A New Journey Begins!

It’s been awhile since we have sent out an update. Please forgive us, it was not meant to be, but life here in the last month has become a whirlwind of to do lists and goodbyes. In my prayer time I have asked God to create a perfect time to sit down and reach out to all of you whom we love so much. I cant lie, One morning , I thought instead of prayer time I could take that time to write to you. Praise God,  I did not fall for that trick. Instead God awarded my obedience with a perfect evening after a long hot day to sit in quiet to connect with you all.

First things first, we must thank each of you tremendously for your prayers and your financial sacrifices. Its amazing to watch Gods plan come together. And indeed with much grace, we found raising money for a mission truck became a blessing, rather than a burden. So many of you poured your heart out in prayer and just the right amount of money came in to buy the perfect truck for our new post. By far is it not new, and it needs A LOT of love and care but it fell into our laps,  just like the precise amount of money needed to buy it did. God is so amazing. We have purchased new tires and have had a chance to repair the most urgent things here with our mechanic Jose,  who has such a servants heart to help all of us Missionaries here in a very special way. He reminds me of my two oldest sons back at home  Mason and Maccray whom despite what the world says, they always try to do their best and in the most honest way possible. Because of Jose’s dedication and hard work we feel confident that we will make the drive safely to our new mission post.  

                     

We were bless and honored to be able to accept an invitation from Father Francisco to attend Pope Francis’s announcement, via the “Nuncio Apostólico ” Monseñor Nicola Girasoli, who currently resides in Lima, who traveled here to the jungle to spend time with the missionaries, priest and religious sisters serving the poor in this area. He was truly amazing to hear speak. Oh and he also spoke English which was a treat in of its own. 

Monseñor Nicola Girasoli With Pope Francis

Bellavista’s Church tower with the Peruvian and Vatican Flag

                                                                      

It has been a very bitter- sweet  month as we wind down our ministries, Home visits and sacramental preparations. Saying good bye has not come easy. To leave the ones we have come to love. To share together the fear of earthquakes, heat, bugs, last year’s forever week long power outage,  constant search of water, sickness and death, we have been together in solidarity with our neighbors through it all. We came to live among the poor and indeed our first two years we have done just that. My children and I would have never in a million years could have dreamt of the abundance of gifts God would bestow upon us as he did while serving His beloved poor here. To give up everything and to become poor only in return to gain more than you ever had, seems impossible, but my friends it is not impossible for our God.

                                                                                                                                                          

Since our return to our current post in late January, we began Sacramental prep. classes for a handful of the children that showed desire to enter into the Catholic Church. Some had only received their sacrament of baptism so they received 1^st communion and the sacrament of confirmation.

                                     

One of our hardest ministries to leave is the wonderful youth. The youth here have the same problems as the youth in the states. Possibly even more when you add in their poverty and living conditions,  but yet they are so full of JOY! Our Friday night youth gatherings are coming to a close but no one in the room has a sad face. We know God has a plan for us all and we need to follow him with a Joyful heart. And until the last day we have, we will enjoy our time singing , dancing and playing games as we journey together with Christ leading the way. 

                                                 We took our youth to the pool in a nearby town

 Youth group games

Please join us in praying for all those who we have been blessed to live among and serve. We pray fervently that God will fill their hearts with His love that is so much greater than we could even imagine,  as we prepare to enter are last few days here. We must trust in the Lord and the plans he has for us at our new mission post as he leads the way.

We also ask for your prayers that our transitions into our new post will be blessed. We especially pray for faith strong enough to trust that even the tiniest little details have been planned out in the most divine way.  We walk into what most of society would call the “unknown”.  Just as we followed Christ to our current post 2 years ago, sight unseen, our purpose unknown, we do the same as we follow Christ to His new home he has prepared for us as we embark our 3rd year living among the poor and finding ways to serve them and meet their most basic needs. We know just as much as we did 2 years ago, only the name of the town he has called us to. Please pray that when we get there we are met by the Holy Spirit, who will guide us to our waiting ministries and to our new friendships we will make as we journey with those we live among to a greater kingdom than what we have ever laid eyes on.

Our going away lunch with all of our wonderful missionary community. We will Truly miss them all!

We love you and would love to know how we can pray for you in an attentional way. Please let us receive the Lord’s graces by allowing us to pray for you in a special way. You can send us your prayer request at anytime by Whatsapp message  51 941-992-525 or send us an email at Karendelcastillo@familymissionscompany.com.

God Bless you,

Missionary family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Pray for us!

     

Commitments and dying

“There are some who commit themselves, but with some restrictions; for they do not trust God fully and so they are busy providing for themselves. Some first give up everything; but afterwards under the pressure of temptation, they return to what they had forsaken; and so they do not advance in virtue.”

Chapter 37- The Imitation of Christ

To each of you my heart does not desire to grumble or to write a blog that is center only on us. I can only pray that the Holy Spirit can guide my words to your heart in a way that only Christ wishes to speak. 

Since I last wrote you the mission field has become somewhat more of a battlefield.  At least what I can imagine one would be like. So many illnesses, disease, deaths and spiritual attacks around us. It seems in the last month that the poor have become poorer, or perhaps my family and I have only became weaker and feeble making it harder to fight the battle. As if the devil was not satisfied and content with just making his mark in our little pueblo and within my little family,  he has successfully sought out and has really challenged our missionary community here in Peru. With our community being afflicted with sickness, motorcycle accidents, family members deaths and the passing of a sweet unborn baby of one of our dearest families here. Not to mention the “ just normal day to day mission life”  struggles that the devil loves to over exaggerate so he can bring us to tears.

Indeed it has been a month of Self- Renunciation not only for our community but for myself as well: finding myself on my knees asking Christ how many more times must I get over myself.  Many think that because my family and I our foreign missionaries we have it all figured out. But it’s the far opposite of what one may believe.

It seems that Christ is asking me to grow even more in this virtue despite my unwillingness at times. Even though my two youngest children and I  have served in the mission field for almost two years  at times it seems like we still struggle in the same way as we did the first day we arrived to the Jungles of Peru. I personally struggle with pride, selfishness and jealousy . I look at other missionaries and think about “if only I could be more like them” or “ I wish I had my life together like they do”.  Trying to balance life as a single mother in the mission field involves home schooling for Gabriel and Julianna that many times becomes impossible because of the unexpected knock at the door from someone in need,  along with our normal scheduled ministries. All while trying to practice my spanish and prepare for bible study, sacramental prep. classes and a Sunday reflection each week for three pueblos has often been seen as a burden rather than a gift. With the never ending worry of how am I going to wash clothes, clean dishes or simply bucket flush our toilet  without water has become a permanent worry of mine.

(Yes we have been living here in the Jungle of Peru only on rain water or carrying it from a the nearby river for the last 7 months. In exception of the two Wednesdays   in a row that we were actually sent water.)

  But I know that Christ calls us to repent and repent again. To forsake and renounce ourselves so that we can enjoy interior peace. “ Give all for all; Seek nothing; take nothing back that you have given up; stand with pure detachment and with full confidence in Me, and then you shall truly possess Me”

Our families two year commitment is almost up and we could go back to living the life we had before. Always searching, seeking and wanting more of what the world has to offer. But we have been called to so much more. To enjoy true freedom of heart so that the darkness can not overshadow the goodness Christ has to offer. I can not lie in missions one can easily notice the great darkness that plagues the poor and the 3^rd world countries that we serve in. But in the wealthy United States the darkness is the same its just masked and hidden under a veil. Hiding the addictions, brokenness, loneliness, sickness and hunger for food and love.  One thing is certain that in missions you must desire to be stripped of all self-seeking desires so that we can truly follow Christ. To die of ourselves so we can live forever. It requires a constant desire to seek this freedom of Spirit.  To simply become poor and to draw close to Christ. A desire to find Christ in the poor and the darkness we live in. To firmly understand and know that yes we are inadequate and unable to live, much less complete our mission without inviting Christ to be the center of all that we do. To accept the challenged that we face with Joy and with a heart of Praise.

I have found that Christ is the closest to my family and I when we are serving in the mission field. It’s a daily struggle to die to one self, much less teach your two youngest children to do the same but the reward is so worth it.

Even though this month has been a challenge to control our human desires and to die to ourselves It is beautiful and amazing to see how Christ has been in the center of every day.

 Here are just a few highlights that have touched our hearts this past month.

The passing of Jose

Don Jose, as you know had been suffering greatly in his last month of life. He was granted heavenly peace on July 20th.  More than a month he waited patiently in pain and agony for the Lord to call him home. God loved him in such an incredible way. Don Jose in his last days was able to receive a visit from missionaries from Spain who joined us in our weekly home visit to him. The best was the fact that Sister Esilda drove two times a week to our little pueblo to help us take care of his awful bed sores and to help us bathe him. Something my children and I could not have done without her and her nursing skills. Before he died his bedsores were totally healed.  Three days later we accompanied his wife and 7 children to our small and humble cemetery. I was asked to lead the prayer for this wonderful man. I somehow still cannot understand how God can look at me as worthy to do such a thing. However standing by his coffin as I was making the sign of the cross with Holy Water I realized if I did not say “yes”  there was no one else lined up to take my place.  After I led the family members in a short prayer I assumed that someone else would get up to say something more. Something better than just my prayer,  perhaps a eulogy, however I quickly understood the reason of my families presence here because there were no other words spoken,  just tons of whaling and crying. I can not lie afterwards I was thinking where was the training for a funeral in our missionary training. I have no Idea what I was doing or how to conduct a funeral, All I knew is that this beloved child of God deserved to have a Christian burial.

Sacrament Preparation Classes

God has called 10 different youth to receive sacraments this year, so we are helping them prepare to receive the sacraments each Sunday. The three pictured stayed to finish up there work because they did not have glue or scissors at home so we worked together after learning about the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist.  Please keep them in your prayers as they will receive their sacraments right before we move to our new mission post Sept 7th. 

Preparations for the Peregrination to Shamboyacu are underway

It’s that time again, the annual peregrination from Tingo to shamboyacu is this Friday. Our youth group here in Shimbillo was asked  by Father to do a short skit for Saturday night before adoration and the concert that will take place. We have seven youth that have been practicing the skit for almost 3 weeks now. So please pray for them because they will perform this skit for almost 500 people. Needles to say they are a bit nervous. Also please pray for us as we make the journey from Tingo to Shamboyacu a  walk a bit over 25 km or 15 miles.

The gifts which missionary children receive

It’s wonderful to see the gift of music grow within Julianna. I can not tell you how much it has blessed Gabriel and I to have her lead us in praise and worship every day. Furthermore she has been an essential part of our ministries with her singing and playing. She actually sung at adoration last week.

Gabriel has such a gift of making friends, he loves to play soccer every afternoon with the kids his age. And I can always count on him to bring a friend or two over to the house for some popcorn.

So many of Gabriel friends have the bumps all over. We are not sure what they are. Poor little guys! This guy is the fourth to have theses bumps. 

New Mission Post 

Our move to our new mission post is just right around the corner. It’s a true test for the three of us not to yield to our unruly fears. Its so easy for us to renounce the opportunity that Christ is calling us to. But we must not be so willing to fall to our vain imaginations and worldly desires. We must again once more die to ourselves. We do not know what life will be like in the Northern part of Peru. We have yet reached the amount needed to purchase a truck. Although Christ has provided the monthly funds for us to maintain the truck once we have made the purchase.  We have no Idea how we will reach the people of our new mission post. But we do know that we have committed ourselves to following Christ to the ends of the earth and to preach the Gospel to those who have yet heard the good news preached and we do not desire to take anything back that we have given up. Its easy for us to become overwhelmed with all of the logistics and that is not what Christ wants for us. He desires us to give our worries to him and to live a life of Joy. Again we must renounce ourselves to find Christ.

We can merely pray that God can fill the burden of us leaving our current mission post and fervently pray that the Holy Spirit goes before us to our new mission post to prepare the hearts of those he has called us to live among and serve. We can rejoice and be confident  in the fact that it is truly the desires of Christ.

I pray that we may all see the Joy of Christ even among the darkest in our lives, that we confront the attacks of the Devil without out fear. Calling out his name and demanding him to flea our lives with a loud and confident voice.

May we all, no matter in what vocation we serve,  commit ourselves fully to Christ without restrictions, fully trusting God to provide for our spiritual and worldly needs. May we give up everything and not be pressured by the world to take back what we have freely given to Christ. May we continue to grow in this virtue. 

We would like to invite you to prayerfully consider making a special donation to help us purchase a truck for our new mission post. Or perhaps consider becoming a monthly mission partner with us. Or perhaps share our fundraiser with others.

 To make a special donation or become a monthly mission partner follow the link :  delcastillo.familymissionscompany.com

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Send us your prayer request:  karendelcastillo@familymissionscompany.com

Praying we may all die of ourselves so that we can live forever!

Karen , Julianna , Gabriel

First Responders

  Wikipedia defines a First Responder as a person with specialized training who is among the first to arrive and provide assistance at the scene of an emergency, such as an accident, natural disaster, or terrorist attack. First Responders typically include paramedics, emergency medical technicians, police officers, fire fighters and rescuers.

I am more than confident that you know what a First Responder is.  But I had a strong feeling that God was asking me to read the definition and to really reflect on its meaning. I was a bit reluctant to look up such a elementary word. I, of all people should know what a First Responder is,  after all two of my sons Mason and Maccray are just that. Mason is a fire fighter for the large city of Dallas Tx and Maccray Is a fire fighter for a smaller rural community in Boyd Tx. As a fire fighter’s mom I spend a good amount of time in prayer for both of them. 

Mason called to a head on accident

The two of them are so fearless. So eager to jump in the engine, flip the lights and sirens and race to the scene of a car accident or fire. They don’t hesitate for one reason, because someone is in distress needing them. They are trained so well that; when everyone else is running out of a burning building they run in. When someone is in need of an IV they mustard the courage to insert a needle while at the same time holding their hand and reassuring them. When pulling up to a car accident they hustle to the smoking car to find the victims and pull out whoever may be trapped. They walk along the roadside after a violent head on collision searching for and picking up body parts.  They make welfare calls to the elderly who have fallen, they respond to the call to check on the homeless sleeping in the parking lot. Or that dreaded call to the home where a person has taken their own life. Which I hear about so very often from my son Maccray.

Huge fire a couple of month ago in Dallas

As you can imagine, I look up to my two sons as Heros.  With the same kind of breathless awe & wonder that a 1st grader gets when they have firefighters come out to their school to teach their class about fire safety and eagerly waiting for a  chance to sit in the driver’s seat of the engine or try on their mask. 

Reading to a group of school kids

So you can see that when my family and I hear a knock at the door of our little home here in the Jungle that I would never had thought it was for an emergency. Emergencies are for first responders. But one night, Julianna open the door, and was greeted with a woman who was crying and was utterly passionate to get us to come quickly, to follow her to her house saying that it was an emergency. Just as my two firefighter sons have to do, we dropped everything and wanted to make it to her home as quickly as possible. It did not matter that we just wrapped up a two hour long ministry with the youth and that we were hot, tired, and dinner was on the stove cooking. The call came in and we had to respond. Just as a firefighter, the needs of others come before the needs of our own.

Gabriel trying on his brothers mask

 As we were running out the door we had no clue what the emergency was, but as we were hustling to the house I was already asking questions . “ What’s wrong” ,“Who is it” . Julianna and I were taking mental notes. We were going to her house because her dad is dying. Julianna quickly said mom you go, I will go back to turn off the stove and get Gabriel who was playing down the street. So our team split up. As I was walking into the unknown I was terrified.  I had no Idea what I was about to see or do. As I entered the home, I came upon women weeping uncontrollably. I became even more nervous that maybe a terrible accident had happen. I said to Jesus “You have mistaken, I am not the right person for this. If there is blood or bodily fluids I cannot handle it.” Without uttering a word to the woman I was following, I went through the 1st door of the mud home and entered in to the back of the home, where I was taken to a small hot room, wherein laid an old frail man on the floor. The smell and the heat was strong enough to knock a person over.  

  I had an image come upon me of my sons. They had their gear on, they had their medical supplies and tools in hand. They had their radios on,  communicating to their team outside. I had nothing in hand. I had no way to call Julianna and Gabriel to explain were the lady had taken me. I could not radio for back up. I had no medicine or lifesaving equipment. I cannot lie I was in a bit of a panic because this family called me to help and this man was dying. I thought to myself, I am just a missionary. Someone more qualified like a First Responder should have been called, not me.

I could do so little, I thought.  I kneeled down beside the man and placed my hand on his forehead making the sign of the cross with Holy Water.  Everyone in the room was watching me. Waiting for something more, and eagerly expecting me to do something. So many things went through my head I could not make since of it; So I closed my eyes and asked for help. I needed to have confidence and needed to act quickly. I called again for the Holy Spirit to come upon me,  and all the crying women  who had followed me into the little hot mud room.

Maccray at the scene of a house fire

  Stepping up from the man, I used the best equipment I had, which was to pray the rosary. I asked the women and children in the room If they knew how to pray the rosary, they responded with a “no”. So I asked them  in a different way, “do you know the prayer of the Our Father and the Hail Mary”?  This time they responded quickly with a  “yes”. So I told them “ok”, we are going to pray the rosary. By this time praise God Julianna and Gabriel found the home that I had been taken too. I can not tell you how much of a relief that was.  So in came, the rest of my team and in perfect time to begin the rosary . Gabriel even though he is nine took charge and led the rosary. Getting on his knees and holding the hand of the frail old man with love and compassion. While Julianna consoled the women and the children whom were crying. It was amazing to see how the Holy Spirit took charge of the little mud room and those in it. 

The joy that enter that room was divine. The hot air became fresh, suddenly the smell was not there and the room became such a serene place. I could not help but smile at Jose, the dying man; at first I told myself not to, in fear of what his family would think of me, but as the holy spirit came upon me I could not hold my joyful heart back. I asked the man’s wife if he had received the sacrament of baptism. She nodded yes, “Wow, how wonderful was that” I said. I asked the women in the room to stop crying, to be joyful that he had lived a long life and now its time for him to rest. That Jesus was waiting for him with open arms. Unlike my two oldest sons who deal with death daily my two youngest children and I have never seen a person die. I had always told my 4 children since they were young that we should not be in fear of death. That it is a time of peace a time of rest. When God is calling us home it’s the most exalting time in our lives. That we should rejoice that our Lord is calling us home after serving Him here on earth. 

“If we’re so afraid of death and dying, I have to wonder if we’re also afraid of life and living.” Juile Masters professor University of Nebraska, Omaha.

 “It is not Death that will come to fetch me, it is the good God. Death is no phantom, no horrible specter, as presented in pictures. In the catechism it is stated that death is the separation of soul and body, that is all! Well, I am not afraid of a separation which will unite me to the good God forever.”  

St. Therese of Lisieux

After the scene of the emergency was under control,  my children and I needed a time to reflect or as my sons would say have a debriefing of the call. The three of us were reflecting on the fact that we must be prepared at all times, ready to assist when the call comes in. We reviewed the things we should have done better, like turn the stove off before leaving the house. Perhaps figuring out a plan on how we can reunite when we are separated. But the part that hit hard for us to digest was the fact that in the eyes of those we live among and serve; we are considered and seen as the 1st responders. That thought hit hard because in our minds we cannot save a person’s life as my two older sons do on a daily basis. But we can bring the love of our Lord, joy and peace among those who have so little.  For the poor here even in the time of death, they die just as they have lived. They die in poverty with no medical care, no doctors, no diagnosis and no treatment plans. With most of the families torn apart and living in two different worlds, with their indigent beliefs and their unpracticed and uncultivated faith that has been planted among them from temporary Christian missionaries over the years that leaves them sobbing and with broken hearts for their loved ones. Looking to us, the missionaries, asking if there is more that we can do before their love one dies.

 We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. Mother Teresa

Jose has not yet went home to the Lord. He as of the time of this blog lays in his tiny mud home with his wife sitting by his side day and night. For 3 weeks now Jose has laid waiting unable to move, talk or sit up. Much less eat. There is no IV in his hand, no nurse to check on him and to help make him comfortable as he lies waiting to die. Each week we visit Jose and his wife to bring them all we have which is the love that is flowing from us from the Lord himself. Are offering seems so small in the world which we come from. But in the eyes of those we serve it means so much to them.  2 weeks ago Father Francisco was able to come to our tiny pueblo to give Jose his last rites. Even though Jose can not speak and his body lie almost lifeless one could feel and sense an overwhelming gratitude coming from this man , having  received a visit from Father. Its not easy to know that this way of death is the reality here among everyone we live among. But the fact is that this is the reality, We cannot bring 1st world hospitals and nursing homes here but we can bring our love and share of faith and the goodness of the Lord to each of them. 

  Perhaps missionaries could be included in the definition of First Responders. For almost two years we have been living here and many times we are the 1st who are called to provide assistance at the scene of an emergency, such as an accident, natural disaster. Although we are not medically trained or have the emergency equipment to respond to the call with, as my two oldest son’s do. But we must not forget that we have much more than those who we live and serve among. That’s why the poor have the same kind of awe for missionaries that many have in the states for Firefighters and Policeman. They see us all as Hero’s. We as missionaries must be ready at all times to respond to the cries of the poor. We must remember that we have the skills and the training to help the people we live among. That are spiritual tool kit is endless and our faith and are knowledge of  the radical love of Christ is all we need to respond to the call. Understanding that we are not here to save their earthly life but to help their journey to the everlasting life with the Lord.

Father with Jose mistering his last right, sitting next to him Jose's sister Maria.

Thank you for reading, please pray for my family, I especially ask for your prayers for my two oldest sons, who are pictured above. May God protect them, physically, mentally and spiritually as they serve as firefighters . Please pray for my two youngest children Julianna and Gabriel as they learn to live and serve in a humble way among the poor here in Peru. May God continue to mold them and may they both learn Gods desire for them both. Lastly please pray for all FMC missionaries all over the world,  that they will continue to be brave and in the center of God’s will,  so they can serve without limits to those they live among.

Karen, Julianna and Gabriel 

Catholic Lay Missionaries

Serving in Peru

Contact us with your prayer intentions, follow our blog, or make a donation at the following links.

Email:  karendelcastillo@familymissionscompany.com

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