So since writing the blog about Bosa I was supercharged to take full advantage of the experiences and memories that the mission could offer. I returned from Bucaramanga early thursday morning having slept through most of an eight hour bus ride. Thursday night I lucked up being in the office at just the right time to be invited to a private Eucharist that was held in the little chapel of the Cathedral. In attendance were all but one of the priest of the Bogota area. This included Facatativa and Bosa. Also in attendance were two Episcopal Franciscan Monks. One from NY and the other from San Francisco who I had actually met just a few days earlier in Bucaramanga. It was the intimate parting ceremony in honor of Rt. Rev. Luis Fernando. Who as of Sunday August 2nd is officially the Bishop of the Northern Provence of Ecuador. It was a lovely ceremony in its warmth and tenderness. It is always a special moment when you can look around a room and every face is a friend and a dear soul.
I had planned on attending the ceremony. Unfortunately plans were changing from a car ride that would cost next to nothing, to a bus ride that cost a couple hundred to a plane ticket that would cost a few to many hundreds. I elected to sit tight in Bogota.
In the mean time I was able to devote myself to work. Since beginning I have learned had to manage the mission, some of the economics, many of the psychological and emotional issues that plague the children and I can now rock a kitchen that is equipped with four gas burning eyes and a humble selection of pots, a couple of pans and one decent knife. One of my greatest joy is when they ask for seconds. I have discovered that handling the cooking and the kids is too much for just one person.
The few times I have found myself juggling this alone I realize there just isn't enough of one person to care for the kids as they need to be cared for. Not to mention the little tricks of life that occur. Today, for example, just as Esefania had to run out to deal with a responsibility my name began to be called out emphatically; it was something about the upstairs commode overflowing. After getting to a moment I could step away from the kitchen I climbed the stairs and turned the corner to see a small flood of back-up water. It's little things like this that make the job a bit more interesting and defiantly unpredictable.
I moved myself into a leadership position with Father Alberto to the extent I kicked him out of the mission two days out of every week I am in Bogota. I got a solid taste of what his life had been like over the past three weeks. Seven days a week at the mission, six days with the kids from 7:30am to 5:30pm. On top of that he gives services tuesday through saturday at 7pm. Last week I slipped my feet into his shoes for three days, this included celebrating holy eucharist. By Wednesday night I entered the apartment and straight into bed. My mission is now to help Father Alberto get consistent reliable help from the diocese, especially when I will be out traveling. He's on the fast track to burning out if he doesn't get some balance into his life.
I really don't know exactly what it is about Bosa that makes me so content. It must be the dynamics the kids and I have. They feed me and energize me. I end up looking forward to spending time with them even as I am waking up at 5am. That says something I think.
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