Habitat for Humanity and the DeLos Santos family

Concepcion De Los Santos was confined to a wheelchair since his two daughters were in grade school.  Since then he and his family have adapted their lives to meet his needs.  His eldest daughter, Glorialyz, and wife, Ileana, earned nursing certificates and can now assist Concepcion and support the family.  Concepcion does many of the family chores and supervises projects he can no longer carry out himself.

For five years the family waited for the landlord to make their apartment handicap accessible.  They were disappointed when their landlord constructed a ramp for the wrong apartment then refused to acknowledge the mistake and wouldn't allow them to move to the apartment with the newly built ramp.

So, for the first time Habitat for Humanity constructed a handicap accessible house.  In their new home the De Los Santos family can now adapt to their physical surroundings because they can now carry on as productive members of the community.  We have "made it!" says Glorialyz.

A Story of Grace and Mercy

by Deborah Little Wyman, priest for street ministry, Ecclesia ministries - Common Cathedral on the Boston Common

My ordination to the priesthood was not approved for a year and a half because "we aren't sure that street ministry is priesthood."  This was a long and difficult stretch. My attention was so focused on my survival that I hadn't given much thought to how I could exercise my priesthood in this strange disorderly setting.  Two months after my ordination, it was the morning of Christmas Eve.  I woke up knowing I needed to celebrate communion in South Station where I had been spending parts of days. In winter, that's where my people were.  I called my life long and sympathetic friend, Ann, to express my terror and excitement about the vision.  All I knew was I needed a prayer book, bread, grape juice, the Christmas gospel story, and a lot more confidence than I felt.  "You can't do that without chicken soup, can you?" were Ann's first words.  

The next thing I knew, we were meeting at 4 pm under the Arrivals and Departures Board and she was bringing not only soup but Boomer, the dog.  I had more confidence in Boomer's ability to create a safe sacred place in all that holiday crush than in anything we could offer.  But within a half hour, we were ten in a circle of chairs, huddled so we could hear each other.  I asked one of the men to read the gospel and then I sat listening to our hearts beating and waiting for guidance about what to do next. I heard a man across the circle take in a smoker's breath.  "My name is Joseph," he said.  "I wish I had been so kind to my wife when she took off with my friend."  He was weeping, and soon each one was sharing something that told me they were all completely present in the Christmas story.

I felt one of the greatest lessons about why Jesus sends us to the poor to learn about God. Folks who have nothing have God.  All the layers of complexity that we consider necessities in fact put distance between us and God.  I had no idea of creating an outdoor church that day, but I knew who the preachers were.  A year later we would be nearly 100 outdoors under the trees across from the Episcopal cathedral with Bishop Tom Shaw baptizing, confirming and celebrating our Eucharist.  Our folks would name our street church "common cathedral".  

Emily Dickinson

"Hope" is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -

And sweetest-in the Gale-is heard-
And sore must be the storm-
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm-

I've heard it in the chillest land-
And on the strangest Sea-
Yet, never, in Extremity,
It asked a crumb-of Me.

Nelson Mandela - Long Walk to Freedom

No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion.  People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.  

Ministrations to the Sick (from the Book of Common Prayer)

In the Morning

This is another day, O Lord.  I know not what it will bring forth, but
make me ready, Lord, for whatever it may be.
If I am to stand up, help me to stand bravely.
If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly.
If I am to lie low, help me to do it patiently.
And if I am to do nothing let me do it gallantly.
Make these words more than words, and give me the Spirit of Jesus.

Amen

Prayer Composed by Haiti Mission Team After Monday's First Mobile Clinic

Blessed be God, Ruler of the Universe, who has brought us all together in this place
Grant us clear sight, compassion, patience, strength, courage, and openness
So that we may give, persevere and do your will in this place
Through partnership with our Haitian Brothers and Sisters
To the glory of your name.

Amen

St Lukes San Lucas Blessing of the Renovation in Chelsea

On Saturday, February 21^st, between 7:30 am and 1 pm, many of us joined Father Edgar’s St Luke’s San Lucas’ community in Chelsea to celebrate the just completed beautiful kitchen, food pantry and parish hall renovations.  Many of us joined Father Edgar's parish in a special ceremonial blessing of the renovation led by Bishop Alan Gates. 

   

Chris Berns and Ralph Engstrom were the breakfast chefs under the fearless leadership of Claudia Bell and her husband Chip, with a hard working supporting team of Stephanie Terry, Betsy Walsh, and Linda Brown, serving over 70 guests. Then Carol Hollingshead, Barbara DeWolf, Celia Ceruolo, Kate Reynolds and Chris Joseph stepped up to help serve a roast beef lunch with butternut squash ravioli coated in a delicious butter, garlic and parmesan sauce, with julienned vegetables and rich chocolate frosted chocolate brownies or brown sugar crumble coffee cake for dessert serving over 100 guests.  In between breakfast and lunch, Bishop Gates led our partnering communities, in a beautiful worship service bringing us all together in mission.   

On Thursday March 12^th all are invited to gather at Epiphany to paint bowls to help the Chelsea Bowls organization raise both money and awareness in the fight to end hunger.    The local organization, Chelsea Hunger Network, is holding their event on April 25^th where the ceramic bowls will be displayed then given away.   The money raised will go directly to food pantries and community kitchens in Chelsea including St Lukes.  We hope you will join us on March 12^th at Epiphany from 7:30 – 9 pm for wine, conversation and painting!

Margaret Mead

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Haiti Church and Walking Tour

by Elizabeth Foot  

              

There is a carnival going on here and, I guess, just like the US, Saturdays are the night to go out. The music is amazing; exuberant and joyful. Those were the feelings I felt when I heard them going by my window, but at 4:45 am, I was not ready to return the love.

                But today I was. It’s Sunday: God’s Day. The Church service started at 7 am and despite efforts to be there on time, we walked over around 8 am. The service ended around 10:15 am—meaning it was hours longer than any service at Epiphany. For those hours, I struggled to understand before giving up completely; anyone sitting behind me would have seen me perk up at any words I knew and then watch me put my head down again when I realized I’d have to wait a while before I recognized anything else. Since my French speaking and hearing ability borders decent, I was left to enjoy the service with all senses save comprehension. [Parts of the service are in Creole; cognates may be few – Ed.] I saw how nicely everyone was dressed: the girls and women were in dresses and bows, boys and men in dress suits and ties. They swayed with the music of the chorale group—led by a women in a pale coral dress and voice that filled the room. The acolytes surrounded the altar and one of them spread incense. The toddlers were amazing, they just sat quietly with their mothers. If they didn’t sit still, and one boy was running around the whole time, it was outside.

                I learned after the service that the church was built on what used to be the school’s basketball court. I also saw where the old church used to be, but now it’s just cinder blocks and wire foundations; they are getting ready to rebuild it. The only room that remains from the earthquake five years ago is a small room off to the side, the sacristy. The room is in good shape but it looked lonely sitting at the top of some steps and surrounded by grass covering the old ruins. As Carol Hokana said “Those cinder blocks represent hope. They’re so simple, but so strong.” I want to thank Carol for expressing what seems so true.

                As a high school student, I am lucky enough to say this culture is a shock to me. Yesterday, on our way from Port-Au-Prince to Leogane, we saw things you only see in movies: pigs in the street, piles of burning trash, policemen patrolling streets with intimidating guns. Yet the people seem hopeful, just as they were at the church today. It’s incredible and I have really never seen anything like it. All I could keep thinking was, as we were driving yesterday was, if there were pigs, or cows, or goats roaming the streets in Boston, we would call Animal Control to figure it out, or we would just run away. But here, people and animals are living side by side (I don’t know if there is animal control or not).

                But back to today! After lunch, we will be heading off on a walking tour of Leogane. I’m excited to see the area as well as get some exercise. I don’t know what exactly we will be seeing but that makes it all the more interesting because, for some of the “returning varsity members”, they’ve already seen it but it is my first time and my first impressions have yet to be made.

Haiti Medical Mission #5 and School Mission #2

by Reid Boswell

One by one, in the wee hours, most of our team trickled into gate B30 at Logan for our 6:05 AM flight, bleary-eyed and desperate for coffee. Ah, yes, the coffee war: Starbucks vs. Dunkin. Doesn’t matter, the Haitian coffee makes both look tame, and despite the best efforts of Bill and I, there apparently is no Starbucks in Haiti and the Seligmans and their Dunkin’ devotion are equally out of luck. Our flights to JFK and then on to Port Au Prince were almost seamless, except a bit of turbulence on our descent to Hispaniola. We were on a large Boeing767-300, and there seemed to be numerous American mission groups aboard with some scattered Haitian expats. There was a team of dental students from Temple University heading out to the west coast to spend a week extracting teeth (about all that can be done in rural Haiti). There was a group of kids from Eastern Nazarene College headed to Leogane to do some maintenance work at a local health clinic. The young man sitting next to Linda was downright wide-eyed with excitement.

Baggage claim could only be described as utter chaos. With a bigger plane there were way more people claiming baggage than we have ever encountered, and finding our 50 lb. medication filled duffel bags and then trying to re-group was (as Nick and I agreed) exactly like herding cats. Then customs. Customs was almost a random experience, with some of our team sliding easily through with nary a glance, others required to show baggage claim tags (but not all), some required to produce the list of items in our bags, and then a few (including our intrepid leader Linda), who were pulled aside and interrogated. The guy who asked me to produce my list of items in my bags clearly had some advanced pharmaceutical training. I gave him my lists, he looked them over with a knowing expression, nodding as he went down the list, and then waved me on, keeping in mind that the list included words like Lisinopril, ceftriaxone, omeprazole, albendazole, etc.

Finally, we were all able to walk out of the terminal to the awaiting Hopital St. Croix trucks. This is my 3^rd year going to Haiti, though I missed last year. Immediately, the sensual recall of this country enveloped me, and I was transported back: the smells, the vivid colors, the noise, the high emotion, and the fantastic Caribbean heat. The bags were carefully packed and headed back to the guest house at Hopital St. Croix, while most of us headed to the artist colony at Croix de Bouquet, where we shopped for the now famous (at least in our Parish) hammered metal artwork. The ride to Croix de Bouquet was difficult and our seasoned driver used every skill he had to maneuver through the dense traffic. Traffic rules are pretty much non-existent in Haiti and I have learned not to look while our driver plays chicken with large dump trucks as he passes slow moving tap-taps or other vehicles that do not meet his standard of appropriate speed. As far as I can tell, there is only one traffic light on the road from Port au Prince and Leogane, but nobody really pays any attention to it. We spent about an hour walking through the shops, marveling at the amazing hammered tin art and watching the craftsmen plying their trade while on their knees or squatting on the ground.

We made it safely back to the inviting guest house just after sunset and enjoyed a delicious dinner of chicken, rice and beans, fried plantains, vegetables and salad, washed down, of course with the premier Haitian beer, Prestige. We met with our host, Robin, to refresh our memories of the rules of the guest house and indeed Haiti in general. Six of our 22 member team will be sleeping at the Nursing School. Sleep was the number one agenda for the evening, with our predawn start and “Spring Forward” time change (though I enjoyed little of that thanks to an apparent allergy to my malaria medication).

Today, most of the team went to church (generally a 2 hour service in Creole). I demurred, having experienced the lovely side effects of Benadryl. The rest of today will be spent relaxing and then getting ready for our first clinic tomorrow, sorting and counting meds, organizing team members, and most importantly preparing emotionally for helping to take care of the hundreds of patients we will be seeing in poor, rural areas in and around Leogane. I am excited to be back in Haiti and hope my rusty primary care skills will re-emerge somewhere in my cortex. This is a great team, and as I have said before, I believe we will make a difference, even if it simply to show up. Bondye beni ou.

Francis of Assisi

“Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love,

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” 

Transforming Lives at the Blackstone Elementary School Library

by Kate Reynolds

On Sunday, May 9^th, 2010, Liz Steinhauser, minister at St. Stephen’s church in Boston’s South End, came to the Parish of Epiphany in Winchester to preach about the important work she and Vicar Tim Crellin were doing.  Liz challenged Reverend Thomas Brown and parishioners at Epiphany to help re-open the library at the Blackstone Elementary School, labeled a “Turnaround” school, meaning that its leadership had been replaced and all staff had to reapply for their jobs. 

               The Blackstone library was located a block away from St. Stephens in a school attended by over 70 of the underserved students in their B-READY Afterschool Program. At that time, the Blackstone was the 2^nd worst performing school in the Boston Public School system.   St. Stephens reached out to the newly appointed principal as a community partner and offered to take on the library project as a visible symbol of change.  

               In order for Epiphany to create a library from scratch, they needed cleaners and painters to transform the dark and dreary space, haulers and sorters to organize the books, and people with library knowledge to catalogue and shelve the books. And, they needed books!  Betsy Walsh organized the effort scheduling the first work day for Saturday, September 11, 2010.  Throughout the summer and fall, volunteers from Epiphany and other churches collected new and gently used K-5^th grade level books.

               Four and a half years later, the library has grown into a formidable resource for the children and teachers at the Blackstone Elementary School, now labeled an “Innovation” school.   Under the leadership of Eileen Marks, Pat Hitchcock, Judy Cotton and Meg McDermott, School and Community Partnership Organizer from St Stephens, and others, over 9,000 books have been barcoded and entered into a Library World online cloud system.  Over 400 students and teachers from 23 classes have been assigned sequential numbers to check out books at the library.  Most classes visit the library weekly. 

               Volunteers from Epiphany, Winchester, Friends of the Blackstone Library, Simmons Library School and from 4 other St Stephens partner churches, serve a day or two each week.  In a world where suburban children from affluent communities are exposed to up to 3 million more words by the age of 3 than underserved children, library books open up new worlds of opportunity. 

               Readers share a book with each class, help children find books at their reading level and 1^st-5^th graders check out books for 2 weeks.  At the Blackstone library it’s free to travel the world from a magic treehouse, cast spells to help Harry Potter navigate peril or learn about the true meaning of Christmas from Dr. Seuss’s Grinch Who Stole Christmas.  Sharing the gift of reading, turns out to be a simple and rewarding way for volunteers to help underserved children begin to overcome the challenges of being born into poverty,  by building literacy skills together.   

Ephesians 4:25—5:2

So then, putting away falsehood,

let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors,

for we are members of one another.

Be angry but do not sin;

do not let the sun go down on your anger,

and do not make room for the devil.

Thieves must give up stealing;

rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands,

so as to have something to share with the needy.

Let no evil talk come out of your mouths,

but only what is useful for building up,

as there is need,

so that your words may give grace to those who hear.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,

with which you were marked

with a seal for the day of redemption.

Put away from you all bitterness

and wrath and anger

and wrangling and slander,

together with all malice,

and be kind to one another,

tenderhearted, forgiving one another,

as God in Christ has forgiven you.

Therefore be imitators of God,

as beloved children,

and live in love,

as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us,

a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

One Young Haitian Man

by Sandy Bristol

Last year I made my second trip to Haiti. Each day we set up our medical clinic in a different place. Thursday's clinic was supposed to be a return to a location in the mountains that we had been to previously. Instead we ended up in a small village, at an Episcopal church and school. Since we were at a school there were a lot of children of all ages present. During my lulls between patients I took pictures. One young man asked me to take his picture, I was happy to comply with his request. The beauty of digital cameras is that you can look at the picture just taken, so I showed him the picture. He wanted a copy but there was no way to do that. He said I could bring it next year. To which I replied that I didn't know if I would be back. His response was God would send me back. I am heading back to Haiti next week. I don't know if we will go back to that clinic but I printed a copy of that picture.

1Corinthians 13:13

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

The Children Epiphany Sponsors at El Hogar

by Betsy Walsh

Epiphany has a long history of sponsoring children at El Hogar, a home and school in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Read more about these three beautiful children and keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Meet Ivis Leonel

Ivis Leonel Rosales Calix was born on January 9, 2000. Before coming to El Hogar, Ivis lived nearby with his parents, older brothers and younger sister in one room without windows or electricity. He and his 2 older brothers entered El Hogar in 2006 and Epiphany began to sponsor Ivis in 2007. Three years later, he and his brothers left El Hogar. In 2012, while Epiphany’s women’s team was visiting, their father brought Ivis and his younger sister, Maribel, to the gates of El Hogar and asked if El Hogar could take them in again. Their mother had died and he was unable to care for them. Epiphany picked up his sponsorship again at this time. (A team member sponsored Maribel too!).   Now 15, Ivis is a handsome, quiet young man who is embarrassed by much fuss from his padrinos (God parents, which is what we, his sponsors, are called). He graduated from El Hogar’s elementary school in November 2012 and will be entering his third year at El Hogar’s Technical School this month.

Meet Ana Raquel

Ana Raquel Valera Funez was born on February 23, 2000 in Tegucigalpa to a single mother who suffers from paralysis on her left side which makes it hard for her to find work. Before coming to El Hogar in January 2007, she lived with her mother and great grandmother in a wooden structure without beds or food. She entered El Hogar in first grade as part of the first class of girls. (El Hogar only took in little boys for its first 26 years.) Epiphany wanted to sponsor one of the new little girls so we added a second sponsorship. Now 15, Ana lives at El Hogar’s high school girls home in Santa Lucia. She has just started 9th grade at a private highschool. She is a tall, lovely young woman who is confident, smart and talented. 

Meet Jorge Francisco

Jorge Francisco Velasquez Sagastume was born on April 10, 2000. Before coming to live at El Hogar, Jorge lived with his mother, older brother and younger sister, Andrea. Unable to provide for her children and afraid of the violence committed by her oldest son, their mother enrolled Jorge and Andrea at El Hogar. Epiphany began sponsoring Jorge when he arrived at El Hogar in 2009. Though he was 9, he had not been to school so he began in the first grade. El Hogar offers older students, who are academically able, the opportunity to progress by 2 grades in a year. Jorge did this and graduated from elementary school in 2013. Now 14, he is beginning his second year at El Hogar’s Agricultural School. He is adorable, smart, musically gifted and a talented painter.

If you would like to learn more about these children, write to these children, sponsor a child or visit El Hogar, please contact Epiphany’s El Hogar contact, Susan Haskell at susanhaskell33@gmail.com.

www.elhogar.org

Ivis, Ana (in the brown jacket) and Jorge today in 2015.

Galatians 6:2

Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Saturday/Sunday's Bread

 by Judy Coltman

I don’t really like to cook.  I cook, of course, because it works for my family, but it’s not something I yearn to do.  So then why, I used to ask myself, do I look forward to giving up one Saturday afternoon a month to prepare and serve a meal for a room full of people?   

At Saturday Sunday Bread, we serve a hot meal to people in need in Boston.   Along with other area volunteers, our group from Epiphany gathers early in the afternoon on the 4^th Saturday of the month to set up the dining room, prepare a meal, and then cleanup for about 100 guests.  We welcome the guests at 2:30 and serve them salad, a main course, juice, coffee, bread and dessert.  My favorite job while the guests are with us is to serve the coffee.   Going from person to person at the tables and pouring coffee—black or with milk—allows me the chance to personally greet the guests and, sometimes, it provides me the opportunity for conversation.   I think what keeps me going back each month are these chances for connection.    These connections, whether a smile, a nod of acknowledgement, a chat, or just a request for more coffee, help me to see the individuals within the room full of strangers, most of whom are down on their luck.  They personalize the struggles that life presents.    They broaden my understanding. They help me feel God’s presence.  

Parishioners from POE were some of the first volunteers at Saturday Sunday Bread back in 1983.  Help us maintain this as one of Epiphany’s missions by joining us some 4^th Saturday of the month!

Prayer for Peace