Gift of Mission

The gift of mission is a multi layered one.  First I am given the gift or privilege to be sent by Maryknoll Lay Missioners to Brazil to service the poor and marginalized.  Hopefully, my presence and work with teens, women prisoners, and refugees is also a gift.  But my work and that of Maryknoll Lay Missioners would not be possible without the financial gifts and donations that are so generously given by people like you.

This Christmas and New Year Season I humbly ask you to help me with my mission in Brazil with a financial gift.  Financial Support can be sent to MKLM, P.O. Box 307, Maryknoll, NY 10545-0307 or online by going to https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/MaryknollLayMissioners/OnlineDonation.html?approach=5936%20-%20Carolyn%20Trumble&contents=of%20%20Carolyn%20Trumble%20in%20mission.

****Please write “Carolyn Trumble- Mission Account” in the memo line or intention box to support me in mission. All contributions are tax deductible.  Thank you.

December Newsletter

Making Memories with Cupcakes

 Two or three days a week I continue to work with teenagers from one the poorer neighborhoods in São Paulo.   The education center where I work provides a safe place for these kids to be when they are not in school, since kids in Brazil only go to school for half of the day.  It is also a place where we work to help them with life skills and have education in Communication, Technology, English, Music, Physical Education and Music.

One of the highlights for the kids and for me this year was I taught them how to make cupcakes. The shopping malls are beginning to sell  cupcakes but they are too expensive for the kids I work with.  So I showed them how to make them.  They loved it.  I am letting the folks borrow my cake pans so they can make them at home. 

 The eyes of the world are beginning to look to Brazil as they prepare for the World Cup and the Olympics.  New things like cupcakes are appearing every day.  However, for many in São Paulo things like cupcakes are too expensive.  Brazil is still a country that is divided between the rich and the poor.  So something as simple as making cupcakes can provide a special moment for the young people because for a moment they are kings & queens.

Zumba?  Not really, but it is a dance exercise class.

            Kim and I have begun a new ministry with women who are refugees and ex prisoners.  The house welcomes woman who have nowhere to go and without the home would be on the streets.  The women come from about 10 different countries and speak 4 different languages. 

            We asked them what they wanted to do and they said they would like an exercise class.  Most of the women work and don’t have time to exercise.  Also it is not possible to take a walk or run in their neighborhood.

            So Kim and I have begun this course.  You can see in the picture the video we use, this helps so much because don’t tell anyone but I am not really an exercise teacher.

            Last week was our second week and we had about 10 women and three adorable children from the Congo participate.  It went well, the women had fun and those kids stole my heart.

            More to come on this story as we continue our classes. 

PLEASE CONSIDER SUPPORTING ME IN MISSION!

Please remember that MKLM funds my travel, medical, and living expenses, and other costs associated with keeping me in mission. I ask that you consider donating to the Maryknoll Lay Missioners so that I, and missioners like me, can continue to serve those in need worldwide.

You can directly support my mission work with MKLM. Funds donated will either be applied directly to support my work, education, and ministries or used to support the general fund of MKLM. Financial Support can be sent to MKLM, P.O. Box 307, Maryknoll, NY 10545-0307 or online by going to my blog http://2haveafulllife.blogspot.com.br/ from there select the link to MKLM Support My Mission.

****Please write “Carolyn Trumble- Mission Account” in the memo line or intention box to support me in mission. All contributions are tax deductible.  Thank you.

A Mother’s Prayer

This year the Christmas song “Breath of Heaven” by Amy Grant has new meaning for me.  It is the story of Mary’s journey of faith and fear.  As I listen to the song, I picture the faces and bellies of 15 pregnant Brazilian prisoners that Katie Coldwell and I offered a health class for this year.   The song details Mary’s words imaging how she  might have felt.  I heard these same words and emotions from the moms we accompanied.   Below are some of the words of the song and how I image they connect with the woman who sits alone in her prison cell in Brazil. 

I have traveled many moonless nights

Cold and weary with a babe inside

And I wonder what I've done

Although I do not know the story of each woman, I do know that most of the women were arrested for drug trafficking.  All but one of the women were already mothers.   These women have been through a lot of sleepless nights.  They worry about their babies and their children at home.  Some may say they should have known better than to take such a risk, however, I have learned it is hard to know what options people really have when faced with poverty.  Do they traffic drugs, or watch their children go hungry?  It is a choice no mother should have to make.

I am waiting in a silent prayer

I am frightened by the load I bear

In a world as cold as stone

Must I walk this path alone?

Be with me now, be with me now

During one of our sessions we talked about the fears the women have.  Their most imitate fears were if they went into labor would it be a time when they could be taken to the prison hospital, or would they give birth to their child alone?  If they needed a C-section would they get it in time?  And after they gave birth how long would it be until they were moved from the hospital back to a cell, an hour, a day, they did not know.  I can only imagine the fear Mary must have felt giving birth in a stable.  The uncertainty of finding a clean, safe place must have been frightening. 

No one really knows what Mary worried about for Jesus’ life.  I have a feeling she knew one day she would need to let him go.  These mothers in prison know too they are going to have to let their child go sooner than they care too.  They are allowed to keep their child in prison with them for up to 6 months.  Every once in a while we witness a child leaving the prison usually in the arms of what appears to be a grandmother.  It is such a sad moment for the child and their mother.

Breath of Heaven, hold me together

Be forever near me, Breath of Heaven

Breath of Heaven, lighten my darkness

The emotions the women have are really mixed.  We witnessed so much joy from our group as they shared names they had chosen for their babies, or when we would put our hands to a belly and felt a baby kick.  These women love their babies and find a sense of peace with them as they sit alone with just their babies in their cells.  On the other hand the lives of both the women and the babies are unknown.  The women worry about childbirth and rightly so.  Then there are the questions of the future and what will become of them.  They are just trying to hold things together as best they can in their current situation.  For most of the women they said their faith was a source of comfort in times of darkness. 

We were privileged to accompany these moms for a little while. We worked to bring some education on woman’s health and childbirth and more importantly to listen to them and encourage them. 

This song has become a mother’s prayer for me.  Around the world tonight I know there are many marginalized women who pray for God’s breath to comfort them and guide them on their journey.  This Christmas I  am praying for those moms who sit in fear and in hope in a prison cell in Brazil. 

(Eaton, Chris & Grant, Amy. “Breath of Heaven”.

Home for Christmas, Bug Music. 2006)

A Mother's Prayer

This year the Christmas song “Breath of Heaven” by Amy Grant has new meaning for me.  It is the story of Mary’s journey of faith and fear.  As I listen to the song, I picture the faces and bellies of 15 pregnant Brazilian prisoners that Katie Coldwell and I offered a health class for this year.   The song details Mary’s words imaging how she might have felt.  I heard these same words and emotions from the moms we accompanied.   Below are some of the words of the song and how I image they connect with the woman who sits alone in her prison cell in Brazil. 

Breath of Heaven

I have traveled many moonless nights

Cold and weary with a babe inside

And I wonder what I've done

Although I do not know the story of each woman, I do know that most of the women were arrested for drug trafficking.  All but one of the women were already mothers.   These women have been through a lot of sleepless nights.  They worry about their babies and their children at home.  Some may say they should have known better than to take such a risk, however, I have learned it is hard to know what options people really have when faced with poverty.  Do they traffic drugs, or watch their children go hungry?  It is a choice no mother should have to make.

Breath of Heaven

I am waiting in a silent prayer

I am frightened by the load I bear

In a world as cold as stone

Must I walk this path alone?

Be with me now, be with me now

During one of our sessions we talked about the fears the women have.  Their most imitate fears were if they went into labor would it be a time when they could be taken to the prison hospital, or would they give birth to their child alone?  If they needed a C-section would they get it in time?  And after they gave birth how long would it be until they were moved from the hospital back to a cell, an hour, a day, they did not know.  I can only imagine the fear Mary must have felt giving birth in a stable.  The uncertainty of finding a clean, safe place must have been frightening. 

No one really knows what Mary worried about for Jesus’ life.  I have a feeling she knew one day she would need to let him go.  These mothers in prison know too they are going to have to let their child go sooner than they care too.  They are allowed to keep their child in prison with them for up to 6 months.  Every once in a while we witness a child leaving the prison usually in the arms of what appears to be a grandmother.  It is such a sad moment for the child and their mother.

  

Breath of Heaven

Breath of Heaven, hold me together

Be forever near me, Breath of Heaven

Breath of Heaven, lighten my darkness

The emotions the women have are really mixed.  We witnessed so much joy from our group as they shared names they had chosen for their babies, or when we would put our hands to a belly and felt a baby kick.  These women love their babies and find a sense of peace with them as they sit alone with just their babies in their cells.  On the other hand the lives of both the women and the babies are unknown.  The women worry about childbirth and rightly so.  Then there are the questions of the future and what will become of them.  They are just trying to hold things together as best they can in their current situation.  For most of the women they said their faith was a source of comfort in times of darkness. 

We were privileged to accompany these moms for a little while. We worked to bring some education on woman’s health and childbirth and more importantly to listen to them and encourage them. 

This song has become a mother’s prayer for me.  Around the world tonight I know there are many marginalized women who pray for God’s breath to comfort them and guide them on their journey.  This Christmas I  am praying for those moms who sit in fear and in hope in a prison cell in Brazil. 

 (Eaton, Chris & Grant, Amy. “Breath of Heaven”.

Home for Christmas, Bug Music. 2006)

Santa I Know Him!!!

SANTA I KNOW HIM!!!!

One of the reasons I love this movie as much as I do is that my nieces and nephews like it a lot.  I can hear my niece Kristyn and nephew Jesse quoting Buddy the Elf by screaming, "Santa I Know Him!"  It makes me miss them a lot.

So why do I relate to this movie?  Sometimes when I find myself in those moments of standing out in a culture that is not my own, I feel like Buddy.  Granted I am not wearing an Elf outfit but sometimes I feel like I should be.  And sometimes I get those looks like the one on the managers face.  Sometimes it is just a blank look and other times it is one of frustration.

Then there are those moments when I want to jump up and down and scream "Santa I Know Him!"  (Scary thing is sometimes I hear these exact words in my head).  Santa is a metaphor for people or things that I know.  It is that connection with something from home or with someone who knows me for me.  I have had three friends visit me in Brazil.  One for a couple of weeks and the others only for a couple of hours each.  But these are my glimpses of Santa.  Of having moments where I am me Carolyn, and I feel like the other person gets me, and loves me for my true self.

Crazy thing is sometimes I get this way about other things too.  For example: we had cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving.  I was so happy I could have jumped up and down.  Maybe once a month I treat myself to a Starbucks coffee.  There is a Starbucks by my language school and I like to study there.  And sometimes I have gotten a care package with Reese Peanut Butter Cups or Hot Tamales, and that first bite is remarkable.

The other aspect of this movie is about Buddy exploring new things and making new relationships.  I too am lucky to have the opportunity to see the world through new eyes.  To discover things I never imagined.  It can be a little scary but mostly it is exciting.

And every once in awhile I come across something from my own culture, from my own language, and from home.  And I become like Buddy.  Excited, full of hope and joy, and grateful to connect with a piece of myself I don't encounter every day.

To Give Life

Yesterday I had the privilege to join a community located in a favela here in São Paulo as they celebrated a relationship of mutual support and love in the mystery of the Eucharist.  My fellow missioners and I went to the church located in the favela located on a hill directly overlooking the homes of their neighbors below.

I learned that the community on top of the hill had water before the community below them.  I am not sure of the details but somehow the two groups developed a way to send some of the water from on top to the people below.  And in doing so they gave life to their neighbors.  I was so impressed with the generosity of this gift.  Sometimes in this world we get so concerned about our own resources that we store them up for ourselves so we do not have to do without.  And yet these folks did not act in fear, they acted in love.  In doing so they nourished life not only for their neighbors but for themselves.

Water is life.  Without water we cannot go on.  Water to me is one of the most sacred gifts one can give.  During the Mass water from both communities was poured into a bowl and blessed.  Then we were all sprinkled with the water as a reminder of our Baptism.  The day our life began in Christ.  What a witnessed these folks were to me about the respect for life for all people.

Today Katie and I gave a health class to 9 pregnant woman in prison.  Our topic was delivery.  All of the woman have had children already.  Katie set up the stages of delivery and had the woman place things that happen in each stage in each category.  For example, the water breaks, you start to push, etc.    Some of the woman were very knowledgeable and others were still uncertain of what really happens and when.

In full disclosure I have to admit Katie and I have been reading up on this topic and asking a lot of questions to make sure our assumptions are correct since neither of us has given birth.  One of the questions that came up today was concerning the umbilical cord.  A few of the woman believed that the cord connected to the mother was cut and them placed back inside the mother.  I was surprised that more than one woman was under this impression.  We explained to them about the placenta and it helped that we had pictures in a book to back up our explanation.

I share this because I am constantly surprised by the difference that education makes.  It is a resource that I have been given.  I am sure these woman are good mothers and that they know a lot of things about life that I do not know.  But they are poor and not all of their education has prepared them to understand some things that I consider as basic.  Things that would ease some of their anxiety and fears.

We talked about fears today.  Fear of giving birth while in prison.  In Brazil their is an expression that goes "Dar a Luz".  To give a light or give birth.  In the coming days these woman are going to give a light to the world, they are going to be part of the process of giving life. What a beautiful gift they give to their child, their families and the world.  I ask that you think of them and pray for them as they struggle with their fears now and for them and their babes as they bring new life into our world.

Today the Poor Welcomed the World to Brazil.

This week the world turns it's eyes to Brazil as World Youth Day begins.  Pope Francis is scheduled to arrive in Rio de Janeiro next week to worship with the youth of the world.  Young people from all over the world have begun descending on Sao Paulo and all of Brazil to participate in Mission Week.

Today youth from Honduras arrived in the parish I will volunteer for in the periphery of Sao Paulo.  The scripture that keeps repeating in my head is "I was a stranger and you welcomed me, hungry and you gave me food, thirsty and you gave me drink." (Matt 25)

You see in the eyes of the world the people who I will work alongside this week to host the pilgrims are poor, they have little in materials means.  Some of them did reforms on their house to host these youth.  They have so little and yet they wanted to make their simple housing the most comfortable for the visitors.  All week the woman of the parish will prepare meals to feed the pilgrims.

These folks that the world would consider poor this week are the ones that are opening their homes, their lives, and their hearts to the young people of the world.  They are giving everything they have to welcome the stranger and to feed and care for the young church.

What a beautiful thing to witnessed.  So often when we hear that we should serve the least of these, we think of the folks who do not have money.  And yet, this week those folks are the ones who are serving.

Many of these folks do not have the funds to go to Rio to see the Pope.  So this week they will have the only experience of World Youth Day that they will ever have.  They feel so blessed to have the people from around the world here in their homes.

I have been to two World Youth Days were I saw Pope John II.  They were great, but this may turn out to be my favorite.  I will not see the Pope in Rio but what a blessing to witness the true spirit of the event.  Today the poor welcomed the world to Brazil.  What a privilege for me to accompany them in hospitality.

Some of the homes the pilgrims will stay in.

Spring/Summber 2013 Newsletter

Affirmation

Michael received a 10 out of 10 on his paper at school.  He hurried home to share his success with his family.  When he showed his aunt she told him that had nothing to do with her he should show his grandmother instead of her.  His grandmother scolded him for being proud and told him it was his job to get good grades and she did not want to see the good papers only the bad.

Michael, a 13 year-old boy shared this story at the youth center where I work.  He was sad and angry as he told his story.  He was thinking about only getting bad grades so he could show them to his grandmother.  He has no mother and his father works most all the time to support the family.

After hearing this story I began to talk to my co-teacher about the importance of affirmation.  I hear many people tell young people what they do wrong.  I suggested not only telling kids what they do wrong but encouraging them and affirming them when they do things right.

This was a new idea to the professors.  I am happy to say they have tried it a couple of times.  And we started thinking about having a place where the teens can bring tests they do well on to hang up for everyone to see.

I personally believe that affirmation is an essential part of life.  By affirming another we are endorsing their inherent dignity and empowering them to discover the best in themselves.  This is just a little of the work I have slowly begun at the center where I work.  

As my fellow missioners and I did an evaluation of our health course that we offer to women in prison, I shared with them some things that still surprise me in our work with women from around the world.  I am still surprised that the women we encounter know very little about their bodies. 

Often when we speak of the reproductive system it is the first time many of these women have learned about it.  Some of the women who have had children are surprised to learn facts about pregnancy.  I am told a lot of times it is because in many cultures it is taboo to discuss such things.  And many of the women share their stories of inadequate health care and the inability to go to the doctor. 

So in a little classroom in a prison in Brazil my fellow missioners and I do what we can to educate women.  We hope they will not only understand their bodies, perhaps one day they will also be able to educate their daughters, granddaughters and nieces. 

The following are some remarks shared by the women:

“I learned in this course that menopause is normal for a woman’s body.  I no longer have to be afraid that I have a bad sickness, I now know what is happening in my body is natural”.  (Woman from Africa)

“I was never taught about menstruation or other things that happen to a woman’s body.  In my country we don’t go to a doctor unless we are very sick.  I understand more about my body now”.  (Woman from Bolivia)

“I never knew how to perform a breast exam.  I learned in this course how to do it”.  (Woman from Brazil)

“You came to visit us every week and teach us something.  I am so grateful that you gave your time to visit us here”.  (Woman from Brazil) 

PLEASE CONSIDER SUPPORTING ME IN MISSION!

Please remember that MKLM funds my travel, medical, and living expenses, and other costs associated with keeping me in mission. I ask that you consider donating to the Maryknoll Lay Missioners so that I, and missioners like me, can continue to serve those in need worldwide.

You can directly support my mission work with MKLM. Funds donated will either be applied directly to support my work, education, and ministries or used to support the general fund of MKLM. Financial Support can be sent to MKLM, P.O. Box 307, Maryknoll, NY 10545-0307 or online by going to my blog http://2haveafulllife.blogspot.com.br/ from there select the link to MKLM Support My Mission.

****Please write “Carolyn Trumble- Mission Account” in the memo line or intention box to support me in mission. All contributions are tax deductible.

Who Are the woman in prison?

Today in a small room in a prison in São Paulo, Brazil, myself and fellow missioner Kathy Bond, began a new woman's health group.  To imagine the room we gather in picture a room with limish green walls, chairs, a desk and yesterday dead cockroaches on the cement floor.  The group is meant for seniors however two woman in their twenties wanted to join and so we let them.

Kathy lead the group in a get to know you exercise where we each selected a picture from a magazine that reminded us of something in our lives.  One by one the woman shared a little bit of their story.  I listened and was struck by the variety of woman gathered, and could not help but think about the question: So who are the woman in prison?  I got my answer as each one began to open up a little.

The first two woman, one dark skinned and one light skinned, shared how they had each worked in hospitals for many years.  They were very proud of the work they had done.  The next woman spoke with a deep, scratchy voice.  It reminded me of one I had heard on commercials about why you should not smoke.  She walks with a cane and seems to be in poor health.

She had chosen a photo of a demonstration against violence.  She cried as she told us that her husband use to beat her badly.  She showed parts of her body that had experienced a lot of violence.  She said if she had not experienced that violence perhaps she would not be in prison now.  She said her husband had been in prison for a while and she had visited him a lot but he did not visit her.  He had taken a mistress that was living in her house.  She was clearly a woman that had been beaten down by a life of violence and neglect.

The next woman told of a history of her family in prison.  Even now her children were in prison and it sounded to me as if her grandchildren were involved in activities that would lead them to prison too.  She said she felt abandoned because she was in prison alone and had been there with no visitors for two years.

The next few woman cried as they spoke of their children, grandchildren and parents.  They missed them so much and longed for them with great sorrow.  Kathy pointed out to the group that by coming together as a group of woman we could be there to support one another and that no one had to be totally alone.

One of the young woman who is in her early twenties shared how she had already been pregnant 7 times but had lost the children in miscarriages because of the use of crack cocaine.  She has been so excited to be in this health class in hopes to be able to find a way to get healthier while she is in prison.  One of the hopes of the course is to teach life skills that can help the woman while in prison but also to help them make a better life for themselves and their families when they are released from prison.

So who are the woman in prison?  The ones I met today are daughters, moms and grandmas.  They are woman who are poor and for the most part have had difficult lives.  They are nurses and crack users.  They are farmers and victims of violence.  They are people who cry and long for family.  They are  young and they are old.  They are woman with broken hearts and woman who dream of a better tomorrow.

***I have to say that I have written what I understood from our course.  However, my Portuguese is still in the beginning stages so some details may be a little different from what I understood.  Also, please know these are just snapshots of the endless numbers of stories told by the woman in prison.