Christ is Found Everywhere

Sorry I have not been able to write for a while. We had the week of mountain mission that I already wrote about, a week to regroup and help with multiple parish events, and then I was gone for another week. This time I was on a team that went to Kukinka, Musula, and three other small aldeas. It was kind of crazy because I did not know that I was on the team until the last minute.

This mission was somewhat more intense than the last. We had to ride the bus to get there, there was no electricity, and we had to walk a couple of hours each day to visit nearby (and not so nearby) aldeas. Again, we had programs for kids, youth, and adults each day, sometimes multiple times in one day because we went to more than one aldea. We also visited families in the parish, especially those who were sick.

I was surprised the entire week by the many places where I found Christ. These aldeas are some of the most difficult. They are isolated and lack basic faith formation. But Christ is still there and His presence was so tangible. In a 98-year-old blind and nearly deaf grandmother, in the strength to get up the next hill, in the simplicity of a people who have never watched a TV, in the joy and generosity of a family that has suffered so much from the loss of a daughter.

All-in-all this mission was more difficult than the last, physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally but it turned out really well. Now we have a high school youth group here and are preparing to take them to a nearby aldea next week.