The Catholic
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May Journal
of the McMarlin Family |
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During April . . .
Three events highlighted our routine of work and teaching in Guatemala during April. The first was a visit from Michelle Boudet, CFCA's Volunteer Coordinator in Kansas City. The second was Audrey's Seventeenth Birthday. Then, the month was concluded with a visit to a new CFCA subproject.
Michelle joined a Mission Awareness Trip (MAT) group and had the opportunity to sponsor her own child while she was here. Following her week with the MAT group, she remained in Guatemala for a couple of days to visit with Jeremy Yates, another CFCA volunteer in Guatemala, and later with us. We met Michelle and Jeremy in Antigua Guatemala, a city filled with history and beauty, for an evening together. The next morning Jeremy returned to San Lucas Toliman and Michelle accompainied us to Guatemala City on one of the local busses. Following a tour of the CFCA Project office, the seminary, and our part of the city, we had a traditional Guatemalan supper -- Dominoes Pizza! The next morning we saw Michelle off at the airport. Thank you, Michelle, we can't tell you how much we enjoyed your visit. The second event of the month was Audrey's seventeenth birthday on April 16th. She had a day FILLED with parties, but she will tell you about that in her "Palabras de Audrey" column below. Our third event occurred at the end of the month. We visited a brand new CFCA subproject, Rinconcito (SJR). Donna will tell you about the wonderful day we had visiting the children, and especially four of OUR OWN sponsored children. We also found a little girl for our oldest daughter, Mariterese, and her family to sponsor! |
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Palabras de Audrey
I cried about a hundred times that day. My birthday was nothing like what I expected, I suppose you can say I had a very Guatemalan birthday, and, if I wanted to or not I had to follow along with the traditions.
First I was scared out of my mind by firecrackers being thrown at the front door while I was talking with my parents in the living room, then my friends that live downstairs from us came up singing and giving me roses. (I got lucky, they didnt throw the firecrackers at 5am like most people!) We had a small party with pizza's and I was even surprised to find a few gifts, well then they started the speaches, everyone stood up around the table and gave a speach to me. Then, I had to stand and give my speach! I wasn't expecting to have to do that but somehow I think I got through (after crying because of all the nice things they said) I went to the seminary a short time after to have my spanish class, just like any other day right? Yeah... Padre Eduardo (my Spanish teacher) Jaime(James) and Hugo escorted me home, they all were carrying bags. I didnt think anything of it even though they barely ever really walked me home. It wasnt until I noticed how long Jamie and Padre were in the dining room before I started to wonder what was going on. I walked back to see a cake, pizza (mom did that one!), and gifts laid out on the table. I cried again. They sang songs, gave the speeches (I was ready this time!=) and I opened the gifts,(they talked about firecrackers but somehow understood mom's earlier threat "don't do it!") Yeah... I cried again. But it was truly an enjoyable birthday! ^_^ |
Palabras de Laurel
"If you are a volunteer missionary with the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging why are you teaching English in a seminary? What is the connection?"
CFCA has several programs that focus on alieviating poverty. The sponsorship of children and aging is the largest and most well known, but another is the sponsorship of seminarians and religious. The seminary of the Fraternidad Misionera de María is a sub-project of CFCA. Monsignor Eduardo Aguirre, the president of the seminary, is not only the subproject coordinator, but he is also the director of CFCA Project San Antonio. Most of the seminarians come from severely impoverished backgrounds, the many are from the Mayan culture (who make up 50% of Guatemala's population). Sponsorship is the only way any of these men could ever dream of attending seminary. I have the priviledge of worshipping with them at the daily Mass and the morning office, and I am profoundly touched by the depth of their spirituality. These young men love God in the very depths of their beings, and they dream of serving those who often have been without priests in remote villages in the mountains of Central and South America, the cities and tribal communities of Africa, as well in Europe and North America. Sponsorship of a seminarian or religious sister or brother is more costly than for the programs for the children and aging. A monthly contribution of $50.00 not only covers the same food, clothing, medical care expenses as for the children, but also covers the a substantial part of their education. Hugo and Jaime, pictured above with Audrey, are two examples. They will spend many years far away from their families and culture as they work among the poor of Kenya, Africa. I am humbled by their faith, their joy, their love, and their very goodness; what an honor it is to just know them. |
Palabras de Donna
Audrey, Laurel, and I left at seven o'clock in the morning for the two hour and a half hour drive to Rinconcito, Guatemala. We were joining a team from CFCA Project San Antonio on the first visit to this new subproject located high in the mountains southeast of Guatemala City.
We met Padre Vincenté, the parish priest of Rinconcito and CFCA Cooridinator of Subproject SJR, who escorted us to visit the children. We were very fortunate that he did because the winding dirt road up the mountain was so steep that the van we were riding in could not make it up. We piled into Padre Vincenté's 4-wheel drive vehicle for the final leg of our journey. We were in a small mountain community with adobe homes nestled among the trees of a coffee plantation that blanketed the mountain. Our first stop was at the La Joya school, one teacher for six grades. At the school we met Otto and his sister Silvia. Otto has cancer, has no hair due to the treatment, and has already lost one leg to the decease. What made this day so special to Laurel, Audrey, and me is that we are Otto's padrinos (CFCA sponsors), along with his sisters Silvia, Cecelia, and Geidy. After meeting Otto, Silvia, and the rest of the children at the school, we traveled by foot along mountain paths to Otto's house where we also met Cecelia and Geidy. We had two other homes to visit, our friends Sue and Herschel Turner from Alabama sponsor Edwin Adolfo; and, our life-long friends Skip and Theresa Hollis from Washington sponsor Lesli, the little girl that we featured in our February newsletter. None of the other children from Rinconcito are sponsored yet. One of the special benefits for our friends, and a real joy for us, is that they have someone they know who can visit their sponsored children regularly. That is something that is not available for the over 200,000 other CFCA sponsors. If you have been thinking of sponsoring a child, we would love to do that for you, too! |
