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Mission Trip To Guatemala and El Salvador

With-2BKids-2BBubbles
We were thankful to our FMS house managers Daena and Eduardo Padilla for sharing their mission trip with the Franciscan Mission Service community. They provided an account of their journey and a picture presentation of the places they traveled to.

The simple joy of bubbles – In Guatemala, blowing bubbles with the kids.
Every summer our house managers Daena and Eduardo Padilla prepare for a 10-day mission trip down to Guatemala and El Salvador organized by FMS Board Member Jack McHale. They gather with a group from Our Lady Queen of Peace, a FMS partner, as well as another parish group from Chicago where they used to live. The purpose of the trip is to travel to rural and often remote locations in both countries to bring supplies and companionship to the people living in poverty. Their work is Franciscan in nature, a ministry of presence in many ways as they spend time with those they’ve come to know and build relationships with through their service work over the years.
In Guatemala, four of the kids holding on to their new baseball caps.
The travelers on the mission trip brought several bags full of supplies including clothes, baseball caps, rosaries, and food to hand out to the communities they encountered. In order to get to the various locations throughout the trip (including names), they had to travel by bus, van, or by boat or raft. A few locations required hiking up and down a slippery mountain, or boating up and down rivers to get to the those most in need.
Below are some more pictures from the journey:
Eduardo Padilla handing out baseball caps.
Jack McHale plays a game of basketball with the kids.

Everyone huddles around Daena Padilla.
Visiting the church in El Salvador where Oscar Romero was assassinated.
Feliz cumpleaños, Jack! During the trip the group celebrated Jack McHale’s birthday.
The mission group often traveled up mountains and by boat to visit the communities in both Guatemala and El Salvador.
The last night in El Salvador before returning to the United States. They’ll be back again next year!

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We prepare and support lay Catholics for two-year international, one-year domestic and 1-2 week short-term mission service opportunities in solidarity with impoverished and marginalized communities across the globe.

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