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Culture and Travel in Bolivia Part 3
Editor’s Note: Second-year missioner Nate Mortenson currently serves as a teacher and head of the English department at Unidad Carmen Pampa in Bolivia. This is the third and final installment of a special series in which we will share some of the work from students in his class. My Typical Day at Palos Blancos By Veronica Otoya One…
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Comfort and Joy: Peace in Understanding
Editor’s Note: As part of our “Comfort and Joy” Advent/Christmas blog series, current missioner Hady Mendez shares how she has drawn comfort through relationship during her time in Bolivia. It’s that time of year again. The time when we relish feelings of peace, love, comfort, and joy. Over the last two years of service, I have discovered that…
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Culture and Travel in Bolivia Part 2
Editor’s Note: Second-year missioner Nate Mortenson currently serves as a teacher and head of the English department at Unidad Carmen Pampa in Bolivia. This is the second installment of a special three part series in which we will share some of the work from students in his class. Sharing Experiences – Intercarreras By Graciel Quino Calle My name is Graciel Quino…
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Comfort and Joy: Long-Distance Strength
Editor’s Note: As part of our “Comfort and Joy” Advent/Christmas blog series, current missioner Valerie Ellis shares how she has been able to give and receive comfort while on mission in Bolivia. As I reflect on how my friends and family have helped me over the past year and a half, I can’t help but be filled with a…
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New Series – Culture and Travel in Bolivia Part 1
Editor’s Note: Second-year missioner Nate Mortenson currently serves as a teacher and head of the English department at Unidad Carmen Pampa in Bolivia. In alignment with our “Comfort and Joy” Advent/Christmas blog series, today launches a special three part series in which we share some of the work from students in his class. Every day my English…
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Some of My Favorite Moments with the Kids in Chilimarca
Editor’s Note: Missioner Valerie Ellis shares some of her favorite moments with the pre-school children she works with from impoverished families in Chilimarca, Bolivia. When counting, it was commonplace for one little girl to say, “1…2…8,” so I asked her if “8” was her favorite number and she responded with a resounding, “Yes!” Since then,…
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I Caught Papal Fever – All the Way from Bolivia!
The Pope was just here in Bolivia, and although I was excited to have him be here, I had no desire to go see him. “I already saw him in Rome,” I told my friends. “I don’t like crowds,” I told other people. In the end, I don’t know why I wasn’t excited to see…
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Power Outage
Editor’s Note: The following post was written by Nate Mortenson. Last week the whole region where we live in Bolivia had difficulties with electrical generators or other technical parts of the power plant. Consequently, Carmen Pampa University and the whole surrounding village had no electricity for almost 3 days. After the problem was fixed, we…
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Prisoners doing Prison Ministry, Wait…What?
It was an interesting day at prison. I came as I usually do on Thursday morning to facilitate the faith-sharing group I helped to start last August. It’s been one full year since the day I decided to take the leap of faith. I saw the need for this group and there was a lot…
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Marching with Survivors of Sexual Violence
Editor’s note: Missioner Valerie Ellis describes two events she participated in for the recent Bolivian National Day to Support Victims and Survivors of Sexual Violence. As we began the climb through the mountains, so did the sun. When our trufi got high enough to see the snow, we took chilly pictures over the landscape of…
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Through the Eye of the Needle, Part 4: Realities of Cultural Imperialism
Editor’s Note: Lay missioner Annemarie Barrett continues the special five-part series, “Through the Eye of the Needle: Unpacking White Privilege in the Journey Towards Racial Reconciliation” on how her time in mission in Latin America is shaping her understanding of racism and privilege. I have lost track of the number of times that I have been…
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Learning About Cognitive Development
Second-year missioner Valerie Ellis shares about one of her ministry sites in Bolivia. I love working at Comunidad Educativa Para La Vida (CEV), a school in Chilimarca, Bolivia, dedicated to giving children in poverty a healthy start at life. It has a strong commitment to comprehensive childhood development and the protection of human rights. Recently…
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God Has A Plan For Me
Missioner Hady Mendez reflects on a recent decision and upcoming transition. It’s true I decided to go back home to the U.S. this December at the end of my two-year contract with Franciscan Mission Service. It’s hard to describe how I feel: happy, excited, sad, and nervous, all wrapped into one. I’m happy because I finally…
Read MoreBlack Lives Matter Bolivia
It was February 12th when I received the first email. The subject line was “First Steps Towards a Worthy Cause”. The email talked about coming together as a US community in Bolivia to voice our concerns around the racial injustices taking place all over the US. My first reaction? Why are we doing this now?…
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Food on Mission
Nate writes: Here is a photo of our weekly food consumption for one week. FMS supports us with a monthly stipend that compares closely to the minimum wage of an average “official” work sector job of a Bolivian. And it’s worth noting that the majority of Bolivians work some where within the bounds of an unofficial…
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Bridge-Building in Bolivia
Lay missioner Hady Mendez answers one of the questions mostly frequently asked of a missioner: “What do you do in Bolivia?” I build bridges. No, not the kind people walk on or cars drive across. I build other types of bridges. Another way to describe what I do is “bring people together”. It’s not actually…
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The Light Remains: 2013 in Review
public domain Many thanks to the Advent reflection series contributors. Below are reflections our readers particularly enjoyed, listed again in case you missed them: The Light of One: The Gift of Yourself by Hady Mendez The Light of One: Confessions of a Bad Listener by Sarah Hoffeditz The Light of One: Preparing to Be Overwhelmed…
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I…ummm….I’m a Missioner.
Franciscan missioner Hady Mendez reflects on embracing her new identity as a lay missioner. We did collaborative training this past week with three other mission organizations: Maryknoll Lay Missioners , Society of African Lay Missioners , and Comboni Lay Missionary Program . In all, there were 16 missioners preparing for life on mission. It was…
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A Window into a Soul
Mateusz Stachowski Missioner-in-training Valerie Ellis reflects on the powerful effect love’s presence has made on her in her relationship with a woman at her volunteer site. I was offered a window into Angela’s* life. I saw a woman who looked much younger than ninety-seven. I heard of a life, just the inklings of understanding about…
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Sermon Junkie
Missioner-in-training Mary Mortenson reflects on the influence of sermons on her faith. Photo by ADG Lab I’m going to be honest. I am a sucker for a good sermon. I love going to church, sitting down in a pew, folding chair, or even on a couch, and hearing a man or a woman share their…
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Welcome Back, Kotter — I mean, Hady
Photo by flickr user Olivier de Sedona Missioner-in-training Hady Mendez reflects on her past and future. You ever heard of the hit TV show “Welcome Back Kotter,” which aired back in the ’70s? It’s a story of a teacher who graduates from a high school in Brooklyn and ends up going back to the same…
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Conversations on Faith
Missioner-in-training Nate Mortenson talks about journeying through mission formation together with his wife Mary. The couple is preparing to go to Bolivia in January. Mary Mortenson, as photographed by Nate Mortenson Mary and I got away for our weekly date-night on Tuesday. They’ve become pretty important for us living in the residential community with other…
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Friendship on the Street: Take Two
Missioner-in-training Valerie Ellis reflects on one of her experiences with those living on the streets of Washington, D.C. Yesterday, I met Brad.* When we first met, he thanked us for the food that we gave and asked if we would like to pray. He joined hands with us and we prayed the Our Father. Brad…
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A Poem for Bolivia (and more)
Franciscan Mission Service file photo A few thoughts from missioner-in-training Hady Mendez on Bolivia, her recent retreat, and scripture. Bolivia I do not know you YET Will you welcome me with a warm embrace? Show me your people — I know how they suffer. Injustice and racism take their toll. Tears and sadness. Doesn’t…
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Midterm Retreat: Out of the City into the Country
Missioner-in-training Mary Mortenson shares about the midterm retreat she and her formation classmates took. We went on retreat this past week. Fr. Ed Shea, a Franciscan priest from Chicago, came to lead it. It was a blessing. A blessing to get out into the countryside and be surrounded by farmland. The farm girl in me…
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Catholic Heroes — Can’t Get Enough of Them!
Missioner-in-training Hady Mendez comments on some of the media she has been exposed to during formation for mission. “There But For the Grace of God” was the name of a funk/disco song when I was growing up. I remember dancing to the song quite a bit yet never giving a second thought to what the…
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Photos from My Archives
Nate Mortenson, missioner-in-training, is excited to use his skills of photography to document the life experiences he and his wife Mary share here in D.C. and while on mission. These are some photos from years ago: my family, places, and moments. I’ve been drawn to shooting black and white film photos for their nostalgic qualities…
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Onward and Upward
Being continuously called back to the Creator. Photo by Nate Mortenson Through discussions, required readings, spiritual direction, and prayer, our mission training program has many opportunities to reflect on life, faith, and self. Here’s what been on missioner-in-training Mary Morrtenson’s mind these last few weeks. One concept that I’ve been mulling over since the beginning…
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The Kingdom of God
By flickr connerdowney via Creative Commons Missioner-in-training Brittany Koepke reflects on her experience volunteering in D.C. for mission formation. During group prayer the other night the question was proposed, “In what moment of today did you glimpse the Kingdom of God?” I immediately thought of my volunteer site with the Missionaries of Charity that I…
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Walking the Walk – I’m On My Way
Here’s the latest blog post from missioner-in-training Hady Mendez. Hady and her five classmates are training at our Washington, D.C. headquarters for service to Bolivia. We have been discussing the notion of “simplicity” during formation. Essentially, the act of “living more with less”. I wish I could explain the new direction my life is taking,…
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On Two Wheels in DC
Missioner-in-training Nate Mortenson reflects on his journey to D.C. and where he is volunteering while in training here. As we packed up the car for our move to Washington, D.C. I thought it would be ridiculous for my wife Mary and me to take our bikes along. I mean life, would be too busy with…
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Shopping for Trust
Missioner-in-training Dae Doseff’s first reflection from formation touches on what life is like in the community house where the missioners-in-training live with our volunteers and other residents. Trust is one of the most difficult things for me to do in life. Trusting myself to make good decisions, trusting that God’s plan is going to be…
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Friends on the Street
Missioner-in-training Valerie Ellis reflects on the need of those around us. I was thinking back to a time when I really needed a friend of mine to be present in my life. Because I really needed her, I was spending more time with her. It struck me that at times when I didn’t need her…
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Let Your Mercy Light The Path Before Me
Discerning and preparing for mission can be an emotional process, as missioner-in-training Brittany Koepke shares here. “I could be safe here in Your arms and never leave homeI could just stay right where I am and hope to feel YouBut You have called me higherYou have called me deeperAnd I will go where You will…
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Can I Get An Amen?
From The McKenna Center Missioner-in-training Hady Mendez talks about meeting the men at her Wednesday morning service site. As I think about social justice, children come to mind. And women. But I hardly ever find myself thinking about the men that need help on their journey and what I could be doing to accompany them.…
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Life on Pause
Nate and Mary Mortenson Missioner-in-training Mary Mortenson shares her thoughts on the beginning of mission training. Nate and I arrived in Washington, D.C. the Monday of Labor Day, tired and emotional. We had spent our summer moving back home to help my parents on the strawberry farm, taking long bike trips, celebrating weddings and saying…
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