Overseas Lay Missioners
Rejoice with Me!
Editor’s Note: In her first FMS blog post, lay missioner Mary Liepold, OFS describes her season of formation through the lens of joy. This phase of my new life is called formation, a spiritual, intellectual, and even physical preparation for the mission ahead. My Franciscan Mission Service formation began in August of 2023, with the…
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Trust in the Midst of Change
Editor’s Note: In preparation of her move to El Paso, lay missioner Kim Wagner reflects on the various changes that she experiences on mission and how each change is an opportunity to trust in God. As I ended my shift last Thursday at The Migrant Resource Center (MRC), I gathered my belongings, said goodbye to…
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Family Ministry in Los Molinos
Editor’s Note: Lay missioner Victor Artaiz describes how family ministry has flourished in Los Molinos, one of his ministry sites in Cochabamba, Bolivia. As I look back over the last year at one of my ministries here in Cochabamba, I am filled with gratitude for the fruits that have come from Franciscan virtues such as…
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Having Hope in Times of Hopelessness
Editor’s Note: As she serves in the US-Mexico border region, lay missioner Kim Wagner reflects on how she finds hope during a seemingly hopeless situation. As I finish setting bowls and spoons on the kitchen counter during my shift at El Centro de Recursos para Migrantes (The Migrant Resource Center), I check my watch one…
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Ministry at Centro Social Franciscano
Editor’s Note: Lay missioner Victor Artaiz describes the ministries of Centro Social Franciscano, the organization where he lives and serves in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Franciscan Mission Service has provided its Overseas Lay Missioners the blessing of living at a converted convent in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Centro Social Franciscano has served the city’s community of people living on…
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Thoughts to My Desconocido/a
Editor’s Note: As a reflection while participating in the Migrant Trail Walk, lay missioner Julia Pinto shares what she would say to her desconocido/a–an unidentified person who passed away while migrating. June 5, 2024 The Migrant Trail Walk is an annual 75-mile journey on foot from Sasabe, Mexico to Tucson, Arizona to honor the lives…
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Holding Privilege on the Border
Editor’s Note: Lay missioner Kim Wagner recognizes a privilege that she has as a US citizen and realizes how she can use her privilege on mission at the US-Mexico border. As I leave the Centro de Recursos para Migrantes (Migrant Resource Center) in Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico after my volunteer shift, I walk along the…
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