The Laborers are Few: Come and See March 2013
We were blessed by a great turn out for this month’s Come & See with 2 families, 4 young women and 3 young men. This past weekend was charged with missionary enthusiasm as we hosted one of our largest Come & See weekends ever. This four-day retreat at Big Woods Mission, our base in Abbeville, Louisiana provides an opportunity for visitors…
From the Bayou to the Desert
Our Mission at Home By Genie Summers Those who are supporting and following our mission work, surely have noticed that we are a group of itinerant missionaries, surrendering to workings of the Holy Spirit who places us where we are most needed and where we most need to be. As I reflected on where Frank and I are now, at…
Mr. Frank’s Reflections on Pope Francis
Brothers and Sisters, I am so blessed by the selection of our new pope, and I want to reflect on what he already means for me: Pope Francis is a Jesuit. And that means a lot. Because he is a Jesuit, he is a member of one of the largest and oldest communities of PROPHETS in the Catholic Church, men…
Jesus in the Jungle
This an except from an email sent to our Director, Joseph by the team leader in Ahuano, Ecuador: Luis Checking in. We are so blessed brother. Congratulations on the new baby may God make a mighty witness of the Lord through him. Praise God for our new pope and for the many blessings coming to our Church. Last week as…
Sharing Our Wounds
By Sarah Summers Granger I couldn’t pray, couldn’t even lift my head. I sat on the floor of the dark empty chapel, weeping silently before the tabernacle. No words, no thoughts, nothing but the bone breaking sadness in my soul filled my mind. I felt beaten, broken, crushed. After years of suffering, my eight year marriage – my life as…
Small Faith Communities are the Hope of the Church
By Frank Summers Since the Puebla Conference of Latin American Bishops, with John Paul II, in 1979, the Church has encouraged the formation of small community groupings for Christian formation and missionary outreach. The Puebla bishops noted that Paul VI saw these small communities as “the hope of the Church,” and John Paul II highlighted these small communities as one of…
The Ultimate Christmas Gift: An Update
[pullquote1 quotes=”true” align=”center”]Instead, we are going to give this family something needed, something that will last, something that will be whole-heartedly appreciated, something that will change their lives—a roof, solid walls, and a floor because we found that the ULTIMATE GIFT IS GIVING to those who truly need the gift.[/pullquote1] The Seilhan family are prospective missionaries who, God willing will…
Learning How to be Pro-Life in the Philippines
FMC ♥’s Kids with Diabetes
Please help us to help Dulce, a precious little girl from the farming village of La Boquilla in rural Mexico. The youngest of eight children, she is ten years old now, and is living a happy, healthy life thanks to an insulin pump donated to her by missionaries seven years ago. Sadly, she has outgrown her current pump and is…
Joy is a Prisoner
One “Glory Story” I had on one of my visits a few weeks ago was about an answered prayer. I was up late putting the final touches on my presentation when suddenly my phone started buzzing with new texts. “Sorry, Odilio, I cannot come to the jail with you tomorrow” was one and another said that they couldn’t go because…
Interested in going on a Mission Trip in 2013?
How Do You Respond to a Love Like That?
By Sarah Summers Granger The last fading rays of the sunset reflected off of the Mediterranean Ocean, giving the waves a silvery glow. I remember thinking that the view, the crisp February breeze, and the empty beach stretching out long in every direction were all so perfect. At any other time, I would have been captivated by every detail, but…
Teurlings Catholic High School Winter Work Day
The 35 young men of the two-time State Champion Teurlings wrestling team under the direction of Coach Kent Mason came out to do a little volunteer work at Big Woods this week. We are so blessed by the sweat and hard work they put in to make our grounds look more beautiful while also helping us with some much needed spring…
The Green Explosion
By Genie Summers All of a sudden, I can see the “baby” green leaves giving a lovely hope of Spring. I love Louisiana in mid-February. Spring is already peeking out at us from barren trees, grasses that have browned, and in the outrageously beautiful blooms on the Japenese Magnolia trees and fragrant Narcissus blossoms that line the flower beds of…
GOD HELP US! We’ve got to improve the way we do things.
By Frank Summers These are very alarming times, for the world and for the Church. A survey reported in one Catholic magazine puts it this way: …[F]our out of five Catholic youngsters fall away, defect to other denominations, embrace New Age cults or succumb to unbelief…. Catholic students [were found to be] lower in religious knowledge than any other group, including Protestants,…
A Few Heartwarming Stories from the Field
A short story from Susanna A. A few months ago, I was teaching a poor parish high school on an island in the Philippines. Some of the ‘bad’ kids would repeatedly disrupt my classes, ignore the assignments, refuse to participate, fall asleep in class, and wait for me to write them off. But I refused to do it. Although I…
Help US bring Clean Water to Two Villages in Mexico
The villages of Luz y Colon and Fortin in the desert of Northern Mexico have over 30 families who have been in desperate need of water for more than 3 months now. These villages are faithful to prayer and Mass, showing up in large numbers every time they are visited by missionaries or priests. Family Missions Company has a unique opportunity to be an answer to…
Giving Credibility to our Witness: Living our Goodbye
By Sheila Papuzynski When my husband’s cell phone started buzzing at 4 in the morning, and I saw the name of one of the youth we work with flash on the screen, my heart started racing as I jolted up and woke John-Paul. Knowing this teen’s background, knowing some of his struggles and the situation of his family, it was…
