End Of October Update

• Remember you can click on a photo to enlarge if you'd like a better view.

Madre Marisol and Corporal Flapjack (If you know Miss B....well, he is my current traveling buddy). By the way, this woman is the best. With a smile like that, who could ever be sad?

Picnic in the Park

St. Michael's Church and Seminary-- San Clemente, CA

The daily walking crew and part of my English class.

Dania and Me - For those who've seen her photo on my mantle, she's now 13!!

I'm back in the U.S. until Saturday and then I head off to Central America. That will be the real test.

Update on Monte Maria: Things are more positive than they were when I last wrote, but not much has changed as far as the government is concerned. They met with the Archbishop and he told them to move ahead with as much as they could and to not back down from this ridiculous censorship. They are continuing TV programming via channel 145 on sky, because it is privately owned and there isn't anything the govt can do about that part. I don't know what has happened since I left, but everything looks very good for them to buy the station in CA. This will allow them to transmit from LA to Mexicali and retain their local audience. This will bypass the gov't and they will then have freedom to transmit what they wish. They are still investigating as to why this has happened to them at this time. It is obviously deliberate, but they are looking to see where the order came from and why. Who knows what will happen with the gov't. Hopefully it won't be some sort of showdown. Religious persecution in a predominant Catholic country.....yes folks. It's true.

Toward the end of my visit I had a wonderful time visiting St. Michael's Cathedral in San Clemente, CA. Headquarter of the International Charismatic Episcopal Church (again, no affiliation with Anglicans or Episcopals). It was just what I needed at this point in my trip. It was a wonderful spiritual recharge, as was the blessing of having lunch with Bishop Doug Kessler and his wife Karen. The message was just what I needed to hear. Not despairing in dark times. As you can see from the photo, the cathedral is not an overwhelming, flashy building but what happens inside is a beautiful expression of God's grace and love. What I immediately loved about it was the relaxed atmosphere. I felt at home and comfortable. The music filled the room and resounded from wall to wall, as did the hands and voices of those worshipping. I also loved the freedom of kids and teens to worship as they could. I've always greatly disliked stiff, sterile church services. I could go on and on about this. What I love about the framework of the CEC as well as all those who I've met as a part of it is the openness, humility and authenticity. It's so refreshing to have movement and freedom within a structure. Lest some of you think I am giving overly glowing reviews, as with any institution, it is not perfect. It is entirely fraught with humanness. However, I would gladly take their issues over some of the others I have experienced. Anyway, I had a wonderful day and even took a few hours to walk along the beach and enjoy the sun and surf which is always good for the soul.

Moving on, I came back to Gettysburg on just before Halloween to watch my nieces for 4 days so my brother and his wife could go to Paris. (Of course one should avoid going to Paris alone, if at all possible.) He presented a paper at the Sorbonne, "'Efficacy of Beauty': A Kalocentric Approach to Current Ecological Challenges". I've had a wonderful time with the girls. They are so much fun and always keep me laughing. They have amazing personalities. I'm so fortunate to have this time with them. The photo is from one of the National Memorial Parks in the area. We had a picnic and played in the leaves. It was a great reminder about the joy of being a child and the simplicity of enjoying nature, life and falling leaves.

On Saturday I am off to Costa Rica. I'll be in San Jose a couple of days and then possibly to Panama. My parents fly in on the 17 and leave on the 27th. So we'll spend Thanksgiving together in Manuel Antonio, near the beach. It will be difficult, but I know I'll survive. After that I'm going to head north toward Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala. I will be traveling for part of the time with a girl I met on a travel website. We're meeting somewhere near here this week to plan it. So, that's sorta random, but I'm all about that at the moment. Well, this has gotten long. I'll just leave it at that and write once more before I depart.