March 4, 2007

Hello my Friends,

Where has the time gone? It seems that only yesterday we were celebrating Christmas and now it is March already, and we are in the Lenten Season!
I am sorry that I have not been able to write to you for a long time. Not only has life been extremely busy here, but we are also having more and more trouble with our internet connection. Our computer teacher at school explained that the problem is the main server in the country. Apparently there was not a thought, when the system was set up, that many people would be using it, so use has exceeded the system's capabilities. Consequently, both connecting and staying connected are difficult, sometimes impossible.
I know that I did not tell you about Christmas here. It was a wonderful experience. First of all, since this is predominantly a Muslim country, the commercialism that is so much a part of Christmas at home is not present. Christmas is celebrated as a religious feast, as it was meant to be. There were school programs at the Christian schools that were very moving in their simplicity and in the reverence with which the young children acted out the Christmas story. The performances were a living prayer.
Secondly, I wish you could have seen how beautiful our church looked inside and out! It was truly magnificent! The entire front of the church was covered with white lights, and there was a huge lighted star at the top of the church. All the bushes and the oval in front of the church were lighted, and someone had constructed a huge wooden star and covered the points with red material. In the center of the star was a wooden shelf with a Nativity scene on it. That star was right inside our gate. Inside the church building, there was tinsel hanging along with cutouts of angels and other Christmas figures. There were also shiny stars hanging from the ceiling. The Nativity set was gorgeous and gave a very peaceful impression when you looked at it. Behind the altar was a banner with Mary and baby Jesus painted on it. It was lovely. The whole setting gave you joy and a sense of real celebration.
Our pastor here wants the people to know that Christmas is a real celebration. He understands that they are not free to decorate their homes because it would be dangerous to do so, so he wanted the church and property to be as joyous as possible. He feels that at least on our compound we are free to celebrate, and we should do all we can to lift the people's spirits on these special occasions. Three of our sisters from the States were visiting us for Christmas, and they, like me, were amazed at how beautiful the church looked. They kept saying, Wow! Our churches don't decorate like this for Christmas!
The people were so kind to the Sisters, including the Muslim teachers and students at the school. Some of the teachers got together one day after school and put up a beautiful Christmas display to surprise us. Teachers and children alike greeted us and gave us cards and small gifts. One day one of the children from school came to the convent with her parents and brought darling artificial Christmas trees for Sr. Anna and me. They are about 18 inches high and sparsely limbed, but cute. I opened mine, decorated it and put it on the table in the dining area. The family also brought a cake for each of us. I wonder how hungry they thought we could be! We received so many cakes it was incredible. Most of them we then gave to our workers so they could bring something special home to their families.
Our Christmas "Midnight Mass" was supposed to start at 10:30 p.m., but the priest also had to say Mass in another church, so he was late in getting back here. Just before he was going to start Mass, the city decided to cut out the electricity. He called them to tell them to turn it back on (Things are different here!), and they said they would, but they took about half an hour to do that. So, we sat and waited. Mass started 11:45 and got over around 1:00 a.m. Since we always greet the people after Mass, that took another half hour or more. When we finally got back home, following the tradition of the Sisters here, we had tea and rolls. I could have lived a full and happy life with just going to bed, but that was not possible until around 3:00 a.m.! I felt sorry for the pastor and a couple of our younger sisters who were invited to someone's house after that. "Invited" here means "expected." They never got home until 4:00 a.m. Of course, we were still supposed to be up and functioning the next morning! Mass on Christmas day was only 30-40 minutes late and lasted only about 1½ hours!
God bless our Pastor, Father Akhtar! He tries very hard to accommodate the people, even when it is inconvenient for him. He must have been exhausted after Christmas since he not only had two Masses here, but also said the Mass in one of the Christian bastis (what we would call a ghetto).
Then, on December 26, there was supposed to be a wedding in the church, and the couple requested that he perform the ceremony. The wedding was scheduled for 11:00. Fr. Akhtar told them he was planning to go home and needed to get the early bus because he had a long way to go. The couple still wanted him to officiate, so he stayed to perform the ceremony. The people didn't show up until around 1:30, and Father missed his early bus.
A few days earlier, the Sisters had asked Father Akhtar if he would be available to drive us to the airport when our visiting sisters left, but he had said he was leaving early, so he couldn't do it. Since he had missed his early bus, he did drive us anyway, and until we told him it was okay to leave, he stayed with us because he was concerned about our visitors getting their flight. He would have missed the late bus as well if he had stayed longer.
Sr. Anna knows many of the workers at the airport, so when we go there, we get treated royally. The waiting area was filled with people. That was okay because we could still have found a place to sit, but it was also smoky in there and that was not okay for us. We went outside to have clean air to breathe. The next thing we knew, the workers came and brought us to a private room with comfortable seats, no smoke, and a private, clean bathroom! It was much more pleasant to wait there and have privacy as well.
Aside from Christmas, we had other occasions to celebrate. Birthdays are made very special for the one who is being celebrated, and, of course, we all benefit. On birthdays, we have a scrumptious breakfast. Anwar, our cook, makes omelets, which are fluffy, light and delicious. He also makes very light and tasty rolls and sometimes even a coffee cake. We have orange juice, which we only have on special occasions. It is a real treat when you don't get it very often! Here, we do not use napkins on a regular basis. (Obviously, it is a very simple life style.) Again, we only have them on special occasions, and if we happen to have special napkins for Christmas or some other such event, they are only put on the table for looks and then saved for the next year! You should see our 'Happy Birthday' napkin. It has had a better life! What we take for granted and use regularly with very little thought is given more value where there is less available. Conservative use of resources is essential here.
In January, we welcomed four new girls to our community. It was a beautiful event. All of our Sisters were present in the building, and the new girls were outside. We opened the door, invited them in, and gave them garlands of roses and a rosary. (This is very fitting since our official title is Dominican Congregation of Our Lady of the Rosary.) We had 'high tea' with them to say 'welcome.' In the evening, we had an entrance ceremony with a special prayer service for the girls. Please join us in praying that they persevere. The community here desperately needs more people. (I wish we had four entering in the States as well. We could also use new members there!)
On a different note, we actually have had rain twice this week. Today's rain was that soft but steady rain that is really good for the earth. It is still overcast, so if we are lucky, we might get more rain yet. The only problem is that the rain has made it colder again, but here, we'll take the rain! Once again, the difference in experiences was highlighted. At home, if it rains, everyone runs indoors or at least wears rain gear and carries an umbrella. Here, the children and teachers stayed outdoors and enjoyed the fact that it was raining. It was a real cause for celebration, and the children behaved much as ours do when there is the first snowfall of the season. There was much joy and excitement all around. I knew by watching the children outdoors during their break that the poor teachers in the primary classes would have their hands full trying to keep their minds on lessons in the afternoon!
At present, everything in the convent is at sixes and sevens. All the plumbing needs to be replaced. Unfortunately, it had been plastered right into the walls and floors. What a job the men have to get the pipes out! I saw some pieces that they have removed, and they are so rusted that there is hardly any pipe left. It is amazing that we have been getting water at all. Next, the workers will have to do the roof of the second floor veranda which looks like it is in danger of falling down. As you well know, this is a major undertaking, not to mention expensive. Pray for us to have patience as we deal with the disruption in our lives with all of this going on
In terms of my ministry here, I feel that I have come full circle. February 19th marked my 1-year anniversary of being here. On March 4th last year I began my ministry in the school by conducting interviews of prospective kindergarteners for next year. I am now interviewing again! As I predicted at that time, my ministry has developed and expanded over time. I am enjoying my interactions with both students and teachers. My 8th grade English Literature class is a joy, and I continue to conduct workshops for teachers as well as doing other supervisory tasks. It keeps me busy, but I do enjoy what I am doing.
Now that I have finally told you what Christmas was like here, we are in the Lenten Season! I pray that you will receive many graces from God as we journey through this time and that you will celebrate with joy the Resurrection of our Lord at Easter time.

God be with you.
Sister Anne