Archive for December, 2008
Our Lady of Guadalupe has deep meaning in lives of sponsored members
Today is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, celebrating Mary’s apparition to an indigenous man, Juan Diego. This important Mexican holiday represents God’s deep and intimate love for the poor. Mary and Jesus walk with the poor through Juan Diego, calling him by name and recognizing his dignity and the dignity of the Mexican people, who had just been conquered by Spain.
Matilde Mendoza, a CFCA staff member from the town of Villa Garcia, in the state of Nuevo Leon, summed up the importance of the Virgin of Guadalupe to CFCA’s sponsored members.
“The words of Mary to Juan Diego are the words that CFCA has contemplated: ‘Am I not here with you who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection?’
“Mary comes and gives hope, returning the dignity of the people, uniting the cultures. Everyone receives her love. This is CFCA for our sponsored people, making present the words of Mary in their realities.”
The story of the Virgin of Guadalupe
The morning of Dec. 9, 1531, Juan Diego was walking near the Hill of Tepeyac when he had a vision of the Virgin Mary. In his native language of Nahualt, she instructed that a church be built at the site. Juan Diego, an Aztec Indian, relayed the request to Mexico’s first bishop, Juan de Zumarraga. When the Spanish bishop demanded proof of this vision, Juan Diego returned to the hill Dec. 12. Mary once again appeared to him and told him to collect some roses from the top of the usually barren and desolate hill.
He gathered the roses in his cloak and returned to the bishop. As the roses tumbled to the floor, an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe was emblazoned upon his cloak. Here was the proof Bishop Zumarraga needed, and he approved the construction of the church.
Today, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is located north of Mexico City, and 477 years after her appearance Mary’s image is still visible on Juan Diego’s cloak, which hangs in the basilica.
Celebration in Villa de Garcia
The feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated from Dec. 3-12. The forms of venerating and celebrating the Virgin of Guadalupe vary according to region, neighborhood, church, city and state.
In Villa de Garcia, home to 270 CFCA sponsored members, Mass is celebrated every afternoon followed by pilgrimages and lectures about Mary or performances portraying the encounters between her and Juan Diego.
Pilgrimages through Villa de Garcia
The pilgrimages weave through Villa de Garcia so that the largest number of people can participate. The Matlachines, indigenous dancers in traditional clothing, lead the pilgrimage by dancing and beating the drum. The people follow and, from time to time, sing and pray.
Serenading the Virgin
On Dec. 11, the pilgrimages end at midnight with mariachi performers serenading the Virgin, and on Dec. 12, after the Mass, people gather at a big festival for fellowship and to honor the Lady of Guadalupe.
December 12, 2008 at 11:46 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 2 comments
Bob’s report: Visit to El Salvador and Honduras
Preachers mission awareness trip
Dec. 2-9, 2008
CFCA preachers make history with first preacher awareness trip
This is a very special group and a very special opportunity for all participants, for the projects, for our beloved sponsored and for CFCA. Nine CFCA preachers attended our first preacher awareness trip to gain a deeper sense of the CFCA world. The El Salvador hosts were the sponsored families, Henry Flores, Yessenia Alfaro and the entire CFCA team. In Honduras, the hosts were the sponsored families, CFCA staff leaders Miriam Cartagena, Luis Jaco and the entire CFCA Team.
On Dec. 3, CFCA scholar Martita spoke in our opening prayer. Abandoned by her father when she was just 2, her mother struggled to send her children to school. Martita will graduate in one year with a bachelor’s in computer science and administration. After learning that Martita’s CFCA scholarship covered only half of her university expenses, Father Jim O’Toole stepped forward and offered to become her sponsor.
Personal stories stand out
Tradition among the sponsored families in Tacuba is to silently hide in the church and surprise the mission awareness trip participants who arrive thinking that the town is still asleep. Father Bob Hasenkamp celebrated Holy Mass with Salvadoran Father Edwin Roberto Nunez.
When speaking of language limitations, Father Bob Hasenkamp mentioned that “we speak with our eyes and our hearts.”
Family visits along with natural and stimulating interchanges followed. The preachers commented that they were hearing really fine anecdotes for their personal edification and for their preaching. (more…)
December 11, 2008 at 5:18 pm Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 4 comments
Meeting Miriam
A sponsor realizes what sponsorship truly means after meeting her friend during a mission awareness trip in El Salvador, October 2008. This video was created by Annie Winter, a CFCA volunteer in Latin America.
December 9, 2008 at 11:55 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 1 comment
Terrorist attacks shake India
By Dan Pearson, CFCA International Project Director
The mood is tense in India after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. India is no stranger to terrorist attacks. One of the parks in Hyderabad where my kids like to play was the location of a terrorist bombing last year. But the nature of the attacks in Mumbai seems to have affected people here more profoundly than any previous act of terrorism.
I have been living in the city of Hyderabad, but I was in Delhi the night that the attacks in Mumbai began. I had spent the day in a nearby town, and my train arrived back in Delhi after 10 p.m. The reports of the attacks were just beginning at that time, but I didn’t hear any news when I arrived at the train station. I turned on the TV when I got back to my hotel to see why the streets of Delhi were so quiet, and that’s when I learned what was happening in Mumbai. I called my wife to assure her that I was all right. I watched the news coverage for several hours that first night, shocked at the extent of the attacks and wondering how the country would react.
I was scheduled to fly back to Hyderabad the next morning. The drive to the airport was much faster than usual because the traffic was so light. It appeared that many people decided to stay home that first morning until the scope of the attacks became clearer. Elections were scheduled in Delhi in a couple of days, and there was speculation that Delhi might also be a target.
Life was pretty normal back in Hyderabad. But conversations seemed to find their way to discussion of the terrorist attacks. People wondered why it was taking so long for the army to capture the terrorists and liberate the hostages. They complained that they weren’t more prepared. They speculated on which cities might be targeted next. We checked the news several times a day. Each time we thought we would see that it was all over. But the crisis refused to end.
The Indians I have talked with clearly feel less safe than they did a couple of weeks ago. The brazenness of these attacks and the duration of the standoff have taken a heavy toll on the sense of security. India has made significant economic progress in recent years, and even a visitor like me can sense a growing confidence among Indians about their country and their future. These attacks seem to have shaken that confidence, at least for the moment.
A moment of reflection with Prayer Partners
By Sponsor Terrie Watkins
As so many of us, my daily life is hectic and distracting. When I received the invitation from CFCA for Prayer Partners, it sounded appealing. What I didn’t expect was that I would be so moved and impressed with the prayers.
They take me out of my daily “busyness” and bring me to a moment of reflection and communication with the Lord that is all too often neglected. It has provided a talking point with my family, as I can read the prayers at dinner and share the message. I am eagerly looking forward to continuing this communication. Thank you!
Prayer Partners began in August 2008 to provide a doorway into the CFCA projects. These weekly e-mails offer a prayerful way to support the CFCA community and hopefully, to also enhance your own spiritual life. Prayer Partners is delivered on Mondays, and you can sign up to receive the e-mails on our Web site.
December 3, 2008 at 2:10 pm Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
World AIDS Day: Young HIV patients are the best teachers
Taking medicine is routine for young HIV patients
Many mothers will tell you how hard it is to get their young children to take medicine. For young patients with HIV at CFCA’s Dar es Salaam project in Tanzania, taking medicine is a matter of life and death.
When the patients from the Intensive Day Therapy program arrive at the project clinic at 6:30 a.m., Project Coordinator Mary Dawn Reavey has their medication measured and set out on the table. Young children swallow nine cups of liquid until they are old enough to take pills. At that point, they take six pills: an antiretroviral drug plus five supplements.
The 23 children range in age from 3 to 18 years and attend day school on the project grounds. They visit the clinic before leaving to take another round of medicine.
Children help each other
Reavey teaches the children to swallow pills at age 3.
“Liquid medicine is much more expensive and it is easy to counterfeit, so the goal is to switch the children to pills as early as possible,” she said.
The cost for antiretroviral tablets is $20 a month for one child, versus $100 for liquids.
Typical of children, they make a game out of taking their medicine.
“They have competitions to see who is the fastest to take their medicine and who can take the most pills at once,” Reavey said.
Success entails being firm, consistent and patient, and giving lots of positive reinforcement. Peer pressure helps, too. Though it can be hard for the young children, they are usually pros after a week.
“Often they are so sick when they arrive and they have been so stigmatized, that when they enter a community where all their friends also take medicine and are showered with love and care, they start feeling better in a few days and actually seem to appreciate the medicine,” Reavey said.
Patients spread message of hope and compassion
Every segment of the community has been impacted by HIV/AIDS, Reavey said. Family members, teachers, health-care workers and leaders have been lost to AIDS.
“We have a tremendous need for education and the promotion of hope and compassion,” Reavey said.
This is where the young patients help. They are the best teachers and advocates.
“We always have clusters of children coming for evaluation and often discover later that as one child enters the program and becomes well, other community members find the courage to also ask for help and bring their children and grandchildren out of seclusion to seek care,” she said.
December 1, 2008 at 1:26 pm Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
World AIDS Day: The stigma of AIDS in India
AIDS is still a taboo topic in India. But ignoring the problem is only making the situation worse.
It is estimated that 2.4 million people in India are currently living with HIV. That means that India ranks 3rd in the world in terms of the number of people with HIV, after South Africa and Nigeria.
Andhra Pradesh, a state in the southeast of India, has the highest prevalence of HIV in the country. Hyderabad is the capital of Andhra Pradesh, and CFCA’s project in Hyderabad is partnering with local non-profit organizations and community-based organizations that meet the needs of AIDS-affected children.
AIDS-affected children are either HIV positive, or their parents are. The children of HIV-postive parents may or may not be infected. But either way, they face the stigma of AIDS in a country that doesn’t want to face this growing problem.
People living with HIV are stigmatized and sometimes rejected by their communities, families and even spouses. A 2006 study commissioned by the National AIDS Control Organisation found that 25 percent of people living with HIV in India have been refused medical treatment on the basis of their HIV status. Human Rights Watch has carefully documented the treatment of children affected by HIV/AIDS, and they found routine stigmatization and abuse of these children.
“In some families, the person who is HIV positive won’t even tell their spouse or their in-laws for fear,” says Sukshmana Thakur, the CFCA Hyderabad social worker who works with AIDS-affected children. “The AIDS-affected children don’t tell their friends or teachers. The headmaster will know, but it is very confidential. The children are afraid that no one will play with them if they know the truth.”
Even organizations serving HIV-positive families are stigmatized. An orphanage serving AIDS orphans in Hyderabad has been forced to move location seven times because landlords keep evicting them once they find out that the children come from HIV-positive families.
Some HIV-positive parents are fired when their HIV status is disclosed or when they miss work because of illnesses caused by opportunistic infections. These families are poor to begin with, and losing a job makes their situation even more desperate.
CFCA sponsorship is providing hope to some AIDS-affected children in Andhra Pradesh. AIDS-affected children who are sponsored are able to go to school and have a nutritious diet even when their parents may be too sick to work. CFCA helps these children with clothing and medicines also, if they need them. “Some of the AIDS-affected sponsored children have parents who are beggars,” says Thakur, “but the children are able to go to school anyway because of sponsorship.”
The CFCA Hyderabad project is currently expanding its work with AIDS-affected children, and 162 more AIDS-affected children from the area will be available for sponsorship soon.
