Today we have reached the pinnacle of the Christmas season. I hope that it has brought you joy, some time for reflection, and a moment to hold cherished memories, while making new ones. Since this season is such an amalgamation of everything, I thought it would be interesting to look at three different Christmas experiences had by Maryknoll Lay Missioners.
Whether it be reflecting on the year, a continuing day of dancing, or a project to help others, our Christmas experiences blend together to create the feeling that this season brings. This feeling cannot be explained because this season is ever changing and how we feel each time this season comes around is not the same. It is the joy, nostalgia, excitement, sadness, memories, generosity, music, love and pain, intertwining to connect us.
Please take a moment to enjoy these Christmas experiences found in the Maryknoll Lay Missioners Newsletters Collection. And whatever it is that you need, may the Christmas season reach out to you and bring you comfort and joy. Merry Christmas everyone!
“We just love this time of year! There is that neat feeling of caring and sharing in the air, thoughts of loved ones near and far. There are more smiles, more laughter, more thoughts about others and less about ourselves. We want to thank all of you from the bottom of our hearts for the love, generosity and prayers that you have blessed us with this year.
[…]For us this has really been a year of growth – in our faith, in our ability to communicate in another language, to understand another culture and customs, to develop patience. We have been trying to develop more of a balance between our work and our personal lives; to try to take time to look at the funny side of things and maintain our sense of humor, without which we would probably go crazy.
We look back on this past year with thanksgiving for all of you wonderful, generous people of the U.S. who help support our work and to the beautiful, poor people of El Salvador, especially the people of San Ramon, who have opened their lives to us and have become our friends. They have helped fill the void we have in our hearts for our family and friends back home. We think about and treasure the memories of all the people we have encountered along the road.
[…]Have the most Blessed of Moments during this very special Season”
Former Maryknoll Lay Missioners Nancy & Richard Bureson
Detour to El Salvador, December 1999
“I pray that you had a good holiday season and the [N]ew [Y]ear is starting off well. Personally I had a very enjoyable Christmas here in Northern Uganda. […O]n Christmas, Fr. Mario, I, and about 200 local Christians celebrated a beautiful, rural outdoor Mass under the shade of a large tree. By the end of the service almost everyone was dancing especially all the elderly women. And so I likewise attempted my hand (or feet) in a few traditional dances as well.
I returned to the main parish only to continue the dancing with all the catechumens. We danced for several hours that afternoon and evening. For any of you that may have turned to Jane Fonda or Richard Simons as a part, of your [N]ew [Y]ear’s resolution, I think the Karimojong Dancing beats both of them hands down. Needless to say I must admit that I felt the dancing in my legs for several days there-after. The high, repetitive, and rythmic JUMPING of the Karimojong dancing surely compared to any of my former high school track and cross-country workouts.”
Former Maryknoll Lay Missioner Marty Roers
Newsletter, January 12, 2000
“CHRISTMAS PROJECT
A HUGE THANK YOU for all who supported and helped with our Christmas project at the jail. It was an exhausting, inspiring undertaking, but with your prayers, support and financial help, we managed to put together 1360 hygiene care packages for the women at the jails. The capacity of each jail is about 500, but they are bursting at the seams with 650-670 each.
We headed out to Makro (a warehouse type store) one night and practically bought them out. We bought soap, laundry soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, maxi-pads, toilet paper and bomboms. Later, we bought pens in bulk at another store. During that week the number of prisoners jumped significantly and we were off to a nearby store to buy 40 more of everything. And, there was a second trip to get pens, because it was too much to carry on the metro in one trip. We got close to the end of the week and our calculations were off, well at least something was off. In the end, I know that we had to make at least 6 trips to the store.
The greatest thing was the collaboration of the folks in my neighborhood. One man who had a van, offered to meet us at Makro and carry it all back (later we discovered that they deliver!). Right next to our house is the church community’s meeting room. We stored everything there and for three days, the youth of our community, our neighbors and a few folks on the church council all helped to bag the items into ‘hygiene kits’ and then put fifteen of the kits into bigger garbage bags. It was an adventure […]to say the least.
And honestly, what we delivered probably lasted no longer than a week. But what really matters is that the women know someone remembered them and that they’re not forgotten and invisible. For a short time, everyone could meet minimum need for basic hygiene and the people in my community are more aware of the situation of others. ‘Valeu gente!’ (That means ‘it was work it, folks!’)”
Maryknoll Lay Missioner Heidi Cerneka
News from South of the Border, February 2001
