Daily Life at Amigas del Señor
Our daily life is structured around three prayer/worship times that include psalms, scripture readings, silence and songs. We use El Aposento Alto (The Upper Room daily devotional) each morning. Since 2020, we attend daily Unprogrammed Quaker Worship via Zoom through Pendle Hill. Days include a time of Spiritual Formation (study/reflection/prayer), shared readings, and journaling. We sing a lot, in worship and while working. At night we keep silence.
Sundays are our day of rest and include Unprogrammed (Quaker silent) Worship, as well as programmed (more typical Protestant) worship. Physically, our life is that of campesinos (rural folks). Until 2022, we lived in a rustic one-room house on a small plot of steep land without electricity, telephone or plumbing. Our hope is to return there soon when others join us. We use a dry-compost toilet. We cut and haul firewood, scrub our laundry by hand (in the creek during drier months), and raise pineapples, chickens, and a few other things in an agroforestry setting. We grind corn for tortillas and cook on a fogón (clay wood-fired stove). As a contemplative monastery, we are fairly traditional: we live in voluntary material poverty, celibacy, and mutual obedience. However, we are non-hierarchical and are governed using Quaker process, discerning God's direction together in worshipful silence and sharing. |
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Experience life with us
As a Sojourner
Sojourn with us for a year or longer. Who: Women aged 18 and up, who do not have partners or under-aged children. Cost: Airfare to San Pedro Sula, Honduras Room, board, and health care provided. When: Start dates flexible. As an Intern Do an internship of three to twelve months. You may choose an area of emphasis if you wish. Possibilities include:
Cost: Airfare to San Pedro Sula, Honduras Room, board, and health care provided. When: Start dates flexible. As a Student Join us for one to three months for a Spiritual Formation Program. Who: Women high-school-aged or older Cost: $500 plus airfare to San Pedro Sula, Honduras Room, board, and health care included. Financial aid may be available. When: Dates flexible. As a Journalist Experience our life and share about it through your medium. Who: Women journalists and artists (writers, photographers, videographers, musicians, etc.), whether amateur, professional or in training. Contact us to arrange a stay. As a Researcher We can help facilitate investigation for a research project while you share in life at Amigas del Señor. Possible topics:
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Consider coming if any of the following apply to you:
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Interested? Have questions?
Please send a letter of introduction to Sister Alegría by email or postal mail, expressing your interest and any questions you have.
Amigas del Señor Limón, Colón Honduras Please note that the Sisters have access to the internet at best weekly and that it can take up to 4 weeks for postal mail to reach us, so it may take a while to for us to respond. |
What to bring to Amigas del Señor
We invite you to take the Amigas "simplicity challenge": bring only what is on this list. Consult us if there are other things you think you need.
Please keep in mind that items you bring with you could get worn out, used up, lost, stolen, stained or destroyed during your trip or your stay here. If you feel attached to something, don't bring it.
If you need to buy any clothing items, we recommend first looking in a used clothing store or charity shop. Please let us know if you have trouble obtaining anything. Together we can find a solution.
Please keep in mind that items you bring with you could get worn out, used up, lost, stolen, stained or destroyed during your trip or your stay here. If you feel attached to something, don't bring it.
If you need to buy any clothing items, we recommend first looking in a used clothing store or charity shop. Please let us know if you have trouble obtaining anything. Together we can find a solution.
Clothing to bring:
Wearing clothes in the Amigas del Señor color scheme (blue and white) helps identify you as one of us. We Sisters are well-known in the community and people take care of us. Matching us adds to your personal security. Please make sure the clothes you bring do not have any visible printed words.
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Other items to bring:
Optional items to bring:
Do NOT bring:
Money
*A note on menstrual supplies:
Sister Confianza (age 38) says:
Disposable pads are available for purchase in Central America, but trash disposal is not very sanitary here. In bathrooms with plumbing, all paper must be put in a trash can, not flushed. At the Monastery we have a dry-compost toilet that separates the liquid from the solid waste. Paper goes in with the solids, along with ashes, and in time becomes compost to fertilize our plants. Non-biodegradable trash must be burned.
To that end, please bring biodegradable or reusable menstrual supplies. I recommend a reusable cup, insertable like a tampon (brands include Moon Cup and Diva Cup), plus a few cloth pads/pantiliners to wear along with it (brands include Glad Rags or Luna Pads). I use this combination and find it very handy. The cup only needs to be changed every 8-12 hours, and the pad catches any drips (I can usually wear one for 24 hours). If you don't already use a cup, I suggest getting one promptly to allow time to get used to it. It took me some time to get comfortable with it.
Using only cloth pads is also an option. We may have the opportunity to make some “gladrags” during your time at the Monastery.
Otherwise, you can find biodegradable supplies at natural food stores and co-ops.
Health Issues
- menstrual supplies (reusable or biodegradable) (please see note* below)
- 2 cloth handkerchiefs (to serve as both hankies and napkins)
- 1 washcloth
- 1 small, thin bath towel (thick ones won't dry quickly)
- 1 comb (hair bands or barrettes, if needed, should be inconspicuous)
- 1 toothbrush
- sunscreen
Optional items to bring:
- Spanish/English dictionary
- 1 pair work gloves
- mosquito repellent
- money belt or hidden pocket
- rechargeable (solar or manual) flashlight
- sunglasses
- anti-itch cream (Benadryl or diphenhydramine recommended)
Do NOT bring:
- clothes with printed words
- jewelry and accessories — not even watches, rings, or earrings (eyeglasses OK)
- aerosol cans
- mirrors
- phones or other personal electronics
Money
- You will pay your registration fee before leaving home. All of our/your living expenses, including food, local travel, and health care are paid out of communal funds.
- If not included in your plane ticket, bring $40 cash to pay your airport exit fee when you leave Honduras. (VISA cards are accepted, but your bank/company will charge a fee.)
- If you wish, you may bring additional cash to buy souvenirs or gifts as you are leaving, and spending money for your return trip.
- During your time here, you will share the management of the community purse.
*A note on menstrual supplies:
Sister Confianza (age 38) says:
Disposable pads are available for purchase in Central America, but trash disposal is not very sanitary here. In bathrooms with plumbing, all paper must be put in a trash can, not flushed. At the Monastery we have a dry-compost toilet that separates the liquid from the solid waste. Paper goes in with the solids, along with ashes, and in time becomes compost to fertilize our plants. Non-biodegradable trash must be burned.
To that end, please bring biodegradable or reusable menstrual supplies. I recommend a reusable cup, insertable like a tampon (brands include Moon Cup and Diva Cup), plus a few cloth pads/pantiliners to wear along with it (brands include Glad Rags or Luna Pads). I use this combination and find it very handy. The cup only needs to be changed every 8-12 hours, and the pad catches any drips (I can usually wear one for 24 hours). If you don't already use a cup, I suggest getting one promptly to allow time to get used to it. It took me some time to get comfortable with it.
Using only cloth pads is also an option. We may have the opportunity to make some “gladrags” during your time at the Monastery.
Otherwise, you can find biodegradable supplies at natural food stores and co-ops.
Health Issues
- Please let us know about any health conditions you have or regular medicines you take. Ours is a physically active life with an almost-vegetarian diet based on corn and beans. We can easily get many medicines and basic health care for free at the public health clinic where we volunteer each week.
- Worms (intestinal parasites): You'll take Albendazole, a single-dose de-wormer when you leave.
- Malaria, dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases: You'll sleep in a mosquito net. There have been no cases of malaria originating in Limón county in the last two years.
Webpage updated 26 May, 2020