2016 | Page 2 of 4 | Franciscan Mission Service

Responding With Love

Editor’s Note: Missioner Aubrey Kimble shares her thoughts about how, often, the seemingly simple and obvious answers are the ones that we should really seek. Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about love. During my free time, I’ve been reading more of the Bible – specifically the Gospels – and man, does Jesus talk a lot…

Que Sueñes con los Angelitos

Editor’s Note: Missioner Amanda Ceraldi shares how she brought a foundational childhood tradition from her own life into the lives of some of the boys in Guatemala. Growing up, one of my favorite things about my day was bedtime. I never particularly liked having to go bed, but I loved the act of being tucked…

Welcome DC Service Corps Member Madonna

Even while she was in pursuit of a neuroscience degree in college, Madonna Enwe still engaged in service as much as possible. Participating in a DC Urban Plunge experience left a lasting impression on her and she knew she wanted to do more. Madonna met one of the FMS office associates at a pizza night…

Welcome DC Service Corps Member Ali

When Ali stepped into St. Theresa’s room in Lisieux, France, her journey to service began. In the same place St. Theresa had an interior conversion and decided to become a missionary, Ali experienced a similar moment of hearing God’s call. Instead of St. Theresa’s characteristic roses, Ali saw that Stargazer lilies – her favorite flower…

Welcome DC Service Corps Member Chase

Chase Medelberg is a proud Texan and was teaching the Texas Pledge of Allegiance to the curious FMS community within days of his arrival at FMS. Born and raised in the city of Krum – “home of the Fighting Bobcats” – he loves golfing, reading, snow, college football, and education. Chase’s passion for education and…

Colonization

Editor’s Note: Missioner Aubrey Kimble shares her realizations of the long lasting effects of colonization in Bolivia, especially as it relates to Catholicism. At the beginning of the summer, I was able to attend the Maryknoll Mission Center Language Institute. I am incredibly grateful to have had that opportunity. The language school was very well…

Creating a Space for God

Editor’s Note: Missioner Patrick Montine reflects on the camps in Jamaica that he helped out with this summer and how the camps created a space for children to learn more about God and invite Him into their lives. This summer, I was able to help out at a couple of summer camps. The first one…

Telling Their Own Story

Editor’s Note: Missioner Annemarie Barrett reflects on the experience of accompanying women in the Santa Rosa community as they tell their stories through a sequence of videos produced entirely by the women themselves. For the past year our garden project has been involved in the process of making videos participativos or participatory videos with the…

Dancing Through the Doorway

Editor’s Note: Missioner Allison Dethlefs shares how she’s been able to start forming relationships through teaching Zumba classes to girls who are survivors of sexual abuse. Upon arriving in Cochabamba, Bolivia, over seven months ago, I had no idea what kind of ministry I was going to get involved in. By a stroke of luck, during my six…

Breaking the Chains

Editor’s Note: Inspired by recent holidays celebrating independence in Jamaica, missioner Janice Smullen reflects on the ideas of intolerance versus emancipation and how they manifest universally across all different cultures. Jamaica celebrates two holidays in the first week of August: Emancipation Day remembered since 1834 and celebrated on August 1, and Independence Day on August…

A Buzz of Excitement in the Prison

Editor’s Note: Missioner Catherine Sullivan shares her experience of the visit of the Virgen María de Urkupiña statue in one of the prisons in Cochabamba, Bolivia. A few weeks ago, my morning began the same way it usually does – I walked through the large green metal doors of the women’s prison, said good morning…

Solidarity in the Climb

Editor’s Note: Missioner Aubrey Kimble reflects on finding solace during an emotionally and physically strenuous climb up a mountain. On June 21st, Bolivia celebrated the Andean New Year. For the Aymaran people, this marked the year 5524 according to their calendar. This day is important because it is the beginning of a new agricultural cycle.…

Lord, Teach Me to Pray

Editor’s Note: Missioner Janice Smullen reflects on the challenges of her first few months teaching in a primary school in Kingston, Jamaica, and how she has altered her mindset to fit these challenges. Prayer isn’t so much about making something happen, but asking how I may accomplish my best within what is happening. St. Francis…

On the Edge of a Maybe

Editor’s Note: Missioner Amanda Ceraldi reflects on the journey that led her to Guatemala and how she knew she had a calling to overseas mission. If you ask my mom, she would say she knew I would go on mission when I was in the 9th grade and just 14 years old. If you ask…

Relaxation Is Not Always What the Doctor Ordered

Editor’s Note: Missioner Brandon Newland shares how a particularly bad month in June gave him a deeper appreciation for his blessings as well as a greater awareness of the lasting effects of many people’s struggles in Jamaica. Relaxation is not always what the doctor ordered. Before June started, I felt pretty good about the upcoming…

Hidden Treasures

Editor’s Note: After a recent geocaching adventure, missioner Patrick Montine reflects on how placing God at the center of our lives compels us to persevere and find the treasure in any given situation. Recently, my fellow missioner Brandon and I went on a geocaching adventure. For those who don’t know, geocaching is a kind of…

Taking Down Fences

Editor’s Note: Missioner Amanda Ceraldi shares how the kids she lives with and teaches at Valley of the Angels in Guatemala have challenged her to reexamine her emotional barriers and allowed her to be her full and complete self. When driving nearly anywhere in Guatemala City, I am constantly surrounded by fences. Wooden fences, wire…

The Making of Miracles

Editor’s Note: Missioner Annemarie Barrett shares how the experience of accommodating unexpected guests led her to think about the nature of hospitality and its differences across cultures. Recently a group of friends and I decided to grill fish together. It took us a couple of hours to prepare the meal and soon the patio filled…

Look For Her Eyes

Editor’s Note: Missioner Catherine Sullivan in Bolivia shares how she stays hopeful during her daily practice of reading the news. One of my favorite pastimes is scrolling through different news sources and articles, comparing stories and trying my best to keep up with the goings-on of the world. It is often how I start and…

Welcome Program Coordinator Katherine Cespedes!

With a heart for cross-cultural outreach and nonprofit service, Katherine Cespedes is the newest member of the Franciscan Mission Service office. Born in Lima, Peru, and raised in Miami, Florida, she loves telling stories about her many travels and cultural experiences. “In my leisure time, I go to completely new environments and meet diverse people.…

Welcome Programs Associate Amanda Saunders!

As soon as she arrived at the Franciscan Mission Service office, programs associate Amanda Saunders placed two items on her new desk: a Neumann knight water bottle and a spongy Neumann knight stress ball. The Neumann University mascot is a tribute to St. Francis, who served as a knight before he heard God’s call to…

Welcome Communications Associate Kathleen!

As 2016 graduate Kathleen Strycula walked down the steps of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception with her Catholic University of America (CUA) diploma in hand, her gaze drifted across the street to the Franciscan Mission Service (FMS) office where she would begin the next chapter in her life. While speaking…

Portraits of Christ: Tom and the Paradox of Poverty

Editor’s Note: DC Service Corps member Lizzy Balboa concludes her series on the “Portraits of Christ.” In this final post, she tells the story of a man who had to lose it all to find his way back to Christ. I’ve received the warm smile of Christ in His modern embodiment of Tom. Tom was a prominent…

Making My Money Matter

Editor’s Note: Missioner Allison Dethlefs reflects on the challenges of living on a stipend in Bolivia and how it has made her more mindful of those around her who are struggling with financial matters to a very serious degree. When we signed on with Franciscan Mission Service as missioners, we knew that while we were…

The Bolivian Way

Editor’s Note: In Bolivia, missioner Tom Little oversees and works in a meat packing plant on the campus of Carmen Pampa University. In this post, he shares how he’s had to adapt to a very different understanding of time and deadlines than what he was used to in the US. My main job at the…

Portraits of Christ: The Wisdom of King David

Editor’s Note: As part of DC Service Corps, Lizzy Balboa volunteers with Little Friends For Peace, a nonprofit organization that promotes inner and interpersonal peace skills within children and adults. In the third installment of her “Portraits of Christ” series, Lizzy reflects on her experiences at the Father McKenna Center, a Catholic social service agency…

A Supportive Presence

Editor’s Note: In light of Father’s Day, missioner Patrick Montine reflects on the role of father figures and how he’s seen them represented in Jamaica. Last weekend I was able to witness the baptism of several little babies out at Saint Mark’s in Grange Hill, Jamaica. There were about seven or eight babies that got baptized;…

Broken Thermometers

Editor’s Note: Missioner Maeve Gallagher reflects on how all of our experiences shape who we are and no matter disjointed these experiences may seem at the time, they all fit together to form the people who we are today. Several months ago I found myself at a public hospital in the heart of Guatemala City,…

Portraits of Christ: LeShay and the Sins of Our Fathers

Editor’s Note: For her year of service as part of DC Service Corps, Lizzy Balboa volunteers with Little Friends for Peace, a nonprofit organization in the DC area that promotes inner and inter-personal peace skills within children and adults. In the second installment of her “Portraits of Christ” series, Lizzy shares a story of brokenness passed…

The Gift of Water

Editor’s Note: In a follow up to her last post about water shortages in Cochabamba, missioner Annemarie Barrett emphasizes the importance of gardens in the community through the story of one of the women in Santa Rosa. Recently I wrote about the severe water shortages we are currently experiencing in Cochabamba. The women in Santa…

Reflecting on the Race

Editor’s Note: Though FMS missioners do not return to the US during their two years on mission, if they end up renewing for a third year or longer, they are allowed to return home to visit family and friends. Fourth year missioner Jeff Sved returned home in May to run the Pittsburgh marathon and attend his…

Portraits of Christ

Editor’s Note: For her year of service as part of DC Service Corps, Lizzy Balboa volunteers with Little Friends for Peace, a nonprofit organization in the DC area that promotes inner and inter-personal peace skills within children and adults. With this special series, she will provide an in-depth look at some of the lives that she’s…

Focusing on Mission

Editor’s Note: Missioner Aubrey Kimble shares how a recent reflection with FMS staff helped her re-focus on her ministries and reaffirm her decision to devote this time in her life to mission. This past week was a real treat because two of our program directors from FMS, Emily and Meghan, came to visit us in…

Sorry I Forgot the Camera

Editor’s Note: Missioner Janice Smullen reflects on some of the new sights she’s seen in Jamaica and how sometimes it’s less about getting the photo and more about engaging the people and sharing bits of each other’s stories. There was an old Saturday Night Live skit, probably in the 70’s, with (I think), Buck Henry…

Communal Living and Surviving Pat

Editor’s Note: Told through stories from his time in Jamaica which highlight some of the lesser-known qualities of his friend and fellow missioner, missioner Brandon Newland reflects on the vital importance of community while on mission. A year and four months have passed on my journey in Savanna-la-Mar, so I thought it would be a…

Learning from Teaching

Editor’s Note: Missioner Tom Little reflects on how beginning a new teaching position in Bolivia led him to celebrate the personality differences around him instead of being unsettled by them. This semester I started teaching English classes at the UAC. This has been a fulfilling experience because I get to see my students make noticeable…

Introducing Eli

Editor’s Note: Missioner Catherine Sullivan shares how a trip to the marketplace in Cochabamba, Bolivia, turned into an experience of solidarity and deeper integration into the culture. I have been working at Manos con Libertad three to four days a week for three months now. Manos con Libertad is a co-operative of inmates from San…

No Country For Young Girls

Editor’s Note: Missioner Maeve Gallagher reflects on how she’s seen Guatemala’s beauty standards manifested in her students and felt compelled to use this as a teaching experience. As I reapplied my lipstick under the florescent bathroom lights, Ceci and Katy commented on my appearance, “Who’s the boy?” “Is it the cute guy who was at…

World Care Benefit and Celebration 2016 Recap

When everyone gathered in St. Francis Hall on May 13 for the 2016 World Care Benefit and Celebration, the spirits of generosity and gratitude were almost tangible. This annual celebration at Franciscan Mission Service is more than a fancy catered event; it’s a call to action. It’s a reminder of how important it is to…

Little Bits of Solidarity

Editor’s Note: Missioner Allison Dethlefs reflects on the notion of solidarity and what it looks like now that she’s on mission in Bolivia. Solidarity is a big, somewhat ambiguous word that we throw around a lot nowadays. We often talked during formation about how we were going on mission to live and work in solidarity…

Measure in Love

Editor’s Note: Missioner Erin McHugh adapts the lyrics of a well-known song to reflect her experiences during her first few months on mission in Jamaica. I’m sure many of you have heard the song “Seasons of Love” from the Broadway musical Rent. I have heard this song several times in the last month as we…

Roots

Editor’s Note: Missioner Janice Smullen shares how she’s found comfort learning more about herself as she adjusts to a new life in Jamaica. Putting down new roots is so difficult. Being new to Jamaica, I feel as if I am continually struggling to find a good foothold, stand secure among swirling cultural forces, and just…

Ordained and Sent Forth

Editor’s Note: Missioner Patrick Montine shares his experience during a priesthood ordination in Montego Bay, Jamaica. A little while ago, I was afforded the opportunity to attend a priesthood ordination in Montego Bay, Jamaica. It was a very unique and special event to see. This was the first ordination that the bishop of this diocese…

Same Water, Same World

Editor’s Note: Missioner Annemarie Barrett reflects on her changed perspective on environmental issues, particularly water consumption, since she’s been on mission in Bolivia. I know that I have written about environmental degradation before on this blog. And I know that I have already shared stories about the lack of water that we experience here in…

Beams of Love: Why I Need To Be on Mission

Editor’s Note: In the fourth and final installment of her “Beams of Love” series, missioner Amanda Ceraldi shares that her time on mission in Guatemala has allowed her to create a space to live out her call to build relationships and accompany those she encounters. “We are put on earth for a little space that…

Perspective and Pastoral

Editor’s Note: Missioner Aubrey Kimble reflects on adjusting her expectations and what she thinks things “should” look like during her first months on mission at Carmen Pampa University in Bolivia. Every Tuesday night, the university’s Pastoral group has a meeting. Pastoral is a group that comes together to share their faith with one another and…

Beams of Love: A Personification of Grace

Editor’s Note: In the third installment of her four part series, missioner Amanda Ceraldi shares how bearing the beams of love for one person often extends beyond the bounds of what we think is possible and affects countless others in unforeseen ways. “We are put on earth for a little space that we might learn…

Love in a Suffering World

Editor’s Note: After accompanying her friend and fellow missioner through illness, missioner Allison Dethlefs reflects on fighting through feeling helpless and finding assurance that merely being present is more powerful than we often realize. For three months during our training for long-term mission it was repeatedly pounded into our heads that our main ministry was…

Beams of Love: Being There

Editor’s Note: In the second installation of her four part “Beams of Love” series, missioner Amanda Ceraldi shares how her time spent with one of her students in the hospital challenged her to set her own comfort aside in order to take care of her student. “We are put on earth for a little space…

Mileage, Motivation, and Ministry

Editor’s note: During Pittsburgh native Jeff Sved’s visit to the US he plans to run his first full marathon in May. In the last post, he answered questions about training for a marathon while in Bolivia. Today, he talks about he got into running in the first place. What do you like about running and how did…

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