A Long December: Much Awaited Update

So you, Dear Reader, are not overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information which I will be reporting to you concerning my activities in the month of December, I will be updating with a shorter post once a week for the next three weeks. Stay tuned!

Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8)

What better way to celebrate the Immaculate Conception of Mary than to run across the Finca cheering and singing? Here at the Finca we have several Nicaraguan missionaries and a Nicaraguan religious sister. For Nicas IC is one of the biggest feasts of the year, so it was pretty grand for us this year too. We began with a novena (nine days of prayer), but in true Finca fashion this novena began a little too early to actually end on December 8^th for mysterious reasons. 

Anyway, on the last day of the novena, we split up into groups and went stampeding from house to house on the Finca. Each house had a small altar on the porch with pictures of the Virgin Mary. Upon our arrival we sang a Marian hymn, did a little cheer (“? Quien causa tanta alegría? ...! La Concepción de María!”). At each house we received a Little treat, so all in all it was kind of like Marian trick-or-treating.

Advent

December also meant a time for preparing ourselves for the birth of Christ at Christmas. In the missionary house we decorated in the traditional, North American way, but we also had a Jesse Tree. We decorated our Jesse Tree with symbols from the story of Salvation History as recounted by the Hebrew Scriptures as well as a personal ornament from each missionary that symbolized a family Christmas tradition. My symbol was the train—for the train that we always have around our tree at home, running our Lionel toy trains at the Germantown Train Station, and receiving them as gifts each year.

Our house was lacking in one decoration which in my mind is essential to Advent: the Nativity scene. My mom collects Nativity scenes, so when we decorate almost every surface of our house has one. Because we did not have one in the missionary house, I made this one: 

 

Our chapel was not without a Nativity scene though; in fact, it had a quite inclusive one complete with an elephant, a penguin, and Little Red Riding Hood. Who knew they were there? I trust our Franciscan sisters on this matter whose founder, St. Francis, developed the Nativity scene tradition.

I was also lucky enough during December to go into Trujillo with a few of our little girls to grab some ice cream and see the Christmas decorations around town:

 

*Note: Grandma and Grandpa Kuehl have this same plastic light-up Nativity scene in their window every year.

In Brief:

I saw huge Double Rainbow!

I’m officially a resident of Honduras (special thanks to professional bureaucrats in the Honduran migration office for making the process as sufficiently painful and slow as possible).

House 3 (little boys) spent a week trying to capture and domesticate a baby squirrel.

Winter School ended January 13!

Real school begins February 1!

In December I read The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis (again), some of David Sedaris’ Me Talk Pretty One Day, book 1 of The Hunger Games, and I just finished The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien.

Thank you to everyone who sent Christmas cards and packages! It really means a lot more to me than you can know!

To be Continued…

And That's What Thanksgiving is All about!

We spend a lot of time here learning about Honduran culture, eating Honduran food, and celebrating the Honduran way, but Thanksgiving Day was a time to share a little bit of life in the U.S. with our friends and neighbors here.  Here are few snapshots of the festivities:

Here I am trying to catch the Thanksgiving turkey.  MMMM...tasty!

Just kidding, we bought frozen turkey, and this lucky bird lived to see another day (oblivious to the fact that thousands upon thousands of his feathered brethren north of the border are being mercilessly slaughtered in the name of gratitude).

Here I am with the 15 pies (apple and pumpkin) that I helped make.  15 pies for 80 people...bunch of lightweights!  (Pictured: Erin Lucia and Sheena)

It wouldn't be an American Thanksgiving without some Futbol Americano--Pilgrims V. Indians.  Believe it or not, I could throw the old pigskin better than anyone else on my team, so I was elected quarterback.  I even ran the ball into the goal and scored a homerun.  Oh how I love the old gridiron!

Rolls courtesy of Sara: One of my very favorite parts of Thanksgiving dinner.

Well, as you can see we had it all--the turkey, the pies, the football.  All we were missing was the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and a comfy couch. (Oh yeah, I also really missed guessing which pies David Letterman's mom made).  I definitely missed being home for Thanksgiving, but it was a good one nonetheless.  I hope everyone had a happy and satisfying Turkey Day!

How to Become a Saint

As many of you probably realized, November 1st of each year we celebrate All Saints' Day, a day when we reflect on the Communion of Saints, all those who strive for a life of holiness.  Part of celebrating this day for me is reflecting on my own call to sanctity.  God calls each and every one of us to holiness in our own way; that is, we are all called to be saints. I would share more of my own reflections on this topic, but I think that Fr. James Martin, SJ, says it more eloquently and humorously in his book My Life with the Saints.  I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to know more about the lives of the saints or maybe feels confused about the role of the saints for a Christian who lives in the modern world. Actually, everyone should read it (period). It's entertaining, witty, profound, and very accessible.  Here's a little excerpt that is more or less the last chapter of the book:  How to Become a Saint.  Enjoy!

PS: If you plan on reading the book, don't read the link above.  It's better at the end of the book.

In Honduras, Got a Job, Will Write Again Soon

Greetings from Honduras! Paz y Bien! So, mis queridos amigos y familia, a whole lot has been going on since last I wrote. First of all, just over two weeks ago on the Feast of St. Therese of Lisieux, 6 new missionaries and I arrived at the Farm of the Child in Honduras. Oh yeah, that's why we came to Central America! It was all superoverwhelming at first. Now I'm much more settled in, and it's great to finally be in this place, to meet the kids, and get to know the community where I'll be living and working for the next 2 years.

As these two weeks have passed by, most of my time has been spent getting oriented and discerning. Many of you may know that I committed to the mission of the Farm without knowing exactly what my job would be over the next two years. Needless to say, we have all spent a good part of our time here discerning what our gifts are and how they can best be used on the Farm.

Good news: I am employed! That's right, I have a job! I am officially the Science teacher for 7^th, 8^th, and 9^th grade. Additionally, I will be teaching a few special classes: English, Economics, Debate, and P.E. Wait, before you ask yourself, “Self, why is Kevin teaching subjects like science and econ?”, take a deep breath and remind yourself that this is middle school science and econ (not organic chemistry and advanced econometrics). Now, that's better! Anyway, I am really excited about this opportunity to bestow knowledge upon young minds, but I am sure that it will be challenging as well. It's going to be tough teaching middle schoolers (because of all the lovely things that come along with this age group...you remember...rather, you're probably trying to forget). I'll also be teaching in Spanish for an added challenge (Can you say puchica?). One really comforting thing is that next school year doesn't start until February, so I have lots of time to prepare myself for all the work ahead. Over the next few months the other new teachers and I will be teaching winter school (I've been told it's kind of like summer camp...which I know I can handle). Besides teaching in the colegio, I will also be the scoutmaster for the Boy Scout troop. I will be coaching boys' soccer, and I will be on the spiritual life committee.

Lastly, I just want to let you all know that I had a very wonderful birthday here. I'm not going to write about it in detail now, but I really felt blessed to be surrounded by loving people who will be dear friends for many years to come. I was definitley taken care of. Thanks to all of you who wished me happy birthday in some form or another.

In the words of Lavar Burton: “Until next time...!”

Kevin

Vamos Tod@s al Banquete!

Vamos Tod@s al Banquete!

Some people say that they have seen heaven; in fact, there is a recent bestseller that documents the story of a young boy who had a vision of paradise. Usually, people describe heaven as having bright lights, puffy white clouds, golden ornamentation, angel choirs, and peaceful people sublimely floating around in white robes. While these symbols have come into our religious imagination to explain eternal life with God, I don't think that they adequately describe heaven.

This past Sunday I think I got a glimpse of what heaven may actually be like. Mass this Sunday ended with a extraordinary celebration—a Eucharistic procession through the streets of Antigua. While this kind of worship is almost unheard of in the United States, here in Guatemala processions are a reminder that God is everywhere and walks with us in our streets. Here's what happened: The Blessed Sacrament was exposed in the monstrance, a golden sunburst surrounding a pure, white disc of unleavened bread. Six people carried a canopy over the priest who held the monstrance wrapped tenderly in his vestments. Slowly, the people of God trickled out of the pews to follow behind Jesus in the Sacrament. As tiny flames flickered, beads of wax rolled down the small white tapers that each person held.

As we exited the sanctuary, I was certain that we were Someplace else not quite in the world. We tread over a trail of soft pine needles and rose petals; a band burst into a joyful marching tune at the back of the procession as a more traditional drummer pounded away at the front; church bells clanged and clinked hastily as the sound of fire crackers cut the air with a poppity-pow-pop-pop; brightly colored confetti fell from above; people sang. Some people wore veils in humble reverence and others wore scapulars the size of postcards. A little girl dressed as an angel led the way followed by an altar server carrying the Cross flanked by two pink candles that spiraled towards the sky. Someone swang a thurible the size of a small pumpkin through the air as clouds of incense billowed out and filled the street with the sweet scent of burning sap.

Most importantly, as the priest pointed out, in this procession it doesn't matter who is first or who is last; what matters is that we walk together and that we walk with our God.  God invites us all to work in his vineyard.

With all of its strange sounds, smells, and sights, this procession is just a reminder—a reminder of something that we can so easily forget in the United States; that is, that every Mass is a celebration. Something extraordinary is occurring. This Eucharistic celebration is a reflection of the heavenly banquet God has prepared for us. It is a celebration of thanksgiving (as the word “Eucharist” connotes). If you have any doubts about this, I suggest reading The Lamb's Supper by Dr. Scott Hahn. This is a brilliant but accessible account of one convert's realization that the Eucharist is a sharing in the heavenly banquet. As Fr. G. Ronald Murphy, SJ, often reminds his students, the symbols and the rituals in the sacramental life of the Church are all about one thing: realization. In the sacraments heaven dips down, the earth swings skyward, and the two embrace if only for a brief second. We are invited to be somewhere else. We are invited to sit at God's welcome table.   

Snapshots of Guatemala

Here I am with backpack in tow ready for my first day of language school. I can´t say that everyday has been as exciting as the first...but it is what it is.

This is the street where I live. The Volcán de Agua looming in the distance.

Home of Franciscan Friars and the Tomb of Santo Hermano Pedro, here is the Iglesia San Francisco. This is the church where my fellow missionaries and I typically attend daily Mass. It is conveniently located between my house and the language school.

Devotees of Santo Hermano Pedro place candles outside of his tomb when asking for his intercession. Hundreds of pilgrims thank Hermano Pedro for miraculous cures.

September 15 marked Independence Day for Central America. There were tons of parades. This is one of them. They really love drums in their marching bands here, by the way. Another tradition is the running of the torch of liberty from town to town. I participated in one of these runs that was about 20 kilometers (12 miles). Don´t worry: I didn´t run the whole thing. That torch sure gets heavy though!

Volcán Pacaya: My fellow missionaries and I summited this active volcano yesterday. No big deal. Of course, many Star Wars and Lord of the Rings allusions were made. No matter what each of us imagined, it truly was an adventure that included roasting marshmallows at the top.

Until next time!

Goal Met!

As of today, I have met and exceeded my goal by $90.40! I cannot express how grateful I am to all of you who have donated in support of this amazing mission. Thank you to those of you who have supported me in any way that you could. The smallest donations mattered! The prayers mattered! The words of encouragement mean the world to me! Thank you all and thank God for the many gifts that He has graciously bestowed upon me. I could not have done this without all of you and with God through whom we do all good things!

May Peace be with all of you!
Kevin