Peru – Page 9 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

Our friend Héctor

1 August, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

Hello Everyone!

The Misner family is doing well in Arequipa and are giving aid to several members of the community needing our help.

First I would like to present to you one fried of the Villa Ecologica named Hector. Hector is 86 years old and is a frequent patient in our clinic. He is very strong for his age and is not suffering from many of the same problems that other older patients are. However, he does not have a place to live, eat, or other basic necessities that are necessary for him to live.

Although someone might think Hector is “poor” because he does not have much money, he is not limited in his activities. He is growing a beautiful garden near his home and likes to share with the clinic and his friends. He is very nice person and his love for life is very contagious so we visit him frequently. He is living the words in the Gospel of today’s Mass, reading from the letter of the Apostle Paul to the Colossians in 3: 1-5. 9-11: “Aspire to the things that are above, not those of the earth.” Hopefully, we are all also demonstrating the same faith as Hector.

He does not have a house after a very strong wind knocked over his home many months ago. Therefore, he has to sleep in a shack in the days, which is located above the house to his niece, and is sleeping in an old car at night. He can’t sleep in the house of his niece because it is very small and has little space for his five other family members. We have a little money that we received from Ralph and Polly Winburn who are friends of mine from the States- thanks so much for your help! We will build a small house for Hector to live and hopefully more in the future if we can obtain more money. I will send more photos after the construction when I have them.

We are very grateful for your support and send the peace and love of Christ to you all.

We will be in contact soon!

Matt, Karissa, Lydia, and Violet Misner

Arequipa: such a great place!

10 May, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

Greetings to all from Misner Family in Peru!

Our daughters are adapting very well. Our oldest daughter Lydia will be seven years on May 26. She is studying at the School of the Sacred Hearts where she is learning Spanish, English and French. Our youngest daughter is 4 years old and she is studying in the kindergarten here in the parish of the Good Shepherd. Both love much the fathers and sisters who are working with the Comboni missionaries.

Karissa and I started our medical work a week ago at Villa Ecológica, which is on the outskirts of the city. Karissa specializes in adult and I am a pediatrician. We have a lot of love and respect for the Father Conrado and his passion for making this special place to assist these people without medical care.

Please keep us present in your thoughts and prayers.

Thank you for the possibility of this missionary service and the people of Arequipa.

Matt, Karissa, Lydia, y Violet Misner. CLM Family from the NAP in Peru

Arequipa, mission in southern Peru

13 March, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

We leave under these lines another video recorded by the Spanish television with the Comboni Missionaries in Peru.

In this Comboni parish is also working the Comboni Lay Missionaries for the last 9 years. At present time we are Kike Garcia (Peruvian CLM), Matt and Karissa Misner (CLM from US) with their two daughters.

We hope that with this video you can get close and understand better this missionary reality.

Greetings to everyone

In the Peruvian jungles of Pangoa

6 March, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

Hello everybody
We leave you a video recorded by the Spanish television in Pangoa (Peru) where the work of the Comboni Missionaries is seen. Places where our Comboni Lay Missionaries have made their last mission field (in Spanish).

Greetings to everyone

Annual Peruvian CLM meeting in Pangoa

4 March, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

As in previous years, the Comboni Lay Missionaries of Peru have had the CLM Annual Meeting. This year we have made in San Martin de Pangoa – Junin on 5, 6 and 7 February in the Comboni parish of that place in the jungle. We met almost all CLM from Lima and Trujillo, and some that are in a period of knowledge of the group.

During those three days we could talk and deepen our work and missionary style, sharing experiences lived in different mission fields where we are present as CLM. We were accompany by the Comboni fathers Valentin Garcia, advisor of the CLM in Peru and Father José Chinguel advisor of the CLM in Trujillo. Comboni fathers of the parish welcomed us very well and we got all the facilities for our meeting.

We begin our meeting reflecting the theme of early Christian communities. Making a comparison with the way of life in native communities, where up to this day they still lives a sense of belonging to the community. Where they shared, sitting by the fire, the joys and sorrows of the day and if someone in the community is fortunate to catch some kind of edible animal the whole community gathers to share as a family the dam, narrating in detail the adventures of hunting. A native of the place shows us its art, culture and how to face the challenges that the avalanche of modernity is threatens native traditions.

The second day we share our experiences of the mission field of a month. We conclude with this coexistence, and reflecting on justice, peace and integrity of creation (JPIC).

On Sunday, the last day, we visited the native community of San Antonio de Sonomoro that is one of the native communities where mission field has taking place in other occasions. There we dialogue with the authorities of this native community and its people.

This annual event strengthens us as a group and the example of indigenous communities motivates us to continue working to strengthen Peruvian CLM community and feel as a family not only in word but in heart and vocation as the first Christian communities.

Fisher Ayquipa P.

CLM-Peru Coordinator