So I Do Not Run Aimlessly
We started dreaming up a plan to build a fitness center and a school of faith and art to inspire local kids to live better. Many of the local youth only get one or two meals a day, and these are often just rice, noodles, plantains, or yuca.
Sacraments, Concrete Floors, and Lives Changed
The mission trip participants, full-time missionaries, and local volunteers labored together to lay concrete floors in two homes and to beautify a chapel with a new coat of paint. They held prayer services in two pueblos, and did many home visits, talking with the locals and praying with them for their needs and intentions.
Movie Review: Silence
A few weekends ago, my husband noticed the movie Silence while browsing Amazon Prime. I remembered hearing about this 2016 film telling the story of Jesuit missionaries in Japan. It is directed by Martin Scorsese and listed a promising cast, so we decided to spend a Sunday afternoon watching it.
Change of Heart
We were in the middle of praying the rosary when we heard a voice behind us call out, “Can you please talk to my daughter? I don’t want her to have an abortion!”
A Missed Opportunity and a New Friend
I was so sad I didn’t get any information about Telmita. I’d been praying that God would send me a friend during this transition, and I felt I had missed this opportunity.
A Lesson on Mercy
I was angry and resentful, counting the ways this man “duped” us. It was another lesson of mercy. If I think about it, how many times do I call on God just to get what I want? And he still loves me just like Chris loves this guy.
Celebrating 25 Years of Mission
God has worked powerfully through the Summers family and the missionaries who have served during these first 25 years of FMC! We pray for His blessing over the next 25.
Meet Sammy Romero: Member Care Facilitator
As my wife and I sought out and began to find restoration and renewal for ourselves, we discovered a new calling in bringing the same to the larger FMC community.
The Cross
I grasped and kissed that wooden cross and thanked and praised Jesus over and over and over. I knew and believed deep down, Jesus wanted me here, in Peru. He MUST be willing my good in some way through this suffering.
Frankly, I Want to Go to Heaven
Naturally, in a family with eight children, you learn to take care of others. When Mrs. Genie asked us to watch over Mr. Frank while she went to visit a relative, we were slightly uncomfortable. Even though we were used to taking care of others, never had we taken care of someone whom we had respected as much as Mr. Frank.
God Loves All His Children
My Dad coordinated one day with the nuns to visit their Girls Home. We were greeted by about a hundred of them, in the driveway of the home, all of them waving and trying to get a look at us, a family of nine white foreigners.
Birthing a New Mission
These hidden sufferings are the things that till the soil of the mission post, that soften our hearts to the sufferings of the poor. Each suffering, endured with patience, offered up for the salvation of the souls around us, are the seeds that will spring forth into flowers and trees.
Kiss Her Foot
When our day was coming to an end, a woman named Irma showed up at the clinic. Unfortunately, it was too late in the day, and our doctor could not see any more patients. It broke my heart that Irma may not be able to receive the medical care that she needed.
Child-like Faith
A few years ago, an estranged family member showed up at Eusebia’s door with two young girls, aged 3 and 6, that Eusebia had never seen before. The man instructed the girls to sit on Eusebia’s porch while he briefly described the unfortunate circumstances which led their parents to abandon them. He hustled back to his car, and drove away—never to be seen or heard from again.
Hopeful Futures
Obed shared that he was ready to change. Unfortunately I didn’t believe him, but I gave him the opportunity to prove himself by inviting him to come to my house the next day and discuss it further.
Long-Lasting Fruits of the Mission
Raul, was a local butcher, who helped Genie when she came to the store to buy their family’s meat. Genie constantly invited him to come to their weekly prayer meetings, but Raul couldn’t be bothered. He worked hard to provide for his family, but he was not what you’d call a family man.
The Sweet Sound of the Good News
It was a wonderful affirmation to me of how important it is to reach out to the children in places like Taiwan who, by virtue of their age, tend to have more “fertile ears” and are more open to receiving the message. It was a beautiful day in so many ways. The kids even tried to help teach us how to play their instruments!
Near Me
As a little girl, I could always tell when my mom had stubbed her toe. We would hear a crash from the other room followed by, “Praise you, Jesus!” Then, “I’m okay.” When I was learning the Ten Commandments, I asked her if that wasn’t using God’s name in vain? “No,” she answered decidedly. “I am choosing to praise God in my suffering. I really mean it.”
