Reach Out - Holiday Edition

I hope and pray that everyone is having a wonderful and blessed holiday season. Along with all of our team members, I finally have a chance to relax after several weeks of panicked studying and hurried preparations for Christmas. I’ve spent four wonderful days with my family being both busy and lazy, and our departure has been sneaking up on me the whole time; we’re only ten days away!

At the Christmas Vigil Mass at my grandmother’s parish of St. Ann’s of Syracuse, NY, the priest’s homily focused on being God’s love for friends and family even when it creates discomfort for us. Father quoted one of my personal mottoes, and urged the congregation, “Step out of your comfort zone,” and asked us to reach out to our family members.

Every day each of us encounters situations that make us uncomfortable, and it seems even more frequent during the holidays. But let us try to respond differently to those opportunities this year. Let’s step out of our comfort zones and spread the love of our newly born Lord to those around us and show them how important they are in our lives. Spend time talking with your slightly odd cousin at the family Christmas party, don’t complain when mom asks you to deliver cookies to the neighbors, suffer through the holiday party your dad dragged you to, but do it with a smile, and if big bro had a little too much of the eggnog or champagne at the Christmas or New Year’s party, make him some breakfast in the morning when he’s paying for last night’s festivities. These tiny expressions of love usually mean more than the most expensive gifts and will help us grow closer with our families and with God.

As missionaries, we will face plenty of uncomfortable scenarios in Ecuador, but we must realize that each obstacle is a chance for us to spread His joy. All of us will have difficulty communicating with the people, some of whom speak only their aboriginal Quechua language; we will be asked to perform difficult manual labor; and everyone is going to experience a level of poverty to which we are unaccustomed. The team asks that you will continue to pray that God may grant us the grace to be His love to the people of Ecuador in any way that we are asked, especially in our moments of discomfort.

The same way that we are sometimes called to love our family members in ways that cause us discomfort, our team has been called to spread God’s love to our sisters and brothers in Christ and to willingly put ourselves into an uncomfortable situation in the Amazon Basin. Our work will not only bring us closer to the people of Misahualli, it will also bring us closer to each other and strengthen our individual relationships with God. I pray that all of our teammates, especially our supporters, continue to have a blessed holiday season, and that we all may witness God’s love by reaching out to others.

-Kyle Blackmer

It's Like a Good Addiction

I am a sophomore at Hofstra University and can remember the day I heard about the mission trip to Ecuador from the fabulous Rosie. My first thought was, "I must go!"

I have only recently become more active in church related events here at Hofstra and when people ask me why I simply respond with a smile, "Because it's like an addiction. But the good kind!" I got this saying from Brother Diego, one of the CFRs in Patterson NJ. I visited the CFRs about a month before we went as a mission team with two other members of our team (Rosie & Jonathan) and two other Hofstra students. After about ten minutes of being there and being filled with the contagious spirits of the friars I fell in love with the place, the brothers, and most of all the feeling that took over me. Like I said, it's like an addiction, and that feeling is really remarkable and on that day it was unavoidable because the love and spirit that the brothers had was outrageously contagious. After the awesome lunch they cooked us Maryann and I were talking with Brother Diego about how prayer, worship, praise, and adoration are all so overwhelming, so great! Whether in a huge beautiful church or in the small chapel we were in that morning the feeling is remarkably the same and as Brother put it "addictive". It really stuck with me from there on out, that prayer is like an addiction, but as I always like to add (especially on a college campus) the good kind of addiction! I certainly didn't want to leave that first day that I met the friars and when I was planning to go the second time with the Ecuador mission team all I kept telling them was, "These guys are so awesome, you're going to love them!" I was very excited to see my mission team friends being filled with the same contagious spirit that I was when I first went there. As Kyle and KK have both exclaimed, that retreat day with the CFRs was an amazing day of labor, togetherness, and prayer.

This past Tuesday the entire mission team met with James, a guy from Family Missions Company who will be going down to Ecuador with us. He is a full time missionary and will be guiding us through our journey. After hearing him talk about where we will be staying and some of the things we might be doing I got so excited. And I know excited is such a cliche, dull word but it's all I could find. I am filled with excitement to go on this mission to meet those in Ecuador who we will be praying and working with and to grow a deeper bond with the members of my mission team. So I guess my words for now are excited and addiction which sound kind of weird at first but they do work. Prayer is like an addiction but the good kind, and I am filled with excitement for the upcoming mission trip that I am going on in just a few short weeks. KK said it really well, being a missionary is as constant as breathing!

To the friends and family of our mission team members - Please continue to pray for us and think about us as we mentally and spiritually prepare for the amazing experiences we will have in Ecuador.

To the Ecuador Mission Team Members - I can't wait to see you guys again on the 5th (or 6th!). Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and remember to keep praying (because it's addicting!) Love you guys! =]

-Danielle Natorski

A Missionary Heart

As Kyle mentioned, the day we worked with the CFRs, we also sang Christmas carols as we traveled from Rockefeller Center to Catholic Underground on East 90^th between 2^nd and 3^rd. It was fun and we received compliments as we walked. I was a little iffy about singing on the subway, though. Having ridden the subway many times and knowing people that do it on a regular basis, I thought it might be considered a little rude and therefore not received as well as it was on the street, where we were merely passing people by. Without reservation, however, Matthew struck up “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” and the rest of our group sang along. It was fantastic. I looked around, and no one seemed to mind. In fact, some people were smiling and singing along. We even took requests!

One part of being a missionary is having no fear. You put everything into the Lord, expressing His joy always and everywhere, even on a subway where you think it won’t go over well. One of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 1:5-7…

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth." But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a youth'; for to all to whom I send you you shall go, and whatever I command you you shall speak."

This verse echoes often in my heart and says so much. For one, it speaks of God having something specific in mind when He creates each of us. We were each made for a purpose with a path – if we choose to embrace it. Another aspect of this verse is about not being afraid, not letting our own insecurities hold us back from our calling and His mission. Finally, it talks about being sent. The thing about being a missionary is that it’s a full-time vocation. It is not restricted to big trips to foreign places; it is as constant as breathing. Wherever He sends each of us – a jungle village in Ecuador, a metropolis in New York, a college campus in Garden City – a missionary lives and dies to serve the Lord, spreading His Word, love, peace, and joy at all times.

There is plenty more that can be said about being a missionary and what it means to have a missionary heart. It can be summed up quite beautifully in the prayer of Mother Teresa…

Dear Jesus, help us to spread your fragrance

everywhere we go.

Flood our souls with your spirit and life.

Penetrate and possess our whole being so utterly

that our lives may only be a radiance of yours.

Shine through us and be so in us

that every soul we come in contact with

may feel your presence in our soul.

Let them look up and see no longer us, but only Jesus.

Stay with us and then we shall begin to shine as you shine,

so to shine as to be light to others.

The light, O Jesus, will be all from you.

None of it will be ours.

It will be you shining on others through us.

Let us thus praise you in the way you love best

by shining on those around us.

Let us preach you without preaching,

not by words, but by our example;

by the catching force -

the sympathetic influence of what we do,

the evident fullness of the love our hearts bear to you.

Amen.

Please continue to pray for us, and perhaps pray this prayer specifically, that we all might embrace the missionary heart wherever His mission takes us, which is wherever we are.

-KK Lukasavage

Thank You to Our Supporters!

College students have perennial problems managing money, and at this time of the year our bank accounts take a major hit just like everyone else’s. But the funds of our team missionaries would be particularly low if it weren’t for the support of so many families, friends, and businesses. When we accepted our call to Ecuador, each one of us also promised to raise $1600 for our travel arrangements and to aid the people of Misahualli. Though we are still working to collect more funds to give to the Sisters and the people we will be serving, we want to take this opportunity to thank those who have helped us in our efforts, to ask for continued support, and to update everyone on our progress.

In addition to requesting contributions from our families and friends, each member of our team has taken part in many fundraising projects including the following:

• Claire, Julie, and Justin spoke to the parishioners of St. Aiden’s Church in Mineola who provided us with tremendous support.
• Joe enlisted the help of the Long Island Catholic, Newsday, and several other news organizations to promote and advertise our efforts.
• The parishioners of St. Francis Xavier Church in Marcellus, NY, blessed me with their kindness and have generously supported our team.
• Tina, Danielle, Chiara, Stephany, and Jon raised support from households in the towns of West Hempstead and Garden City.
• KK and I received much generous support from the businesses of Nassau Boulevard in Garden City.
• Our good friends the Geminder family and their parish at St. Mary’s Church in Amityville have strengthened us with their prayers and contributions.
• We also are most grateful for the support of Hofstra University and Adelphi University’s student governments.
• All missionaries have sent personal letters in request of support and prayers from family and friends.

Our heartfelt appreciation goes out to all individuals, families, businesses, and parishes supporting us. This blog is dedicated to our efforts to keep you informed and to assure that you are active members of our mission team. Through your financial and prayerful support, you are doing the Lord’s work, and we cannot express enough thanks for your selfless and cheerful answering of His call. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we have less than one month of preparation for our fantastic journey!

-Kyle Blackmer

The Dignity of Labor

“There is great dignity in labor.” These were the words of Father Augustino, the Franciscan friar and leader of the CFRs in Paterson, New Jersey. The CFRs, or Community of Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, are a group of religious brothers committed to lives of evangelization, asceticism, and service to the poor (following the example of St. Francis of Assisi). Our mission team spent a day working and worshiping with these extraordinary men of God in preparation for our journey to Ecuador.

We began the day with a beautiful time of worship in the friary’s chapel. The small room was decorated with brilliant 19^th Century French stained glass and the joyous sounds of our voices. Not only are the brothers tremendous leaders in the community and completely devoted to service, they are also incredibly talented musicians. Singing at the tops of our lungs was a fantastic way to start our retreat day.

After our prayer and songs it was time to get down to business. Several members of our group (John, Danielle, and Matthew) spent the morning evangelizing at a local abortion clinic, but the majority of our work revolved around refurbishing the friary. Formerly a decrepit brick building in a poor Hispanic community, the brothers’ home is being transformed into a comfortable and beautiful house for the Lord. To help the brothers along, members of our team took up several home improvement tasks. Meaghan, Allyssa, and Matthew stained the wood paneling and door casings of the third floor, Chiara, Claire, and Kristina painted the second story hall, Will, KK, and I removed the drop ceiling from the front office, and Father Lachlan hung light fixtures in the dining room. It was incredibly rewarding to see the progress that we were making and it felt wonderful to change this place to something suitable for these men who have given their lives to God and the service of those less fortunate.

Several hours of work flew by and before we knew it, it was time for mass. One of the most intimate, personal masses I have ever witnessed, it’s safe to say that the Holy Spirit was present to inspire our team and the CFRs. Father Augustino’s homily was tailored to our visit and focused on service to the poor. He did not just concentrate on the materially impoverished, however, but more so on the poverty of those who have not realized God’s love for them.

Father told an anecdote of a trip to Vienna for a music festival in which the CFRs were invited to perform – I told you they were terrific musicians! A protest broke out against the sponsorship of the festival by the Catholic Church and Father was confronted by several of the demonstrators. Through his discussion with these young people, Father Augustino learned that some of them had no concept of Christianity or Jesus because of their post-modern, Central European upbringings. Father’s homily made each of us realize how fortunate we are, not only to live where we live and to have the things that we have, but how truly fortunate we are to know God and to know that He loves us and will always love us.

After mass we sat down for a delicious feast prepared by our teammates, Stephany and Rosie. In honor and preparation for our trip, we dined on rice and beans with beef and assorted vegetables. Coincidentally, a Cuban woman had made dinner for “the bros” the night before and left many of our ingredients. Our leaders have warned us of the mass quantities of rice and beans that we will be eating in Ecuador, but if it at all resembles our meal from Saturday, I will be a happy man!

Over lunch, several of the friars shared their missionary experiences with us and told us stories of service in Latin America. Their knowledge and willingness to share with us were truly invaluable and our team was blessed to learn from them. They exposed to us some of the harsh realities of life in Central and South America. We were also assured that our somewhat shaky Spanish would not cripple us in our mission because our actions and our kindness will be remembered long after our words are forgotten.

We did a few more hours of work after lunch and completed most of our projects. Though I had been confined to the office that I was gutting with KK and Will for most of the day, I took a few minutes to wander around the friary and see what progress everyone else had made. Knowing the state of much of the house, I was shocked to see how much nicer our work made the place look. New lights brightened the dining room, fresh stain made the bedrooms more cozy and warm, and a coat of paint turned the second floor into a brand new space. When it was time to leave, everyone felt a great sense of accomplishment and dignity in our labors.

The team stopped in Manhattan on the way home for dinner at Chipotle – generously donated by the Ecuadorian manager – and a time of adoration at Catholic Underground at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church on East 90^th between 2^nd and 3^rd. As we walked from dinner to adoration, we sang Christmas carols at Rockefeller Center, on the subway, and throughout midtown Manhattan. I wasn’t sure how we would pull it off when a woman on the subway requested Handel’s “Messiah,” but we sang “HALLELUIAH!” until we reached our stop.

Adoration made the evening even more remarkable. Our Lady of Good Counsel was packed to capacity and the people were singing with all of their hearts. It was the perfect way to end our retreat.

-Kyle Blackmer

Our thanks and gratitude go out to the CFRs of Paterson for welcoming us into their home and for their outstanding service and wisdom.

Thanks to the CFRs of NYC for putting on the most beautiful adoration.

A special thanks to Jean Delfino and the staff of Chipotle Restaurant on Park Ave. for their generosity in supplying us with a delicious meal.