves us delicious breads at EVERY meal. Speaking of la familia, they are wonderful. I’m living with la familia Loaraca - Veronica, her husband Carlos and their grown daughter Maria - but there is also a “monton” of extended family that comes over for meals and after school pretty regularly, including the grandchildren, who include Andrea, Andres, and Andre. (Veronica told me: “no habia otros nombres!” = “there weren’t any other names!” hah.) The family has been very kind, generous and patient with us and our baby Spanish, which has provided many opportunities for laughter and confusion.
I began classes at Juan Sisay this past Friday and am so excited to be back in school! Although I do speak a bit more than some of the other students already, I still have a LOT to learn and will be working hard to study and practice whenever I can. Our school tries to foster a sense of social awareness in its students, and helps us get connected with opportunities to tutor in the community, visit local social service agencies, and learn about issues facing the people of Guatemala. Since I just arrived I haven’t been able to do any of this yet, but it looks like I might be able to help at a local domestic violence shelter and tutor a few girls in math on Wednesdays. This will be a great chance to get to know the community and work on improving my Spanish in more real-world situations. Our classes are one-on-one with the teachers, which provides great individualized attention, and it’s very student-oriented, so if we want to take a walk, go visit a store, or study somewhere besides the school, etc, we can. The teachers are relatively young and often hang out with us outside of school… this Friday, after the school‘s weekly “graduation“ for the departing students, we all went to a local discoteca to shake our gringo hips to some latino music… though I do have to admit, I was a little surprised to hear the YMCA playing! (One advantage to being light-haired and green-eyed in Guatemala: there’s never a lack of local men eager to dance with you…)
I have so much more to tell you about, including the crazy and wonderful cast of character that comprises my new community (we are 5 strong now, with 3 still in the states)… but this will have to wait until my next update. Until then, please know that you all are ALWAYS in my thoughts and prayers, and I would love to hear who and what fills your days and your hearts. Know how much I miss and love you all, and how strengthened and encouraged I am to know of the wonderful work you are doing all around the world. What a blessing to be part of such a big, beautiful family of good-hearted people. Your support and your prayers are deeply felt. Know that I carry you with me in my backpack and in my heart, hoping and praying that your days and your hearts are full of good things.
with so much love,
Erin
“I am part and parcel of the whole and cannot find God apart from the rest of humanity.” - Gandhi
ps: I won't be sending updates very often - once a month or so - but if you'd rather not be on my email list, please don't hesitate to let me know, mark me as spam, etc etc :) These updates will also be available on my blog - http://erinramsey.blogspot.com - so if you'd rather peruse there at your leisure, let me know! Conversely, let me know if you're reading this on my blog and would rather get it through email. My internet access is much better now than it will be in Honduras, so I can take care of all those little details now before I get to the Finca.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
st. stephen talk 2009
During the weekend of July 11th and 12th, I was invited to give the reflection after the gospel at my home parish - St. Stephen Catholic Community - at all three weekend masses. Some of you had asked for a copy of my reflection, so here it is (the audio is available at http://www.st-stephen.com/homilies.html under the weekend of July 12th.) The people of St. Stephen have been unbelievably generous and kind with their support - what a blessing to be part of a community which has so freely reached out its arms to support one of its own. Thank you.
Partners in the Mission: Mark 6:7-13
Erin Ramsey
July 11th-12th, 2009
May and June are busy months for us. The end of school brings the joy of summer, complete with vacations and summer camps, Acts of Faith rehearsals and endless family barbeques. It also brings, as those of you who are recent graduates of any age know well – commencements.
When I was younger, I always assumed that this fancy word “commence” meant “to finish.” After all, graduation meant we were finishing school – we were celebrating something completed. I don’t remember when I finally figured it out, but eventually someone brought it to my attention that a commencement wasn’t an ending or a termination. Rather, this word “commence” actually means “to begin” – or, according to the Princeton online dictionary – to “take the first step or steps in carrying out an action.”
The idea of commencement is fresh in my mind. My own commencement exercises at Notre Dame took place earlier this summer, and while there was certainly plenty of excitement about the ceremonies themselves, I have to say that one of my favorite parts of the entire weekend occurred outside the realm of anything formal or organized. Late at night on our very last night on campus, many of my classmates and I gathered under Mary’s watchful eyes on the steps of the golden dome to celebrate our four wonderful years and bid each other farewell as we headed forth into the world. And as I hugged my friends goodbye through teary eyes, I couldn’t help but think, true to the meaning of the word “commence,” that we were not only completing something, but beginning something. That each one of them – like the apostles in today’s gospel reading – was being sent. Whether they headed for medical school or to a full-time job in a big city, volunteer service or back home to live with Mom and Dad for a while, it was so clear to me that each one of them was truly being commissioned to go forth and share what they had learned and how they had grown with a world deeply in need.
It is one of Notre Dame’s finest traditions that about ten percent of each graduating class commits themselves to a year or more of volunteer service following graduation. These seniors committing to serve the poor, marginalized and oppressed throughout the world are honored and sent forth in a beautiful commissioning ceremony on Saturday of graduation weekend. Each senior receives a small journal, walks across the stage, and shares where she or he will be serving for the next year.
“Hi, I’m Susan Bigelow, and I’ll be teaching middle school social studies and language arts through the Alliance for Catholic Education in Brownsville, Texas.”
“My name is Chris Labadie, and I’ll be working with liturgy and music in Clonard parish in Co. Wexford, Ireland.”
“Hi, I’m Katie Dunn, and I’ll be working with victims of human trafficking in India through International Justice Mission.”
“Hello, I’m Mike Clemente, and I’ll be living in a L’Arche community with people with developmental disabilities in Iowa.”
And the litany goes on and on. For almost a half hour, a stream of grinning graduates – over two hundred in total – walked across that stage and professed their commitment to serve those in need everywhere from South Bend to South Korea. It was deeply moving and beautiful and true.
Fr. John and Fr. George asked me to speak to you today because I am among those graduates who walked across that stage this past May. This fall, I will begin a twenty-seven month commitment to the Farm of the Child – a small, Catholic orphanage on the shores of Northern Honduras. I spent two months living and serving, laughing and crying and learning and loving at the Farm in the summer of 2007, and my experiences during those two months so deeply moved me that I’ll be returning this fall to begin a long-term commitment to the Farm and its kids. The Farm of the Child provides family-style homes to about fifty children who have been left orphaned, abused, or abandoned by the poverty and corruption so wide-spread in Honduras. In addition, the children are provided with good healthcare, the opportunity for spiritual development, and a quality Catholic education. My fellow volunteers and I will live in community in a small, simple house on the same piece of property as our kids. We’ll offer our gifts to the needs of the project as we serve as teachers, social workers, nurses, community organizers, and in a variety of other positions. Most of all, we will strive to love each other and our kids well, showing them that they are beautiful, valued, and a source of immeasurable joy in the eyes of God. I have no doubt that our work will be incredibly challenging, and we will stumble and fall more often than we would like… but I also know that, like the Twelve in today’s gospel reading, we are truly being sent, and that God will not forsake us in our work.
But lest you think that the only true missionaries are those who walked across that stage that Saturday in May… Let me tell you about Brennan, who is entering Harvard Medical School this fall with an interest in public health and a desire to find a cure for lymphatic filarisis, a disease which affects over 25% of the people of Haiti. Or Michael, who pledges to cling to ethical business practices as he begins his job as a financial consultant in New York City. Or Katie, who, just a few weeks ago, knelt at this very altar and professed her love for her new husband, John, as they begin their married life together. They, too, are missionaries. They, too, are being sent – to be God’s hands and feet and love and joy in this broken, beautiful world.
And make no mistake about it – you, too, are being sent. If you walked across that stage this past May, what would you say?
“Hi, I’m Jack, and I try my best to be a good father to my four girls.”
“My name is Sue, and I get up in front of a classroom of second graders each Sunday and try to teach them a bit about God’s love.”
“Hi, I’m Kevin, and every once in a while I try to sit with the girl who everybody teases at school .”
As Pope John Paul II exhorts in his apostolic letter on mission, each Christian is called to have a missionary heart – to share, in his or her own way, the good news of the gospel to those in need. Perhaps this brings you to Honduras, or perhaps it brings you to your desk at work. We are one body with many parts, united in mission – to bring a bit of the Kingdom of God here to earth.
My favorite part of today’s gospel reading comes directly from the first sentence. “Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two…” Two by two. Together – as partners in the mission – we work for the coming of the Kingdom, for the freedom of the oppressed, to make love visible in our own respective corners of this deluded, tormented, beautiful world we’ve been given. And what a relief this is! It’s not my job or your job to unravel the whole knotted mess of the world; it’s just my job to work on my small sliver. My friends who have left Notre Dame to do their sacred work in Brownsville, Ireland, Boston, India, New York and Iowa… they complete my ministry where I cannot, just as I will do for them in Honduras. And so do all of you. What you do, I cannot. Two by two – together – we complete each other’s Work.
I recall a letter I received years ago from a friend serving in Ecuador which echoes these sentiments. She writes,
… how many more Joyful Workers are out there, helping us in our efforts? How many more loving, holy people will I meet as I grow older? They are out there, loving where and how I cannot. Where and how you cannot. Have faith in them, and the world will never get the best of you. Yes, “the poor will always be with you,” but so will an endless team of believers.
Our world needs you. Our world needs doctors and lawyers, financial consultants and poets, priests and nuns and mothers and fathers, who will serve with missionary hearts - with courage, love and faithfulness. Whatever your response to Jesus’ call to make love visible, may you have the grace answer to answer boldly and well…. For we truly are one Body in Christ, and we all benefit when one member grows in faith and love and gratitude.
There is a beautiful song called “Partners in the Mission” by Peter Hesed that I love. The last two verses go like this:
We are partners in the work of Bringing faith and hope to birth;
Seeking wholeness for the broken, We, the hands of Christ on earth.
Like the saints who came before us, Let our deeds and witness be
Living promise of the Kingdom, and a sign of unity.
While on earth this is our calling; learn to bear the beams of love.
We are sent to live for others, sent on mission from above;
Though we tremble at love’s burden, It is easy, it is light;
As we seek eternal splendor, May our souls with love burn bright.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
bienvenidos a mi blogcito!
Amigos, familia, bienhechores, y los que yo amo:
Have no fear - I won't be blogging in Spanish :)
Bienvenidos y bienestar - literally, they mean "good coming" and "good being". In other words - welcome to my blogcito, my little blog, which I'll be attempting to update with stories of my adventures in grace from my 27-month volunteer commitment to the Farm of the Child in Trujillo, Honduras. I've been home from Notre Dame for just over a month now, and since I'll be leaving for language school in Guatemala a MONTH from tomorrow (that's August 12th, to be exact!) I figured it was time to get this up and running.
My blog's name is "love is little," and before I get too much into the logistics of exactly what I'll be doing for the next two-plus years, I'd like to take a bit of cyberspace to explain the significance of this name, which is two-fold. First of all, "love is little" is the name of the shaker tune on which one of my favorite folk choir songs, "Holy Manna," is based. Our choir director, Steve, was always quick to remind us that although these beautiful folk tunes were musically simple, they weren't easy. I always thought the name of the Shaker tune mirrored that concept perfectly - although our human vocation to love one another is quite simple in theory, it's far from easy in action... and just like our music, it requires diligence, patience, and lots of grace to get it right.
Another reason for my blog's name: The volunteer house at the Farm of the Child, where I'll be living for the next 27 months, is called Casa St. Teresita, named for St. Therese of Lisieux - the "little flower." She was a Carmelite nun (and a doctor of the Church!) best known for her "little way of love." Therese believed that God was (is!) everywhere, in the ordinary, simple details of life, and her "little way" teaches us to do ordinary acts with extraordinary love. Her faith and her trust in God was simple, as a child's - and seeing as I'm going to be surrounded by lots of those little kiddos during my time at the Farm, I'm hoping and praying that I too will grow in faith, hope and love as I learn from them and from Teresita's example.
So, you might be wondering - exactly what will I be doing for the next 27 months of my life? And with a Notre Dame degree in hand, why would I want to spend two-plus years not only working for free, but actually raising all the funds I need so that I can do so? I guess I'll start with the supposedly "easy" part to answer: the "what." I've committed to a 27-month long term of volunteer service with the Farm of the Child (or la Finca del Niño, si se habla español) - a small, Catholic orphanage just outside Trujillo, Honduras. I won't know my exact "job" placement until a few weeks after I arrive on-site, but chances are good that I'll either serve as a teacher, social worker, or community outreach coordinator. Although some people see it as strange to not know exactly what role I'll be playing in the project, I think it's actually one of the more beautiful aspects of what we're doing - my fellow volunteers and I don't sign on specifically to be a teacher, a nurse, or a community organizer, but we sign on because we feel a sense of identification with the Farm's mission and are willing and open to offer our gifts however they're most needed to serve the kids and the community. The Farm is a family-style orphanage, which means that our kids live in houses organized by age and sex with Honduran house-parents and staff who raise them according to Honduran culture. In addition to family-style homes, the Farm offers our kids medical care (with a clinic on-site), a great education at Escuela Catolica San Pedro, and the opportunity for spiritual development - and many of these services are available to our neighbors in local villages as well. The volunteers live together in a beautiful, simple house on property. We live like the kids live, and they live (relatively) like our neighbors live... we have (cold) running mountain water and electricity (most of the time), but that's about where the luxury stops. We'll be sleeping on thin mattresses on wooden beds and eating lots of rice and beans... and there's no cell phones or internet. I know I'll miss air conditioning, having a soft bed, and a good cup of coffee every once in a while, but I'm looking forward to learning how to incorporate simplicity, which is one of the Farm's four pillars (the others are service, spirituality and community), into my life.
And now for the more difficult question: the "why." The answer begins in the summer of 2007, when I spent two months at the Farm of the Child as a summer volunteer... two sweaty, challenging, grace-filled months in which I fell in love with the Finca's mission and its adorable kids. After many, many months of discernment about where my post-grad path would lead, I found myself continually drawn back to this place I have come to love deeply - its wonderful, hilarious, difficult children, the intentionality of its community life, and the seriousness with which it approaches simplicity and spirituality. One of my models of faith, Fr. Michael Himes, writes that there are three questions we should ask of ourselves when discerning. First, is there a legitimate need? Second, do you have the gifts to fill that need, and is there an opportunity for growth? and third - is it a source of joy for you? When I think about the Finca, my answer to all three of these questions is a resounding YES. In short, I believe it is the place where I can best make love visible - where I can best live out with joy my gratitude for all I have been given.
And third: the "how." Well, first of all, with a LOT of grace :) and second, with the support of all of you. Whether you're joining me for the ride through reading my blog, making a financial contribution to my work, remembering my fellow volunteers and I in prayer, shipping donations down to the Finca, or just promising to welcome me back into your lives when I return in December of 2011... you are part of the path that has brought me to the Farm, and I know your support will uphold and sustain me during the most difficult times of my 27-month commitment. Each morning at the Farm, in our beautiful, simple chapel filled with volunteers and children and houseparents and nuns, we pray for our "bienhechores." This word means "donors," but I love its literal translation - "those who do good." For all the good you, my bienhechores, have already done, and for all that is yet to bear fruit as a result of your kindness, please know of my deepest and my most heart-felt thanks. So gracias - thank you - for reading, for supporting me, and for following along on what will surely be a crazy-beautiful adventure in the little way of love.
May your song be loud; may it be clear; may it be long and may God bless you.
Have no fear - I won't be blogging in Spanish :)
Bienvenidos y bienestar - literally, they mean "good coming" and "good being". In other words - welcome to my blogcito, my little blog, which I'll be attempting to update with stories of my adventures in grace from my 27-month volunteer commitment to the Farm of the Child in Trujillo, Honduras. I've been home from Notre Dame for just over a month now, and since I'll be leaving for language school in Guatemala a MONTH from tomorrow (that's August 12th, to be exact!) I figured it was time to get this up and running.
My blog's name is "love is little," and before I get too much into the logistics of exactly what I'll be doing for the next two-plus years, I'd like to take a bit of cyberspace to explain the significance of this name, which is two-fold. First of all, "love is little" is the name of the shaker tune on which one of my favorite folk choir songs, "Holy Manna," is based. Our choir director, Steve, was always quick to remind us that although these beautiful folk tunes were musically simple, they weren't easy. I always thought the name of the Shaker tune mirrored that concept perfectly - although our human vocation to love one another is quite simple in theory, it's far from easy in action... and just like our music, it requires diligence, patience, and lots of grace to get it right.
Another reason for my blog's name: The volunteer house at the Farm of the Child, where I'll be living for the next 27 months, is called Casa St. Teresita, named for St. Therese of Lisieux - the "little flower." She was a Carmelite nun (and a doctor of the Church!) best known for her "little way of love." Therese believed that God was (is!) everywhere, in the ordinary, simple details of life, and her "little way" teaches us to do ordinary acts with extraordinary love. Her faith and her trust in God was simple, as a child's - and seeing as I'm going to be surrounded by lots of those little kiddos during my time at the Farm, I'm hoping and praying that I too will grow in faith, hope and love as I learn from them and from Teresita's example.
So, you might be wondering - exactly what will I be doing for the next 27 months of my life? And with a Notre Dame degree in hand, why would I want to spend two-plus years not only working for free, but actually raising all the funds I need so that I can do so? I guess I'll start with the supposedly "easy" part to answer: the "what." I've committed to a 27-month long term of volunteer service with the Farm of the Child (or la Finca del Niño, si se habla español) - a small, Catholic orphanage just outside Trujillo, Honduras. I won't know my exact "job" placement until a few weeks after I arrive on-site, but chances are good that I'll either serve as a teacher, social worker, or community outreach coordinator. Although some people see it as strange to not know exactly what role I'll be playing in the project, I think it's actually one of the more beautiful aspects of what we're doing - my fellow volunteers and I don't sign on specifically to be a teacher, a nurse, or a community organizer, but we sign on because we feel a sense of identification with the Farm's mission and are willing and open to offer our gifts however they're most needed to serve the kids and the community. The Farm is a family-style orphanage, which means that our kids live in houses organized by age and sex with Honduran house-parents and staff who raise them according to Honduran culture. In addition to family-style homes, the Farm offers our kids medical care (with a clinic on-site), a great education at Escuela Catolica San Pedro, and the opportunity for spiritual development - and many of these services are available to our neighbors in local villages as well. The volunteers live together in a beautiful, simple house on property. We live like the kids live, and they live (relatively) like our neighbors live... we have (cold) running mountain water and electricity (most of the time), but that's about where the luxury stops. We'll be sleeping on thin mattresses on wooden beds and eating lots of rice and beans... and there's no cell phones or internet. I know I'll miss air conditioning, having a soft bed, and a good cup of coffee every once in a while, but I'm looking forward to learning how to incorporate simplicity, which is one of the Farm's four pillars (the others are service, spirituality and community), into my life.
And now for the more difficult question: the "why." The answer begins in the summer of 2007, when I spent two months at the Farm of the Child as a summer volunteer... two sweaty, challenging, grace-filled months in which I fell in love with the Finca's mission and its adorable kids. After many, many months of discernment about where my post-grad path would lead, I found myself continually drawn back to this place I have come to love deeply - its wonderful, hilarious, difficult children, the intentionality of its community life, and the seriousness with which it approaches simplicity and spirituality. One of my models of faith, Fr. Michael Himes, writes that there are three questions we should ask of ourselves when discerning. First, is there a legitimate need? Second, do you have the gifts to fill that need, and is there an opportunity for growth? and third - is it a source of joy for you? When I think about the Finca, my answer to all three of these questions is a resounding YES. In short, I believe it is the place where I can best make love visible - where I can best live out with joy my gratitude for all I have been given.
And third: the "how." Well, first of all, with a LOT of grace :) and second, with the support of all of you. Whether you're joining me for the ride through reading my blog, making a financial contribution to my work, remembering my fellow volunteers and I in prayer, shipping donations down to the Finca, or just promising to welcome me back into your lives when I return in December of 2011... you are part of the path that has brought me to the Farm, and I know your support will uphold and sustain me during the most difficult times of my 27-month commitment. Each morning at the Farm, in our beautiful, simple chapel filled with volunteers and children and houseparents and nuns, we pray for our "bienhechores." This word means "donors," but I love its literal translation - "those who do good." For all the good you, my bienhechores, have already done, and for all that is yet to bear fruit as a result of your kindness, please know of my deepest and my most heart-felt thanks. So gracias - thank you - for reading, for supporting me, and for following along on what will surely be a crazy-beautiful adventure in the little way of love.
May your song be loud; may it be clear; may it be long and may God bless you.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
share in the journey!
Summer 2009
Dear friends and family,
I hope and pray that this letter finds you well! As I write you tonight, having just graduated from Notre Dame, I find myself looking back with gratitude on the experiences and opportunities I’ve been given to grow in intellect, spirituality, and concern for the world and those I share it with during my four years here. Because of the deep faith and commitment to social justice I have developed in my time here, after months of discernment, I, along with four of my classmates, have committed the spending the next 27 months living and working at The Farm of the Child children’s home in Honduras. I’m writing today to share this good news with you and ask for your support as I begin this beautiful, challenging journey!
The Farm of the Child is a small, Catholic orphanage which seeks to respond to the poverty and underdevelopment of Honduras by providing loving, family-style homes for children left orphaned, abused, or abandoned. Volunteers such as myself join with Franciscan Sisters and members of the Honduran community to serve as teachers, social workers, community organizers, and in a variety of other positions. You may recall that I spent two months at the Farm during the summer of 2007 through the generosity of Notre Dame’s Center for Social Concerns. My experiences as a summer volunteer were incredibly transformational, and after continued prayer and discernment, I now feel God is calling me to live out my gratitude for all I have been given through a long-term volunteer commitment to the Farm and its children. I am incredibly excited for this opportunity, but I know that I cannot fulfill the Farm’s mission alone, and I ask that you might consider supporting my work in one or more of the following ways:
First, I invite you to find out more about the Farm and its mission by visiting our website at http://www.farmofthechild.org/. The “Mission Statement” (under the “Our Mission” link) and “Video Footage” (under the “scrapbook” link) are two good places to start! You can also continue to visit this blog, where I’ll attempt to post updates during my time at the Farm.
Secondly, I ask that you might hold the work of the Farm, my fellow volunteers and myself in your prayers over the next two and a half years. The commitment we undertake is challenging, but grace abounds, and the prayers of those we love from home allow our mission to become something larger than just ourselves.
Lastly, but significantly - as part of my volunteer commitment, I have agreed to raise just over $11,000 to pay for my expenses during my 27 month term of service to the Farm of the Child. By fundraising to cover my costs while living at the Farm, I will be able to provide services that the children desperately need without putting further strain on the already struggling local economy. If you are in a position to make a financial contribution, either one-time or periodic, the donation form posted below explains how to do so. Even a dollar or two for each month of my volunteer commitment is significant – every bit helps! The Farm is a U.S. 501 (c) 3 non-profit and all donations are tax-deductible. I have also posted a budget (below) explaining how the funds I raise will be used.
In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he writes of the church as one body with many members, with each member belonging to the others and each given different gifts for the sake of the good of the whole (Romans 12:5). It is in the spirit of this metaphor that I humbly ask for your support as I begin the journey to give love away at the Farm for the next two and a half years. I so very much believe that we are all Workers for the same Kingdom, given different gifts for the good of the whole, and that each of us works in his or her own way to complete the work of the others. I am so grateful for the opportunity to share the Farm’s mission with you, and eager to share with you the good work being done (and yet to be done!) there. I welcome your thoughts and questions as I begin my journey! Please be in touch!
In peace and gratitude,
Erin Ramsey
erin.ramsey.1@gmail.com
Dear friends and family,
I hope and pray that this letter finds you well! As I write you tonight, having just graduated from Notre Dame, I find myself looking back with gratitude on the experiences and opportunities I’ve been given to grow in intellect, spirituality, and concern for the world and those I share it with during my four years here. Because of the deep faith and commitment to social justice I have developed in my time here, after months of discernment, I, along with four of my classmates, have committed the spending the next 27 months living and working at The Farm of the Child children’s home in Honduras. I’m writing today to share this good news with you and ask for your support as I begin this beautiful, challenging journey!
The Farm of the Child is a small, Catholic orphanage which seeks to respond to the poverty and underdevelopment of Honduras by providing loving, family-style homes for children left orphaned, abused, or abandoned. Volunteers such as myself join with Franciscan Sisters and members of the Honduran community to serve as teachers, social workers, community organizers, and in a variety of other positions. You may recall that I spent two months at the Farm during the summer of 2007 through the generosity of Notre Dame’s Center for Social Concerns. My experiences as a summer volunteer were incredibly transformational, and after continued prayer and discernment, I now feel God is calling me to live out my gratitude for all I have been given through a long-term volunteer commitment to the Farm and its children. I am incredibly excited for this opportunity, but I know that I cannot fulfill the Farm’s mission alone, and I ask that you might consider supporting my work in one or more of the following ways:
First, I invite you to find out more about the Farm and its mission by visiting our website at http://www.farmofthechild.org/. The “Mission Statement” (under the “Our Mission” link) and “Video Footage” (under the “scrapbook” link) are two good places to start! You can also continue to visit this blog, where I’ll attempt to post updates during my time at the Farm.
Secondly, I ask that you might hold the work of the Farm, my fellow volunteers and myself in your prayers over the next two and a half years. The commitment we undertake is challenging, but grace abounds, and the prayers of those we love from home allow our mission to become something larger than just ourselves.
Lastly, but significantly - as part of my volunteer commitment, I have agreed to raise just over $11,000 to pay for my expenses during my 27 month term of service to the Farm of the Child. By fundraising to cover my costs while living at the Farm, I will be able to provide services that the children desperately need without putting further strain on the already struggling local economy. If you are in a position to make a financial contribution, either one-time or periodic, the donation form posted below explains how to do so. Even a dollar or two for each month of my volunteer commitment is significant – every bit helps! The Farm is a U.S. 501 (c) 3 non-profit and all donations are tax-deductible. I have also posted a budget (below) explaining how the funds I raise will be used.
In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he writes of the church as one body with many members, with each member belonging to the others and each given different gifts for the sake of the good of the whole (Romans 12:5). It is in the spirit of this metaphor that I humbly ask for your support as I begin the journey to give love away at the Farm for the next two and a half years. I so very much believe that we are all Workers for the same Kingdom, given different gifts for the good of the whole, and that each of us works in his or her own way to complete the work of the others. I am so grateful for the opportunity to share the Farm’s mission with you, and eager to share with you the good work being done (and yet to be done!) there. I welcome your thoughts and questions as I begin my journey! Please be in touch!
In peace and gratitude,
Erin Ramsey
erin.ramsey.1@gmail.com
Saturday, July 4, 2009
donation instructions
There are two easy ways to contribute to my fundraising efforts.
Online Donations by Credit Card:
- Go to http://www.farmofthechild.org
- Click the Donate link at the top of the page
- Scroll down and click the Make a Donation button
- Enter your Donation Amount and click Update Total
- Either Log In to PayPal or click the link under the Don’t have a PayPal account? heading
- Enter your Credit Card Information and click Review Donation and Continue
- On the donation review page, click the Donation Instructions link and enter my name, Erin Ramsey (this is so my volunteer account will be credited for your donation.)
- Confirm your donation by clicking the Donate link
Donations by Check
Checks should be MADE PAYABLE to Farm of the Child and can be earmarked for my volunteer account by writing my name, Erin Ramsey, on the MEMO LINE. Please send all checks to the Farm of the Child’s stateside address:
Farm of the Child
1616 Nottingham Knoll Drive
Jacksonville, FL 32225
Online Donations by Credit Card:
- Go to http://www.farmofthechild.org
- Click the Donate link at the top of the page
- Scroll down and click the Make a Donation button
- Enter your Donation Amount and click Update Total
- Either Log In to PayPal or click the link under the Don’t have a PayPal account? heading
- Enter your Credit Card Information and click Review Donation and Continue
- On the donation review page, click the Donation Instructions link and enter my name, Erin Ramsey (this is so my volunteer account will be credited for your donation.)
- Confirm your donation by clicking the Donate link
Donations by Check
Checks should be MADE PAYABLE to Farm of the Child and can be earmarked for my volunteer account by writing my name, Erin Ramsey, on the MEMO LINE. Please send all checks to the Farm of the Child’s stateside address:
Farm of the Child
1616 Nottingham Knoll Drive
Jacksonville, FL 32225
volunteer budget
Farm of the Child
Sample Volunteer Fundraising Budget
August 2009 – December 2011
Airplane Tickets (travel to and from Central America and one trip to the U.S. during each year of service) - $2,400
Language School (transportation from Guatemala City airport, eight weeks of one-on-one classes, the cost of living with a host family, and transportation from Guatemala to Honduras) - $2,000
Insurance and Vaccinations (health insurance and typhoid vaccination) - $2,900
Preparation Costs (fundraising phone calls, stamps, envelopes, and copies for mailings, etc.) - $200
Residency Costs (cost to secure extended Honduran residency permit beyond the standard 90-day visa issued to tourists) - $300
Personal Stipend ($200 for every 3 months) - $1,800
Vacation Stipend ($250 for each year of service) - $500
Transition Stipend ($500 for each year of service to facilitate transition back to the United States at the end of my commitment) - $1,000
Total Budget for 27-Month Volunteer Commitment - $11,100
Any funds raised that go beyond what I actually spend will go directly to aid and assist projects at the Farm.
Sample Volunteer Fundraising Budget
August 2009 – December 2011
Airplane Tickets (travel to and from Central America and one trip to the U.S. during each year of service) - $2,400
Language School (transportation from Guatemala City airport, eight weeks of one-on-one classes, the cost of living with a host family, and transportation from Guatemala to Honduras) - $2,000
Insurance and Vaccinations (health insurance and typhoid vaccination) - $2,900
Preparation Costs (fundraising phone calls, stamps, envelopes, and copies for mailings, etc.) - $200
Residency Costs (cost to secure extended Honduran residency permit beyond the standard 90-day visa issued to tourists) - $300
Personal Stipend ($200 for every 3 months) - $1,800
Vacation Stipend ($250 for each year of service) - $500
Transition Stipend ($500 for each year of service to facilitate transition back to the United States at the end of my commitment) - $1,000
Total Budget for 27-Month Volunteer Commitment - $11,100
Any funds raised that go beyond what I actually spend will go directly to aid and assist projects at the Farm.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
oracion de la finca - the finca's prayer
The Finca’s Prayer
Lord Jesus, protector of orphans and all who depend on you, as we begin this day we turn our hearts towards you. We give thanks for the gift of your great love and for the chance to serve you in all that we do today.
We ask that your grace and mercy be poured out on our beloved Farm of the Child, on our children, on our house parents, on our Franciscan sisters, on our volunteers past, present, and future, on our board members, on our support personnel, on our benefactors, and on all whom we serve in Honduras through our various ministries.
As a member of this community entrusted with maintaining, protecting and strengthening this mission, I ask for the following in order to better carry out my responsibilities:
A humble heart free from the desire of being esteemed,
A meek heart that bears with everyone,
A patient heart happy in the most trying circumstance,
A peaceful heart at peace with self and others,
A heart poor in spirit detached from the things of this world,
A heart full of love that finds happiness in suffering with others,
A prayerful heart that loves to be in communion with you,
A holy heart whose only desire is that God may be known and loved by everyone,
A pure heart like Mary’s which seeks to love and serve God alone.
May we as a community be one in heart and mind so that we may help to bring about the Kingdom of God through your mission, Farm of the Child. Amen.
Let us seek Mary’s intercession by reciting one Hail Mary.
Lord Jesus, protector of orphans and all who depend on you, as we begin this day we turn our hearts towards you. We give thanks for the gift of your great love and for the chance to serve you in all that we do today.
We ask that your grace and mercy be poured out on our beloved Farm of the Child, on our children, on our house parents, on our Franciscan sisters, on our volunteers past, present, and future, on our board members, on our support personnel, on our benefactors, and on all whom we serve in Honduras through our various ministries.
As a member of this community entrusted with maintaining, protecting and strengthening this mission, I ask for the following in order to better carry out my responsibilities:
A humble heart free from the desire of being esteemed,
A meek heart that bears with everyone,
A patient heart happy in the most trying circumstance,
A peaceful heart at peace with self and others,
A heart poor in spirit detached from the things of this world,
A heart full of love that finds happiness in suffering with others,
A prayerful heart that loves to be in communion with you,
A holy heart whose only desire is that God may be known and loved by everyone,
A pure heart like Mary’s which seeks to love and serve God alone.
May we as a community be one in heart and mind so that we may help to bring about the Kingdom of God through your mission, Farm of the Child. Amen.
Let us seek Mary’s intercession by reciting one Hail Mary.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
