October Newsletter

Water

Just about everyone drinks bottled water in Lima. In our apartment, we have a portable water dispenser on our kitchen counter, and we buy several
"5 galones" bottles of water at a time. The water company delivers to the apartment, within an hour or two of our placing an order for water.

Removing the spout cover of a 5 gallon bottle of water requires either a) a superhero or b) a pair of pliers. We opted for the pliers. (I had not anticipated that pliers would become such an important part of our apartment dwelling life.)

The challenge: the foot high water dispenser rests comfortably on our kitchen counter. The bottle of water stands upright (spout upward) on the floor, with its spout cover removed. This means that I have to lift up the 5 gallon bottle of water above my waist, turn it upside down, and put the spout squarely into the top of the dispenser, and do all this without sliding the very portable (movable) dispenser somewhere along the counter top.

I think the water companies have this plan down to a science because to my utter amazement, every time I turn the water bottle upside down, on the whole, the process has worked. A few drops of liberated water may splash merrily on the countertop, but I have not yet ended up with a 2012 type tsunami in our kitchen. My level of confidence increases if someone else holds the dispenser in place while I tip the bottle upside down.

The Scriptures sometimes use water as an analogy for God's Holy Spirit. Our relationship with the Holy Spirit can sometimes be like the water dispenser arrangement. The Holy Spirit has a plan, and we have to trust that his plan will work. It takes teamwork on our part for the plan to be effective, and we need to skillfully remove obstacles that get in the way of his plan (like removing the tops of the bottles).

How are we doing?

Present Ministry:
We are just about at the six month mark, and we look back at the impact we have had already with a great deal of satisfaction, not just in the classroom setting, but in diocesan ministry and in parish ministry as well.

Residency process: As of today, Julie and I have completed our process, and Lydia's process is nearing completion.

Prayer Requests:• Continued effectiveness in teaching
• Seminary, parish, and diocesan ministries
• Continued outpouring of God's Holy Spirit in Peru

Blessings! – Shaw, Julie, and Lydia