At last I have arrived. Where???
It is like an oasis in the middle of the sea of the jungle. To get here it took a 2 hour flight from Sao Paulo to Cuiaba {Capital of Mato Grosso state}. Then an overnight 14 hour bus journey to the bishop´s house on Juina. Only half the journey was on paved roads. That was a rough journey and I was glad it was overnight, because when daylight came and I saw the conditions of the so-called-roads and bridges, I would have been praying the whole time.
Then Fr. Michael Byrne was waiting with the parish Jeep to bring me on the final 4 hour road journey to Juruena.
Of course it was all dirt tracks with pot holes bigger that Tom Furlong´s swimming pool, see below. {At 31c inside and 36c outside and this is the winter, how I would love to have your pool here Tom}.
{Tom in his pool}
I am in the middle of the middle of nowhere it seems. The town has all dirt roads except the main street is paved. A lorry goes around all day, every day, spraying water on the roads to keep the dust down.
There are 20 communities in the parish all miles outside the town on dirt roads. Last week I visted two a day with mass in each. Morning and night, out all day and night. Part of my work will be to visit each community at least once a month.
Michael Byrne is here with me until next Monday and then he returns to Ireland to take up his new duties as Parish Priest of Cushinstown outside New Ross. {Paddy is also on the move to St. Senan´s Parish in Enniscorthy - I wish him well}. So I will be on my own until mid September when Fr. Paudie Moloughney arrives back from Ireland. So it will be sink or swim for me for the next three months, especially in terms of the my three months of language training. {Say a prayer for me}.
Any way more news later - this not my computor - here is my new address / Endereço:
Casa Paroquial
Travessa Frei Caneca S/Nº
CP 02
CEP 78.340-000
Juruena
Mato Grosso
Brazil
Tel: 00 55 66 3553 1214
EMAIL carnew@gmail.com
Sorry no mobile phone coverage here. I miss this as I used to receive regular text messages from home.
Tchau
Denis
