August 25th Homily: Briana Conors, Sherri Norgard, Carol Krush, Heidi Meyer

"Our 2002 Delegations to Tierra Nueva Dos."
Heidi Meyer, Briana Connors, Carol Krush, Shari Norgaard
Sunday, August 25th, 2002

Heidi Meyer

Words are limiting: Before I begin with my stories, I wan to tell you that I feel very limited, by having only words to try to bring some of TN2 here today. I wish I could reach into my heart, where I feel my memories from TN2 reside, and give you the whole experience in complete form, without having to simplify it into words. If I could do that, I would hope to share with you:
- The scent of the roses brought to each of us, by our sisters in TN2 who traveled one hour by bus to meet us at the airport and help us with our luggage, before bussing back to TN2
- The taste of new foods: warm thick plantain juice and Christina’s (my 17-year old host sister) refried beans with cream at breakfast. As well as pitaya, a fluorescent purple fruit new to all of us
- The wonder at the peacefulness and general accord which can be found in a two room home with 5 kids, 2 adults, and 2 guests this particular weekend
- The self-consciousness of using a bathroom separated from the kitchen by just a shower curtain, and the earthiness that a dirt floor and chickens as co-dwellers in the home bring Through-the-night noise of buses, rain on a tin roof, and roosters that don’t wait until the sun rises to begin to crow
- Disbelief that so much can be done with so little at a fiesta in a cinder block church on a Saturday night. Reconnecting with how much fun it really is to try to keep a balloon airborne as long as possible, using only your head
- Views of the deep green ravine, often fog-covered in the morning, that surrounds the impoverished urban mainstreet of TN2
- The simple goodness of corn tortillas at almost every meal
- Patience to sit, to converse, to meet and to accept that things happen on “Guatemala time” or a half an hour to an hour later than they’re scheduled. Energy to awake and arrive “on time” for 6:00am mass
- The sense of confinement that came from not being able to move about unaccompanied for security reasons. Gated windows and locked doors.
- Laughter at attempts to communicate in broken Spanish, the encouraging, understanding, good type of laughter
- I would also share with you the Sisterhood of the delegates: a firm, trusted, curious and encouraging friendship
- Presence to observe the quiet dignity that exists in TN2 amid a history of civil war and current poverty and violence
- Lastly, I would want to give you the warmth and welcome that we felt on our last Sunday in TN2, when members of the community came up to us after mass and gave us hugs and kisses, thanked us for coming, and wished us a good journey home. These were people we had met in the previous week, and some that we hadn’t.
That is sort of the backdrop, that I’d like to tell my stories against. About a week ago, a friend asked me what I thought I had learned on the delegation. I fought the sense the words were not enough, and told him:
I’d learned that we really are connected to the people in Guatemala; that our lives impact theirs and vice versa. My hostmom works in a sweatshop where they make brands of clothing that I wear. She’s gone from 5:45am-7:30 pm 5 days a week, and if she doesn’t meet her daily quota at the Makiladora, her pay is cut in half. I don’t think I’ll ever see a Gap or Banana Republic storefront in the same way again - I’ll know that the clothes that are made there don’t come from the trucks that deliver them from the warehouse, but from the work of my hostmother, Maria. I will see the connection there between her life and mine. And I’m also coming to recognize the responsibility that comes with this connection, and to ask questions about and re-evaluate some of the choices I make, with respect to how they impact Maria and her family.
Returning to the conversation with my friend: I told him I’d learned that real connection with our sisters and brothers in TN2 is possible, despite geographic, cultural, educational and economic differences.
Sitting at the kitchen table on day, my host dad Oscar asked me if I’d ever been in a house with a dirt floor before. I had to think for awhile, and was thankful when I could answer that I had. I’m still trying to figure out why his question seems so profound to me. And I think it’s because Oscar seemed to know where I was coming from. He acknowledged our material differences and was asking how I perceived the way he and his family lived. But somehow in doing that, it was also clear that our differences were just that: material, and that the stuff of life, the real stuff (such as thoughts, feelings, hopes, dreams, relationships, etc….) we have in common.
Why does our Sister Parish relationship matter, and why should we continue?
Our Sister Parish matters because: Of my 12-year old friend who lives in TN2, named Gustavo, who had traveled into the Sister Parish Center in Guatemala City with us the day before our departure to help pack candles to for us to bring back to SJA. Gustavo found me at a quiet moment and asked very somber and seriously, “Will you be back next year?” With the help of one of our guides, I was able to tell him that SJA would be back, but that we might be a different group people. Sadness and tears. I can imagine that Gustavo must have felt like he was part of something important: The fiesta, the trip into the city to help pack the candles to bring back - he probably felt like he was part of something important and connected to life outside the colony. Later that same day, I showed Gustavo a picture of my SCC, and him that the people in the picture were his friends too, in spirit. I wish I could bring you his smile today.
My hope for Gustavo is that somehow our ongoing relationship will give him self-esteem, and a sense of connection to the world outside the colony, and ultimately the chance to educate himself and work for change and development within TN2.
The connection between Gustavo and my SCC is a metaphor for the connection between our respective communities. Our Sister Parish relationship gives us the opportunity to be Church to one another and to experience the joyful spirit of connection.
Where does this bring us?
On this journey, I came to realize that SJA and TN2 are part of one body. We are connected; we are church. And when a part of our body, our arm for instance, hurts, it is natural to direct energy, and care, and concern, and resources to the healing of that hurt arm.
I want to acknowledge that because our relationship with TN2 is solidarity-focused, that energy and resources do not flow in one direction. Though TN2 might be poor financially, they are not poor in spirit, or warmth, or hospitality, or authenticity, or openness, or acceptance. These are some of the gifts we receive from our SP relationship.
Because today is mission Sunday, we are going to focus on what we have to give, instead of what we have to receive. Today we have the opportunity to provide support to TN2, for the projects, which they have designed and determined to be of greatest benefit to their community.
Examples of what we as a community have to contribute:
- Candle sales (to fund South-to-North delegations)
- Scholarships (for primary and secondary education)
- Building funds (our contributions helped pay for the church’s doors and windows)
- Children’s Christmas party (an activity which is organized by the youth group)
- Seed money for the women’s group

By supporting or brothers and sisters in TN2, we give them the gift of hope, and the gift of being able to dream - to dream of justice and to be able to work toward it.

Carol Krush

Hello, I’m Carol Krush and this is Sheri Norgard. I’m going to give a brief intro about Sister Parish and Tierra Nueva Dos. Then Shari will speak about the experiences that impacted her most on the youth delegation. Then I’ll elaborate on a couple of the projects. Then Sheri and I will present some concluding thoughts, hopes, and dreams.

Our Sister Parish relationship with Tierra Nueva Dos started in 1994. Our mission statement says (in part):

The purpose of the Sister Parish relationship is to promote equality and respect and broaden our knowledge of the people and cultures of each church through sharing on a cultural, spiritual, economic, social, and political level. A special focus of our exchange is the human development of women, children and young adults.

Tierra Nueva Dos is a “squatter” community outside of Guatemala City formed so people could obtain affordable housing and yet be able to find employment in Guatemala City, a 1 hour bus ride away. A “squatter” community is formed when people have no way to acquire land so they build dwellings on land that is considered uninhabitable.

The concept of Sister Parish is, and I quote Fr. George from an interview in Feb, 1995:

It’s an intercultural experience of bonding with parishioners in another country for mutual benefit. It’s important to realize that it is a sister-to-sister relationship, not a “big sister to little sister” situation. Mutuality must be there. The Sister Parish premise has to be that we are going to be enriched as well as they through the experience.

An important part of our connection is the delegations we have from here to there and from there to here and an important part of the delegations are the home-stays.

Because the US community has more material resources, we also provide material support for some projects. The Tierra Nueva Dos community develops projects which we discuss with each other either via e-mail or in person. In this way, we come up with projects that are meaningful for Tierra Nueva Dos, not projects that we impose on them from our value system. Often if we can’t fund all projects, or total projects, Tierra Nueva Dos prioritizes what is most important to them. Sometimes when we question a project idea, Tierra Nueva Dos will re-examine or fine-tune their project. So there is give and take on both sides. Many of the projects we have supported are listed in today’s bulletin.

There are so many stories like Sheri’s(unavailable) of the personal connection with the people of Tierra Nueva Dos. In our delegations closing time together at the Sister Parish Center, each member of our women’s group was asked to pray for someone she had met that week. I prayed for Valery, our 1st home stay mom, who had cried during her breakfast prayer the morning we’d left a week earlier. She explained that she was feeling sad both because she missed her mom and sister who’d died 2 years ago and because Kathy and I were leaving her house that day. Who showed up right after our prayer but Valery and her husband Gregorio, who had taken the 1 hour bus ride from Tierra Nueva Dos to the Sister Parish Center in Guatemala City, to bring us a goodbye gift because we had “escaped” from them after church and they hadn’t had a chance to say a proper goodbye.

The first project I’ll describe is the women’s group. Our delegation, being all women, had a chance to meet with this group. Their group, led by Miriam who has been here on a delegation visit, had organized the meeting well. The women sang an empowering women’s song. Here is the best I could do at translating some of the words:

Today I sing to the God of all people…
A song of a woman who is liberated
To God who is in solidarity with my cause and
Who consecrates me lifting my voice in hope
God listens to the clamor of our people
And is allied with the impoverished and exploited
And with women freed of chains…
(imposed with cruelty for centuries)…
Blessed will be the women, the women, the women…”
Then we formed two circles, an inner and an outer for a blessing prayer. We sang to each other “God’s light all around you” (hands move around your partner like an aura); “God’s love within you” (arms crossed across your chest like an embrace). Then we sat in a large circle doing introductions, telling a bit about ourselves and learning about what each woman derived most from this group. We did a craft activity together and ate a meal they’d prepared. The women were interested in the Alanon materials we’d brought in Spanish, as they’d already addressed domestic abuse issues and had linked that to alcohol abuse in the spouses. There is an AA group in Tierra Nueva Dos, but no Alanon group yet. Dorothy presented a sewing machine she’d brought for their use.

One future dream that the women have is a space to call their own, to meet in and expand their craft activities and have storage space for materials.

With a premium on space and a focus on others in their homes and work, this time and space apart is very important for self-nurturing and affirmation of each other.

The second project I’d like to address is political support.

Because of seeing the situation in Guatemala and the stories we heard in our travels, I came back with a renewed interest in looking at the “systems” in the United States, which contribute to injustices in Guatemala. My hope is that our Sister Parish Committee will expand our political arm to address system change.

The following is an excerpt from my first day’s journal:

We arrived at the Sister Parish Center and parked and unloaded and lugged our stuff into the center. There is a pretty courtyard inside with colorful pink walls and a palm tree. It seems peaceful in contrast to the gray cement outside and also safe in contrast to the uncertainty and probably hardships of the peoples’ lives on the outside. This morning by my shower, I noticed high fences above with barbed wire on top - protection against entry by those looking for the resident’s possessions. Wealth and poverty, haves and have-nots - it’s apparent right away. Is this a mini version of a “gated community” which I am against in principle? … How do the rich from the “North” mix with those less well off in the “South” and hold onto their possessions? … How can we enter the kingdom of God on earth unless we loosen our grip on our possessions? How do we change our systems, “live more simply,” stop domination?

One story we heard that illustrates our government’s involvement with Guatemala was when the Guatemalan government under Arbenz sought to buy back land from the US Company, United Fruit. This project was undertaken to bring about land reform to redistribute land to the Guatemalan farmers. In order to payer lower Guatemalan taxes, United Fruit had de-valued the land, so the Guatemalan government offered to pay what United Fruit had reported the land’s worth to be. Immediately, United Fruit raised the price of the land to an unaffordable level. The US government backed United Fruit and deposed the Arbenz government. It is so sad what abuses our government has perpetuated in the name of “anti-communism” and our “economic interest.” Our foreign policy basically takes advantage of innocent people trying to eke out better lives for their families. The squatter communities grow out of the fact that the ordinary person can’t own land in Guatemala.

But where does our fruit come from? And what can I personally do to make a difference? I returned from Guatemala with more questions than answers. I love fruit in general and bananas in particular. How can we be more constructive and less destructive towards the people of Guatemala, both in our personal lives and as a nation?

We seek the wider involvement of our parish with Tierra Nueva Dos. Whether you serve on the Tierra Nueva Dos committee or an arm of the committee or help with a specific project or go on a delegation or host a delegation member from Tierra Nueva Dos or pray each Sunday or buy a candle or buy only fair trade coffee or clothing or fruit or contribute today, all will work towards our mutual sister parish relationship. Father Arturo, who is the priest for both Tierra Nueva Uno and Tierra Nueva Dos says that Tierra Nueva Dos has stronger leadership because of the hope that our involvement has given them.

Like the song Kathy and Leo sang today, “I want a million friends in order to sing more strongly.”

Sheri Norrgard

Introduction

I’m Sheri Norrgard and I was one of the blessed people selected to go to TNII in Guatemala and visit our sister parish. Once you try and experience life in a different way, and try and get to know the people and their culture, you become very much affected and you feel like a different person. Traveling to TNII changed me and gave me a different perspective on life and who I am as a person. Three areas in which I will be talking about include

beauty and pollution
hospitality
entertainment and family

Beauty and Pollution

After taking a trip down to Guatemala, I was really surprised by how beautiful Guatemala is. But, I also couldn’t help noticing how much pollution Guatemala has. An example from my trip might give those of you who have never been to Guatemala, a chance to try and understand.

When our youth group delegation stayed in TN II, we stayed with a host family for 2 nights. When my delegate group walked to our host family’s house, I stood near their house in awe. The area, in which the host family lives, has the most beautiful view, right in their own back yard. It was a lush beautiful area, full of trees, with mountains in the background. But, I was surprised by the pollution that was slowly changing Guatemala and stripping it of some of its beauty. When a person walks around the outside edges of the cliffs in TNII, they would notice all sorts of litter and pollution. There are large areas where people dump their garbage -- everything from plastic and glass bottles to food items and old appliances. In TNII, they don’t have garbage dumps and recycling, like we do here. At first I felt embarrassed, because I began to think that the people of TNII really didn’t care.

But the more I thought about it, I realized, that wasn’t the case at all. I’m not sure why they pollute, but my guess is that they may be more concerned about day-to-day survival and taking care of their families. And perhaps, many of the people just haven’t been educated about pollution, like we have.

Hospitality

While in Guatemala, we met our sister parish. Being in Guatemala gave me such a warm feeling in my heart for the people around me. I think this was because the people I met were so gracious. Before I went to TNII, I never thought people could be so warm and welcoming to people they hardly knew.

After being in TNII for a few days, I started to realize how wonderful these people were. Mary, a girl from our youth group, and I stayed with a host family for two nights. The host family we stayed with, consisted of five people, including a small baby. The first time I walked into our host family’s house, I was very nervous because they were new to me and I wasn’t sure what to expect. But, they welcomed us with hugs and made sure that both of us felt at home. Later that night, our host family gave Mary and I their bigger bed of the two beds they had in their home. I wanted to refuse because the two of us could have fit in a twin bed, but I felt that would have been rude. I thought our new friends only wanted the best for us. All five members of our host family squeezed into a twin-sized bed while Mary and I slept in the only double bed.

To this day I ask myself, would I really be able to do that for a total stranger, do something Jesus would want me to do, reaching out to them and sharing myself, my home and my love with them.

The second example of hospitality was experienced at the sister parish church. When the people greeted each other, the service didn’t continue until everyone came and greeted each other personally. It felt like the people really cared about me and wanted to get some sort of spiritual connection. It didn’t feel like they were just shaking my hand to get it over with. It was really cool.

Entertainment/ Family

As soon as you see the people of TNII, you realize how few material things everyone around you has. I think it’s especially noticeable because we Americans have so much stuff. The Guatemalans I stayed with over night only had:

1 stove
1 table for eating (about the size of desk table)
2-4 plastic chairs
2 beds (one double size and one twin size)
3 blankets,
Very few pieces of clothing,
A very small black and white TV
A home which is partly made out of cement and metal sheets and about the size of a kitchen

My first reaction to all of this was to feel sorry for them and then I got feeling kind of down. I knew I had so much more of everything then they did. But, once I actually sat down and listened to my inner self, I began to realize material does not matter. I figured this out from watching my host family. I realized even though my host family did not have a lot of material things, I realized they did not need material things to survive.

They have each other and they seemed to truly enjoy spending time together. It was interesting to watch them. They spent a great deal of time being together, laughing, talking, and sharing with one another. I thought that the big difference between the TNII people and many people in the US was that lots of people here find satisfaction from being entertained. We find it’s hard to have fun, without media or demanding electronics. The TNII people do not need a TV, video game, computer or a movie to make be happy with each other. I wish to ask you a question, which I’ve asked myself since I’ve been back from TNII. When was the last time that you as a child, teenager or an adult, sat down with your family and just enjoyed each others company? (Pause) I ask you this week to turn off the TV, stop playing your video game, get offline and choose instead to sit and talk with your family, because life is too short to waste.

Conclusion

In conclusion, here is what I wish might happen to TNII in the next 50 years. If my daughter or son were to go to TNII, I hope they would see people following their dreams. My youth group talked to the TNII youth group and we shared our dreams for the future. Their dreams were similar to ours - they wished to go to college and have a bright future.

My second hope is for people to find work for themselves. And my third hope is that they will find a safe, cozy place to live.

I have a request for those you here at St. Joan of Arc. Please reach deep into your hearts, and remember a time in which you had a dream you wished to follow. Please try and support our sister parish, because their way of life and education is just as important as ours. God bless all of you, have a wonderful missionary Sunday.

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