A Favor

I don't have much time to write because i got to talk to my parents and alex and kels today, but I have a favor to ask of any sewers out there. I am wondering if anyone would like to (or know of someone who would like to) make aprons. or at least one apron for me. the aprons they have here are made of thin plastic and i get my clothes so dirty every day cleaning and cooking. and then i have to wash the clothes extra long. they could be anything you wish.

Secondly, our house has no decorations and is a bit sad for me. Our "pantry" shelf has nothing to cover it and since we are in the house of St Therese who is also known as the little flower, I was thinking floral patterned curtains would be beautiful. Something tranquil and cozy. I will use some string to hang them...

The dimensions: (2) 9 X 3 ft curtains to hang. (our walls are a pale yellow)

At another time I have another project that is very large and I will post it another day. If you are going to make any of these (and i thank you beyond words) please post a comment on here so that we dont end up with 10 sets :)

The address here (for letters and boxes)

Pontos Coração
Fazenda do Natal
Cx P 28
CEP 43 700 000
Simões Filho-BA
Brasil

I have a bad sunburn from a beach adventure yesterday, but it is worth it for the beauty I experienced. The beaches here are unbelieve.

I am speaking only in portuguese so it has improved immensly. Hopefully within the month i will be fluent (in conversational matters at least).

I pray that the tranquility here is transfered to you in your life.
Love,
Erica

Coming to you with a big heart

I began typing a post on my second day here, but after five minutes, the electricity of the entire fazenda went out. It was night and so I had to figure out what was going on (I of course thought that I was the cause of it.) Thank you, Tommy, for the flashlight. It came in handy and everyone is borrowing it. Although the teenagers made fun of me for the pull cord. None the less, here I am and the internet is VERY slow so it is going to take patience to upload pictures. I am going to write and post this FIRST and if I have time, I will post some pictures.

How to explain this beautiful place? It is exactly how I imagine the garden of Eden to be. Green trees everywhere and the grass up to my knees. All kinds of fruit trees--mangos, oranges (that are green on the outside?), bananas big and small, papayas, and all kinds of fruit that I have no idea what they are (except that they are DELICIOUS). For breakfast we have bread (that they make here) and butter. We have coffee and a kind of tea that is grown here. And then a few different kinds of fruits. The two other meals are larger--rice or pasta and a meat and vegetables. After dinner we might have a tiny dessert (Bahians LOVE LOVE LOVE sugar). They put 4 spoonfuls in their coffee alone. ay yi yi.

I like in the casita of St. Therese--the little flower. It is a very humble abode. In my room is irma joseti who is a sister from Lebanon. Yesterday she made me hummus for dinner!!! We laugh a LOT together and have already grown close despite our language barrier. She is like my mother here, watching out for me and telling me when to go to things. And when someone speaks to me and I don't understand, I look at her like a little child, my face asking to respond for me. She is so patient and kind to me.

In the other room is Padre Arnold, who can speak english pretty well. He is my savior who I can ask what a word means or how to say something in portuguese. And in the last room is Anita, a 40? year old woman who has a mental disability. Mine and Irma's bathroom and shower are not functioning at the moment so we have to share one bathroom. The shower is a tiny box and I think it takes me longer to LOCK the door than it does to actually shower. My first shower, I looked up and there was a GECKO staring at me. Soon I learned they are everywhere.

I have about 40+ bug bites already. I look like I have the chickenpox and everyone keeps saying to me "NO SCRATCHING!" I am wondering how my mom is going to visit without having a heartattack. Maybe you should practice on a few camping trips or something, mama. Our plates are metal and most of our forks have bent (what do you call the stems on the fork?). I have two shelves for my things and a little bunk bed. I think the same mosquito comes into my net each morning to buzz in my ear and wake me up 30 minutes before my alarm (6am).

There is not actually any farming that goes on here. Only picking the fruit off the trees. The other food we get from a farmers market once a month. My body is loving the food here-- I have a lot more energy and I have yet to feel sick. Our water is filtered and actually very delicious. At night I get very tired because my brain is working so much to understand and learn to portuguese. By the grace of God they are very impressed with my speaking skills. That little bit of studying I did at home really paid off. I think within a month I will be able to speak and understand everything that I need to.

The inability to speak, though, is one of the most beautiful parts of my mission. I am like a tiny child, completely dependent on others to function and to learn. The children love to teach me and to ask me how to say things in english. Oy the children....

Wow, they are so beautiful. It will take time for me to learn all their stories and to be able to do them justice on here. I will speak of Bia today. Bia is three and upon my first meeting with her, she buried her head Uba's shoulder. They told me she was like the little prince and takes a long time to warm up to people. Then, the next day I was polishing the wood floors (yes, I Erica Tighe polished wood floors without my own hands. I almost fainted because I had not eaten enough, but alas I survived.) Bia was there with Uba helping me clean the church and so I asked her if she wanted to help me. She poured the oil? and I polished. That night, she came up to me and was now my best friend. The next day she cried when she had to leave me for eating or sleeping. Everyone was shocked that she was like that with me after only a day. And I knew that it was not because of me, but because of who dwelled in me. On Sunday we went to a goodbye mass for a volunteer at the house in simoa filho and Bia fell asleep in my arms. What a beautiful prayer it was for me to let Christ hold his little girl through me.

Bia was found by Uba in the favelas when she was one. She was so hungry that she was eating the wall. Her mother had another little girl, but did not want Bia and so she didn't take care of her. I cannot even imagine when I see this beautiful child that someone wouldnt want her. And on the day of my arrival, Bia's baby brother died because her mother did not take care of him. Amazing, huh?

There are many incredible stories here, many I have yet to discover. The chapel is absolutely beautiful, too. It sits at the top of the hill and when we pray, we have the doors open. I sit and when I look to my right I see our horses roaming in the pasture. It rains a lot (which I actually love because it makes the air cooler). Right now I am wearing a long sleeve shirt... the only one I brought. Oy vey.

I learned how to clean my clothes from a 7 year old. How humbling it was that Bia was better at it than me. I would wash a shirt and then Tete would do it over again and laugh.

I often sit on our couch on the porch and just look out at the beautiful creation that I am living in. This morning there was a huge rainbow in the horizon. This is definitely paradise except with way too many bugs.

I leave this post feeling a bit unsatisfied because it is impossible to share how my heart bursts here. It is truly a place touched by God. I pray for you all daily and think that you must be praying a lot because my transition has been very blessed.

Love,
E.

Waiting for my flight from sao paulo to salvador

I slept the entire flight which was great except for the fact that it meant I didn't get up to walk or drink anything. I arrived so thirsty and had swollen feet. My shoes barely fit and my toes look like sausage.

I also experienced my first blessing. Right before take off the man asked if I would switch with his wife so they could sit together. She had a window seat, which is what I wanted so I trekked across the plane to my new seat. Without it, I doubt i would have slept much.

Flying over the country was beautiful! It is so green and mountainous. Upon first observation of my new people: they walk very slowly (al you would love their pace) and the women wear BEAUTIFUL shoes (mad you would love them)

I must go now and do some cram studying of portuguese. I am speaking in broken sentences with half portuguese half Spanish and half English. Technically I mean one third of each.

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Theresa and me

I'll miss you

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Goodbye, New York

the Heart's Home in Brooklyn where I have been staying.

our walk

Today is the day, but I cannot go without reflecting on my past week. This weekend I had the privilege to attend the Communion and Liberation conference. CL was started in Italy by a priest named Luigi Guissani. He is an amazing man of God who saw the need to educate the whole person within the Church. I cannot do it justice so I will put their website. It is truly an amazing movement. I heard talks on the economy, on Chopin, and on science.

http://www.clonline.org/FirstPage.htm

Saturday night we saw a play, "Bring Tidings to Mary" or something. If you know me, you know I don't really enjoy theater, but I tried very hard.

me, natalia (from argentina), tim (a missionary just returning from peru), and theresa (missionary from france)

On Sunday we went to mass with the successor of Guissani, which was such an honor. I could see the beauty of his soul. Then, at lunch I made my first friend of my mission. The night before I had met a woman in the bathroom with her two year old daughter. She had her son, with her this time and I couldn't help myself from asking to hold him. He was the chunkiest baby I have ever seen. I am so grateful to Flor for trusting me with her baby. Little Pablo led me to his sister, Ximena. She was very shy at first, but then opened up to me. We played and laughed all lunch. She clung to my side and became my little friend. I was able to give her parents a little break to enjoy adult conversation, which they were very thankful for. But for me it was a blessing too.

The pureness and simplicity of children is incredible. Her laughter filled my soul with joy.

tim and ximena. i LOVE her leopard pants, too.

On Monday was our day of rest and I spent the day with my cousin Tommy. What a blessing he is as well to my life. That night, Theresa met up with us for dinner. We were so excited to show her real American food (that is not mac and cheese from a box or tuna fish sandwiches). We took her to a southern BBQ place. Tommy ordered all her food with her and we made her eat with her hands. She was very resistent, but followed orders. We laughed and had such a great time together.

Ximena's parents invited me to their house for lunch. I cannot even express their kindness to you. I felt like I had known them for years and years. Ximena was so excited to have me in her house. We played together while her mother told us of the miraculous miracle that she is. When Flor was pregnant with her, she was told from the beginning that she would lose the baby. There were many complications with the placenta. They began praying very hard and entrusting their child to God. Ximena was born at SIX MONTHS (three months early). What a tiny baby she was. They stayed in the hospital for two months and she still had much growing to do. She told us that the baby slept on their chest at night to teach her how to regulate her body temperature and teach her how to breath. The tiny baby was so reliant on her parents, which is a beautiful thing. And here she is today. A healthy and happy little girl.

Then, for my last night in America, I had a diet coke and Theresa and I watched Annie Hall. It is one of my all time favorites. A wonderful way to end and begin.

The next time I write, I will be in BRAZIL. I really cannot imagine it, but soon enough it will become a reality.

Com amor,
E.

A Documentary of the Fazenda

What a joy it is to present to you a documentary that was recently made of my new home.

I have yet to see the village myself and so I too watch it with new eyes. It is such a beautiful looking place and I cannot contain my excitement to arrive there.

http://www.ktotv.com/videos-chretiennes/emissions/nouveautes/documentaire-la-fazenda/00051779

In case I did not tell yet, my flight is leaving New York on Thursday night at 7:50 (5:50 arizona time). I will fly into Sao Paulo where I have a three hour lay over. Then I will fly to Salvador. I arrive there at 1:30pm, which is 8:30am Arizona time.

Constantly praying for you with love,
E.

Brooklyn Brooklyn

It has only been five days since I left. I knew this first week might be the hardest. Mostly I miss my mom's hugs-- I never realized how much my body could ache for an embrace. I chug along because I am sure that next week will be much easier. The life here is so much different than at home. I had become used to sleeping in late and doing whatever I wanted.

Here we awake at 6:30, have morning prayer, and eat breakfast all together. Then, I spend the morning studying portuguese. Oh my--how I love studying. I dreaded it for so long and now I am loving it. Then we walk to mass (in the SNOW) in downtown Brooklyn. We come back to the house, pray our rosary, and then have lunch. After lunch, I go with Terese to do our visits in the neighborhood. Two days a week we go to the nearby nursing home and visit the people who are so so lonely. Angel is one of my favorites so far. He is from Puerto Rico, but speaks English pretty well. He likes when I read his newspaper and always wants me to take it home. I also love a woman named Ollie. She is vibrant and has these eyes that sparkle more than I've ever seen before. I can tell she once was full of life. They all tell us how lonely it is there. Not many people visiting and of course no one really likes each other.

Yesterday, we went to CROCHET class. There is a community center that many of the elderly women and mothers gather once a week for class. I had not crocheted since I was a little girl so they all enjoyed teaching me. The teacher often yelled at me for my terrible technique. I probably enjoyed their company more than they enjoyed mine. We laughed together and I loved to observe their bickerings towards each other. In the middle of class they put down their little sticks (oh how Victoria would yell at me if she knew I didn't remember the stick's name), and they had ESL class.

After class we traveled to visit a priest in Manhatton. He fell and hurt his leg and cannot go out for a few months. We talked with him for over two hours. He told us all about life in our neighborhood when he became a priest 51 years ago. He had little fruit plates prepared for us in his fridge and also gave us orange juice. It was so cute as he had probably planned it early that morning.

I musn't forget to share about Tuesday night. So we live in the projects in Brooklyn. We spend our days visiting poor, lonely people. And then Tuesday night we took the train into the city and visited a beautiful home for a jazz concert. We took the elevator up to their loft, which belongs to two French artists. In the living room, the band was set up. They had a spread of beautiful appetizers and lots and lots of wine. We helped greet all of the guests, drank some wine, and then got to watch the show. It was INCREDIBLE. I was filled with joy. They put on shows once a month to promote art. People from all over--missionaries and famous people alike--came to watch. The band is touring in Europe starting next week. The house was filled with sculptures and the band used it as inspiration. It was truly remarkable to watch them play.

I too must be like the musicians. They put their entire self into the playing of that instrument and in those moments they completely forgot about their own being. They became selfless and the result was such beauty. In my mission I must put my entire self into loving the people. I must forget about my own being and in that instant, the result will be beautiful.

When we left their apartment that night, snow was falling from the sky. There was so much peace in my heart because I knew that I was right where God wanted me to be.



(sorry for any misspellings. I don't have spell check because this is a french computer and it is telling me that every word is wrong...)

Standing Still

I began reading a book this week by Catherine Doherty, a woman whose ideas we follow in our charism of Heart's Home. It is about pilgrimage, especially the pilgrimage to the heart. Something she wrote really struck me and I thought I would share.

"I realize that the pilgrim is one who also stands still. It's not easy to stand still. Stillness is beautiful and silence is delectable, but they require a tremendous amount of patience, and a faith in God that is almost unshakable. Hence they require constant prayer: "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief!"

Yes, a pilgrimage is also standing still. I'm talking about a strange form of pilgrimage that is hard to explain. It's so hard to explain what happens between a human heart and God. Because he would said, "Arise, come, take up your cross and follow me" suddenly turns around and says, "Stand still--completely still--as I stood still before the Sanhedrin, before Pilate, before the Roman soldiers and even through my flagellation. And know that there will come a day when you will learn the goal of this pilgrimage that I ask you to undertake."

Yes, you will stand in perfect stillness because your hands and feet are nailed; you are unable to walk. That's a pilgrimage too. In fact, it is a supreme pilgrimage. In a way, the crown of pilgrimages." The Call to the Pilgrimage of the Heart

So I finally had complete understanding and calmness of what these past four months have been. And then, in amazement, I was granted my visa. I waited for this day for so long. As usual I have procrastinated my packing and it will get done on Sunday afternoon.

There is so much to look forward to. So much hope and excitement overflowing my heart. Thank you for all your prayers, always.