Greetings of Grace and Peace to you!

 

Adoring our lord for the 1st time in the chapel of Santa Maria Magdalena's home

"God is all love. This gentle Savior pleads with us from the Host: “Love Me as I have loved you; abide in My love! I came to cast the fire of love on the earth, and My most ardent desire is that it should set your hearts on fire.”

We welcome this new season!

    Last Saturday was a very Holy and Blessed Day. It was the day that Santa Maria Magdalena’s home was officially opened and the day of the blessing of the Chapel and the 1^st mass to ever be celebrated here. There has been a great physical change here of course with the completion of the home, gardens, chapels, drive, and rock wall.  But there has also been a spiritual change that can be noticed by just walking through the gardens, having prayer time in the chapel, and just by being here.  

     Saturday on the feast day of Maria Magdalena the Bishop installed the Eucharist in the chapel which is a gift like no other. With that said it is as if the Lord and all the saints are walking about the property. The sounds of his creation have come alive more than ever, the birds sing louder, the river keeps a constant tempo throughout the land, and the flowers and other plants are thriving as never before.

    Father Robert had the day videoed, so I hope to share the day with you soon. The bishop's homily was incredible and such an encouragement, honor, and testimony, to Family Missions Company, to each one of you, and the Yes that so many of us have said to the Lord in order for this home, this chapel, and His mission to come alive here.

     Through my prayer time, Jesus has encouraged me to plan our 1^st women's healing retreat here. Gabriel and I are wrapping up our other ministries which we still have down the mountain so we can focus on serving those Jesus brings to the home. We had our 1^st adoration night last night. And will soon have a weekly worship night and potluck dinner.

     Our 1^st mission is to serve and walk alongside the mothers and children that he sends here but the second is to also disciple them and show them a healthy and holy community and allow them opportunities to serve the Lord within the surrounding community.

    This new season has my heart full and overflowing! It was the gift of Fortitude that served and allowed us to complete the 1^st initial phases of this mission here. Because with this virtue came opportunities to exercise courage, perseverance, patience, and meekness. I cannot wait to see what the Lord unfolds next. I am sure he intends to grow us and stretch us in all the things we struggle with. It is all but certain that he desires to give us opportunities to grow in our ability to love like him.  He has not revealed all of his plans to us, but we know whatever he has planned is going to be even more amazing than the past year.

The Lord's many miracles 

    The Lord has indeed performed many miracles here and he has multiplied everything from rocks, grass, and funds in order to complete the 1^st phases.

    But we still need monthly donations to operate each month and funds to build the long-term homes at the back of the property. As the community house will function for short-term mothers and healing retreats. We have redesigned and replanned the one-room homes in order to optimize funds.  With that said the material cost is estimated at $5,000.00 for each home and roughly $5,000.00 in labor, so a total of 10,000.00 for each home. We desire to build at least 3 to 4 homes.  

    If you feel called to partner with us monthly, it can be as little as $5.00 a month. If Jesus is calling you to help build these homes, please feel free to make a monthly or a one-time donation to the project by following this Donation link

Santa Maria Magdalena’s Home | Family Missions CompanyFamily Missions Company

 or copy and paste the following into your browser. 

https://www.familymissionscompany.com/santa-maria-magdalenas-home/

     We also would like to extend the offer to those who feel called to come here and help us build the homes to reach out to us in order to plan a visit.  If you have a desire to work with your hands and want to experience mission life, we welcome and encourage those of you who have heard the call to act on the impulse.

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I must confess to you that it is humbling to know that Gabriel and I are just merely conduits connecting Jesus’s resources with those who need them the most, His beloved poor.

It is not easy to ask for support/ funds because it is not my strong suit, I was raised to be self-efficient and not to ask for help; it was a disgrace to do so. But Praise God that the courage comes from him and that Jesus has whispered countless of times telling me “You are asking for me”! You are asking for my beloved poor” You are inviting others into the mission and giving them the same opportunities, I am giving you to serve, so be bold and trust in me.”

 

Maybe I have shared this with you already, but I was reminded of it just a few weeks ago and well Mother Teresa is my hero and a saint that I look up to and pray to often. I ask her to intercede for me often in the fundraising department. This article shows how bold she was for the poor and I desire to do the same!  

So, if you want to be encouraged take a few minutes to read it! You will not be sorry. Just click and follow the link : Learning about living boldy in faith from a beggar for the poor 

Another inspirational act was the following story of her boldness, mercy and love for the poor

“One day, Mother Teresa was asking a baker for some bread to feed the hungry children in her orphanage. The baker was furious with her request, not only did he turn her down, he spat at her. In response to his outrageous actions, Mother Teresa calmly reached deep into her pocket, took out her handkerchief, wiped the spat off, and said "That was for me, now what about some bread for my poor children." The baker was touched by Mother Teresa's love and greatness, complied and thereafter provided bread for the children in the orphanage.

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I know asking may offend some, but I can only pray that the cries of the poor can be heard louder than the groans and pains it may cause when I ask. I ask nothing for myself or for Gabriel and only ask for the poor whom Jesus desires us to serve. So I pray you will have Christ-like mercy on us and those we serve and invite you to become partners with us!

 Just a few of the pictures I was able to take at the luncheon that followed the mass. I will share with you the video when it is ready. 

 

 

Karen and Gabriel Del Castillo 

Mission post : Santa Clara, Amazonas, Peru - 

Santa Maria Magdalena's Home 

 

A place where heaven and earth collide

It is almost time to celebrate!

We are 21 DAYS away from the dedication mass of the chapel, and the blessing and opening of Casa de Santa Maria Magdalena, BUT WHO'S COUNTING! 

On July 22^nd at 11 pm we will host the Bishop and the priests of the Dioceses of Chachapoyas and together we will celebrate Mass and what the Lord has done here. The priests, I have heard through the grapevine, are very excited about the mission of the home and all that Jesus desires of this place of refuge.

We are finishing the many small details of the main house, chapel, its gardens, and the property’s fence that will provide safety for these mothers and their children. It has really been an honor watching the Lord design this home and the chapel. 

Novena to Santa Maria Magdalena

Please join us 7/13/22 as we begin this new mission with a Novena to Santa Maria Magdalena. You can follow the following link, https://www.praymorenovenas.com/st-mary-magdalene-novena to pray the Novena and also you may sign up for daily reminders.

Special Mass intention of course will be for the mothers and children that we will be serving, but we also will include each of you, our benefactors, in the intentions during this incredibly special mass.

A Place where heaven and earth collide

The pictures of the home and chapel and its gardens do not come close to doing them justice. The chapel was designed with no walls in order to allow the presence of Jesus to be found through the gardens, the songs of the birds, the view of the mountains, and the sounds of the river in the distance. Having no walls also symbolizes Jesus’s desire to restore and make disciples of the women and children who will encounter him there.    In real life, Santa Maria Magdalena’s home is stunning, majestic, and divinely designed to move one’s soul towards our Lord and I am so grateful for each of you who have made so many sacrifices to make this become a place where heaven and earth collide.

Other Ministry News

Though the construction of home and chapel has been the main mission that I have been writing about, I would also like to share with you the other details of what’s been happening lately at our mission post.

We have been asked to host once again the annual retreat for the Priest of Chachapoyas this August. We are short roughly $1500.00 Dollars to make this happen. If we can pull together the funds, we will be able to, rent a local hotel in its entirety. (Priests will lodge, dine, attend talks, and experience fun activities all at the hotel), provide 3 meals and snacks for all Priests and provide a guest Priest to help lead the retreat. So please keep us in your prayers as we continue to fundraise for this incredible opportunity to serve our Priest here.

Gabriel is teaching English classes on Friday!

Titianna and Jasmine

Gabriel and I still celebrate the Liturgy of the word in Paraiso each Sunday, and it has been an honor to bring the Eucharist to them each week. The little remote town is about an hour away from us. And we are preparing two young ladies to receive the sacraments this year Diana who is 15 and wants to receive her Baptism, 1^st confession,1^st communion and confirmation and Antonella who is 14 and who desires to receive Jesus in the Eucharist for the 1st time.

And we are celebrating these three young ladies who have been helping Gabriel altar serve for the last 3 years!  Please pray for Alejandra, Kendra, and Angie that they may continue to find true happiness in their ministry.

 

Maritza is going to officially move here to the home at the end of the school year and before than in August while the children are on break, they will be staying with us temporarily. Please pray for her and the children as they begin preparing for their move. Also pray for Maritza’s sweet daughter Alondra, she just had a growth removed from her chest and the tissue was sent off to test to see if is cancerous or benign. Please pray that Jesus may continue to Support and bless this family with the funds they need to not only survive everyday life but also now for Alondra’s medical care.

Those shoes and her gown! 

 

Waiting for surgery 

Martiza praying over Alondra as we wait for her to wake up from anesthesia. 

Current needs of the home and other minsitries 

It is not easy being in the trenches, as you can imagine. The poverty and struggles that we experience every day in the mission field have become ingrained in our hearts and minds as long as we have been here, sometimes its all we can see all that we know. I am so thankful for our mission partners who join us by supporting everything that happens here, without you there would be NO MISSION. 

"As I am just the mediator seeking to connect His people and His resources with His plan." With that said it is only right and just to share with you the needs here in the mission field because I truly believe that Jesus desires to furnish all the needs for the poor here. So once again I am asking on the behalf of our Lord and the poor here, please pray and consider making a vertical gift by moving some of your earthly gifts to your heavenly bank account.

Here is what our current fundraising needs are. 

With all the initial phases completed with the home and chapel, we are now actively fundraising for the last phases of the construction of Santa Maria Magdalena’s home, which is building three small one-room homes, 2 for long-term mothers and the other for the visiting priest who will be supporting the ministry of the home. (Roughly $20,00.00 USD) We are also trying to raise the funds for 20 bunk beds for the dorms ($5000.00 USD) or at least funds to purchase 40 mattresses which we could just place on the floor ($2200.00).

Lastly, we are trying to raise monthly support for the operating cost of the home. Our goal is set at $2000.00 to $2500.00 per month. This will cover everything the women and their children will need while staying with us (medical expenses, food, school uniforms, clothing etc.) Of course, this is our initial goal, and we may need to be adjusted as the Lord reveals more to us.

We also feel called to help supply the roofing material for the Chapel in a nearby town but of course we need your help in doing so. The community had to tear down their chapel because of the state it was in.  The adobe walls were crumbling and making it terribly unsafe. Along with the Catholic Community of this town we have been pitching in with the labor as well as holding raffles to raise money. The brick walls are almost complete, and they are planning on using the old pews and altar (which are in good shape),  but they are still short funds for the metal roof.  The cost to purchase the metal roof is $3000.00. 

 Follow this link to donate:  Support Maria Magdalena's Home | Family Missions CompanyFamily Missions Company *In the comments add a note letting us know what you would like your donation to be used for. 

Current Prayer Request

• Please continue to pray for all those who support the mission here.
• For the mission of Santa Maria Magdalena’s Home
• For Gabriel and I, that we may not grow tired. That we may be steadfast in prayer and that we trust that the Lord hears our prayers and needs.
• Please pray for our team members Mallory and Sarah as they are currently stateside.

We love you all! 

Karen and Gabriel Del Castillo 

Mission post : Santa Clara, Amazonas, Peru - 

Santa Maria Magdalena's Home