SepOct Newsletter Digital

San Lucas Mission Newsletter September/October 2018A Note from the DirectorDear Friends of San Lucas,As I walked along the path my eyes stayed focused on the ground a few feet in front of me. The path was narrow andsteep and glistened from the rain the night before. Little footholds, like steps for children, had been worn into thesteepest parts, created from thousands of footfalls over dozens of years.In my head I started to worry, not about the ascent, but about having to go back down and whether I would be able tofit my grande-sized feet into those small excavations on the way back. I didn’t want to take a tumble, in places the pathwas only 3-feet wide and the ground dropped-off quickly on either side, but, truth be told, I was more worried aboutthe embarrassment of falling, not that I would get seriously hurt.As I began to whine to myself I looked at the shoes of the man in front of me. He was wearing wing-tips, and as Ilooked down at my hiking shoes I did a little internal eye-roll to myself. And then I noticed the woman behind me.She was wearing flat-soled flip-flops.I quit whining.One of the gifts of Guatemala is perspective. It helps me see my life and my work from the perspective of people whotake nothing for granted, who work hard every day, and don’t expect that life should be easy or free from physical oremotional pain. It helps me understand that God is present everywhere, and God is especially present where life ishard and work is constant.We invite you to see for yourselves. Come visit the Mission and take some time to work and walk alongside some ofthe most creative and resilient people in the world.Please take a few minutes to read through this issue and to see how your support continues to change lives. Thank youfor helping to make that happen. Thank you for helping us to continue the work started by Fr. Greg Schaffer 55 yearsago.Sincerely,Bill Peterson

The Construction Program Letter from Julio Cesar To all of our donors, For all those people that put a smile on the faces of the families in San Lucas Tolimán and create a positive change in the quality of their lives, we are especially grateful to each one of you. Since the Friends of San Lucas formed a new administration at the Mission at the end of 2014, you have made it possible to construct 45 block homes, 148 wooden homes, 975 fuel-efficient stoves, 9 Strickland buildings for community use, and improve roads in rural areas, amongst other things! All of this was done with the eagerness to continue building on the foundations of Father Greg - to serve the people most in need. Many of our families are not capable of meeting their own needs or the needs of their communities. The little income they do have is principally used for medical costs and many times at the neglect of their other basic human needs.BEFORE AFTER The family Ajpuac Ajcalon shares laughter at the fiesta celebrating the completion of their new block home. Dora Raxtún Jacinto poses outside of her new wood home with cement floors and a fuel-efficient stove.

BEFORE AFTER Families often create makeshift “stoves” with scrap blocks and metal, but still face Quick Updates from efficiency, safety and health issues due to the open flames. Our fuel-efficient stoves help San Lucas Tolimán solve these problems! 1First CommunionCommon problems faced by our families with limited resources in-clude: overcrowding, rain infiltration specifically during the winter On October 6th, 40 boys and girls from(rainy season), and lack of protection from wind, cold and rain due Colegio Monseñor Gregorio Schafferto inadequate home construction. However, with your donations, received their first communion. Themany of these situations have improved for people with scarce re- church was packed with the studentssources, especially families with kids, the elderly, widows and single and their families celebrating this spe-mothers. cial occassion.The families of San Lucas Tolimán and other communities that havebenefitted, deeply appreciate this demonstration of love that you 2Day of the Childshare with us; thus demonstrating the teachings of our Lord Jesus tolove thy neighbor as he has loved us. Day of the Child is observed on October 1st in Guatemala and celebrates justThank you for making the Construction and Charity Programs a what it says - children! The Women’sreality and allowing us to have a dignified place to work as well. Center celebrated the holiday with aBecause of this, you make us people of service dedicated to our own lunch and talent show with over 300people. people in attendance.Sincerely,The Personnel of the Construction Program 3Feast Day of San Lucas None of this would be possible All of San Lucas looks forward to cel- without support from people like you! ebrating the Feast Day of Saint Luke or To get in touch with us or make a donation visit in Spanish, San Lucas! The feast day is October 18th, but the celebrations start sanlucasmission.org over a week before with the fair com- ing to town with rides, delicious foods, handmade goods and more!

Turning Coffee Sales into a Charity HomeMy name is Stephanie Greene. I made my first trip to San Lucas in the summer of 2014 as a chaperone for a teenyouth ministry trip with my parish. My husband Mike and I fell in love with the mission, its purpose and the peo-ple it serves from the start. I now serve as the chair of the Friends of San Lucas Coffee Committee.In July of 2015 I made my second trip to San Lucas with my church, Our Lady of the Lake in Mound, MN. ArchMrkvicka, the director of FOSL at the time, asked our group to help decide on a new program for the mission toimplement. The first two wood charity houses were built as a result. Our group was honored to have the opportu-nity to work on these projects and we pooled our Quetzales each day to fund our trips to the local lumber yard forsupplies.After returning from San Lucas, I approached my priest,Fr. Tony O’Neill, and asked him if it would be possibleto sell Juan Ana Cafe as a fundraiser in our parish to payfor a wood charity house on our trip the following sum-mer. My idea was approved by our parish council and inSeptember of 2015, I started selling all varieties of JuanAna Cafe. Since then, with the help of our parish admin-istrative assistant, I have sold countless bags of coffee.Through those sales and donations from our non-coffeedrinking parishioners, we have funded the constructionof four wood charity houses. I purchase coffee by the caseat the $9 per pound price and resell it for $12. At a $3 perbag profit that’s 500 bags of coffee per house.Every summer, as we start construction on another “coffee” house, I think about how selling Juan Ana Cafe not onlybenefits the family who will soon move into the house we’re building, but also the many coffee growers in the com-munity that Edy Morales is able to purchase from.My role on the coffee committee gives me the opportunity to be involved in all aspects of the Mission’s coffee pro-gram. I am honored to work directly with the Juan Ana coffee program. Being able to promote the sales of coffeeand give back to the Charity Program, which provides dignified housing for those in need, gives me a sense of pur-pose and a connection to people I would have missed out on. Purchase your fresh bag of coffee or sign up for our newcoffee subscription service online at sanlucasmission.org Thank you for your support and generosity to the San Lucas Mission.Friends of San Lucas • 4679 Cambridge Drive, Eagan, MN 55122 • 651-454-0981 • sanlucasmission.org @friendsofsanlucas