Walking in the Bishop's Moccasins

Well, I guess I'll think more than once before I criticize a bishop again. I know, it's faintly possibly they are not perfect, but no one works as hard as ours! Since the bishop of Vera Cruz died recently, our guy is running ours and that diocese, until the new bishop can be appointed.

This means an hour and a half drive to the coast, (Usually takes 2 hours; "following our bishop" takes on new significance.) So Sunday, Mass at cathedral here, quick dinner in cathedral dining room with bishop and rest of team, home to check urgent messages from our kids, then grab bags and follow the bishop to Vera Cruz.

On arrival we all get a personal tour of the cathedral and it's living quarters. It is also from the 18th century, and a sad, mildewey mess, with very little art work. I guess the climate there on the Gulf is murder on this construction.

After mass, a family joined the folks waiting to greet the bishop and/or get a prayer, and told us they saw us in a conference here decades ago. Another young deacon said he did too, but he was just a kid then. Now he's almost ready to be ordained. God's wonderful ways. Here, in VC, at the end of a long day, the bishop still greets, hugs and blesses all who come. The ones who need counseling or longer prayers he sends to us, standing nearby.

Meanwhile, anyone not dressed in shorts and halter top is sweating like a mule!
Tomorrow, we go with him to confirmations, way up in the hills, where we will need at least two sets of long underwear. Thurs, down to the "hot country", for more confirmations, a light cotton dress will be better. All this, just in our rather small diocese. Keep those prayers going for your missionaries. Fumigating and repellent don't scare our bugs a bit.