Tuesday, April 24, 2007, the Servant Brothers of the Home of the Mother departed for Playaprieta and Chone, Ecuador, the two cities where there are communities of Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother. They went with an apostolic intention, in addition to their intention of working. They were able to attend to the Home of the Mother communities of adults and youth, and work for the missionary projects under construction in these cities.
In Playaprieta, where the Servant Sisters direct a School of 300 students, the brothers worked constructing a floor in the building that will later house volunteers who desire to help the mission.
In Chone, the project of preparing a lot of land to raise livestock, and cultivate fruit trees that will serve as nourishment for the children’s soup kitchens, continues to advance. There the Servant Brothers worked constructing a home that will become the residence of the family who will dedicate themselves to the care for the land.

On Tuesday, April 24, some of the Servant Brothers departed from the airport of Madrid to head for Guayaquil, Ecuador. We were going to spend a month in a country that was completely new to the majority of us. It was going to be a month dedicated to apostolic work, of helping our community with the different apostolic projects which have been initiated and will be of great benefit to the poor. Full of great hope and enthusiasm to do the will of God, we departed with a joyful spirit. At the head was Fr. Juan Antonio, and along with him, three novices (who have now taken their first vows): Br. Greggy, Br. José Luis, and Br. Rene; Kevin, a candidate, and I, Fr. Dominic.

After the long 14-hour trip, our plane gradually descended over the city of Guayaquil. Those of us seated by the windows stretched our necks to be able to get the first glance of the view of Ecuador. It was an unforgettable sight: A sea of low and poor houses under a cloudy evening sky. The cars and people looked like ants, as if each one of them was in his own world. It was 6:00 pm in Guayaquil, and 1:00 am Spanish time.

We went to collect our big and bulky baggage. In reality, we ourselves only carried with us the bare necessities. The rest was stuffed with a great quantity of medicine for the poor children and families who lack medical care. We also carried books for the children of the school directed by the Servant Sisters in Playprieta. Loaded up with this luggage, and already feeling the effects of the long journey, such as the ringing in the ears and exhaustion, we directed ourselves to the arrival gate where we were welcomed by Sr. Inmaculada and Eliana, a candidate of the Servant Sisters. We left the building and mounted the pick-up truck. We could not help but immediately notice the intense wave of “dead heat.”

Carefully following the directions of Sr. Inmaculada, we began the journey. Two brothers and I were seated in the cab, while the others the seated in the bed of the truck enjoying the ride in open air. It was then that we realized that it was certainly not anything like Spain. The engine started and our truck merged into the chaotic traffic of a city which we quickly left behind in order to reach our destination: a beautiful island of peace where resides the community of Schönstatt. After organizing ourselves and praying night prayers, the time came to go to bed. We slept very well that night. It had been a very long day.

The following morning we awoke somewhat recuperated. We could hear the chirping of many different birds and from the bedroom window saw the beautiful landscape. Within a short time and before we even had time to react; we were already once again mounting the pick-up truck making our way north to Chone. On the way, we stopped at Playaprieta, where a community of our sisters direct a school of children between the ages of 4 and 16. This was going to be our work place from Mondays to Fridays.

Soon enough we arrived in Chone, where there lives the other community of Servant Sisters. The first day, after eating lunch, we went to visit the piece of land, Maria Elisabetta. There we met Renan, a pleasant and jovial young man, who toured us through the land. It was truly fascinating. We saw the chickens, pigs, and the large amount of fruit and vegetation, whose main purpose is to feed the poor children of Chone.

The next day, everyone dressed in their work clothes, we drove again out to the land to help out in whatever we could. We had a variety of experiences: feeding the pigs, killing chickens, digging wells and ditches, laying tiles, building and destroying walls, mixing cement and concrete etc. We also experienced our share of purification: fevers, mosquito bites, cuts and scrapes…lets just say, an ideal opportunity to offer it up to the Lord.

From the spiritual point of view, I think that our trip gave a lot of fruit. We participated in the meetings of the youth and adult groups of the Home of the Mother. On the last day of our stay, many of the school children were enrolled with the Scapular. One can clearly perceive that the Ecuadorian people have a true thirst for God. When celebrating mass in the parish during the week, there was a good attendance at the Eucharistic celebration, and many people were able to confess.

There was a certain event that greatly impressed me: One afternoon, an older man came to Church right before mass was to begin. Since there were some people waiting in line to confess, and mass was at the point of starting, I suggested to him that he confess after the mass ends. But he preferred to confess beforehand saying that he was very ill and had not confessed for a very long time. Mass began a little later than planned, but blessed be God! I am sure that in heaven there was much more joy for the reconciliation of this soul.

The sisters took very good care of us. The apostolic work that they are doing is truly amazing. Wherever they go, they radiate the love and joy of the Virgin. The Home of the Mother is truly alive in Ecuador, amongst the sisters, families, and young people. It’s wonderful seeing the fruits of fidelity, generosity, and surrender to the will of God. I do not doubt that God will continue to abundantly bless this great work that has begun.

The month passed by very quickly and was very intense, full of experiences and emotions. Everyone worked hard, and it was a time of blessings. Amongst us was a great spirit of joy, unity, and participation. We could hardly believe it when we found ourselves anew in the airport of Guayaquil checking in our baggage, preparing ourselves for the return to Spain. Two hours later our plane took off, as we saw from above the last time the evening sky and the large city. Thanks be to God! Good-bye Ecuador! Until next time!

©HM Magazine No. 137 - July/August 2007