Mexico – Page 6 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

The second day of our CLM continental meeting of America

23 September, 201621 September, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

Today we started the day with a mass celebration with everyone carrying out our commitment as CLM. During mass the idea that predominated was that a CLM is always a missionary, not mattering whether or not the CLM is carrying out mission work in or outside of his/her country of origin. The activities of the day began with group work based on a previous study guide that was presented to the CLM for completion before our IV Continental meeting in Mexico. Each of the groups presented and informed according to the topics that were included in the study guide. We were enriched by the constructive information that all groups exposed and shared of what goes on in each of their countries. It is always enriching to see what others are doing in their countries and how they have progressed in this area of mission work since our last continental meeting. Each representative of each country exposed and presented with such clarity on topics that were previously chosen for discussion. In the second part of the morning we moved on to discuss the agreements that were previously made in Guatemala in 2014 for each country. CLM from Columbia is the only country that was not able to send a representative to our meeting but they have sent their report via email and was read out-loud by Alberto. Fisher, the coordinator of Peru presented theirs with such clarity and after is followed by a brief discussion of the same. Yessenia De La O, representative for Paul Wheeler presented the report for Nap. Cristina both a member of our International Committee and the representative for Brazil presented their report. Mexico also presents their report with clarity and it’s followed by a small dialogue. The next presentation is done by Mirella the coordinator of Guatemala. More group work follows after to answer aspects not yet discussed based on the study guide. In the discussion floor groups exposed what was agreed in their respective groups that they were assigned too, in order to make a follow up on the agreements made in Guatemala 2014, whether if agreements were accomplished or not. After each presentation an enriched dialogue followed which helped to clarify some aspects of past agreements made in the meeting of Guatemala in 2014.

Valentín y Yessenia de la O

IV Continental meeting CLMs of America (18-24 September)

20 September, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

Our CLM’s Gathering began Sunday 18^th with the presentation by the Continental committee and by Father Erasmus, Provincial Comboni Missionary in Mexico. Then we had a very original Dynamic directed by Leticia in order to learn more about each other as a group. We then assigned group activities and practical responsibilities for these remaining days. We started Monday with a very colorful mass that the Latino missionaries organized. The Eucharist is the center and force of all missionaries, this was presented through words and gestures in the offerings that were presented.

The activities of the morning were marked by the memory of our previous meetings and our commitments that were made especially in the meeting in Guatemala, which served to remind us of our lay community and our commitment to it. We reviewed the agreements previously made in order to live better our commitments in our various countries. Achievements in these past years have been remarkable, especially in the area of communication. Nevertheless, more commitment of our CLM and provincials are required in order to ensure a good follow up in all provinces. The Central Committee updated and specified what their function and role are within the International movement. Alberto, Coordinator of the Central Committee exposed its operation and clearly presented and reminded us of the various agreements that had been made by the different Continental Assemblies in a very concise and clear manner leaving no room for questions. In the Maia Assembly, the base of its performance was set, and it recalls for much coordination between the different agents within the mission of the CLM’s.

The CLM are present in 20 countries. Today we have various challenges as CLM in different continents. One of the challenges is that is necessary to clarify our relationship within the MCCJ at all levels. Another aspect that was emphasized on was the economic contribution that each member and country can give in order to help facilitate economic resources to those who have less. It is necessary for all MCCJ and Provincials to have the capacity to accept and collaborate with the CLM in those countries. We have major challenges today as a group in various levels and it is important to be conscience of them and be more coherent.

Alberto de la Portilla recalls the challenges

Consolidate those groups (CLM) in our countries and promote vocations of same.
Involve everyone in a systematic way so that we all are an International CLM family.
Achieve a smooth communication process and be more corresponding in the decision making.
Carry out the challenges and commitments of Maia.
Enable a stability in the international coordination.
Enhance further knowledge and background that will help us grow.
Procure a style of Comboni family that Comboni would have liked.

The reflection of the evening was to care for the creation of the vocation as laity in the church and to protect it, this was presented by Cristina from the Central Committee. The Comboni Lay Missionaries are called to continue the Kind of Life that Jesus led as well as Comboni. We are also called to continue and with the making of Missionary animation. In the afternoon each country presents its responses according to the previous questionnaire that was sent to each coordinator: Columbia, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, NAP, Brazil and in the evening Peru presents with two very interesting testimonies by Arequipa and Trujillo.

(Fr. Valentín García and Yessenia de la O)

My experience in the Peruvian Andes

1 September, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

Hello everybody. I want to tell you about my personal experience with children in the mountains of the Andean highlands, during my missionary service of 6 years. Most of those children are shepherds, responsible for various tasks. The girls are also in charge of caring for the little ones and even tied them on their backs with a blanket when they go out to play. They are ingenious; with just some small stones and a marble they make a game called Matatena.

Children take the sheep to graze near the river, before going to school (which is often far from their village). They also help in the family´s fields and school´s one, to sow, clean the groove and harvesting. The main food are potatoes and various types of root vegetables like carrots, goose, root vegetables, sweet potato, yacon and maca, because of the high altitude of the mountains it just germinate the plant underground.

The lives of the children is not easy, because most do not live within an integrated family. Some parents go to the jungle to work (where coca is grown) and they do not know of them in 10 and / or 15 years, because they bind with another woman with whom they have more children and only return when the kids are big enough to take them to help in the work. This cause serious injuries and resentments within the youth. Because of the need, the mom goes to the city to work as a house cleaner and leaves the children with the granny and they (the mothers), in the city, also establish a relationship with another man. Most grannies speak Quechua and their activity is to care for animals, sow to eat, and it is not a priority for them to send the children to school because it is better for them to be helped in the field. I met a teacher, who once started the school calendar, spends fifteen days visiting the students house to house to convince the grannies that allow the children to go to school.

I share with you that my father pass away when I was in mission and I was warned the third day that this happened and they had already buried. I was working with the children and all I thought of was to thank the Lord for giving me such a good father, loving, attentive and respectful with all his children (we were 10). And that I had his blessing and moral support in this work; (because of the children with whom I was at that time they most hardly enjoyed a father).

There are desperate and sad moments as when Susy, a girl who for helping her mom to cook burned herself with boiling water behind the knee and the medical post diminished the number of cures, because only with her they were going to finish gauzes they had in existence and had not the unguent needed. This allows me to reflect and apply a training course and preparation in first aid. Knowing their crops and/or plants that occur is that population and see if some of them were medicinal.

In the mission, I got to know a little girl who was infested with fungi in the chest and died from unsanitary conditions in her home. She slept on the floor on sheepskins, her very dark house was located where the small canals down with all the dirty water from the village and therefore was very wet, all this favored worsened her health. And later on she died. Modesty from her part, lack of confidence and ignorance was the reason for her illness was not treated in time.
On another occasion, I had the need to call attention to children that were playing soccer with an orange, because the soil were infected with pork´s feces and as ends the recess, they took the orange, peeled with their dirty hands and they eat among those who participated in the game. But, don´t they know of balls?!
Boys or girls, when they accompany their mommies to the river to wash clothes is when they have the opportunity to take a bath.

They are welcoming children, as when we arrived they run to prepare a hot drink to offer with a little cake. And when you help them, as a gesture of friendship, they invite you with their roasted beans kept in their pants pocket, this in thanks.

Also, a day we were walking through the square, a tiny 5 years old shouted us from the other end of the square: missionary, God bless you! Imagine how nice feeling conveyed to us as missionaries, once we began the day’s work

As they do not have toys, television or cellular, they live with their friends and brothers, look after each other. They like to participate in the village feast where people attend from the hamlets and villages around the town. There is a dance held in many towns called Auquidanza where they make a representation of the death of the Inca by the conquistador Pizarro and women singing pray for the life of the Inca. It is a nice experience.

In several villages, on December 25, children go to worship the baby Jesus dancing and singing.

I admire the strength of their convictions, because when they invited Luis, a boy who attended church, to participate in a joke of lies, he refused saying he could not lie, as he would receive our Lord Jesus Christ in his first communion.

One day knocks at our door a boy of 5 years, bringing his friend of seven years who were crying inconsolably as he hung the bus that were coming and fell, striking his forehead from which emerged a great bump. To be attended, we gave the instruction to go with his mother to take him to be attended to the medical post. The child cried harder, afraid of the posible punishment of his mom. There is much intra-family violence in the environment, upon entering in each room there is a belt or a stick over the teacher’s desk to establish discipline.

My dear missionary companion Josefina, applied a slice of onion on the front head but the child was crying inconsolably, we offered him a cup of chocolate and taking the drink the onion felt into the cup which provoked the laughter of those present and also the injured child, this made him forget about the incident. Everyone were impressed by the solidarity of the little boy who brought his friend to be healed.

It is very nice to work with children, because they assimilate very quickly the new things and what they learn they want to implement at home. Try to give happiness to the little ones, it is not difficult because they are not demanding and are very grateful.

And what can I tell you about my “legs” (young people), who suffer so much trying to find work in the city, sleeping in parks, without eating and only acquiring diseases.

Once, some engineers came to the village, they want to open a gap in the mountains. They attracted the young people, inviting them to eat at the bar and offering them work and good food during the work period. They were excited and accepted. Walked away for a large canyon, forced to walk thorough slopes to measure sections, with the danger of falling from the mountain. As it was rainy season, their blankets and firewood get wet, so they only ate raw potatoes and noodles soaked. Half evening of the third day they escaped and one of them cried saying: what kind of sin they had committed to deserve such punishment, one of them had a cup of aluminum and filled with spring water for drinking, that helped them to return home.
They are enthusiastic and sensitive guys, but their work is very heavy.
They expect you to communicate them the Good News.

Fondly
Adriana Salcedo Margarita Cabello

Comboni Lay Missionary of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

Easter mission field.

4 May, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

We confirm that God is tenderness and mercy and that young people are very committed to the suffering people.

The CLM group of Guadalajara attended the invitation of the fathers Gustavo Covarrubias and David Tena, to attend the 2016 mission field in Tala Jalisco. We joined the “exodus” youth group. The preparation was carried out a few weeks earlier through readings and a spiritual retreat during which we agreed with the youth and the fathers the work program. We recognize the good logistics because we gave us schedules, materials and rosaries blessed to be offered to the sick; as well as instructions in case anyone wanted to confess, receive communion and extreme unction.

During Holy Week, during the mornings we attend individually to a catechetical center to support catechists in exposing the central theme of the week that was Mercy, we make dynamics and tasks with children. By midmorning, we split into teams of 6 or 7 people to go to the hospital, nursing home or prison respectively.

We visited patients in bed in the hospital, we prayed and sang. Sick appreciated our presence, some shared with us about their illness and the relationship with their family. At first, the enthusiastic young wanted to do acts of magic and clowns dressed but it could not be, still made it feel a very lively atmosphere. We spent even more than an hour with a patient who did not want to let us go. We took letters of encouragement to the sick and congratulations to the moms who had just had her baby.

In the asylum, similarly, we greeted everybody, meet the elders, we prayed with them, and make dynamics to meet each other, read the Bible, or played board games like the lottery. People had a lot of openness and trust to share their sorrows, their joys and what they were experiencing. The help of the Holy Spirit to enlighten us with words of love and peace was always noticed.

In the prison, they only authorized us to visit a group of prisoners. With them, we made dynamics and reflections on scripture passages like the prodigal son, the crucifixion and death of Jesus. An activity was to read the letter that the dam from Cd. Juarez addressed to Pope Francis. Some received the sacrament of confession and Father David celebrated the Eucharist. After the visit, we ate something with them to promote coexistence. You could tell that our presence cheered them, gave them hope and desire to move forward.

In the evenings, families of people greeted us at home to feed us, always giving us the best they had. After lunch, we moved to the chapel corresponding us in groups of three or four to give talks to young people and adults about the Easter Triduum and the Mercy of God, during which there was very good participation.

Each of us participated in the activities of the Easter Triduum in the different chapels; just a few met on Friday while participating in the way of the Cross at the parish center.

This experience was very nice, to known healthy young people with supportive ideas and expressing great tenderness. We also believe that they were happy to share with us and with all the work we did. We adapt to teamwork and we could see their responsibility in the way they work, they were very active and attentive, shared their joy, dancing, singing and shouting. We keep the sweetness of knowing that if they persevered with that dedication and love, will get very far in the love of God and his brothers.

Adri, Oli and Mire. CLM Mexico

My experience lived in Chiapas

9 October, 2015 by Alberto de la Portilla

Hello to all my friends, the CLM of Mexico and the world, the Comboni Family, colleagues and family!
Here I share a summary of my lived experience in Chiapas, at this stage of my life that was very special and different and that God has given me, where he took me to a mission for the period from January to August of this year 2015.
I was living, working and sharing community life with my friend Rocio, who is also a CLM and we together were in Altamirano a Municipal Head of the State of Chiapas.
Chiapas is one of the 32 states of Mexico. It is located in the southeast, on the border with Guatemala. Its capital is Tuxtla Gutierrez, has several of the most important tourist destinations in Mexico, mainly Archaeological and Ecological Niche areas of great beauty. There are 122 municipalities; it is one of the states with the largest indigenous population in Mexico, since 30% of the population speaks an indigenous language of the continent. Besides the Spanish language, its official languages are: Tzeltal, Tojolabal, Tzoxil, Chol, Zoque, Lacandon, Chuj, Quiche, Kakchikel. The territory of Chiapas has a very complex morphology: the mountains formed by extensive mountainous areas, large valleys, coastal and flood plains, for this reason has great climate and biodiversity. Some areas have been declared “Biosphere Reserves” for hosting several animal and plant species. In Chiapas, important cultures were developed during the Mesoamerican pre-Columbian era: the Olmec, the Maya and Chiapaneca. Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in the State was reproduced and strengthened a wide social inequality. The abuses against indigenous peoples and rural communities generated a latent conflict until 1994 when it broke the Chiapas conflict led by the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, conflict that continues unresolved so far.
In the history of Altamirano, it is told that this town was founded in 1806 by residents of the Hacienda de San Antonio and San Vicente which asked the Vicariate of Ocosingo, own land to found a new town, choosing the place of Nacashlan to about 30 km south of Comitan, near River Tzaconeja, which in 1814 already had 90 indigenous families, all of them Tzeltal Ethnicity. First was called Ashlumal San Carlos. Ashlumal (new village). In 1911, this town that had belonged to the Department of Chilo, stands as a municipality. In 1935 the Governor Victorio R. Grajales renamed the village San Carlos to Villa Altamirano in tribute to poet Ignacio Manuel Altamirano and in 1942 it amounted to second-class municipality. In January 1994 became one of the towns occupied by the Zapatista Army of National Liberation.
We were working in the San Carlos Hospital, which was built by the Dutch government and is maintained and funded in large part by a Dutch NGO. In this health unit, all the people it attends, especially indigenous people, which are mostly Tzeltal, but also come Tojolabales Tzoxiles, Choles and Zoque.
The Parish of San Carlos Altamirano has 85 communities, but received indigenous communities belonging to other municipalities such as: Ocosingo, Oxchú, Palenque, Yajalón, Chilón … it is sad to see these poor people travel so much for medical care in this small hospital, which has resources for a first class medical care with general doctors only and has no specialists. Only in certain times of the year received medical specialists volunteer from Mexico, United States, Spain and Italy which help our people in Medical Surgical Campaigns of: Gynecology, Urology, Plastic Surgery and Dermatology. It has programs Nutrition, Tuberculosis and Mental Health.
I was shocked too, realizing that in the State of Chiapas the health sector is very poor, have few public hospitals. That’s why in this hospital, quite often it cannot be transferred serious ill patients who need specialized second- or third-level attention and we know that here will be complicated more or even die, and many fatalities could have been avoided if we count on good state health service.
Well, I also want to share my feelings in this land, because on one side has been good to work for the poor, yet have lived different feelings of sadness, pain, impotence, anger, uncertainty, because I encountered a very strong and depressing context, our indigenous brothers still live in poverty, are isolated and excluded, abandoned and trampled by the government, the institutions and the people who are not indigenous and call themselves as mestizos.
Indigenous people live in remote communities where they do not even have the basic services for a dignified life and not have rural health care. Almost no schools and for this reason a large percentage are illiterate, have no financial resources to produce their land, and there is great maternal, neonatal, child and of all ages mortality, as they are consuming by hunger, malnutrition, infections, parasites, tuberculosis, cancer, alcoholism, among other…
It is very painful to watch as they come to hospital with very advanced, complex or terminal conditions, because there was no one to attend in their communities and could not afford to move to a hospital. Some even tell us that walked for hours in the jungle and others in a truck along a road to get to our hospital. Another problem they have is that sometimes they say they are not attend in hospitals from the IMSS or Health because they do not speak Spanish and these institutions do not have staff who serve as translators. Something we liked from San Carlos Hospital was that in previous years a small school of nursing was open where they trained indigenous people as nurses and themselves translate the patients. Because all physicians are from outside and do not speak the language. I liked being there because I identified with the Comboni charisma too, as I always had in mind the motto of the Plan of Comboni: “save Africa with Africa” because here was: “save the indigenous with the indigenous people themselves.”

I arrived in January, and then in April joined this experience my colleague CLM and friend Rocio.
Together we were working in the Hospital San Carlos, she in administration and human resources, since her profession is Business Administration and I as General Doctor. There, we shared working life, as well as shared community life where renting a cottage in the village. It was nice that every day we got up early, we were going to walk and exercise, and returning home, did together the morning prayer consecrating our day and asking for all; and after that each one were going to the hospital to do our own work task. We could share, live and learn together in this missionary experience. We share life with the Indians, we learned part of their culture, we learned to speak a few little words in Tzeltal as Jocolawal = Thanks, Cashan = come in, ban ti cux? = Where it hurts? deep breath = icha ik!, etc. We enjoyed the taste of Pozol which is its popular drink made with corn and water hammer. We ate their rich pumpkin gorditas, which are stuffed with bean… It was something very special to know them, heal them, listen to them, encourage them and motivate them, give them a word of encouragement and hope, speak of God’s love, comfort them spiritually especially when one of their relatives was serious ill or died in the hospital…
We made new friends, had good colleagues and find good people in the streets, in stores, at church and even in tourist places where we had the joy of moving and know… In the last month, Rocio could be doing mission also with the children in a suburb, where there are indigenous and lack of many things, especially education, Chío could help a bit with their homework, teach to read and write those who still did not know and even he taught some young computer skill. I accompanied her on some occasion because I spent more time in the hospital attending people and doing 24 hours guards and sometimes even more. In this respect was heavy work, because they were very long and superhuman, difficult to take much time with this pace… But although it was a short time we were sharing with the children and their families, it was very nice and comforting as missionaries… I think for Rocio was even more intense, because it was her own initiative…
And, as a law of life, there were positives and negatives in this time of mission, something more negative or disappointing was that we could not act with the sick, the staff and the people, as we would have liked. We had too many limitations and obstacles, as Vincentian religious (Sisters of Charity) who are directing this hospital, had a much-closed system and was difficult for them to open to changes…
In addition, we could not get to indigenous communities, where we wanted to do a project with our pastoral ministry and missionary work, as is currently strong Zapatista conflict and confrontations and divisions exist between these villages. They do not let people to get in their villages so easy. For this reason, it has been difficult for the same pastor priest, for religious and other volunteers and other organizations that want to work in these lands to help fighting this material and spiritual poverty that exists. Up to the very evangelization it has been difficult because different religions and sects are infiltrating, it is sad to see that there are villages where they have several churches of different faiths and we even met some where they have no Catholic church, but of another religion.
There is a real need of more missionaries, laity, priests and religious to these lands…
Although it was a short time we could be in Altamirano and we decided to go for the moment, I do not stay convinced to retire, give up and never return to these people, who are so poor and abandoned… It has been a big concern inside me, because I know they need help. This is where the mission called, is where we see the suffering Christs, where it is necessary to stay as missionary and give our life, carrying our own cross with them, carrying a cross that weighs more and that together we can carry and make it weigh less. It is in these lands where it is necessary to do human promotion, to develop and achieve their own dignity as human beings. It is necessary that the feel that they are children of God too and deserve to be happy on this earth.
I faithfully think it is not impossible and with my heart in hand, I tell you we can find an alternative and a way to build a missionary project… As lay, we can research and seek for support in an institution or a national or international NGO, in the Comboni Congregation, in the diocese, or perhaps more options to work with these peoples of Chiapas, because it really is one of the poorest and neediest states of our country. I’m not happy to say that I went, worked and met great wonders of nature, for me is still drilling into my mind and in my heart all these faces of suffering, bitterness, pain, illness, depression, helplessness, sadness, despair, thirst and hunger of God and for human dignity… May God help us to help, the laity have many capabilities and potential, have a lot of crazy ideas, but they are good desires and above all, have the missionary spirit of charity, and that challenging soul, but sometimes alone we cannot, we need people and resources; and a head does not think like a lot. I invite you to reflect on this and if as CLM of Mexico and the world someday we may launch into action a project for the indigenous people of Chiapas, let us do it. Although I know we have other places of mission where we need the CLM, we are aware that sometimes we cannot meet those needs either for lack of economy or even for lack of personal health, meditate and strive to go covering those people who are not so remote or in difficult climates and environments, and it is possible to go and give the best of us with everything we are and have. Pray God to continue to bless all indigenous in the world, African-Americans and Africans … May St. Daniel Comboni intercede for them and for all missionaries.

Greetings to all, your friend: ISA. CLM.