July 22nd, 2003
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| Author Michele with delegation at lunch |
My day started early to get the digital camera and it made me how well orchestrated this whole trip is. In fact, after I got the camera from Nancy Lynch at St. Joan's, I still had time to get a cup of coffee at Caribou. It was a good thing I got the coffee or I would've dropped before lunch!
So here goes: Once we were all gathered in front of
the Parish Center, some introductions were made and
translators identified, we decided who was driving,
and with whom we were riding. Our first stop: the
Sculpture Garden. (Can you say Cherry Spoon Bridge in
Spanish?) To tell the truth, the group looked a
little glazed over from the packed schedule of the
last few days. But the day was perfect, the
temperature heavenly, no humidity, and blue skies.
We took the required group shot in front of said
Bridge. Or should I say group shots. Since I was the
designated photog, everyone in the delegation with a
camera gave me theirs to take a picture, too! (You
may notice, I'm not in too many of these shots, if
any. Ahh, the price of being the picture-taker!) We
moved inside to see the beautiful flowers and Frank
Gehry's incredible glass fish. We explained that the
Walker was a museum of Modern Art, thus not always
easy to understand. They seemed more interested in
the plants than the sculpture, as some of the
subtropical plants were familiar to them.
Our next stop was, conveniently, The Basilica of St. Mary. We walked over the bridge to Loring Park, (another great photo op) where wildlife like ducks, squirrels, and a yellow finch fascinated the group. Squirrels are not normally seen in Guatamala, and the two members of the youth group, Juanito and Nelzon tried to make friends with some of them!
As we walked into the Basilica, I was moved by the
actions of the delegation. After briefly taking in
the beauty of this worship space, they immediately
found a pew and either knelt or sat and prayed. I was
compelled to do the same. I decided to get some
impressions of the church, so I asked Bernardo if he
had any experience with large historical worship
spaces. He smiled and reminded me that there are
churches that are hundreds of years old in Central and
South America. Our beautiful Basilica is still young.
Only a few blocks away from the Basilica is the
Jeremiah Program which helps young
mothers and their children break out of the cycle of
poverty. The guidelines for acceptance into the
program are stringent. The women must have a high
school diploma, and a job. Their children can be no
older than four. While in the program they pay one
third of their salary for rent. They attend
life-skills workshops, and get a higher education.
Their young children are cared for, the older ones
must be enrolled in a school. We watched a
video with emotional testimonies of women who have
graduated from the program and became better mothers,
women who were able to
provide for their families because of better economic
opportunities. Members of the delegation were curious
about the program and asked thoughtful questions about
class, race and educational opportunities. When
we took a tour of the building, the favorite spot was
definitely the toddler's room. The group was charmed
by the little angels eating their mac and cheese!
The group was getting hungry, so we walked back to our
cars and drove to Vicki's beautiful home near Lake of
the Isles where a lunch of a delicious green sauce
made with tomatillos and chunks of chicken poured over
savory rice. The meal was cooked by Mary (Inocenta
Pichilla) and Ruth Garrido and it was a welcome site.
Everyone wanted the recipe, and we were promised that
it would be posted on the web site, so keep watching
for it. Mary gave thanks and toward the end of the
prayer, I recognized some familiar words; The Lord's
Prayer! Good thing we've been saying it in Spanish as
a parish these many weeks!
After we were fortified with brownies and ice cream
for dessert, we piled into our vans and cars again,
and headed to the Native American Center on Franklin
Avenue. We were treated to a history lesson of sorts
by Juanita Espinosa, Director of the Native Arts
Circle. She explained the history of the struggles of
the American Indian people of Minnesota, and how
important crafts, art and beauty is to her culture.
Again, the group was moved by her stories, and asked
thoughtful questions about educational and economic
opportunities available to Native Americans. They
were very interested in the American Indian artifacts
and works of art that are all around the center.
Bernardo praised her for her passion, and said that it was no coincidence that she was here in the city. Her enthusiasm for her work and her people is inspiring. When we said goodbye, Juanita presented the delegation with a gift; deer antlers painted in bright colors. She wanted the delegation to have a work of natural beauty so that they would remember her people, and their history.
That was the end of my day and I was exhausted, but
the delegation had more work to do back at the parish
center; the homily for this
Sunday had to be written. Then, it was on to a
potluck at
Lake Harriet.
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One of the things that struck me the most about the day was how well they got along together, always joking and teasing each other. A smile and a hug was always at the ready. And while I don't understand very much Spanish, and speak even less, by the end of the day, I felt I understood what was being explained.
In fact there was so much information to take in, it was helpful to hear everything twice; once in English and then again in Spanish!
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