Then and now : 2019 vs 2025
It was not my plan, but indeed, it was Jesus’s plan for us to
live in solidarity with the poor for so long! As a missionary with FMC, we have the option to
change mission posts after are 1st initial commitment which when we entered
missions in 2017 it was at that time, after 1 year that we could discern to
move to other post. Which we discerned after our 1st year was
completed at the end of 2018 that in fact Jesus was calling us to move to a
different region of Peru, further North, to start a new mission post. So, in
2019 we made the move, and we could have never guessed that this is where we
would find such peace and a place to call home.
Gennie Summers, FMC’s founder, had told us during our
training that we must make a home that we should not live out of our suitcases;
she was firm about the fact we must unpack our suitcases and put down roots. Well,
I cannot lie it took us awhile, in fact we lived out of our suitcases up until
2022 or 2023, it took us that long to have something other than a suitcase as a
dresser. It took us just as long to have a real mattress. (by real mattress I
mean something thicker than a yoga mat.) So I honestly would say we failed this requirement,
but it was not because we were desiring to stay on a constant state of alert and
ready to bug out or return back to the states at the 1st sign of
danger or defeat, it was because we never wanted to take money we raised for
missions, for the poor and spend it on us! In hindsight I wish we would have been brave
enough to do so, it would have made daily life a bit more bearable and perhaps a
bit less back pain. LOL
The fact is long term foreign missionaries require a bit of detachment,
when a say a bit, I mean a lot! We give up comforts of life in the USA, we give
up visits with families, customs and even our own native language, even our
freedom in some cases as foreign long-term missionaries. We have been asked to enter
into the life of those around us. It is different from a short-term trip or a 2-year
assignment where there is an end in sight and life returns to how one’s life was
before.
I have been reflecting a lot and the other day when we were serving
in one of my favorite ministries in a small mountain town of Buenos Aires that
we have been going to since 2019 kind of choked me up a bit, it made me grateful
that Jesus intentionally called me to such a beautiful place, and to live among
such beautiful people who have given and taught me more than I could have ever
given or taught them. I can honestly say that this is my home, I am
with those who Jesus desires me to be with, to live in solidarity with. Though
I miss friends, family and the birth of my 4 grandchildren, Jesus has in a very
intentional way filled my heart with the souls of the poor who I desire to
serve well.
I share with you a picture of Calais and I that we tried to
recreate from when he was younger during our 1st years of living
here. Perhaps we have both changed in more ways than one, a bit taller, a bit
more grey hair on my part, but one thing is for sure we have become true friends!
Please prayerfully consider becoming a mission partner with us! The Mission here would not exist without the generous hearts of so many who support us and ministries and outreach programs we are involved in. As full time Lay Catholic missionaries we live and serve the poor from the donations that we receive. No amount is too small. Please follow the link below to become a mission partner.
May we learn to love like Jesus!
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