7 days...

Well beautiful people, I've been in Botswana now for almost 7 days (it'll be 7 days in...about 4 hours).  I officially received my assignment over the weekend and began almost immediately.  The main thing they would like me to focus on is getting the youth group going again.  Oy.  I've never been that great at youth ministry.  The priest asked me to meet with the youth after Mass to ask them what they would like in terms of ministry.  So...I asked them.  Dead silence.  Then I threw out some ideas...would they like scripture, prayer, church teaching?  One girl finally raised her hand, and said "All!"  Lol!  So, I'm trying to decide what I should do.  I have a few ideas swirling in my head, but it is for sure that these young people are very much hungry to learn about their faith, so I'll do my best :-)

Sunday night, I went with Fr. Sylvester to a town about 2 hours away called Phikwe (I think that's how it's spelled).  It was an interesting drive.  Let's just say that Fr. Sylvester puts the jet in Jetta if you get my drift.  It is a nice little village that is built around a copper mine.  The billowing smoke (which I'm sure is not healthy) from the smelters filled the entire sky.  We went for what is called a Deliverance (which I'll talk about later) and on Monday, I made some home visits (Fr. Sylvester was once assigned here, and so knows EVERYONE).  We returned to Francistown, and I was exhausted.  After all, we had been going non-stop for almost 12 hours.  Just when I was walking up the stairs, thinking of a cup of tea and watching Downton Abbey (yes - my addiction came with me to Botswana) I heard Father call me back down.  He had his vestments in one arm and the Mass kit in another and told me that we were visiting one of the small Christian communities (which I'll talk about later also).  When we finally got home, I was ready for bed.  I honestly don't know how this man does it...he runs from place to place, and even literally town to town, and doesn't seem to get tired.  He's almost twice my age, but has twice my energy.  Lol.

Today was the best day so far.  First of all, I LOVE showers.  It is not unusual for me to take up to 30 minutes.  Since arriving here, I've only been able to take 5 minute showers.  The water pressure is so low, that the water comes out as a kind of mist, and I resorted to filling a cup from the shower head and kind of bathing myself.  Two months of this shower was going to be my penance...or so I thought.  It turns out the shower head was rusted, and so some of the holes were blocked.  I changed it and OMG, I nearly cried when a full stream of water came out.  I only showered for about 10 minutes, but it was a glorious 10 minutes hahaha.  However, more important than that,  I visited the sick and home bound with the Sister and brought them communion.  It was so wonderful!  Fr. Frank Hoffmann in Reno once gave me a piece of advice that I've never forgotten: care for the sick.  There is something truly holy and sacred in helping people who feel at their worst and are so vulnerable.  Every single person that I visited for those 3.5 hours smiled wide when we entered the house.  Some were embarrassed that they couldn't properly greet "the white man" (that's what they call me lol) or that there wasn't a nice chair for me to sit on, but all of them, no matter how they felt, could not stop thanking us for coming. One elderly lady clutched my hand and wouldn't let me go...I almost had to pry her fingers off lol.  Being there to pray with them and for them, to cheer them up, and maybe even give them some hope lifted my heart in ways I can't truly express.  I understand better what St. Teresa meant when she said that Christ has no body, hands, or feet now but ours.  It wasn't about praying that Christ comes to them...it was about bringing Christ to them ourselves, through our hugs and kisses and prayers and well wishes.  It was truly an extraordinary experience for me today and I can't wait to visit these people again next Tuesday.  

Now that I've rambled on, I want to share two experiences that happened yesterday.  Every night, before I go to bed, I do a simple Examen.  I decide what is one thing that happened that day for which I am thankful and what is one thing that happened that day for which I am not.  Last night, I was thankful for my experience with the Small Christian Community.  The Cathedral parish has divided its members into these small communities, who gather to pray, celebrate Mass, reflect on Scripture, and share food and fellowship.  Last night we visited the St. Monica Community (this was after returning from Phikwe).  We arrived at this  found over 20 people crammed into this small apartment.  I was surprised.  We celebrated Mass, and the people shared their reflections on the Gospel.  These people are truly devout.  They weren't shy or hesitant and no one was judged for what they said (which I have found to be a common trait among the people - they are astoundingly accepting), and as always, the celebration in this lady's living room was filled with song and joy.  After the Mass, food and drink was shared with everyone, and the people laughed and laughed and laughed.  It was so marvellous to see.  I've always felt that there is a disconnect in the Church in the US between the church building and the home.  Too many people seem to live their faith only for about an hour on Sunday and never take it anywhere else.  For the people here, the domestic church is just as important as the church building.  It was truly inspiring to see :-)

That for which I was not so thankful was my experience of the Deliverance.  I can't find any other way to describe it than to say it was just short of being an exorcism.  I don't want to break the confidence of the people involved or judge the African culture, but it was disturbing to me.  A young person felt that they were under attack from ancestral spirits.  This person described many things to the priest, who concluded that this person was indeed being attacked and possessed by spirits.  The priest performed the Deliverance, and it was really unsettling.  The person being delivered expressed pain and discomfort, but the priest said it was the spirits saying that, not the person, and so he wouldn't stop.  In the end, the person was confused, physically hurt, and disturbed by the experience (as was I).  The priest assured this person that there would be no more trouble from these spirits.  I really don't know what to think of this experience.

I've always been really dubious when it comes to the idea of demonic possession and exorcism.  After all, I've always thought that if we are made in the image and likeness of God and if the Spirit of God dwells within us, how can a demon overcome that?  I once went to a talk from an exorcist and he explained that most people who think they are possessed are not.  They are experiencing sicknesses and other issues.  Possession doesn't just happen (he said) it comes as a result of something destructive in that person's life that opens them up to allow evil in.  That made me feel a little better, but I still don't know how to feel about things like this...Any thoughts?  I'd love to hear what you have to say on this matter....

Well, I think that's enough for now...sorry it was so long.  As you can see, a lot is happening in a small amount of time.  Peace.

PS - I should say that I definitely believe in the existence of spirits, both malicious and benign, and I have a deep appreciation for the African culture's belief in their ancestral spirits and I respect them for it...just wanted to throw that out there :-)