Our Lady of Sorrow’s Parish Mission 2010
July 28, 2010
Gosh it has been forever since I have posted anything new and so I must apologize once again for being such a lukewarm blogger. In the past month we have hosted three groups varying from families, to high school and college youth, to seminarians from dioceses all over the US. I want to blog a few highlights from each group and a few photos of their beautiful missionary hearts for you to be blessed by. The first group, from a parish in Birmingham, Alabama, and what an immense blessing it was to lead them in the mission and to see these families pouring themselves into the manual labor, into the testimonies and rancho evangelization and into the work of loving us little missionaries. Each day I was so blessed by their constant joy, their warm and inviting smiles and by their heartfelt compassion and love for the Mexican people. My hope and prayer for them is that they are able to live as missionaries in Alabama, in their parish community, in their families and in their schools and workplaces.
(May God bless y’all at Our Lady of Sorrows and may He bring your parish on mission again soon.)
Missionary Fun
July 5, 2010
Fun can be cheap, and here in the missions we find ourselves constantly looking for free fun. Things like swimming in the water hole, hiking the mountains, playing soccer with the kids, and enjoying the childlike joys of life like dancing in the rain. Here are some photos of a few of our “free” missionary adventures.
Light Writing Parte Tres
June 28, 2010
Here is a bit of fun we had recently in the mission house here in Mexico. Hopefully more will follow since I am still learning how perfect the technique of light writing.
Making Dispensas
June 12, 2010
This past week we spent much of our time settling into our new mission post here in General Cepeda. One of the largest projects we worked on was buying large 50 kg bags of rice, beans, flour, and sugar as well as coffee, oil, and shortening to bag into smaller 1kg bags to give to the sick and homebound when we visit them. These bags are called dispensas or roughly translated “bags of basic food staples,” and each week we try to spend two to three mornings walking through town visiting those that the priests and our Mexican missionary families suggest to us. We made close to 50 individual bags for less than 200 american dollars which puts the dispensas at about $4 for a weeks worth of food for an elderly couple, or widow. When we visit them we always bring with us our Bibles and pray with them and read to them from the Word. Many of them are too sick to leave to go Mass or prayer groups so we often find them so excited to have us praying with them and over them for their needs. Just listening to them and their faith in a God who always provides for them gives me such hope and makes my faith seem so small and little in comparison when worry even when I have everything I could ever need. Thank you so much for you generosity to the mission. Your gifts, great and small enable us to do this ministry and to remind these people that they are not forgotten and that the Lord holds them in the palm of His hands. May God bless you richly for whatever you give, whether in prayers or in material, and know that you are in my prayers and in the thanksgiving prayers of the poor we serve.
Corpus Christi 2010
June 8, 2010
This past Thursday the Catholic Church in Mexico celebrated the feast of Corpus Christi and we were so blessed to be able to be a part of the Eucharistic procession, carrying the canopy protecting our Lord from the sun and showing Him honor and adoration as we sang and prayed throughout the streets of General Cepeda. This was the second year I have been privileged to be a part of this liturgical celebration and I continually have asked myself why we don’t do the same thing in the states for this special feast. What if we, the few faithful ones spent one afternoon a year, walking through our streets with the Blessed Sacrament, with our Lord, proclaiming boldly with our voices in song that He is Lord. What if we consecrated our streets and cities with His Precious Blood and life-giving Body by exposing Him to the world that so desperately longs to be loved and saved. If only we had this boldness and this zeal to take our faith beyond the four walls of our Churches with processions and song, with acts of social justice and public evangelization? What if we truly lived in such a way that the world knew we were Christians by our love, not only for each other, but our visible love for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?
Off to Mexico Again
May 31, 2010
After much discernment through prayer, patience waiting, and peering into the future I will be headed back to General Cepeda, Mexico to lead a team of three other missionaries. I have no idea of the complete time frame for our mission but I am so very excited to be back with the poor. After returning to the states from the mission in Europe and after two quick weeks in Mexico the Lord has had me on the go all over it seems. I have been in Ohio, Louisiana, and Texas and have found myself all the while longing to be back in mission. But I found myself needing to wait for the three others to return from language school, and for my heart to truly be ready. And while I am so very blessed to be headed back I am also saddened because I leave without Kristen. She will be staying stateside for a time now, working and spending her time with the Big Woods community. It brings about a new chapter in our missionary courtship, one we have not really been challenged by yet, but both of us know that God is faithful and that He has the greatest of plans for those who follow His call and wait on His word. Keep me in your prayers as I do for you and be on the lookout for my newsletter coming to you in the next week.
Random Photo Projects
May 20, 2010
While at Big Woods in Louisiana I have been doing a number of different photography projects for different aspects of our missionary family. They have ranged from taking photos for a Life Teen retreat, to many different family’s kids portraits, and even a musician’s CD artwork. All of the shoots were tons of fun and have been helping me to quickly learn the aspects of my D40 and expand my creativity and imagination. Stay posted for many more.
Confirmation Retreat
May 20, 2010
Shortly after the Come and See we hosted a confirmation retreat at Big Woods for a priest who had volunteered for many months on the property before he became a priest in the earliest days of Family Missions Company. I was asked to lead the retreat and also do music with John Paul and give a testimony on the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. The retreat was so blessed and even though we had very little time to prepare for the weekend the Lord really pulled through. For many of the teens it was their very first retreat experience and I believe that the majority of them left with a great understanding of the love the Lord has for them and the power that the Holy Spirit brings to them in confirmation. Thank you to those who prayed for us during the weekend.
Come and See
May 11, 2010
After the wonderful two weeks of mission at home, spending time with my family and benefactors in Ohio, I headed back to Big Woods to help staff the five day Come and See. Family Missions regularly hosts a retreat during the year to gives single men and women and families interested in missions the opportunity to visit the community, live in community and pray and discern about the possible call to become missionaries with FMC in the coming Intake process which begins in September. The group that came at the end of the month in April was such a blessed group, one family of six, an engaged couple, and a single young man working with Life Teen. It was so great to share with them the joy of missions and to hear their amazing stories about how the Lord had brought them to the idea of pursuing missionary work.
The Alvarez family who have six precious children also looking into doing missions
Dave and Jess, an engaged coupe looking at doing missions together with FMC.
Breane, one of our first year missionaries making a camio at Come and See, sanding during the work day.
Home for Easter
May 8, 2010
After the Franciscan University group of holy servant, spring breakers came in mid march I spent another week with Kristen, James and Erica hoping to staff a trip through the Easter week. But after the group canceled for various reasons it became apparent that the Lord had other plans. Within a few short days I was on my way home to share a special someone with them, to celebrate Easter and many springtime birthdays, and a great time of refreshment and renewal with my parents and siblings. We were able to see many of the students who came to Mexico over the spring break, to reconnect with them and encourage them to pursue possible missionary vocations. Many other students as well were blessed by my visit as they were able to ask a multitude of questions about the mission life and it viability in their lives. I was also able to catch up with many of my benefactors and encourage them to keep praying and giving to the mission. All in all the two weeks we spent in Ohio were super blessed, filled with so much laughter, joy, and grace. I hope that your Easter was so greatly blessed and that the Lord continues to bless you as Pentecost approaches. Come Holy Spirit, Come! (more to come very soon so be on the lookout this week and next for an overload of recent updates and photos.)
