We had a great day yesterday at the inauguration of La Paz chapel. As with Maestro chapel, we had the blessing ceremony first, then the Mass and then a fiesta out on the street afterwards with dances from loads of the kids and even a mad Scotsman. There were loads of folk there – with plenty coming from other chapels and, indeed, from the centre of town. Gloria Nieto, our 75-year old granny catechist, is a fantastic woman and a terrific example to us all. She, along with her sister, Isabel, comes two and three times a week from the city centre to help in whatever way she can. She has been doing so for around three years and has really transformed the community from being divided to being united and motivated. In any case, the chapel is looking fantastic – statues, benches, altar etc all looking great. And, of course, Tito was there to lend a motivating hand for the music.
On Friday I also spent the day with Tito as we traveled up the coast for three hours to the city of Manta with his wife, Lourdes, their two year old daughter, Yerly, and Disco Dave. We were making the trip to be part of a Rotary Club festival there. Basically our next project for the Medical Centre will be equipped by one of the Guayaquil Rotary Clubs (the funds for building it will come from our charity back home and the running of it will continue in the hands of the housing charity). So the festival had around forty Rotary clubs from all over Ecuador displaying their projects for the year ahead with wealthy people, mainly from the US, coming to listen with a view to funding these projects. Rotary had asked me to go as the priest involved in the project and I had asked Tito’s family along as a clear example of a group that had been helped by the Medical Centre already. The journey up and back was long and the roads bad, but the craic was really good and the laughs endless. We also had to work hard while we were there (although Dave did look rather bored) explaining what our project was all about. So far we have not yet heard whether we were successful or not. We shall see.
Earlier in the week, I had taken Dave around on some visits. As well as some visits to the housebound, I took him to see one of our catechists, Richard from Carmen chapel. You should see their house: Richard, Gisela and their thirteen year old son, Omar, living in the tiniest house with absolutely no room to move. They have lived there for ten years but they are looking to see if they can build. I resolved to see what I can do for help in building a better home.
And so we came to this morning and Disco Dave’s final farewell from Nueva Prosperina. The last week was in fact filled with farewells: from all the chapels and from the school. On Thursday we had the school do which had dances from several of the year groups; afterwards we had eats in the staff room. Then, from Friday onwards, everywhere we went there was a fiesta for Dave’s farewell mixed in with his birthday which was on Sunday. We had fruit cake, sponge cake and chocolate cake. Dave had presents, cards and gifts in all shapes and sizes. I also gave him my by-now traditional shaving foam birthday gift! And everywhere he went, he gave a speech in his best Spanish “Amigos y amigas, feos todos”! was usually the first line. By now he will be winging his way over the Atlantic heading for Amsterdam and Glasgow. It was great to have Dave here – the funniest guy I have met in a long time, so sharp witted I sometimes had to pause for breath. It was also great to see once again someone come and give their heart to our community here. Thanks, Dave for what you gave and shared here with all of us
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