Archive for July, 2009
Notes from the Field #9 — Colombia
During the mission awareness trip to Colombia, Adrian Velazquez, manager of parish outreach, saw how art and dance play an essential role in the development of the children. These creative outlets are helping the children grow in many positive ways, making this a benefit that goes beyond the basic necessities of food, clothing and shelter.
Watch more Notes from the Field.
July 30, 2009 at 10:20 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 1 comment
Bob’s notes – Visit to Guatemala
Mission awareness trip to Guatemala
July 11-18, 2009
Mission awareness trips are windows of insight into the spirituality of CFCA. The trips also provide insight into our sponsors’ growth in grace by walking with the poor.
In mutual respect and search, the spiritual journeys of the sponsors and sponsored become one. They appreciate their need for one another. Members of this mission awareness trip described their spiritual journey in this way.
‘They are my family’
Sponsor Andy Carr stood before the gathered CFCA community on July 13 and stated:
“I’d like you to meet my sponsored children, Sandra, 16, her brother Douglas, 14, and their mother, Caroline. They are my family.”
At age 81, Andy surely was light on his feet when invited to dance with Sandra and Douglas.
Sponsor/advocate Karlyn Distler: “I know that God has truly blessed me by giving me my precious “son” Edwin. I have sponsored Edwin since he was 6. He will graduate as an accountant this year. I am so, so proud of him.”
Finally meeting each other
Sponsor Mary Anne Cullen: “After these years of sponsorship, it’s so good to hug and to personally share this day with the children and their families.” (Mary Anne is the mother of nine children. Her family currently sponsors 26 children and elderly.)
Sponsor Debbie Rovito: “CFCA staff members have a calling, and it shows. They are passionate. They are creative. They care. They have pride and confidence in who they are, and they wish to lift up their communities, their people. To see this is empowering. It uplifts the soul. It’s very spiritual. This mission awareness trip is an opportunity to leave family, country and work behind, and find time to reflect. We long for peace, for a safe environment, for meaningful work. The relationship with our sponsored families is a glimpse of the solidarity that is possible with all the world’s people.”
The potential of the poor
Sponsor Josefa R. de Caraballo-Puerto Rico:
“The experiences lived during these past days have helped me to grow spiritually, making me hopefully a better Christian and a better person. I have seen the love and dedication with which the CFCA staff treat the sponsored families and how these families respond with love, respect and gratitude. This week has been for me a lesson in the potential of the poor when they are given a helping hand.”
Our day with the sponsors on Monday was of great significance for everyone. I heard lots of discussion with students about their current studies and future plans. About 30 of our elderly from Quixaya were here, too. During each mission awareness trip, the sponsored elderly really look forward to their day at CFCA.
Widow keeps children in school
We drove awhile and then walked through the corn fields to visit Dona Emilia, her four children and her aging father. She explained in her native Quiche language that four years ago, her husband took ill with a fever and died. CFCA has been able to sponsor two of Emilia’s children and her father. Recently she received a nice, secure home, as a part of the CFCA housing program. Her piece of ground includes about one-half acre of fertile soil, on which she now has a very healthy crop of native corn. By sewing, washing for others and embroidering, Dona Emilia has all four of her children in school.
The members of this mission awareness group have sponsored nine new children and one aging person. In addition, they have asked for 90 folders to inform, to invite and to share the joy of sponsorship. Several have talked about working with their parish or with other groups. Let us keep their efforts in prayer.
As you read this, Cristina and I will be in Bogota with the mission awareness group. We thank you for your solidarity with us and with all CFCA pilgrims. God’s blessings.
Bob Hentzen
July 28, 2009 at 11:04 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 1 comment
A letter of thanks
Hello all, it is so good to be able to greet you and, at the same time, wish the best to you and your family.
My name is Johanna. I am the oldest of four siblings. We live in Alajuela, Costa Rica, very close to the Poas Volcano. When we were not part of CFCA, we had lots of needs. We’ve always liked to go to school to learn, therefore we were always very happy to attend, even though the beginning of the school year was a very anguished moment because we had no uniforms or good shoes. Praise God, we are a very united family. We love and help each other very much. Our parents have always worked hard to bring us up.
During the coffee-picking season, my mother would leave very early in the morning to work at the coffee plantations, and I would stay home, taking care of my younger siblings. With the money she made, she would buy part of the school supplies we needed because, even though my dad worked hard, he could not cover all our needs. My parents were very sad that we had to stay home alone, but I used to tell them not to worry, that I was not afraid of it.
When CFCA came to the community, and I became sponsored, this big blessing came into my family and my life. Thank God, I was blessed with a godmother (ed. note: padrina/padrino, meaning “godmother” or “godfather,” is the word used for “sponsor” in Spanish) who loves me very much. She is very good with me and worried about me. Thanks to her sponsorship, I had the opportunity, for the first time in my life, to have one notebook for each school subject and to attend school with new shoes and uniforms. I have never lived anything like it.
Today I am in 10th grade, and this year I received, as every year of my sponsorship, new shoes and uniforms which makes me feel very happy.
Thank you all sponsors, for making my siblings and I smile every day when we go to school.
May God bless you abundantly. I hope that you continue helping the many who don’t have the sponsorship I am receiving.
With much love,
Johanna
July 27, 2009 at 8:28 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
Generosity will bring joy
By Richard Swan, CFCA sponsor
This will be the fourth year in a row that youth from our parish, Church of the Risen Christ in Denver, Colo., will be going to Guatemala. This year, we opened the trip up to the entire parish, and we have 18 adults joining 14 teens to build a home in Santiago. Each participant sponsors a child or aging person in Guatemala and will get to meet and spend time with their sponsored friend.
Each year, our parish has been very supportive of CFCA sponsorship and generous with financial donations and other items to take to the children and families in San Lucas Toliman.
At all Masses during one weekend in June, we asked for help to cover the cost of building materials for the house, estimated by CFCA to be about $3,500. In that one weekend, we collected more than enough to build the house. As a result of the generosity of fellow parishioners, one family will get to experience the joy of having a new home. The parish staff also approved giving the children’s collections from all Masses as a gift to the CFCA Birthday and Christmas Fund. The children of our parish gave $800 to that special fund. What joy hundreds of children will experience because of the generosity of the children of our parish.
But the generosity doesn’t end there! One parishioner purchased over $1,200 of new Spanish books for us to give to the school in San Lucas. We hope the joy of having those books will be felt for years to come. Another parishioner donated 35 pairs of new, protective goggles for the work site. A women’s group at our parish made more than 150 rosaries to take on our trip. We also received 35 soccer balls, youth and high school soccer jerseys, shoes and warm-up suits. Those will bring joy to a lot of children who love playing soccer. And, at Vacation Bible School, parish children made little stuffed turtles with notes in Spanish that tell the children in Guatemala that “God loves you.” Joy, pure and simple!
Generosity begets more generosity. As others heard about our trip, more donations kept coming in, and we will be able to help the San Lucas Mission continue many life-giving projects. Some parishioners accepted our invitation to pay for some of the more expensive parts of the home, such as doors and windows. This week we received a donation of 230 new Colorado T-shirts, with sizes ranging from toddler to adult.
The people of San Lucas and Guatemala will see the generosity of their friends in Denver and Colorado. And we will see the joy on their faces. But the greatest gift of all will be just being with the people, or as CFCA says it, walking with the poor. From Colorado to Guatemala, GENEROSITY will bring JOY.
The group from the Church of the Risen Christ leaves today for Guatemala. We wish them a safe and wonderful trip.
Related links:
Two parishes receive 2009 CFCA Pilgrimage of Faith Award
Read an update about their trip to Guatemala here and here
July 24, 2009 at 9:46 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
A conversion of hearts
By Father Pete Kohler, M.S., CFCA preacher
CFCA’s mission is to walk with the poor and marginalized of the world … grounded in the Gospel … to create a worldwide community of compassion and service.
I have been making CFCA presentations since late 1994, and I have found it a truly fulfilling ministry. But recently I had an experience that reconfirmed the transforming power of this apostolate.
I had the opportunity to go to El Salvador and Honduras for a CFCA mission awareness trip. Naturally, there is much I could recount, but I would like to share just one experience.
We visited a small community in Santa Ana, El Salvador. Ten years ago, you would have seen a group of people living and eking out their subsistence in the city garbage dump. It was a lawless place, with each family guarding their small claim literally with their lives. Picture Dante’s Inferno: no clean water, no electricity, no schools, no paved roads, no medical assistance, but most of all, no hope.
Beginning seven years ago, CFCA had the challenge of gaining these people’s trust. Today, the transformation is remarkable. The people have moved from houses of cardboard and strips of plastic to solid adobe houses, and some now have homes of cinder block with sheet-metal roofing. Clean running water and electricity are available.
Parents and grandparents, who cannot read nor write, are proud of their children who are able to attend school. Many of these children are now able to continue to high school and at least three of the young people are attending the university. But the biggest change is the conversion of hearts. Not only are families talking to one another, but they are working together, forming a truly committed community. You cannot help being struck by the pride and dignity etched in the faces of these people.
July 22, 2009 at 1:13 pm Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 2 comments
101 letters in 11 years
By Al and Diane Schumacher, CFCA sponsors
We have eight children, 20 grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and all of this is important to our story about CFCA.
Our youngest son and his wife could not have children, so they adopted baby Carlos from Guatemala 11 years ago. Later, they also adopted a little girl from Guatemala.
About the same time as the adoption of Carlos, a priest came to our parish in Milwaukee, Wis., and talked with parishioners about CFCA. We decided that in thanksgiving for our son’s and his wife’s blessing, we would sponsor a child in Guatemala.
Gabina (see photograph at age 12) was 2 years old when we began sponsoring her and her family. That was 11-and-a-half years ago.
When we began our relationship with Gaby, her family and friends wrote to us on her behalf. Of course, we responded. Now Gaby writes to us. To date, we’ve received 101 letters, six cards and 23 photographs!
About 18 months ago, we took a cruise which included a stop in Guatemala. CFCA arranged for us to meet with Gaby, her mother (actually her grandmother: her mother died at childbirth), a translator and a social worker. Their driver picked them up at 2 a.m. and drove cross-country for eight hours to meet with us. We had five wonderful hours to spend with Gaby and her escorts before they left for their eight-hour return trip home.
What a memorable visit! It was more than just the highlight of our cruise. Now we hope that someday there will be another visit.
When Gaby writes, she always thanks us and tells of her and her family’s appreciation for all we do for them. If only they could realize that what they do for us is so much more!
Thank you, CFCA, for introducing Gaby to us.
July 21, 2009 at 11:10 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 1 comment
Serious fun: part 4
By Kelly Demo, CFCA preacher
Soccer has grown from an obscure game played by a handful of kids to being the most popular, organized sport for children in the U.S. With more than 3 million youth registered each year in formal leagues, soccer has firmly established itself as part of the American childhood.
Without knowing it, kids who play soccer here in the U.S. are aligning themselves with the millions, perhaps billions, of children worldwide who play soccer (more commonly known as “football”). However, these kids in developing countries don’t always experience soccer with minivans, uniforms, coaches and juice boxes waiting for them when they are done. These are the kids who find any round object and a group of friends and play wherever they can find an open space. They run barefoot, kicking the ball through a goal they have fashioned out of scrap metal or their imaginations.
Henry Flores, director of the CFCA Communications Center in El Salvador, says that CFCA staff will often organize soccer games with the scholarship students because they find this to be a great way for staff to connect with the youth.
“With these games we are telling the students, ‘We want to spend time with you!’ ” Henry also observes that soccer is only fun when you play with others. It is a community sport. It unifies responsibility, ability and discipline.
“Plus, you don’t need lots of equipment, just a 25-cent ball and a small space in your community. You often see children in the different communities who spend hours playing street soccer. When a vehicle is passing trough you hear, ‘GAME OFF / GAME ON!’ to let the children know.”
Often, when there have been teen mission awareness trip groups, the staff will organize soccer games because it is a simple way to break the ice, create community and strengthen bonds of friendship. “And,” says Henry, “You need no translator for it.”
In your next letter, have your soccer kid ask their sponsored friend about “football” in their country. Do they enjoy playing? Does their country have a national soccer team? Talk with them about the idea that they are in solidarity with their friend simply by playing soccer. What similarities does your child see in the way their friend plays football, and how soccer is experienced here in the States? What are the differences?
Related links
Serious fun, part 1
Serious fun, part 2
Serious fun: Creative play
July 16, 2009 at 1:07 pm Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
Do all projects have livelihood programs?
Q. Do all projects have livelihood programs? How do the programs work?
A. CFCA’s livelihood initiatives have steadily grown to the point that approximately half of projects now have livelihood programs. The programs are made available to families with a desire and ability to participate.
CFCA’s primary emphasis is sponsorship in which one sponsor partners with one child or aging person and gives that person encouragement, love and financial support in the form of monthly sponsorship benefits.
Because the family is the primary caregiver, livelihood programs are designed to help families generate sustainable income for themselves. They may enhance their ability to gain employment, create a new source of income through starting a business or supplement existing income.
Programs may include skills training, business development training, access to loans, savings to create a loan fund, income-generating activities and individual empowerment to help members develop livelihoods based on skills.
Capital to launch businesses may be provided through CFCA projects, through savings and loan cooperatives created by sponsored members or through sponsor donations.
Donate to CFCA’s livelihood program fund.
July 15, 2009 at 3:21 pm Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
‘He is permanently part of my heart now’
A mission awareness trip to Colombia profoundly impacted sponsor Karen Greiber. The following is from a letter she wrote describing her experience.
Hi Everyone,
The trip was amazing — I can’t begin to find the right words. It made a huge difference to me and really changed my perspective on things.
Mom and I flew to Medellin, Colombia. Everywhere was so green and gorgeous! When we arrived, I was told that Karen (my sponsored child from Cali) was already at the project. She and her family had traveled seven and a half hours just to meet me. They said Karen was so excited to meet me that she didn’t sleep at all the night before.
I had just started sponsoring Karen in December 2008. I had only received one letter and barely knew her.
When we arrived at the project, a huge crowd was waiting for us. The next thing I knew, I was being pushed toward Karen. I gave her a big hug. We walked through the crowd together with everyone cheering. Karen and I tried to communicate through my minimal Spanish. Thank goodness there were many in our group who spoke Spanish and helped translate.
Karen is 12 and filled with smiles. I grew to love her and her mom. I learned that Karen’s family lives in one room that they rent. Her mom works as a housekeeper when she can find work, usually two days a week at most. Karen has three younger siblings. I was told that her family was so grateful that Karen found a sponsor. Most people want to sponsor younger kids.
Later, I learned that only 40 percent of kids go to school in Colombia and only around 30 percent attend higher education. Karen’s sponsorship means that she can stay in school. She can even consider going on to a university.
The Cali project is beginning sewing classes for mothers. They were just training instructors. A year from now, they plan to teach sewing in Karen’s subproject. Then, Karen’s mom can take sewing classes to learn a new trade so she can earn more for the family.
At the second subproject we visited, we entered an auditorium-like place to thunderous applause. I often fought tears while I was in Medellin. The gratitude was so overwhelming.
After the performance, everyone from the crowd—at least 100 people—came up to say “thank you” and give hugs and kisses. Bob Hentzen, CFCA president and co-founder, said the crowd saw us as a representation of all sponsors, and it was their way of saying thank you to their own sponsors. So many people talked about their sponsors. They showed us their letters and told us how much they meant to them.
We flew to Cartagena from Medellin. There I met my other sponsored child, Rafael. Rafael meant a lot to me before the trip, but he is permanently a part of my heart now. I love him more than I can put into words!
Rafael has the most beautiful smile. He is all boy, but very respectful, polite and all-around a good boy. His mom is an excellent mother. In Cartagena we were allowed to spend three days with our sponsored children as we went to the different subprojects.
When we went to Rafael’s village, he really came to life. It was so awesome to see him just being a kid! I met his entire family. How I treasure the time we spent there! Susana, Rafael’s mom, welcomed me into their home and family.
People may say we saw some of the worst parts of Colombia, because we saw some of the poorest areas. I disagree: I think we saw some of the best. We spent time with everyday people who were generous, loving and genuine.
I left Colombia absolutely loving the people and the country. I hope someday to return.
God bless,
Karen
Visit your friend! Check out our mission awareness trip schedule here.
July 13, 2009 at 12:40 pm Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 2 comments
Tourism decrease hurts Costa Rican tribe
Information provided by Rafael Villalobos, San Jose, Costa Rica, project coordinator
The global recession has hurt businesses catering to tourists who want to see the world. It’s also hurt an indigenous community that earns a livelihood from the sale of handicrafts to tourists in Costa Rica.
The Maleku are an indigenous tribe living in Guatuso, a beautiful tourist destination 150 miles from the city of San José, Costa Rica. Tourists come from all over the world to visit the light blue Frio River, said by locals to have its color because when God painted the sky blue He washed His brushes in this river.
The Maleku try to live peacefully and in harmony with nature. Having lost territory to cattle farmers, the Maleku are working hard to recover the forests and protect local flora. They use the tourism industry to give tours of the forest and showcase the many benefits it provides, such as medicinal plants, colored inks from plants and cacao beans for chocolate.
Most Maleku are artisans, working with local materials from the forest to create handicrafts. Many work as a family, with some members searching for materials, some working in the first steps of preparation, some painting the colorful images and others selling them to tourists. The Maleku make handicrafts by old traditions that celebrate their culture, items like masks, painted gourds, rain sticks and drums.
María Lillian, a member of the Maleku community, is the mother of Marta, 18, a CFCA scholarship student in ninth grade, Joselyn, an 8-year-old sponsored child, and three other children. The family works making handicrafts to sell to tourists. A single mask can take up to 15 days to make and a drum can be completed in about six days. Often a family member must travel up to 25 miles in order to obtain the materials they need.
Unfortunately, tourism has been affected by the global economic crisis. Guatuso has seen an 80 percent reduction in tourists visiting the area. This reduction also means a decrease in sales profits from handicrafts for families like María’s. Previously making $400 a month on handicrafts, they are now selling only $30 a month.
María is currently making bread to sell because she had no other income besides the handicrafts. It is a difficult situation for the family, who love what they do and value their culture and tradition, but can no longer make enough money to cover their basic needs.
Last year, in order to bring their business closer to the tourists, a community of Maleku worked for months to build a community hall near the road where access of tourists would be easier. Due to the economic crisis, they have only welcomed one group of tourists this year, while last year they received 4 groups each month.
Paul Pearce, director of CFCA international programs, said this story illustrates how sponsorship is vital to help families weather economic ups and downs. “It’s an example of the precarious nature of a family’s narrow budget,” he explains. “Sponsorship can help absorb some of the blow of an economic impact like this.”
July 10, 2009 at 11:28 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
