missioner
A Love for Athletics
Editor’s Note: Current missioner in formation Hannah Hagarty shares with us how her experience with athletics has shaped who she is today. Athletics was an important part of my life growing up. My great grandfather was a professional boxer. His son, my grandpa, played both basketball and tennis in college. Like their dad, my mom…
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Meaningful Encounters
Editor’s Note: Development Associate, Derek Slaton, shares a conversation he had with current missioner in formation, Becky Kreidler, regarding her love for intentional encounters with those in her life. By talking to Becky I was able to develop a deeper understanding of what motivates her and what matters most to her. In this blog I…
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Letting Go: The Freedom to Dare
Editor’s Note: FMS returned missioner and board member Lee Lechtenberg reflects on how a time of great trust while on mission in Bolivia led to a time of great freedom. I lay in bed – falling. In a few days we would be boarding an 11 pm Miami flight south into the darkness. We had sold the house, stored our…
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One more year
My third year serving as a Franciscan lay missioner with FMS invited me to become rooted in my community here in Cochabamba, Bolivia. And being rooted in this community has opened my eyes to more of the complexities of the marginalization experienced by our sisters and brothers here. I desire to continue to grow in…
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Mission Monday: “How Life Prepared Me for Mission”
In today’s post, current missioner Hady Mendez reflects on how the relationships she developed and enjoyed before mission prepared her for her ministry of presence as a Franciscan lay missioner. When I was living in New York, I used to often go to a salon in Jersey City. Mary owned the salon. Lucy did my…
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New Board Members: Welcome, Lee Lechtenberg and Fr. Wayne Hellmann (O.F.M. Conv.)!
Franciscan Mission Service welcomes two new board members: returned missioner Lee Lechtenberg and Fr. Wayne Hellmann (O.F.M. Conv.)! Their invitation and acceptance illustrates the balance and richness of Franciscan Mission Service’s board through Lee’s experiences as a missioner in Bolivia as well as Fr. Hellmann’s professional expertise as a historical theologian and his personal commitment…
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Budget Travel Tidbits for a Volunteer
Just because you have decided to dedicate your time and energy to service work, doesn’t mean you have to let go of that desire to explore the world. In fact, volunteering can often open new doors to travel opportunities. Here are a few tips we gathered from seasoned travelers in our office to keep your…
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Encountering God in Heartbreak
This Advent, we reached out to our network and asked, “Where did you encounter God this year?” Today’s response comes from Megeen Testa White, a board member who was one of our very first missioners back in 1991 to 1993 when she served in Zimbabwe. Megeen is now a nurse and lives in Silver Spring,…
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Mission Monday: What it means to be without power.
As Superstorm Sandy raged and roared outside, missioner candidate Jeff Sved found that going without electricity would be very similar to his adjustment to a new culture and a new lifestyle. What does a week without electricity mean for a group of missioners-in-training?A little extra challenge. And a whole lot more to reflect on… For…
Read MoreWorld Mission Sunday!
We would like to bring awareness to the multitude of dedicated people living out a call to service abroad on mission. These individuals work hard with willing hands and listening hearts to bring God’s light and love to international communities. Please keep our missioners in Bolivia, Kenya, and South Africa in your prayers. The work…
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Prayers for Christmas: Justice and Peace
In today’s Mass readings, we are reminded of a future where “Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.” Our missioner Catherine Giller echoes this hope in her prayer for Christmas. “My prayer in this Christmas season is that the true light of the world will shine for all to see…
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Mission Monday: A trip to the Apartheid Museum
For our first “Mission Monday,” post, we’d like to share with you excerpts from the blog of our missioners in South Africa, Tim and Cecilia Marcy. “We recently visited the internationally acclaimed Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. Through photos, interactive displays, film clips, two longer films, and hundreds of actual items and displays with aural or…
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How to be forgetful…the Franciscan way
In his recent article “The Rugged Altruists,” N.Y. Times op-ed columnist David Brooks discusses three virtues that American individuals must possess in order to better create successful impacts (from the point of view of the recipients) upon communities around the world that are disadvantaged in areas like education, economic prosperity, and health. Brooks extols personal…
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