Sep 15 2012

Joy accompanies visitors on a trip to Bolivia

Posted on September 15, 2012 by admin

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“Bob’s notes” are reports from CFCA President Bob Hentzen, who regularly accompanies mission awareness trip participants. You can see Bob’s full update on his Facebook page.

It’s a joy to communicate with you from Bolivia.

In this multicultural country of more than 10 million people, many are said to survive on less than $1 a day.

At CFCA, we’ve had the privilege of walking with the Bolivians since 1988. In Bolivia, CFCA currently serves 10,182 sponsored children, 824 sponsored aging friends and 917 families on our waiting list. CFCA scholars play an important role in every project. Read more

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Aug 27 2012

Bob’s notes from Honduras: ‘Welcome to my world’

Posted on August 27, 2012 by admin

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“Bob’s notes” are reports from CFCA President Bob Hentzen, who regularly accompanies mission awareness trip participants. You can see Bob’s full update on his Facebook page.

It’s a joy to send you this message of solidarity and love from our CFCA sponsored friends and their families in Honduras.

Since its humble beginning in 1982, CFCA-Honduras has grown to include 16,088 children and 1,698 aging friends; all in four projects and 60 subprojects.†Currently, 1,955 individuals are on our waiting list in Honduras. Read more

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Aug 6 2012

Experiencing the grace, elegance of Nicaragua and its people

Posted on August 6, 2012 by admin

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“Bob’s notes” are reports from CFCA President Bob Hentzen, who regularly accompanies mission awareness trip participants. You can see Bob’s full update on his Facebook page.

It’s a joy to share with you the beautiful people of Nicaragua.

With a population of more than 5 million, statisticians rate Nicaragua as the largest in geographical size and economically poorest of Central America.

It is popularly known as the land of volcanoes, poets, artists and good baseball, but let’s add beautiful harmonies and colorful dances to that list.

CFCA serves 9,626 children and their families in Nicaragua, along with 856 aging friends. Currently, 1,280 families are on our waiting list for sponsorship. Read more

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Jul 29 2012

Costa Rica mission awareness trip hits home for travelers

Posted on July 29, 2012 by admin

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“Bob’s notes” are reports from CFCA President Bob Hentzen, who regularly accompanies mission awareness trip participants. You can see Bob’s full update on his Facebook page.

It’s a privilege and a joy to share this mission awareness trip with 32 fellow travelers and a dedicated Costa Rican staff. And it’s great to have the youth with us.

“We would like to live this trip with a profound spirit of gratitude to the Lord of Life for having given life to CFCA,” Villalobos said.

As soon as Cristina and I landed in San Jose, Costa Rica, on the afternoon of July 7, we learned that the evening before, July 6, our two CFCA staff leaders for this trip (Jean Carlo and Elizabeth) were hit by a car while riding a motorcycle.

After making a few final preparations for the trip, they were on their way home in heavy traffic. Both are hospitalized, with leg injuries serious enough to require surgery, but medical reports show that they will recover. Read more

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Jul 22 2012

Parish group from Colorado finds loving reception in Guatemala

Posted on July 22, 2012 by admin

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“Bob’s notes” are reports from CFCA President Bob Hentzen, who regularly accompanies mission awareness trip participants. You can see Bob’s full update on his Facebook page.

I find the group from Risen Christ Parish as hopeful and dynamic as its name. Here in Guatemala, we are deeply grateful for their love of our people, their presence among us, their example.

Seems like their long-term pastoral plan flows into a very natural outreach toward their neighbors at home in Colorado and in Guatemala.

These friends encountered a richly green and fertile country, but a country heavily burdened by social problems.

Entrusted with the good will and the economic help of their fellow parish members, they worked hard (sometimes under good rains) to offer three sponsored friends and their families a more dignified home. Read more

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Jun 18 2012

Reflections: Funeral Mass for Monsignor Gregory Schaffer

Posted on June 18, 2012 by admin

An estimated 12,000 to 15,000 people in Guatemala were in attendance June 6 for the funeral Mass and burial of Msgr. Gregory Schaffer, a longtime CFCA board member and mentor to staffers, volunteers and sponsors.

Bishop Gonzalo de Villa of the Diocese of Solola-Chimaltengo said at the time, “We are here for thanksgiving to God for Father Greg’s life; we thank the Lord for putting him as a pastor of San Lucas.”

We asked the following people to reflect on Father Greg’s life on the occasion of his funeral Mass.

Bob Hentzen, CFCA president and co-founder
I am happy and grateful to share a few memories:

I think it was 1968 when Father Greg was still a very young man. He came up to where I was teaching up in Huehuetenango [Guatemala] to work on his Spanish and Kakchiquel [Mayan language] at the school there.

I happened to meet him then. He always invited the missionaries in the country to come to San Lucas anytime we could, but in particular he liked to reserve July 4, Independence Day in the U.S., for a big wonderful gathering of missionaries, religious, diocesan and lay in San Lucas.

He would reserve a big boat and prepare a wonderful meal, and then we would basically go around the lake all day.

The ’60s, ’70s and early ’80s were so very difficult. What a miracle it was that when Father Stan Rother was martyred, Father Greg suggested to me, “Could we start the sponsorship program in Cerro de Oro?” Read more

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Jun 9 2012

Trip to Colombia: ‘An honor to be a sponsor for your children’

Posted on June 9, 2012 by admin

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“Bob’s notes” are reports from CFCA President Bob Hentzen, who regularly accompanies mission awareness trip participants. You can see Bob’s full update on his Facebook page.

From my recent report from Medellin and Cartagena, please allow me to offer a little general information about CFCA in Colombia:

From the northern border with Venezuela to the southern border with Ecuador, we’ve walked every kilometer of Colombia, this wonderful country.

(Editor’s note: This is a reference to Walk2gether, the nearly 8,000-mile solidarity walk that Bob and CFCA staffers undertook through 12 Latin American countries. The walk lasted from December 2009 to June 2011.)

I remain deeply grateful for all the blessings, prayers and solidarity.

Colombia is a big piece of the Lord’s creation. In size it is number 4 in Latin America after Brazil, Argentina and Peru.

Colombia is special to me and to my family. I first landed here in 1960 as a Christian Brother missionary teacher.

I was assigned to Colegio La Salle, Cartagena. I have many wonderful memories of my students and fellow teachers at La Salle.

Since Cristina and I sponsored the first CFCA child, Florelia Delgado (Bogota project), CFCA-Colombia has grown to include 19,349 children and 2,179 elderly friends.

In addition, we currently have over 1,000 Colombian children on our waiting list for sponsorship. Project Bogota serves some 6,500 families in both urban and rural areas.

Before the sponsors arrived

Cristina and I enjoyed an inspiring day at the CFCA Center in Bogota on the Friday before the sponsors’ arrival. Read more

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