Solidarity in Peru
Peru shut down fast. With less than 24 hours notice, all flights in or out of the country were cancelled and everyone was ordered to stay home. In the cities, the quarantine and nightly curfew were being enforced by police and military.
Missionaries After Therese’s Heart
Starting ministry in a new mission post takes time to build relationships, determine where the needs are, and find how our family can best serve. We were just beginning to discover some of this when the stay-at-home order hit, preventing us from meeting anyone else.
Conduits of Christ
The Holy Spirit inspired us to give away crucifixes as tangible expressions of Jesus’ love for us. We searched and searched, and eventually found a little shop in a faraway town that sells religious items.
Learning the End of the Story
Isaura asked me what the Resurrection was. Angela and I looked at each other shocked, realizing that this couple, who had a large image of Jesus’ Cross on a poster above their table, had never heard of the Resurrection. The Resurrection changes everything, and this man was about to die without knowing about it.
Update: Our Lady of Rest
God is so good! He has given us this place for people who otherwise have no one to care for them, and we are able to care for them not only physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well.
Raw Ecuador
Ecuador. What a beautiful, raw, and wild mission post this is! A good two hours from the nearest city, you find yourself in a community of around 100 people…
Why Did You Stay?
When we talked about whether we would stay [in Peru] during this time or try to get back to the States, Robert and I were both on the same page. God, in His mercy, gave us clarity and peace about staying and continuing to serve the people—our own friends and neighbors—during this difficult time of uncertainty for many.
Finding Joy in the Unknown
Yes, the Lord was definitely calling us to New Zealand. But when would we go? And how? Then more confusion, doubt, and suffering struck with the coronavirus. New Zealand closed its borders.
Erik’s Reflection on Pentecost
Erik expects an unprecedented Pentecost for unprecedented times. “It’s my prayer that we would no longer keep Christ quarantined within our homes, within our church walls — that we would be bold proclaimers of the Gospel.”
Natalia’s Reflection on the Ascension
Natalia Schumann reflects on the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven and His last words to his disciples. #thegreatcommission
Lockdown Ministry in Peru
I never knew living in solidarity with the poor meant being locked away from them for weeks! I think about what St. Paul must have felt when he was imprisoned: his ministries were halted by the authorities and he was unable to share the Good News as he planned. However St. Paul did not sit idle during his confinement.
A Missionary in a Pandemic
“I certainly didn’t plan for a worldwide pandemic to happen in my first year back in the field,” I shared with her. “None of us knew that this would happen,” she said. “But the Lord knew. And He still called you.” She encouraged me to sit with that, not as a reason to either stay or go, but rather to really give everything back to the Lord and seek Him in each situation.
Novena of Praise and Thanks
FMC’s Response to COVID-19
We’ve put together an FAQ page in response to and in anticipation of the many questions you may have about our missionaries and our response to the current pandemic.
A Missionary Family
Some days I feel like I’m not doing much—I have this vision of getting up in front of the congregation, preaching the Gospel from my heart to a church full of people and playing guitar while leading beautiful hymns. Then reality hits: I don’t speak Spanish that well, and I can’t play the guitar. This missionary life has been a lesson in putting what little I have at the disposal of the Holy Spirit, even my weakness.
Gabriel and the Wooden Airplane
I looked in his eyes and told him he was a special young man. I asked him why he did it; His response was simple, “It’s what Jesus would have done.”
Meru Children’s Home
Doktors in Taiwan
The first night was interesting for sure. The nights still got down to the 40s and, without heat, we were a little chilly. There were a bunch of noises, too, to feed our imaginations: some weird squealing (which we think now is a nighthawk), a rooster who must be jet lagged too as he started at 2am, and then stray dogs barking for what seemed like hours at a time. We were rattled by the initial shock of being in such a different place. The next morning, the reading was from Mark 4 where Jesus calmed the storm and I felt like the Lord was speaking to me when he said, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” (Mark 4:40)
