Fellow workers and beloved Saints!
I desire so much to open a window to
the mission field, so you can all clearly see the work of the Lord here and the
love he has for the poor here. I am so honored to share with you this long
update that has been greatly overdue. I am grateful for each one of you and so
honored to be the hands and feet of Christ here among the world’s forgotten
people; though I am so unworthy to be his servant he desires to use me in so
many ways I cannot fully understand, I am merely learning how to become docile
to his will in all of this!
The update is in no particular order and due to the characteristics of our life in missions at the moment I have only included the most profound stories and news for you. I pray doing so will allow you a chance to see the difference and the progress you are making here, as co-workers in the mission field and the urgent needs we have here in the field.
Casa de Santa María Magdalena progress
The Community house - 1st
phase
Santa Maria Magdalena’s community
house consists of a large dining hall, large kitchen, prayer/ activity room,
small apartment all on the lower level, and two dorms that will hold up to 40
people with 9 bathrooms upstairs. The crew this week are advancing to the
second and possible easiest floor which will be the two dorm rooms. Then from
there we have the metal roof, balcony, doors, windows, paint, plumbing,
lighting, and a few odds and ends before we can say it is finished. I have been
praying that it can be 90 % completed in the next few months. I was confident
that the Lord wanted to build the community home 1st, because it is
the largest of all the phases of the project that he laid on my heart. The
dorms will work nicely for the single mothers and their children who desire to
live here and in the future the dorms can house short term mothers and
children, mission trips or even small intimate retreats for women or teen girls
The Chapel – 2nd phase
The small humble chapel will be the
next project once the community home is complete. I have been given a vision
from our Lord of a small open chapel with no walls. Just a 360-degree view of
our Father’s perfect creation of nature which will allow the songs of the birds
and the rushing water of the creek to give impulse to the hearts of those who
seek Jesus there. I was not certain it could be done but Father Robert was very
moved by the thought of not having walls and he confirmed that it was possible
and that he would help ensure that the tabernacle
was made safe and secure to house our beloved Lord in. This part of the project
should be rather easy considering it is only a cement slab and a roof more or
less. And possibly the 2nd phase we can start at the end of this
year or in the 1st weeks of next year.
Small Homes – 3rd phase
The 3 small houses to house long
term single mothers and their children will come next. They will be placed at
the back of the land and will be small one room cottages that will have an
outdoor kitchen area, common to Peru. This phase also includes the desire
to build a small cottage that can house religious sisters, Priests or other
missionaries seeking a place to experience Jesus while they partake in Saint
Ignatius retreats.
I invite you to please discern if God is calling you to partner with us in this mission. We have been overwhelmingly blessed by the outpouring of generosity and of donations for this project thus far and it is an affirmation that it is His desire to pour out love upon these women and children who he will bring to this home. With that said we are roughly $40, 000.00 to $50.000.00 US Dollars away from the goal to complete all three phases. We are needing $15, 000.00 of the prior mentioned estimates to complete the community home which is the 1st phase.
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| harvesting and transporting Guayaquil to be used to support the roof at Santa Maria Magdalena's home. |
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| Well this is what it looks like when you lose the entire load of Guayaquil in the middle of a river crossing. |
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| The view from the dinning hall in the community house with the Guayaquil in place to support the concrete roof until it dries. |
Dignity of work
Santa Maria Magdalena’s home is much
more than just a home for abused and unwed mothers and their children. Just the
construction of the home alone has given new life and dignity to the small communities atop
the mountain in which it sits. We have been able to employ some of the local
men here. 4 of them have been able to work full time, which has changed
their lives in such a wonderful way. We have also found Mr. Sanchez who is a
woodworker nestled a bit further up the mountain, who we have employed to make
the homes 19 windows and 19 doors by hand from his little humble dirt floor
home. And I cannot forget our trusted, brave dump truck driver Geraldo who is
not scared to cross rivers or mudslides to bring material to the mountain. And
Miss Liz who is the cook. She provides three hot meals a day to the workers who
live up here on the land and her food is amazing.
Many judge the poor, the beggars,
and the homeless we encounter. Many times, we immediately think badly of them
or believe they are just wanting something for free or a handout. But I truly
feel that they have no other choice and the reason they have no other choice is
because, we the ones, who can make a difference turn the blind eye because it
is much easier to accuse, assume and critique than to give a chance,
opportunities, or our possession, resources, and ourselves to them.
I must admit that when Liz, our
cook, came to me the 1st few weeks of construction asking for help
to purchase metal roofing for her sugar cane mill, I am sad to say that I
jumped to conclusions of who she was. I explained to her that I did not have
money to donate for the roof and that I was sorry. I felt bad and possibly a
little taken back that someone I just met a few minutes before was asking for
money, but then I realized that God desired to give her dignity through work,
and I asked her if she would like to be the cook for the workers. She of course
said Yes, she was overwhelmed by the opportunity to work.
It has been a wonderful blessing for
her to have an opportunity to earn money, and she blesses the workers with some
wonderful, delightful meals each day. She was even able to purchase the roofing
material for her sugar cane mill which as you can tell in the pictures gave her
a sense of ownership and dignity. But even better she invited her little, small
community to be a part of the mill’s production process which will allow others
to earn money as well.
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| Liz learning how to use her sugar cane press. |
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| Liz teaching others in your community how to use it |
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| Lighting the fire in the dirt oven for the large pan that will cook the sugar cane juice, than it will become thicker and become similar to honey. |
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| It was so neat to watch them all work together and the process of extracting and cooking the sugar cane juice. |
Just some words to reflect on
"The poor and the middle class or rich have a mutual need for each other. The poor need the rich: their money, their initiative, their education. The rich need the poor because there is no other way for them to go to heaven" Father Rick Thomas S.J.
“Work is a necessity, part of the meaning of life on this earth, a path to growth, human development and personal fulfillment. Helping the poor financially must always be a provisional solution in the face of pressing needs. The broader objective should always be to allow them a dignified life through work.” (Pope Francis, On Care for Our Common Home [Laudato Si'], nos. 127-28)
In many cases, poverty results from a violation of the dignity of human work, either because work opportunities are limited (through unemployment or underemployment), or "because a low value is put on work and the rights that flow from it, especially the right to a just wage and to the personal security of the worker and his or her family." (Pope Benedict XVI, Charity in Truth [Caritas in Veritate], no. 63)
“Work is a good thing for man, a good thing for his humanity, because through work man not only transforms nature, adapting it to his own needs, but he also achieves fulfillment as a human being and indeed, in a sense, becomes "more a human being.” (St. John Paul II, On Human Work [Laborem Exercens], no. 9)
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| Jose leading morning prayer with the workers before they start the day! |
Truck problems
I humbly ask you for urgent prayers
for our mechanical issues we are having with one of the most essential tools
within our mission, our truck. The truck not only takes us to ministries,
hours away from each other each week, it picks up supplies for the poor and
helps Gabriel and I take people to and from appointments, and even more
importantly it is the lifeline to the workers up on top the mountain at the
Casa De Santa Maria Magdalena mission home. Without it, construction will
have to cease.
At this moment and time, it may be
easier to explain that the truck is merely held together with bailing wire and
the Holy Spirit! The truck is 24 years old and well anytime it breaks down the
best the mechanic can do is replace the broken part with a used one and I do
mean well used. (Two weeks ago, I had a bad alternator pulley and well
the closest part to replace it with was from a 1970’s model junk air compressor
bought to use for parts, and that’s just what he did, he used the air
compressor pulley for the truck).
You must know that I am so super
grateful for all the times the truck has given me opportunities to pray and
seek our Lord's help. I am also grateful for the new friendships I have made
with Pablo, Miguel and Macho, who is Pablo’s nephew at the mechanic’s shop. I
am even more grateful for all those who donated in 2019 for us to purchase the
truck. The truck has served well in the mission field, and it is unfortunate
that the demands and the harsh roads make it impossible for it to keep up.
With that said I must swallow my pride of having to ask, my vanity, because I am scared of what others may think, and my fears of not receiving or being let down. Instead, I have realized that I must trust in the Lord and his will for us and the issues we are having with the truck. Although I do see my nine plus hours each week and sometimes (Closer to 20 hours) spent at the mechanics a wonderful ministry; it also makes me sad at the fact that because of my lack of humbleness, ministry opportunities have been missed due to the trucks inoperable condition, and the trouble it is causing the workers at the land because I am at the mechanics or on the side of the road having to use my limited mechanical skills to get us back on the road again. Which by the way is one of our team’s theme songs “On the Road again” by Willie Nelson, can you guess why?
My spiritual director made me
realize that worrying about funds and worrying about not having enough to
complete the home of Maria Magdalena’s is not needed. Rather she made me
understand, and I have come to realize that if I am spending any more funds on this
poor truck, it is possible that I am doing it out of my own vanity and
pridefulness, because the Lord desires to complete the home and he desires the
best for his poor here.
I have been reminded that since 2017
God has provided for me and my family. Once I said Yes to following him into
the mission field, he has been so attentive to our every need. He has provided
us with more than we need, and we have always had enough to share with the poor
whom we live among. Coming to grips, part of my stubbornness comes from the
fact that I sold everything to become poor, for the poor. And Since September
2017 I feel I have lived that calling as best as I could. So, I am having
trouble during my prayer time as I feel Jesus is asking me to get over my
prideful thoughts and just let him take care of the truck.
I realize that the Lord desires for
me to grow when I reflect on where my stubbornness, vanity and pride comes
from. I grew up in a way that it was not a good thing to ask for help. I
grew up around people who made a very worldly life for themselves and were very well off and
helping others was not something that happened, needless to say, it was
not an environment in which fostered the teaching of our Lord. So, it
is not easy to ask for prayers or help with this huge problem I am having with
this very important tool to our mission here. It is not easy to ask for funds
to purchase a new truck, so please forgive me if I do not do it well.
I know I must bear witness to
our Lord's goodness and to his desire for the mission here. And as much as I am
traveling from pueblo to pueblo, up and down the mountain each day serving the
Lord, it is soon not going to be possible to do if we do not replace the truck.
I have seen Jesus move mountains, I have seen him heal the sick and drive evil
spirits out of people, I should expect no less of my savior with this task. If
I do not believe he can redirect his own money to purchase a truck to be used
for his beloved poor than who am I; but an unworthy, prideful, and fearful
servant.
I have made known the request to not
only the Lord, but to you my brothers and sisters. If you take it to prayer and
hear a nudge to help, please reach out to me so we can talk more. It is indeed
a huge ask but our Lord is so much bigger and greater than we can even imagine.
He loves his poor here and he desires us to restore dignity to so many
women and their children here, so I must have confidence that he will resolve
the issue with this very important mission tool.
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| On the side of the road, once again trying to repair the truck because we are in the middle of absolutely nowhere! |
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| I finally was able to get one problem fix and a mile down the road we experience a whole new set of problems. Sarah is helping me face time a mechanic 10 hours away to help walk me through a quick fix to get us out of the middle of nowhere! |
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| Well Just some road side repair! Asking for Jesus to send the Holy Spirit to help us! |
Celebration at a funeral
Since our arrival to this mission post I have always visited a small town called Paraíso each Sunday morning. The Priests cannot make it out to the small pueblo each week and so they asked me to serve in this little community. I am so blessed to visit them each week to celebrate the liturgy of the word and bring them the sacrament of the Eucharist.
This past Sunday our mission team arrived, and we were greeted by Donna Flor. She wanted to let us know that a young man Jhon Elzer Constantino Benavides died overnight in a traffic accident. The entire pueblo was at his home, and she did not want us to wait around because no one had planned on coming to the celebration as they were paying their respects to the Jhon’s family and others were helping with preparing food and funeral arrangements. I called together Sarah, Mallory, and Gabriel to ask what they thought about having the celebration at the home of the young man. All three of them agreed, so we quickly picked up our things and walked the short distance to the home. It was a moving experience, profound in fact. It made me reflect how the Church is so much bigger than the four walls of a chapel. It was an honor to go to the home and bring Jesus with us. We held the entire celebration and afterwards Mallory led us in Praise and worship for quite some time.
A Retreat for Priests
¡Abran ustedes también su corazón!
Open wide your hearts also!
For the last few months or more I have been reflecting on how to love like Christ! It sounds easy but in reality, it is often the hardest thing to do. Than one day after Mass Father Robert announced with joy how our Parish was going to host a Retreat for the 28 priests who serve within the dioceses of Chachapoyas and additional 15 from a neighboring dioceses. He was asking our Catholic Community for help. He was desperate to find homes for all these Priests to stay in for the retreat. He was asking for families to open their homes to supply meals and a room for each of them. For some reason my heart was dancing and turning flips and after the final blessing I could not get to Father fast enough to talk to him. I wanted to know more. I wanted to know his plans and thoughts of housing the Priest and about the Schedule and spiritual aspect to it. But more importantly I wanted to offer to help.
This was an invitation to Love like Christ. To pamper and spoil these faithful servants. Of course, I could not have done this act of love on my own. Mallory, Sarah, and Gabriel had huge roles in helping pull this retreat off for the Priest and so did each of you. We were able to find a hotel that would house all the Priest and serve them meals at a price we could not pass up. Which in returned prevented in logistical nightmares and allowed the retreats schedule to run smoothly. Which allowed the Priest to rest and stay in a secluded location for a much-needed rest, formation, and an even more fabulous opportunity for them all to enjoy camaraderie among one another, as the location made it possible to just visit, relax and share testimonies with one another.
The four of us welcomed them in a very traditional Family Missions Company Style with handwritten letters for each priest, chocolates, and welcome signs and even before their arrival we began to pray for them and while the retreat was taking place, we continued asking our heavenly Father to open their hearts and to allow them a profound experience of his love and mercy be poured out upon each of them.
Preparing for the retreat we learned that the theme that had been selected by Father Lucas a missionary Priest from Argentina serving in the southern part of Peru that came to lead the spiritual part of the retreat had selected a theme that just magnified the fact that it was a true invitation for us to help with this retreat. The theme that was selected by Father Lucas was “Open wide your hearts also!” or ¡Abran ustedes también su corazón! 2 Corinthians 6: 1-13. I must say the theme was divinely selected and an affirmation that to love like Christ, one must experience Christ in his fullness. That is what Christ desires for us all; to be filled with his love and mercy to the point it is overflowing from our own hearts and poured out to those around us.
And of course, I must affirm and remind you that this Act of Love and Kindness would not have been possible without you my fellow missionaries who are consistently providing, supporting and praying for us and the poor here.
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| Welcome gifts and hand written letters, and affirmations for each priest. It was so much fun making the signs with are team here and watching the Priest walk in to the Hotel! They were so blessed by the outpouring of love they received. |
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| Every Priest had a welcome sign on there hotel door and the snack table in the dinning hall |
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| Gab helping us paint signs |
Fun day
Going into this year Gabriel and I
knew it was going to be a hard year. Little time for rest with having two new
missionaries here, our normal ministries and a huge construction project, so we
were well prepared and had full knowledge upfront that this year would be a bit
different and faster paced for a while. So, we are so grateful when the Lord
stops time for us to enjoy time with our new teammates at a little watering
hole.
Chapel repair and Pews
I am pretty sure this update was overlooked. The repairs of the chapels damaged walls due to the earthquake and the beautiful pews came in a few months ago in Paraíso. The community at Paraíso are so grateful for the help and their hearts are full. Thank you to those who supported the repairs and allowed us the extra funds to purchase pews.
"May we all receive the peace that is a profound gift from God. Jesus said: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”. John 14:27
"As
we work together with him, we entreat you also not to accept the
grace of God in vain. For he says,
Look,
now is the acceptable time; look, now is the day of salvation! We
are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our
ministry, but as servants of God we have commended
ourselves in every way: in great endurance, afflictions, hardships,
calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots,
labors, sleepless nights, hunger; in purity,
knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful
speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right
hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in
ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors and yet are true, as
unknown and yet are well known, as dying and look—we are alive, as punished and
yet not killed, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many
rich, as having nothing and yet possessing everything.
We
have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you. There
is no restriction in our affections but only in yours. In return—I speak
as to children—open wide your hearts also."
We love you all ! And pray that you may be blessed beyond measure!
Karen and Gabriel Del Castillo
Mission Post: Cajaruro - Utcubamba - Amazonas - Peru
Please send us your prayer intentions, we would love to pray for you!
Karendelcastillo@familymissionscompany.com
To make a donation please follow the link :
https://www.familymissionscompany.com/project/karen-del-castillo/
or
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