This “lake of golden fish”, as you call it, has been a source of life and blessing for many generations. It has nurtured dreams and hopes over the years. Like the apostles, you know the power of nature, you have experienced its force. Just as the apostles faced the storm on the sea, you had to face the brunt of the “Niño costero” whose painful consequences are still present in so many families, especially those who are not yet able to rebuild their homes. This is also why I wanted to be here and to pray with you.
These times of being “buffeted” call into question and challenge our strength of spirit and our deepest convictions. They make us realize how important it is to stand united, not alone, and to be filled with that unity which is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. What happened to the virgins in the Gospel passage that we just listened to? Suddenly they heard a loud cry that woke them up and made them scurry. Some of them realized that they did not have sufficient oil to make their way in the darkness, while others filled their lamps and could see and follow the path that led to the bridegroom. At the appointed time, each of them showed what they had filled their life with.
I know that, in the time of darkness, when you felt the brunt of the Niño, these lands kept moving forward; you had the oil needed to go out to help one another like true brothers and sisters. You had the oil of solidarity and generosity that stirred you to action, and you went out to meet the Lord with countless concrete gestures of support. In the midst of darkness, you, together with so many others, were like living candles that lighted up the path with open hands, ready to help soothe the pain and share what you had, from your poverty, with others.
In the Gospel account, we see how the virgins who did not have oil went to the town to buy some. At the crucial moment of their lives, they realized that their lamps were empty and that they lacked what was essential to find the path of authentic joy. They went off by themselves, and so they missed out on the party. There are things, as you well know, that cannot be improvised, much less be bought. The soul of a community is measured by how it manages to come together to face times of difficulty and adversity, in order to keep hope alive. By doing so, they give the greatest witness to the Gospel: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35). For faith opens us to a love that is concrete, practical, generous and compassionate, a love that can build and rebuild hope when it seems that all is lost. In this way, we share in God’s own work, which the apostle John describes in showing us a God who wipes the tears of his children. God carries out this divine work with the same tender love that a mother has when she dries the tears of her children. What a beautiful question the Lord will ask us: how many tears did you dry today?
Other “storms” can hit these coasts, with devastating effects on the lives of the children of these lands. These storms too make us question ourselves as a community and test the strength of our spirit. Among these are organized violence, like “contract killings”, and the insecurity that they breed. Or the lack of educational and employment opportunities, especially among young people, which prevents them from building a future with dignity. Or the lack of secure housing for so many families forced to live in highly unstable areas without safe access. Or the many other situations that you have to experience, which, like terrible earthquakes, destroy the mutual trust so necessary to build a network of support and hope; earthquakes that shake the soul and require all the oil we have, if we are respond to them.
We often wonder about how to face these storms, or how to help our children pull through in these situations. I want to tell you that no better way exists than that of the Gospel: it is called Jesus Christ. Fill your lives always with the Gospel. I want to encourage you to be a community that lets itself be anointed by the Lord with the oil of the Spirit. He transforms, renews and strengthens everything. In Jesus, we have the strength of the Spirit not to treat as natural the things that hurt us, that dry up our spirit and, what is worse, rob us of hope. In Jesus, we have the Spirit who keeps us united so that we can support one another and take a stand against whatever would take away all that is best in our families. In Jesus, God makes us a believing community able to sustain itself; a community that hopes and therefore struggles to reverse and transform every adversity; a community that loves, because it will not let us fold our arms. With Jesus, the soul of this town of Trujillo can continue to be called “the city of eternal spring”, because with him, everything is an opportunity for hope.
I know of the love that this land has for the Virgin, and I know how devotion to Mary always sustains you and lifts you up to Jesus. Let us ask Our Lady to cover us with her mantle and always bring us to her Son. But let us do so by singing along to that lovely Andean marinera [folk dance]: “Our Lady of the Gate, grant me your blessing. Our Lady of the Gate, give us peace and much love”.
When you've made the decision to store some of your possessions in a self-storage facility near your home, one of the first decisions you'll need to make is what size of unit to rent. You can save money on your monthly storage fees by opting for a smaller-sized unit but only if you think such a space will suit your storage needs. While you always have the option of throwing out or selling some of the things that you'd otherwise store, there are several methods of efficiently packing your items into your available storage space.
If you're planning to store clothing items -- perhaps things that you don't plan on wearing this season or items of a sentimental nature -- don't make the mistake of folding them and placing them in boxes or hanging them from a rod. Both of these methods are bulky ways of storing clothing that can quickly take up your overall storage volume. Instead, roll the clothing items tightly and place them in boxes or old suitcases. Rolling can not only help avoid excess wrinkles but also allow you to fit more items into a receptacle.
Sure, it might be easiest to simply stack furniture items into your storage space, but doing so is often an ineffective way to load your unit. Although it will take a little extra time, it's beneficial to partially disassemble furniture items and position them differently. For example, if you're storing a dining room table, removing the legs will allow you to set the tabletop on its edge along one of the walls of the unit. Just be sure to keep the mounting hardware handy -- one tip is to place it in a plastic bag and tape it to the underside of the furniture item.
Although you might wish to only store similar items together in boxes, this can often mean that some of your stored boxes will be partially empty. This is an inefficient way to manage your storage space, so always make sure that every box is full to the top. Even if you have to add a couple of your rolled clothing items to the top of the box, you'll be making sure that you aren't wasting space.
A minor investment in proper storage boxes before you move your items to the facility can help you keep your storage volume under control. Instead of using flimsy boxes that don't stack well, opt for new boxes that you'll be able to confidently stack to the ceiling. Many self-storage businesses sell boxes of this nature and it's money well-spent for ensuring that all your items will fit in your storage space.