‘Blissful homecoming to my beloved Philippines’
Veron Telar
It was 2:30 a.m., Philippine time, on June 20, 2010, when I finally arrived home from my 21-hour trip from Kansas City back to my country, the Philippines. Thanks be to God for a very pleasant trip. What an absolute feeling of excitement and happiness I had during my entire journey. I was reunited with my son, my whole family and my CFCA family in the project. Yes, everyone at home had been waiting for me.
It’s been about six months since I left the Philippines and joined CFCA’s Walk2gether in Latin America, and now I am back. Honestly, it was not even easy to leave the walk, the people and the CFCA family who took care of me, inspired me and loved me while I was away from my family. I am blessed to have had this very significant and life-changing experience as a member of the Walk2gether team for five months and 12 days. With Sir Bob and Ma’am Cristina (CFCA President Bob Hentzen and his wife, Cristina), I have walked 4,004 kilometers, slept in 61 beds and taken 6.6 million footsteps.
I have truly my innermost, overwhelming feeling being with Walk2gether. Being with the people each day and listening to the words of wisdom of the CFCA president are my greatest gift. I was completely at peace and content, traveling and staying in a foreign land, just keeping in mind that I belong to CFCA. True enough, CFCA is a worldwide family and community. There was no room for uncertainties, only assurances of love, belonging and protection when there are possible dangers. Along the road, we always tell the people that we offer hope and we share love with them. In return, we are receiving more than we gave, as they helped us realize the greatest value of life with simplicity and humility in words and in deeds.
I came home very happy, at peace and ready to face the day-to-day life with my family and the Manila project. I am much honored and perpetually grateful that I represented my country during my time with Walk2gether. I have a renewed spirit of hope, love, service and commitment to the CFCA work and mission. I truly appreciate the opportunity of knowing so many sponsored families and co-workers.
As CFCA offers hope for families in this challenging time, we in the Philippines are becoming more hopeful that changes for the better will take place in this beautiful world. May the Lord bless us as we work hard for this mission.
Indeed, my participation in Walk2gether provided me a renewed life and spirit of service and mission. Walk2gether is one of the best experiences that CFCA has given me, and I thank God for this blissful homecoming to my beloved Philippines.
9 comments August 10, 2010
‘Encuentro’ unites CFCA staff from different countries
An update from Henry Flores, director of the Communication Center in El Salvador, during July 24 and 25. Peter and Teddy, mentioned in the update, will be joining with Walk2Gether shortly.
July 24
It is 3:30 a.m. and I’ve just arrived at the Bolivia International Airport of Santa Cruz, on my way to Cochabamba, Bolivia. The CFCA’s Hope for a Family Program continues to build options for its members into their own and individual process to self-sustainability; this is why, during this week, staff members from different countries will get together in what we call ‘Encuentro’ — encounter — where we will learn and teach each other about the many initiatives and programs being implemented at the different projects.
It is very exciting to be part of this worldwide community of compassion, and I am looking forward to this week of learning, feeling excited about the many ideas, projects and programs that will be developed from here to all the families of CFCA around the world.
July 25
After a very good night of sleep to recover the energy for travelling more than 24 hours yesterday, this morning I met Peter, CFCA coordinator in Nairobi, and Teddy, project coordinator in Uganda. We had a wonderful conversation and learned from each other about the challenges that our countries, and especially women in each of them, have to face.
Teddy is a very young smart girl who, to my surprise, had been sponsored by CFCA and now she is the project coordinator. And Peter, a 40-year-old man, has been working very hard in creating opportunities for the mothers in his project to find a path to self-sufficiency.
I am always surprised by the potential that is unlocked by CFCA in each of its staff members. God has blessed us all to be part of this community.
4 comments August 9, 2010
Every time a bell rings, a child gets closer to sponsorship
By Cathy Cazares, parish contact representative
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For Cathy and her coworkers, ringing the bell means a child is one step closer to sponsorship. |
We love to hear bells ring on the parish contact team!
Bells ringing? What’s that all about?
Well, a former co-worker came up with the idea. When a pastor at a parish accepts our request and invites CFCA for a weekend visit, and then we confirm the availability of one of our CFCA presenters for the weekend, we ring a bell. It means we are one step closer to getting more children, youths and aging individuals sponsored.
Even getting a pastor on the phone to ask him if he would be open to inviting a CFCA presenter can be quite difficult. Pastors are very busy people. When we actually get the opportunity to speak with them and they accept our offer to share the work of CFCA, we are quite happy.
When a pastor accepts, and we confirm the availability of one of our presenters, we head for the bell. The bells are attached to the cubicle wall of our workspace, and we are ever so happy to get up out of our chairs and ring that bell!
That is why, “Every time a bell rings, a child gets closer to sponsorship.”
So, here on the parish contact team, if we hear bells ringing constantly, that is a very good thing!
This is the final of four entries in the parish contact series. Read more here:
Part 1: The diary of a parish contact
Part 2: Learning is an evolution
Part 3: ‘Lord, … help me do your work’
1 comment August 6, 2010
‘Lord, … help me do your work’
By Cathy Cazares, parish contact representative
Here on the parish contact team, even when a pastor says, “No,” or “Not at this time,” we think of it as a bit of success. After all, he didn’t say, “Don’t call again!” He has heard our message, and he has heard our name.
Perhaps, too, in those few precious minutes on the phone, we have touched the heart of a receptionist or secretary with our story of sponsorships. Maybe they really heard our message, and will look at our website and be led to sponsorship. Maybe they will share it with a family member or a friend, or even talk to the pastor who might reconsider giving us a second look. The next time they open a publication and see our ad, perhaps they will look just a little bit closer.
Although it may be difficult to hear “no” so many times in a day, it’s not about me and my disappointment. It’s really about allowing me an opportunity to think about a new way to introduce CFCA. I’m getting the opportunity to work harder so that I might be successful in what I do, which translates into sponsorships of children and elderly in need.
We continually remember it might be a bad day or a bad year. It is just not the right time, and really, it’s not about me at all. So I squelch my little ego inside and say an extra prayer, “Lord, let their hearts be open and help me do your work.”
I was given an opportunity with CFCA to help provide for my family, and now it’s up to me to work hard to help empower families in poverty to provide for their loved ones. So while, “No, not at this time,” may be difficult to hear over and over again, we try to remember that, “’No,’ only means no today.”
This is the third of four entries in the parish contact series. Read more here:
Part 1: The diary of a parish contact
Part 2: Learning is an evolution
Part 4: Every time a bell rings, a child gets closer to sponsorship
3 comments August 5, 2010
Learning is an evolution
By Jim McConnell, parish contact representative
The first few phone calls I made after starting to work on the parish contact team were awkward. I wished I had said something different each time I hung up. Or, I thought of something new to say. Or, I thought about a better way of saying what needed to be communicated to the person on the other end of the phone line.
Even though I had been a sponsor for more than a year when I started working for CFCA, I had a lot to learn about this beautiful movement, as CFCA President Bob Hentzen calls it.
The first time I met Bob and got a chance to speak with him personally, I told him how happy I was to be able to work at CFCA and make a difference. He looked at me with those twinkling eyes and said, “It’s a wonderful movement, isn’t it?” I couldn’t wait to get back on the phone and start using the word “movement” to describe CFCA.
My supervisor, Adrian, kept assuring me that I was doing well and that the message I wanted to convey would evolve with experience. How do you tell someone in two minutes – the average amount of time we usually have when we finally get a pastor on the phone – what CFCA has developed over the past 29 years?
There is so much to say, and there are so many stories that could be told. But, it’s hard to convey the important points and stick to the objective of getting a CFCA presenter into the parish so they can share the CFCA stories to the potential sponsors sitting in the pews.
The wonderful ladies in the Florida satellite office gave us a lot of encouragement. They told us that when a pastor says “no” to a visit, not to get discouraged. As they say, “’No’ means no today.” We will get another chance the next time we call.
We always keep in mind that we are calling for the sponsored children and elderly, who cannot call. We are speaking on behalf of the child, youth or elderly person who doesn’t have a way of asking for help.
We are speaking on behalf of our brothers and sisters who live in situations that are beyond their control but not beyond their hope. We need to help them by finding someone who will be their companion on the journey out of despair, desperation and hardships.
There are more than 18,000 Catholic parishes in the United States, and CFCA has visited many of them over the years. But, occasionally, we run across a parish that has never been visited. If we do our job well, then the pastor will learn that CFCA is a compassionate and professional organization. He will understand that we are working in solidarity by walking with the poor and the marginalized we serve.
If, in doing our job, we stay grounded in the Gospel call to serve the poor, that message will resonate with pastors, and they will be open to our message. And hopefully, they will open their doors to CFCA.
This is the second of four entries in the parish contact series. Read more here:
Part 1: The diary of a parish contact
Part 3: ‘Lord, … help me do your work’
Part 4: Every time a bell rings, a child gets closer to sponsorship
3 comments August 4, 2010
The diary of a parish contact representative
Many of our sponsors probably first heard of CFCA while sitting in a pew during Mass. Those priests were at your parish because a small group of dedicated staff members worked with your pastor to arrange a CFCA weekend presentation.
Parish contact representatives for CFCA reach out to Catholic parishes across the United States. The parish contact team, comprised of nine devoted people, works out of the Kansas headquarters and a Florida satellite office. This week, in a four-part series, Jim McConnell and Cathy Cazares will introduce you to the daily triumphs and disappointments of the parish contact representative.
By Jim McConnell, parish contact representative
I spent 33 years in technical sales in the corporate world before coming to CFCA. Working as an outbound caller at CFCA has given me a different perspective on what it means to “sell someone” on an idea. Here our efforts begin and end with prayer. We meet once a week to pray as a group. We ask for God’s assistance in opening the hearts of the pastors that we contact, asking for permission to visit their parish to present the work of CFCA. These prayers are a powerful source of the energy that we need to make the calls.
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The parish contact team praying for successful phone calls. From left to right: Vicki, Al, Joan, Cathy, Jim and Adrian |
I am encouraged by the kind words of the people that I work with from other departments. They recognize how difficult it is to make call after call every day. That acknowledgment gives me hope. Most people would acknowledge that they wouldn’t want to do what we do, with comments like, “I could never do that” or “I admire your determination, I wouldn’t be able to keep calling if I got turned down.”
God gives us all unique charisms. The members of the call team have all been blessed with the ability to handle rejection and keep going. Each of us has a different way of motivating ourselves to make the next call. The wonderful ladies from the call team in Florida who are much more experienced at this have taught us a lot. They tell us “’No’ means no today.” And they are right: I have called pastors a year after they turned us down, and they have invited us to come to their parish.
We always keep in mind the integrity of CFCA and what it means to protect that image. As a sales person, you are always trying to find different ways to overcome objections. As one representing CFCA to the Catholic community in America, we want to do everything possible to show the priests and parishioners that, above all else, CFCA is a worldwide community of compassion and service, as our mission statement explains.
We are working for the children, youth and elderly and keeping that in mind helps us stay focused. Being human, we complain if the work area is too hot or too cold. We get discouraged and tired. But, all it takes is to look at the face of one of those waiting to be sponsored or of the sponsored individuals we have helped in the pictures around the office, and we are reminded of how important the work is.
Calling busy parish pastors to get our presenter priests invited to share the message of CFCA is not easy, but it is a labor of love. And when we are able to ring the bell indicating a priest has been invited, we celebrate with great joy knowing that we did the work, but God accomplished it.
This is the first of four entries in the parish contact series. Read more here:
Part 2: Learning is an evolution
Part 3: ‘Lord, … help me do your work’
Part 4: Every time a bell rings, a child gets closer to sponsorship
1 comment August 3, 2010
Working with teenagers
From the Santo Domingo project in the Dominican Republic
We are concerned about personal development and training for young people and teenagers, who are a vulnerable population and are in constant danger of falling into juvenile delinquency.
Through the Centro Familiar (Family Center), we prepare activities for teenagers that address personal growth, values and respect for life. As part of this program, we have given two workshops this year: career counseling and values and dating. The career counseling workshop involved a personality survey to help the participants see which profession would best suit them.
These two workshops attracted 1,807 teenagers, with some attending from every subproject.
Another activity is a camp we offer every year. Its goal is to make use of the teenagers’ free time during vacation for formation activities that focus on personal development. The camps have an educational and formative theme. Various activities are offered such as crafts, visual arts, theater, writing composition, table sports, and racket sports. The camp ends in Santo Domingo with the distribution of participant awards, a medal and a trophy, to each first, second, and third place winner.
Upon reflection, this activity’s importance stood out because the teenagers participated in healthy activities during their vacation and distanced themselves from other activities that might have been detrimental to their well-being. Also, they appreciated the involvement of and interaction with teenagers from other subprojects. This interaction is just what we wanted, that CFCA become one big family. We have made an effort so that every teenager can participate in the camps, which we believe will help them in the future to become better citizens.
During the 2009 camp, we had 350 teenagers benefit from the program.
Add comment July 30, 2010
New stove brings joy
During a mission awareness trip to El Salvador in 2008, Mary Kampsen, a sponsor from Minnesota, brought her two daughters with her to meet her sponsored friend, Erick. He read to her a beautiful letter that he had written where he said that “she lives in my heart.”
“It was just a wonderful, happy feeling!” Mary said of meeting Erick. “I have sponsored him for three years now. It feels kind of like having a second son. I feel it will be easier to write letters to him now that I’ve met him and know more about him and his family.”
After talking for some time, Mary learned that Erick’s mother, Valentina, washes clothes for a living, which brings in about $7 on a good day. But, what she really wanted to do is to cook pupusas.
If she could have the small stove required to make pupusas, she could not only bring in a more steady income, but she could also stay at home to raise her children. This was important to Mary, who stayed home to raise her children when they were small.
Mary worked with the local CFCA staff and was able to purchase the stove. Now Erick’s mother will be able to stay at home with her children and raise money to support the family.
Two years later …
Valentina says that having the stove has helped greatly with her children’s nutrition. She also cooks tortillas and pupusas, which she sells by going from house to house. She is very happy.
Since Valentina no longer has to work outside the house, she can now dedicate more time in the fields to cultivating corn and beans. She uses the harvest as ingredients for the pupusas. All of this helps cover some of the expenses of the family.
Thanks to the stove, Valentina has seen many good changes in the past two years, including spending more time with her five children, working together with her family, being more mindful of them with regards to their studies and other activities in which they participate.
She is managing to support her family without the help of her husband who had the opportunity to migrate to the United States for work. But, at this point, the family has not received any support from him. So Valentina and her children are very thankful to Erick’s sponsor for buying the stove for them. They will forever be grateful to her and will always keep her in their prayers.
Erick, who is now 13, says the family works better together, and he is happy because he can spend more time together with his mother helping her with work. He no longer has to to stay home alone, since his mother is never too far from home and is always there to help him and his brothers. He feels very secure having her near him.
View more photos of Erick and his family on our Facebook page.
Add comment July 29, 2010
Going back to school at 74
Interview with Flor de Maria by Henry Flores
My name is Flor Maria. I am 74, and I live in Costa Rica.
My father died when I was 10, and my mother took care of me after that. She made sweets, and I sold them. I have 10 children. They live in different parts of the country. Some are married, others are divorced.
It’s difficult to be an aging person in Costa Rica. Our reality is hard. I have seen other elderly women begging in the street, even sleeping there. We aging have much potential. Look at me. I am able. My hands cook rice. I can make beans. I can scrub a floor from one side to the other, but clearly I can’t do it all in one day. I have to do a little at a time: one part today, another tomorrow.
I was taking classes in handicrafts when I first met CFCA. I told the social workers about my life, and they said they could support me. They give so much help for those who need it. I suffer from many illnesses, and thanks to CFCA, I receive the medicines I need. As part of CFCA, one feels supported. One feels calmer. They even help me with my school supplies and other expenses.
Returning to school:
I left school when I was 12, but thanks be to God, I returned to school and finished sixth grade at the age of 50. The situation was difficult. Nevertheless, I always wanted to study. I always wanted a degree as a lawyer to defend others.
When I was little, my school had few seats, teachers and everything else. It was very poor. At times, they taught sewing, and they didn’t have the materials. They didn’t have notebooks. So, I decided to leave school. When I was in school, I remembered doing homework before and after class.
Now, I have returned to school; only now I am 74, and it isn’t easy. I remember on my first day of class, one of my daughters said, “Oh, no, Mother. Don’t go to school.” I simply did not pay attention to her. I want to do what I want, and I want to learn, to study; to prepare myself.
Going back to school at my age is beautiful. I feel like any other student with a desire to learn and advance. Everyone knows that I have studied, and that I don’t want to leave my studies unfinished. Some tell me to drop out of school, but I just ignore them.
School has helped me a lot. I am more alert because they say my neurons have awakened.
Many women attend my school, because they teach many subjects there—sewing, tailoring, etc. I don’t have a favorite class because I believe that, for students, all material should be their favorites. I am taking six classes: Spanish, science, English, civics, mathematics and social studies.
Before my tests, I drink a glass of chamomile tea because they say it’s good for the nerves. This calms me. I tell myself, “Don’t get nervous. Don’t get nervous. God will take care of everything else.”
Sundays, when I go to school, I get up at 5 a.m. I prepare breakfast and lunch. Later, I grab my backpack with my notebooks, and I leave early since I start at 8 a.m.
In the afternoon, around 4 p.m., I go home. I drink a cup of coffee and rest. I do homework during the week. For example, today I have some homework in Spanish. I have to answer the following questions: Who am I? What do I want to be? I am not going to answer much. What I will write is: “I am Flor de Maria. I am 74 years old. I want to be a lawyer. Granted, this isn’t up to me. This is up to God.”
Flor’s words of wisdom
I want to say to the youth to take advantage of their time in school because it will lead them to better work and higher pay. Your studies will keep you on the good path and keep you away from vices. Don’t lose your youth. Don’t lose this moment because one day, you are going to want it back like I do now.
My message for the elderly is to study to keep your neurons working, so you don’t get Alzheimers!
3 comments July 29, 2010
Goodbye through a child’s eyes
By Ruth Hubenthal, CFCA Sponsor Services Representative
Sponsors always have questions about their sponsored friends and about how CFCA is helping make that connection between a good-hearted individual and a person brimming with potential but in need of help. Questions sometimes include inquiries about culture, benefits, why letters take so long, and what to write. It is a joy to see that curiosity and to pass on what information I can from the child’s point of view.
It might come as a surprise to some sponsors that the children and the elderly have the same questions. Why do letters take so long? What is their sponsor’s culture like? What kind of conditions do they live in? Why does my sponsor leave the program? And, the social workers do a great job in explaining the information they have to the children. But the best way to satisfy the curiosity of the child is through a letter.
Unfortunately, there is always a day when that relationship comes to a practical end, though in our hearts and prayers it continues for a lifetime. There are also questions about this, and it is hard to have to explain, but we can see God’s will allowing us to walk hand-in-hand with someone for a time, and then Him seeing fit to have us part ways.
It’s a tough subject to approach, but when, for some reason, a sponsor or a child leaves the program, a final letter makes the transition a little easier. Even if the sponsor has to stop because of loss of a job, loss of a loved one, or simply because they have other responsibilities, it is always so caring to write a letter letting them know.
The children, the elderly, or someone who knows them usually writes a final letter to the sponsor, and though it might not be satisfying, and it is bittersweet, there is closure. And just like the questions that the children have, a letter from their sponsor is also bittersweet, but it gives them closure.
I guess what I mean to say is that in Sponsor Services, we work so hard for you to see your sponsored friend’s point of view, but I want to make you aware that they also want to see yours. They are the reason we sponsor; you are the reason they strive for a better future.
3 comments July 23, 2010
