Nice Views in Bolivia

On Friday I just came back from a short trip to La Paz with 2 of our short term volunteers. We wanted to visit Tiahuanaco, one of the best sites in Bolvia for ruins and archaeology. We then spent a few days in Copacabana, a colonial city right on Lake Titicacca, which is part of the border between Bolviia and Peru. We spent a day on the Isla del Sol, which is a beautiful island in the middle of the lake. As well as the important part it plays in Andean spiritual history it also some of the best natural beauty that I have experienced here. Hiking around the island was a challenge but also very beautiful. I found at 49 it is hard to keep up with a 19 and 20 year old when one is a tri-athelete and the other a distance runner. Looking forward to seeing everyone in a few weeks when I get up for vacation. please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Off To La Paz

Tonight I am off to La Paz, the capital of Bolivia, with 2 of our volunteers, Holly and Ryan. We take the overnight bus to La Paz (7 hours) then go directly to Tiahuacu to see some ancient Amayra ruins then return to La Paz for the night. On Tuesday we will go to the colonial city of Copacabana and then onto the Isla del Sol in Lake Titicacca for a day. We will return to Cochabamba by overnight bus arriving home on Friday morning. I am looking forward to seeing another part of Bolivia and getting away for a few days as well.

The Jesuit Missions

Last weekend a group of 14, some short term volunteers and some language school students went to the Jesuit Missions outside of Santa Cruz. Those who are familiar with the movie "The Mission" are familair with the story of the work of the Jesuits in the 17th and 18th centuries. Although the film is set in Paraguay there is a similar history with the work of the Jesuits here in Bolvia. I was very interested in the history of the missions as well as the Baroque Music which was part of the training of the Jesuits for the Chiquito people. After arriving in Santa Cruz we traveled 5 hours to the first mission of San Xavier and then traveled onto the second mission of Conception. There are both fine examples of the work of the Jesuits and both were restored in the mid 1980's by the artisan Hans Roth. He not only restored the churches but trained many of the local people as artisans who still work in wood up to today. The local Vicaria still has a school that trains about 150 local men a year in the crafts/ We had a very good visit and some of the Jesuit students who were with us continued on to visit 3 other missions over the next few days. It was a good experience and a chance to grow in my understanding of the Jesuit reductions and their place in the Mission history of Bolivia. This coming week I will be taking a few of ourt short term volunteers up to La Paz to explore that area of the country for a few days. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. i am looking forward to coming back to New York and New Jersey the last 2 weeks of August and catching up with as many people as possible.

Continuing On With The Mission

Greetings to all on this 4th of July weekend. The celebration here is not the same as in the States but I will be going away for the weekend. A group of students from the Language School, some of the short term volunteers and myself will be visiting the Jesuit Missions this weekend. Those who have seen the film "The Mission" will have a sense of the visit. The film is set in Paraguay but similar missions were set at the same time in Bolivia and other countries. Several of the missions in Bolivia, near Santa Cruz, were restored in the 1980's and have become a place of pilgrimmage for many who want to have a sense of the history of the missions here in Bolivia. we leave Saturday morning and return on Monday night.
The mission continues to go well here. With the arrival of several short term volunteers here there has been a change of focus in my ministry and time here. Much more time in taken up in working with the volunteers and providing hospitality for our many guests. My culinary skills are growing by leaps and bounds. It is good to be able to show others what we do here and allows me to appreciate all that is going on here.
I had a meeting last night with the leaders of the barrio association of La Costanera, one of the barrios where I serve. We are trying to see what the needs of the various barrios are and how the chapel can serve them. I was very impressed by the 2 priorities that they have: the formation of a Mother's Club to work with the women of the area and also the need to provide health care for their children. The area we are working in now has about 1,000 people and will grown to about 2,000 over the next few years as the barrios continue to grow with the internal migration in the area. It looks as though we need to build a center of some sort for the barrios which is the one thing I did not want to do in my time here. However, we try to meet the needs that we encounter every day.
Please continue to keep us in prayer as we try to serve the poor and introduce others into mission.

Touching The Body of Christ

One of the great insights that Madre Teresa gave to the Church was the deep undertanding that she had of the Body of Christ. She saw and taught others to see the presence of Christ in others - especially in the poor. She saw that as she served others she was serving the Lord. She knew that she touched the Body of Christ every day.
It is my own spiritual insight as well here that I am privledged to touch the Body of Christ each day. In loving the abused children of our school, stunbling through a conversation in broken languages or being with the poorest of the poor I see the presence of the Lord. It is within the poor that the Lord reveals Himself in a truly profound but mysterious way. It reveals to us each day the power and the glory of the Incarnation.
Please pray that each day I am able to keep in mind the presence and the glory of the Lord in others. By being present to them may I see and recognize the presence of the Lord.

Full House in Bolivia

No, I am not in a poker tournament here, the full house refers to the fact that we have 3 short term missioners living with us in Nueva Vera Cruz. Last week Holly, Ryan and Rocio arrived to work and live with us in the barrio. Holly is a 19 year old student from Notre Dame who is here to learn about the formation of barrios and communities and to practice her Quechua here in our barrios. Ryan is taking a year off from the Coast Guard Academy and will be here for 6 months and will be working with the kids in the school and in the barrio. Rocio is a friend of Pancho's from Spain who will be reconnecting with old friends in Bolivia and working with our Mother's Clubs. It certainly changes the dynamics of the house and the chapel with so many people around. The young people give us a lot of life and I enjoy it very much. I have always enjoyed working with the young and having them here makes me appreciate all that is happening here in our barrios.
Yesterday, after Mass we stopped by at a community meeting at La Liberdad, a new barrio we are trying to get in contact with. Holly and I were talking to one of men at the meeting and he asked us if we were married. Holly was very quick to say that we were not. I guess I need to say that I am the local priest a little quicker in the conversation.
Thanks for all your support and prayers over these months. Work is going well as I get a bit more into the lives of the barrios. The next big project looks like the building of a chapel up the hill for our barrios there. It should be interesting getting the land, donations for the constructione etc..
Please continue to keep my sister-in-law Judy in your prayers. She has a cyberknife operation this week for the remainder of the tumor in her brain and will continue with chemotherapy next week.
I will be back up north the last 2 weeks of August and the 1st week in September and hope to catch up with people then.
Thanks again for all your love and support.

Typical Sunday in Bolivia

Greetings from Cochabamba.
We had the joy of hosting John Reis this weekend. He is a theology professor at Carroll College in Montana and was exploring the possibility of bringing down students for an immersion experience here in the barrio. Since we are a likely place for folks to come visit we invited him out for the weekend. He came out on Saturday afternoon and we took a tour of the barrio of C'ara C'ara with Maryknoll Fr. Ken Moody. It is a barrio built around the city garbage dump which has been a source of great controversry here in the area because of the conflict of what it does to the environment and the financial stability that it gives to the barrios. Afterwards we had a quick dinner and then went to Santa Vera Cruz for a Marian fiesta with live music and dancing.
This morning we went up the hill to the barrios of La Rivera and Costa Nera for Mass which was followed by an OTB meeting. The OTB is the local barrio association which is a combo of Town Hall meeting and Town Council meeting. We have been asked to build a chapel in the barrios and are trying to get land donated to build it and are working with the OTBs to facilitate the process. With the changes in the Constitution and other local issues this may be quite the challenge but we hope that it works out.
Afterwards we went over the mountain to a place that has a wonderful overlook of the barrio. There was another OTB meeting going on and we went behind them to get a few photos for John to show his students back home. As we were there several young men came over to ask us who we were and what we were doing there since it was a closed meeting. While not exactly threatening it was clear they did not want us there. I explained we were just there for a photo but they were not impressed. After I said I was the priest from the barrio their attitude changed quickly and they welcomed us and introduced us to the President who invited us from front and asked me to address the folks and let them know what was going on with the Church. Afterwards the leaders asked us about the possibility of catechism classes for the kids and they asked me to come to an OTB meeting next week where we will discuss other possibiliites for work in their barrio of El Liberdad.
Just another typical Sunday morning in Bolivia.
Thanks again for all your prayers and support for our work here in Bolivia.

Recent Events

Hello everyone. Sorry it has been such a long time since my last blog but I was in Guatemala for a week for Maryknoll's Latin American Region Assembly and then things have been very busy since I returned to Cochabamba. The meeting was held in Antigua, Guatemala, a colonial city with a rich history. I enjoyed the meeting for 2 main reasons: it was a chance to meet the other Maryknollers in the region that I did not know and it also gave me a deeper sense of the priorities and the issues that face Maryknoll in the future. The meeting was characterized by a wonderful spirit as we were able to look at the future with both realism and hope. Everyone went forth with a renewed spirit as they returned to their missions.
Since I arrived back home in Coch things have been very busy. I arrived home on Friday of the Feast of Santa Vera Cruz. That is the parish that our chapel is a part of as well as the feast of our own barrio of Nueva Vera Cruz. We had 5 guests for the weekend since we wanted to share the fullness of the fiesta with them. This serves as a major gathering of the indiginous in the area since there is a Pre Incan festival of the planting that precedes the arrivial of the first missioners here. Several thousands gathered at the Church for the fiesta which offered the opportunity of offering prayers for the success of the agricultural life here. It is also an opportunity to gather for fun, games and the occassional picking of pockets ( which I experienced Sunday afternoon).
It was a good time to see the inculturation of the gospel with the indiginous beliefs of the people here and to see the way people try to live their lives of faith.
Soon we will be hosting the summer rush of short term missioners and volunteers many of whom are coming for the summer (North American summer, it is winter here). Several will be working with us here in our barrio. I will update you soon on how they enjoy their time here.
Again thanks for all your prayers and support. It is always wonderful to hear news from home so please keep in touch.

Holy Thursday in Bolivia, Jueves Santo en Bolivia

Sorry it has been so long since the last post but things have been busy and I take off for the Maryknoll Latin America Assembly in Guatemala this morning. I want to take some time to share with you the experience of Holy Week here in Nueva Vera Cruz. I celebrated the Triduum at La Rivefra and Costanera, two small barrios I serve in. We held Holy Thursday in the house of one of the catechists. The night before we had shown a video of the life of Jesus to prepare people for the Triduum. I was able to celebrate most of the mass in Quechua which the language most common in that barrio. When it came time for the washing of the feet I was able to wash the feet of everyone present since we were a small gathering. I had my first experience of washing the feet of people who hadn't been prepared beforehand so it was the actual washing of feet that had seen the work of the day. What an honor it was to symbolically show my desire to serve the needs of the people. I explained that the washing was a simple rendering of where our hearts are supposed to be in the service of others. It was a wonderful continuation of the Holy Week which which is so different than what I am used to but also so in touch with the simple people that the Lord dealt with every day in his ministry.

Domingo de Ramos, Palm Sunday in Bolivia

I just celebrated my first Palm Sunday here in Cochabamba. We started with a procession from each of our centers and then continued with Mass at the chapel. We had a small but hearty crowd for the procession down the mountain from La Rivera. We also had a number of older people and mothers with newborns who had trouble keeping up. About 1/2 way through the procession I turned around and saw a good number of people missing. My question was answered a minute later when a number of truffis (taxis) past us by carrying half the procession!Processing at 9,000 feet isn't easy. We had a Penance Service for Holy Week last night and I told the people it was a wonderful opportunity for 2 reasons: it is an experince of God's love and if they went to Confession in Quechua I would have no idea what their sins were. I trust that they were satisfied although I hardly understood anything that they said. As I said, I don't understand them but God forgives them any way. May this Holy Week be a great blessing for all of us as we follow in the footsteps of the Lord.

Ronald Jardin

Yesterday morning one of our neighbors came to the chapel before mass because their 2 day old child was dying and they wanted him baptized. Since it was right before mass we baptized Ronald Jardin during the liturgy. What struck me immediately was the lack of emotion in the family. Even in the opening dialogue before the beginning of mass where we make the sign of the cross on the child I realized that the mother was not holding the baby but the child was on her back. There seemed to be little connection between the dying baby and his parents and family. After the baptism we tried to convince the family to bring the child to the doctor or a clinic but I doubt that they did. The child looked premature and was not nursing so it seems the family was convinced that he was dying and simply accepted the inevitable. So is life here among the poor. The greatest goal is simple survival - to get through each day. As we continue on the journey to Holy Week I see that the message of the gospel for us this year is the power of hope. Hope may never change the circumstances of life but it can deeply touch and transform the human heart. Pray for us as we minister the power of the gospel to the poor. Pray that babies do not have to die needlessly and that somehow the love of the cross touches the lives who carry their heavy crosses every day.

Mennonites in Bolivia.

Greetings everyone from Nueva Vera Cruz. We continue on living through the rainy season with promises of mud being replaced by dust. Actually all is well as we continue with Lent and prepare for Holy week which apparently is a big celebration here.
For Palm Sunday we will have Mass at the Main Chapel in Nueva Vera Cruz but processions from three of the other barrios that we cover. When we announced it at our Liturgy at La Rivera last night they were enthused about having the Procession go down to the mountain to Nueva Vera Cruz. I told the people that it would be a wonderful procession and that I would be driving very slowly behind them in the truck. No reason for all of us to get dirty and tired before Mass.
We received a call before Mass this morning that a group of Mennonites from the US, Canada and Zimbabwe would like to come to Mass and then have a presentation on our work in the barrio. They arrived at Mass (only 1/2 an hour late which isn't bad for Bolivia) and then I gave an overview of our work in the barrio. It was good to share with them all the good things going on in the barrio and it was a good opportunity for me to try to share what we see the Lord doing in out midst.
Thanks for all of your prayers and support. Please feel free to contact me - it is always good to hear from friends at home.

Our School Program

I would like to start filling people in on how we minister and live with the people here in our barrios. One of the most important things that we are able to provide is our "apoyo escolar". This is the before and after school program that we provide for about 120 kids in the barrio from the ages of 7 to 14. So many of our children have so many difficulties at home that their school work suffers greatly - they are not able to keep up with their schooling and the program offers them the chance to keep up with their work. In addition to help with their homework and tutoring they are in a safe environment and receive a hot meal. We are currently paying for the program since the local prelatura (government agency) that is supposed to pay for the program has not been forthcoming with the funding. They may start paying in several months but by then the children would be so far behind it would be very hard for them to catch up.

One of the most interesting things about the children is how they respond to affection. The vast majority crave any kind of attention and affection that they can get. With so many parents away working overseas or not involved in the family many children do not receive much affection at home. However, other children respond very differently. On Christmas morning I went to pat one of the children on the head and his instinct was to cringe and to run away. God only knows what has trained him to have this reaction. We hope and pray that our presence in the barrio and the program that we provide gives these children a brighter future and a real experience of love and acceptance.

The local government is again causing problems with the program because they want to replace all the teachers with new teachers who are from the current political party in power. Of course the those first hurt by this are the children. Thankfully, some of the families are beginning to organize and want to fight to have the teachers stay. It is so good to see them empowered and doing what is best for their children. Please pray that whatever happens is best for our children.

Thanks so much for your support and prayers. I always enjoy hearing from people back home at tgraff@maryknoll.org. If you would like to contact me on skype I am at tgraff1. If you would like to make a donation to our mission you can do it online at maryknoll.org with the attention to my name. Thanks again for everything and please keep our barrios in your prayers.

Lent in Bolivia

Hello All,
I hope that this finds you well and enjoying the beginnings of Lent. I am not sure how Lent is celebrated ehre in Bolivia but I will keep you informed.
Just 2 short stories that might give you a clearer insight into my experiences here. I was blessing house in La Rivera last week. We would bless one house and one of the kids of the barrio would run ahead to see if the family in the next house wanted their house blessed. One of the kids ran up to the neighbor and asked if they wanted their house blessed and the old man who lives there laughed and said "Why would a priest come here?" He didn't believe that anyone would come up the mountain to a new and poor barrio to serve. I pray that our presence there shows the love of the Lord and the Church for the people there. I have to admit as I was walking through the mud and the rain the question "Why would a priest come here?" went through my mind as well.
Also last week I was visting a family who live in a 1 room house with a dirt floor as many families here live in. The young mother (she looks about 17) had a 2 month old baby with her. I asked the her the baby's name and she said "Bruce". This not being a usual Spanish name I asked her why Bruce. She said that he wants to be American. Such is the perception of many people that the US is the answer to so many of their needs. About 1/2 of the working adults in our barrio are working overseas primarily in Spain, Venezuala, Argentina, Brazil and the US. This wreaks havoc on family life but so often people feel they have no alternative. Please pray for us especially for our children who suffer so much.
Our school program is up and running and it looks like we will have a number of short term volunteers coming down to work in the area.
Thanks for all your prayers and feel free to post a greeting here on the blog.
Much love.

Greetings

Hello all,
We are in the midst of a mild (?) rainy season here in Cochabamba. But mud is still mud. The barrio has no paved streets so getting around is quite the adventure. Than God for 4 wheel drive and our trusty truck.
Our school starts here on Monday morning which I am really looking forward to. It is a wonderful opportunity for us to get to know the families in our various barrios and to see the different possibilities that there are for ministering to the families in the area. The program is sponsored by the local governemnt but they informed us that they do not have the money to open the program for the first 3 months. But by then the students would be very hard pressed to keep up with their classes. So, we took it upon ourselves to raise the money ourselves for the teachers, food etc. for the program to open on time. It is a program that is of vital importance to the children and their studies ' we also provide the only hot meal most of them will have that day. It is certainly worth the sacrifice for the help we are able to offer these very poor children.A few friends have sent donations which we are using for the program. Thanks so much for helping these poorest of the poor children.
It is good to be able to hear from friends and family and keep them informed about our life here. It is certainly full of daily challenges but also daily rewards.
Keep me in your thoughts and prayers.

Back in Bolivia

Hello Everyone,
I arrived back home here in Bolivia yesterday after a week's visit with my brother and sister-in-law in Florida. It was a 2 day trip there and back but well worth the effort. We had 3 days in Boca Raton and 3 days in Hollywood. Both very different but very beautiful and relaxing. I did not realize how much I needed a break and it was very good to be with family again.
It is Super Bowl Sunday here (not quite the same as the States) but all the Maryknollers in the area are having a bar-b-q and party here this afternoon. I will return to the barrio afterwards.
Thanks again for all your support and prayers.

The Barrio of Nueva Verz Cruz

A number of people have asked me about the barrio where I live. What kind of area is it in? Is it more rural or urban? I have posted some pictures of the barrio in this blog so you can have an idea of the area we live in and the people that we are serving.
I will be leaving Bolivia tommorow for some vacation time with my family in Florida.
It is tough to have to go north during your winter but it is only Florida.
I will be returning on Friday, January 30th.

Good Morning

Good morning my friends and family from Cochabamba,
We are enjoying a beautiful morning here and my heart goes out to you in the middle of a harsh Northeastern winter. That isn't true but it sounds good to say.
Things are going well down in Bolivia. I am getting a bit more aware of the barrios and all the dynamics of life. I look forward to getting more involved with the lives of the people here and coming to a better understanding of their experiences, joys and struggles of life. As school starts again and the activities and programs in the barrios begin to pick up there will be ample opportunities to see how it is that the Lord is working here in the lives of the people.
Next Monday I will leave Bolivia for 10 days away. I will visit my brother and sister-in-law in Florida for a week. It takes 2 days to get there and 2 days to get back - so much for the speed of modern transportation. Although I didn't plan to go back to the States until the summer I see that it is a good break for me and a chance for me to be with my family.
Hope all is well and please feel free to be in touch by email or on skype. The contacts that I have from friends and family are always a joy for me.

Greetings from Nueva Verz Cruz

Hello All,
Greetings from Nueva Vera Cruz.
I just returned to the Center House in Cochabamba for my day off after a long week in the barrio. I will usually be off Sunday afternoon into Monday. It is a nice break and allows me some time to think and pray after my experiences of the week.
All is going well and I am getting a better sense of the barrio and the lives of the people there. I had mass up the mountain at the barrios of La Rivera and El Costa Nera. I will now be going up every Saturday night as we begin to establish our ministry and presence there.
I am getting a bit more confident in the language as I am able to communicate a bit more easily with the people I am serving.
On the 20th I will be going up to Florida to visit my brother and sister-in-law. It will be a nice time away and good to connect with my family once again.
Again thank you all for your prayers and support for my time here.