saturday morning

This Saturday morning, I took of this picture of this native woman with a child on her back selling nuts and other products from here wheel barrow.

july 31, 2010

Dear Jonrey,

A little reflection for your ministry this week and also taking care of Archi.

Leaning on God
by Joyce Rupp

Which of you walks in darkness and sees no light? ... lean on GodIsaiah 50:4-10
Some people lean against fence postswhen their bodies ache from toil.Some people lean on oak trees,seeking cool shade on hot, humid days.
Some people lean on crutchesBrozova/dreamstime.comwhen their limbs won’t work for them;and some people lean on each otherwhen their hearts can’t stand alone.

How long it takes to lean upon you,God of shelter and strength;how long it takes to recognize the truthof where my inner power has its source.
All my independence, with its arrogance,stands up and stretches within me,trying to convince my trembling soulthat I can conquer troubles on my own.
But the day of truth always comeswhen I finally yield to you,knowing you are a steady stronghold,a refuge when times are tough.

Thank you for offering me strength,for being the oak tree of comfort;thank you for being the sturdy supportwhen the limbs of my life are weak.
Praise to you, Eternal Lean-to,for always being there for me.Continue to transform mewith the power of your love.

from your brother Frank

friday, july 23, 2010

Dear Jonrey,

It was nice talking with you this morning and to find out that you were having heavy rain. I know that there was a shortage of water in your area that changed your electrical situation.
So I hope that these rains will help your power situation.

In China on the BBC news it has shown the great damage that has been done in that country.

Your new president will be talking to the parliament this coming week

The connection with skype was not good this morning due to the weather conditions in your areas.

The weather is getting slightly warmer here after a cold spell and the kids have been out of school now three weeks which is called
Winter break.

It is now the weekend and I will be going over to the Maryknoll Sisters for lunch today. One of our Brothers, Al Patrick will be returning to the United States. He turned 65 years old and will be retiring.

He was a nurse and working in the Middle East as well as here in Bolivia.

This is all for now.

frank

These days I am reading a book called “Thomas Merton’s Gethsemani Landscapes of Paradise”
These words by Thomas Merton struck me, His love of nature is like St. Francis of Assisi … He is a true Franciscan…

In the sacramental vision of reality, each bird, each frog---and Merton himself--- was continually created; moment to moment each creature was loved into being by a God who is intimately present to each speciesAnd each individual in that species. Merton understood that each creature reveals the immanence of God. Each creature is God coming to us. Each day is an experience of Advent. Making straight the way of the lord, building a highway in the desert is not for the purpose of going to God.We can’t “get to God” for God is too great, too transcendent, God must come to us. God has and God does. God is continually revealing God’s self in the world around us. God’s fullness is present in the person of Jesus, and in God’s overflowing love expressed in each creature. God is not Deus absconditus but Deus imtimus, a God who Saint Augustine said , is more intimate to me than I am to myself, a God longing to be discovered as the very Ground of my being.This is what I want to share with you today for a reflection my dear brother and friend Jonrey.
And I would like to know what are your own true feelings on this that is written by the famous Contemplative Trappist monk Thomas Merton.
It is in this honest sharing with each other that we truly grow as brothers in service to others in the classroom hose in the nursing career within our family as well as with our intimate friends. Would you agree with me on this?
your brother in Cochabamba, Bolivia.
Frank

july 19th,Monday evening

Dear Jonrey,
I just finished talking and seeing you on Skype this monday evening. The baby is very big now and quite active.

I have a slight cold and a sore throat due to the cold weather here in Cochabamba today. It has been very cold here which is unusual for here but in a week or so it will be over wtth. It is Winter time here but it is short and not like Chicago or other places in northern United States.

I took this picture of the flowers on the vine and on the other side is a tennis court that is hardly used by the students at the language school.

One of our older Brothers died and his name is Leon Cook and was 92 years old from Michigan. He worked many years in Guatemala. He was a farmer but also collect many insects for study for different universities in the United States.

Well soon you will be going for another hospial experience in your country or near your home.

This is all the news for now. Take care of yourself and share with me your photos of your home area.

Frank

St. Theresa's

This is the monatery of St. Theresa here in Cochabamba, Bolivia, the Carmelite Nuns monastery which is near the Franciscan churh of Hospicio. A five minute walk only.

The Sanctuary

I went up to the altar this morning and to this photo or our Lady of Mount Carmel above the altar.