Martin Chambers Ecuador Trust

One of the things that seems to be taking up a lot of time recently is youth work both in the Parish, in the local area and in the Diocese. I suppose it must be my youthful looks that keeps getting me selected for this work. And yet I enjoy it tremendously; as well as that, I can clearly see that forming young people now is both laying foundations for the future but it also very enjoyable in the present. At the moment the big event on the horizon is the first ever National Youth Day taking place on the 2nd/3rd of July to which 3,000 people will come. It will be a Mass with a Roman Cardinal, a dance festival and a procession. The big challenge for me was to find amongst the neighbouring Parishes accommodation for 600 people who are coming from other parts of the country. With our local youth leaders we decided to visit the priests personally to try and persuade them. It was a difficult task but yesterday when we got together – surprise, surprise – we had the required number! Of course, the real task is only beginning and we will have to be on alert the day of the festival to make sure they get here in the way they should, no-one gets lost and they get showered and fed as they should. Although it is a bit of a hassle getting it together, it should be fun! The building keeps me going both at La Paz and Maestro. I try to go as often as I can and often am there day after day. When I go I take along cola and buns which seems to keep them happy. Is that a cheapskate thing? I have just had the architect in (duck – he’s always looking for cash!) and he thinks that a couple of weeks more and the jobs will be finished. So it will be great to have the Masses and community meetings back in a decent building. Of course it will mean two celebration days and Masses. Whoopee! Once that is finished, and even before it is finished my mind has already started thinking on what we do next. The Medical Centre is firm on the agenda; the present building only has two small rooms and is actually attached to the school complex and takes up space there. So the question is where to move it – I don’t have any firm ideas yet. One of the ideas is to build it on waste land right beside the Nursery and my house. Having said that, that land doesn’t belong to anyone so I have tentatively approached the local lawyer (the one who denounced me in public) to ask how I could acquire the land. I am presuming (going on past experience) that he will ask for cash!!! We shall see. One of the great things I did this week was get away for two days down the coast at Ayangue. We go there once a month for our meeting. And it is a chance to catch up on sleep and also meet the guys. There is also a chance to swim in the sea and practice my dives (have a look at my Bebo page). I wasn’t as brave as I have been on other occasions. Terry McKenzie is working away like a Trojan in Maestro chapel and it is amazing how he has been able to communicate so well with the workers there – and indeed with the youth of the Parish _ with very little Spanish. It has been great to have him around. He also went down the coast where he also practiced some diving!!!