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Ecuador
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Summer 2004
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Ecuador
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Summer 2004
Las Monjas
About a week ago Dr. Zambrano received a letter from the Santa Clara convent requesting dental attention for the nuns that live there. So, FRIDAY July 9th, we packed the truck with all of the gear at about 8:30 in the morning and at about 9:00 Sister Amparo de Los Angeles arrived to escort the girls on foot to the convent which was only a few blocks away. The men stayed with all of the equipment. Sister Amparo is one of three nuns in the convent that are able to leave at all. The other 19 nuns will stay in the convent for the rest of their lives. When we arrived at the convent, Amparo was very excited to show us the beauty of the church and their home. The Cathedral was huge and under reconstruction. Amparo was so excited to explain everything to us. She was 22 years old and just full of light and positive energy. We were instantly best friends. The paintings and sculptures in the cathedrals were beautiful and we began to realize the privilege of being in this special place. After asking her several questions, Amparo explained that nobody comes into their Convent because they are nuns that have taken vows to never leave. Amparo and two others only leave to make food purchases and get other necessities. She said that family members may come and visit once a month, but only to talk to them through the gate. We felt very privileged to be there.
The truck arrived with all of the gear and Dr. Zambrano, Mesías, Juan, Kevin, Jaime and Dave started to unload all of the stuff we would be using. We set up quickly with the goal to be there until about noon only. The nuns started to come out and receive attention one by one. We met La Madre who was just the sweetest and kindest person ever. We met the older nuns who told us they had been in the convent for 40 years, 54 years, etc. It was fascinating. Kristi cleaned teeth while Jaime and Dr. Zambrano and Juan did some extractions. The nuns were grateful and so sweet. All were able to receive attention and before we were to leave the nuns wanted to thank us by feeding us lunch. We felt humbled by their kindness as they led us to a special room where the tables were set and we were fed some delicious food. They told us some of the history of their Cathedral which was about 500 years old. The room we were in had was a huge piece of work that had saints and the trinity covered with “pan de oro” which is thin gold leaf. It was quite a privilege to see these things.
La Madre then took us on a tour of their beautiful home and we were led up a spiral staircase and walked on top of the roof of the Cathedral and looked through the windows and down into the Cathedral. It was amazing. Other nuns joined our group and would grab our arms and walk with us hand in hand. They showed us the garden and where they eat and worship. There were a couple of the oldest nuns that were quite entertaining, one bragged about her days on the soccer field and how she would always win. They wanted me to become a nun until they found out I was married. We loved all of the sisters there and had a great experience. Our 12:00 time for being done was long passed and we found ourselves even singing to them at their request. They were so excited to hear the music that they asked us to come back and teach them how to sing. We will now be doing that service twice a week in the morning. We left feeling very satisfied and like we had made many new friends.
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