Happy Easter and Happy Mother’s day to all our
earthly Mothers.
As we celebrate the 4th
Sunday of Easter, this Sunday May the 12th. ; I realized it has been
awhile since I reached out to all of you wonderful mission partners. The month
of April went by so fast for us. I
am sure it was the same for each of you back in the States. We wanted to share
with you what has taken place since our return from hosting the FMC welcoming
retreat in Moyobamba; my family and I hit the ground running. I must say the
retreat was a wonderful time set aside to get to know the new missionaries who
were just sent to serve here in Peru. It was a blessing to see that we are not
so alone in our mission here. New friendships are forming among all the new missionaries,
and God has such a wonderful plan for them all.
Making disciples
Upon returning back, we have started back
sacramental prep classes in all three pueblos, and youth group just started
back last week. This year we have 20 youth that have made a commitment to
gather each Thursday For fellowship and prayer. The 20 youth will also help with the
celebrations of the liturgy of the word each Sunday and accompany my children
and I with home visits each week. In the states, working with the youth as a
Youth Coordinator, 95% of the youth had already received the sacrament of
Baptism, First Holy Communion and preparing or had already received the
sacrament of Confirmation. Here it is very different. Out of the 20 youth that
are participating in the group only one has received sacraments and the other
19 have yet to receive the sacrament of Baptism. Please keep them in your
prayers that they may have a desire to enter into the church and to receive the
amazing gifts the Father has to offer in the form of the Sacraments.
“ Therefore
go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded
you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” -Matthew 28:19-20
When
You walk into a room, everything changes
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| We Wait |
The lyrics to one of my families favorite songs
to sing, comes to mind as I share with you how our hearts are filled with a great JOY to tell you that later this
month Father Francisco will install Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. When Jesus
walks into our town, things are going to change. We are so excited to have been
asked to journey with those whom we live among, and to witness the darkness
turning into light. Since arriving last year it has been a true struggle for my
family and I to live without the presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.
Back in the states I would run and sit at His feet with every problem I had. Every
evening my children and I would visit Jesus and we would have night prayer. His
presence in the Eucharist is life changing, I can not imagine what amazing
things lay instore for our little town. My Family and I have felt the poverty ourselves,
and it truly is a poverty of its own not to be able to receive Jesus in the Eucharist
and more so not to be able to run to him in the blessed sacrament each time ones
heart desires.
With such joy also brings
a bit of anxiety. I beg you to pray for
me. I am really nervous to be the one appointed by the Bishop and Father Francisco
to care for Jesus. Having Jesus present in our chapel will add to are duties in
the mission field, but in a very positive way. My families morning prayer at
6am will now be in the Chapel instead of our home. We will also have an open
invitation for the pueblo to join us. Something that is unfathomable for me to
comprehend is the fact that I have been asked to expel and lead adoration once
a week. I keep asking Jesus “ don’t you think there is someone WAY MORE QUALIFIED
THAN I”; Taking a look to my left and to my right as I make a full turn , I
just hear Jesus saying “YOU ARE QUALIFIED, I HAVE HAND PICKED YOU.” I am
confident that with each of you storming heaven, I will be given the courage,
and graces needed to allow Christ to be the center of our little town here in
the Jungles of Peru. I personally pray that the faithful of our pueblo will
feel the presence of the Lord ; the same as one can feel during praise and
worship or while resting in His arms during adoration. I can only pray that the
same will take place when Jesus walks into his little dirt road pueblo of
Shimbillo.
"Lift up your heads, O gates, And lift
them up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! Who is this King
of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory." -Psalm 24:9 – 10
Palm
Sunday
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| Gabriel And Father during Palm Sunday Mass |
Holy
week was such a blessed week. Starting with a wonderful Mass in Pucacaca where
the single girls team lives. We were able to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass. Gabriel is such an awesome Altar server. I
remember he always watched his sister in the States and wanted to Altar serve
with her, but was always told he was to young. He has never had an official
training, he has just had an immense desire and paid close attention during Mass
and had a little training by his sister on how to serve at the Altar. This kid
has jumped in with both feet upon arriving last year; even though he had yet
received his First Communion he was Altar serving; very different from the norm
of the United States. Gabriel has since served each week and sometimes two or
three masses a week and has served for three different Bishops here in Peru. (and
all in a different language.) On palm Sunday he was in charge of leading the
crowd of people behind Father Francisco
as he rode a donkey to the church.
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| Gabriel leading the crowd as they follow Father on Palm Sunday |
“Jesus told him, ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe.’” -Mark
5:36
The Hidden Power of Holy Water – Easter Sunday
Super blessed to have witnessed the tender love of Christ. Father Francisco celebrated Easter Mass in our little Pueblo. But even better than that (how can it get even better you ask) 5 children became new members of the Catholic Church receiving the sacrament of Baptism.
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| The picture is a bit poor on quality , but it is still worthily of sharing with you. Magaly's children Brandon, Cesar, Hilberto and baby Lely became members of the church Easter Sunday. Receiving the Sacrament of Baptism. The family now attends our Pueblos celebrations every Sunday. |
My heart is so full to have witnessed this amazing love that he
continues to pour out over us!
4 of the children who received
the sacrament of Baptism was Magaly's children. Yes that's right! From fighting the attacks of the devil in
their home with Holy Water to witnessing their baptism with the same life
giving, powerful Holy Water, made my heart burst with an amazing JOY!
"The Lord hears the cry of
the poor"-Psalms 34
Prayers for Healing- Believing in Miracles
In missions we are never
promised that we will see the fruits of our labor. At times the Devil whispers that we should be helping more people;
that our work is not fruitful.
BUT we must Ignore His lies! If this beloved child of God was the reason he sent us to serve in Peru than we have been obedient to His Will!
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| Julianna is such joyful nurse. |
God loved her soooo much to send
my family to love her, and two groups of Doctors one from St Benedictine
College and the other from Córdoba Spain to Diagnose her. Last year at this
time I was in tears because I had no idea how to help her. All I could do was pray.
God heard each one of our prayers
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| Magaly receiving her Meds. |
It seems that she has parasites that have gone to her brain and
they are causing the neurological disorder. PRAISE GOD ! We have been given 3
different medicines to treat her with, for the next month and a half. All free
of charge. We visit Magaly two times a day to give her medicine. We can already see a change in
her speech and in her walk. We ask you to please keep Magaly in your prayers
and my family as we continue this journey with her.
Pray we may become more like Christ to love the poor as he did.
PREFERENTIAL OPTION FOR THE POOR.
Christ, who became poor, and was always close to the poor and the outcast!
LORD GOD MAKE US POOR AND AN
OUTCAST, SO WE CAN SERVE YOUR PEOPLE IN A TRUE AND HONEST WAY! AMEN
 |
| Baby Lely watching over her mom. Magaly is cherished by her children. |
Revealing His Identity
 |
| Picture taken in the states last christmas. |
Super Missionary Boy has done it again.
Although he has now revealed who he is by not wearing a mask he has made
another video. With a reflection of the stations of the cross done in Shadows.
During Lent four teens from our pueblo practiced an amazing number of hours to
help present the stations to three different Pueblos. We were even invited to perform
for over 100 teenagers in the bigger town of Picota all whom were attending a
retreat. The group performed the stations two different times ,back to back, while
in Picota. Please remember we are working with what we have. We invite you to
take a look at the behind the scenes. The front and the behind the scenes
footage was captured during different
performances, so there will be a slight difference in timing. I would have to say it’s amazing what the end
product looks like for the audience. The props were made by Julianna out of old
clothes cardboard and tape. We could not have done any of this without the help
of Daniel Mancilla who created the sound track and each prayer and reflection
for the stations. How amazing it was, that he was willing and able to send it
from the states to us here in Peru. He played
such a role in helping the poor know of Gods radical love for them. Thank you
Daniel. Working with the teens and my children during the past lent was a
fruitful experience because Super missionary Boy was not the only one revealing
their identity during this project, Jesus revealed himself in many different ways
to us all and to those who watched the presentation of the shadows. I have attached Gabriel’s - AKA Super Missionary
Boy’s video for you to watch.
Stations of the Cross with Music and Shadows
Click below or Just Copy and paste the URL in your browser to watch Super Missionary Boys New Video.
Click below or Just Copy and paste the URL in your browser to watch Super Missionary Boys New Video.
COMFORT OVERFLOWS
Mr. Gilbert went home to the Lord on
Easter Sunday. We will miss him dearly. We cannot express how grateful we have
been to journey with this man that was so full of Joy. When we visited him each
week it felt like we were spending time with Jesus. Our mission each week was
to simply set with him, to read the bible with him and to pray. It seemed each
time we visited him he gave us so much more. He not only was patient enough to
correct my errors as I read in Spanish to him but He filled our hearts with
such love and to see his smile and how he trusted in the Lord was irreplaceable.
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| Mr. Gilbert |
Mr. Gilbert lived in a small one room shack with walls, made out of bamboo with
his wife, with no running water or electricity. He lived with such hardships
that we take for granted while living in the states and now has become the norm and a daily struggle for
us here in our small town we serve. I find my self complaining about an entire
week without electricity and no running water. Which is something that is
becoming even more common here in our town we live in. Yet Mr. Gilbert lived
with this his entire life. His nature was not to complain. His nature was to
give glory to God and to praise His Holy Name. Each visit with him I never heard him complain
once. He loved God, his wife and his family. Each
time my children and I walked away we would walk the 20 minutes back home
talking about how we admired him and how we should be more like Gilbert and not
complain about our hardship. Instead to embrace them. During his funeral I
reflected on how I could live more like Gilbert, More like Christ. He will be
missed by my family and I terribly. But are hearts are filled with such peace
to have known him and to have been present in his last years of his life.
Grateful that we said yes to missions and grateful we did not miss this
wonderful divine encounter with the Lord through Mr. Gilbert.
Mr. Gilbert always sought Christ
during his life and during his last years of suffering with a tumor in his
abdomen. But within all his struggles and troubles he lived with, the comfort of Christ ; that comfort was
overflowing from this poor frail little old man abundantly.
May you rest in peace Mr. Gilbert!
“Who comforts us in all
our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we
ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow
over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.”-2nd
Corinthians 1:4-5
We love
each of you immensely and pray you can feel the presence of the Lord among you
each and every day!
I beg you
to please pray for us and for the us to be faithful to God’s mission.
Karen,
Julianna and Gabriel Del Castillo
Catholic Missionaries
Contact us
with your prayer intentions,
follow our blog, or make a donation at the following links.
follow our blog, or make a donation at the following links.
Web Site: delcastillo.familymissionscompany.com
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