Sept 17, 1970-Sucre, Bolivia
Dear Mom and Dad,
Hope you are in the best of health and spirit.
It’s about 11:00 A.M. here and we are busy with another day. This is the third day of even more student riots.
A student was killed two days ago and several people were wounded in a gun battle right close to the main plaza between police and students, which is also very close to our house. Yesterday the students broke into small groups to battle the police and army using bombs of Dynamite and Molotov cocktails.
It was very hard to go out in the street with the gas and rocks flying. The police are now using slingshots to return the rocks being thrown and shot by the students. This morning (10:00 AM) I went out to get some vitamin C and a card for Dan and Sue Fazzari.
Cynthia went to the market earlier and encountered students walking by our house, which lies south of the university, where the students were going for a service honoring their dead schoolmate.
Just as I returned home the soldiers started firing on the students on their way back to the main plaza, after the funeral.
I made it to the post office which is just off the main plaza and about 1 ½ blocks away from our house. I looked down the street toward our house and there was a huge group of students faced with soldiers.
I started to go back toward the plaza, but they were fighting there too. I wanted and finally, the soldiers drove the students back who were in front of our house and I was able to run down the street and slip into our doorway.
Our house is set back from the main street, and the tear gas doesn’t bother us too much. The whole thing started up again because the government exiled a Catholic priest from the country who had been advocating for armed revolution.
Of course, it seems, as well, the students are waiting for any little excuse so they can start rioting again. Behind all, it seems are greed, fear, and a disconnection from the Spirit.
As I sit here writing I can hear explosions going off all around. It’s quite an experience seeing this confusion first hand and it struck home to me even more how much our Human Family needs spiritual solutions to our problems.
Cynthia is just fine. She does a great deal of reading and studying and is becoming quite a student.
Did you send a world map, yet? We want to put it on our wall so we can give some geography lessons to some of our Quechua relatives that come to visit and who haven’t had the chance to see or travel beyond the Province of Chuquisaca.
Please give the Marriage Tablet, in the frame that I sent, to Dan and Sue Fazzari. We are safely tucked away in our little apartment, so don’t worry about us. I only wanted to relate to you some of our recent experiences. More to come.
God bless you both and give our love to Lori, Grandmother, and everyone we know.
Your Son,
Phil
