Serve the poor with compassion

Is something missing in your life? Do you feel unfulfilled? If this is the case, I highly recommend that you read Mother Teresa’s Prescription—Finding Happiness and Peace in Service, 2006 [ISBN 978-1-59471-072-8].

The author, Paul Wright, M.D., was extremely successful in terms of wealth and prestige, but something was missing in his life. He went to his most admired person, Mother Teresa, and she told him that his—our—goal in life must be to serve others with compassion because Jesus comes to us in the distressing disguise of the poor. This absolutely changed his life. Through more visits with Mother Teresa, he learned from her ten spiritual attitudes to help reach this goal in life.

This 100+ page book sells for $10 and can be delivered to your door in a couple of days by Amazon.com for $4 more.

Below are two excerpts from Amazon’s Online Reader of the back page of the book and from the beginning of Chapter 1.

Pickup truck needed

The parish in Peru uses cars, trucks, and vans to deliver more than 1,300 food packages per month to families with generous sponsors in the United States. The vehicles are also used continuously to transport missionaries for twelve weeks during the summer. Much of vehicle travel is down dirt roads in the desert.

One of the parish pickup trucks is on its last legs and Fr. Uhen would like a donated pickup truck that is five or less years old to meet government regulations. Donated vehicles are transported to Piura via our quarterly ocean-going containers.

If you can help, contact me at DeaconLee@cox.net.

Peru family needs a sponsor

This family needs your help.

Miguel Yarleque, 36, and Maria Elena Flores, 30, live in the village of Los Polvorines where St. Monica built a chapel this summer (Santa Monica Capilla). They live in one room with no water or electricity. Miguel earns $3.50 per day selling water.

Their daughter, Alexia, is 2. Her body was burned with hot water a year ago. When she was a baby, a doctor said that she needed surgery because her shoulder was separated from her neck. The parents had no money so could not pay for the surgery. They lost contact with the doctor and no longer know what treatment Alexia requires.

Fr. Uhen visits St. Monica

Last night Fr. Joe, Freddy, and Percy visited St. Monica parish. I was deacon at Mass with Fr. Joe and many other sponsors served as liturgical ministers. During the homily, Fr. Joe presented the parish with a painting of Jesus by an artist in Piura.

After Mass we had an excellent dinner in the Parish Hall. Raffle tickets were sold and we generated some money for the parish in Peru as well as for sponsored families there.

A few missionaries shared their experiences while on mission in Piura this summer.

Fr. Joe then shared photos from three mission trips by St. Monica parishioners. The dates for 2008 mission trips will be set on August 28.

Peruvians In Sunday Oklahoman

Fr. Uhen, Freddy, and Percy arrived safely on Friday. Because of the earthquakes in Peru, they were soon interviewed by The Oklahoman, the main area newspaper. You can read their story in the Sunday issue of The Oklahoman on page 17A. You will also find the story online .

Peru Website Updated

The parish website in Piura has been updated to show photos of 243 missionaries who came on ten trips. Flashing photos are of random missionaries while clicking in a particular mission trip will you show you those photos only. St. Monica parishioners were on these trips:

• First Mission

• Dentists and Missionaries

• Health Mission

8.0 Earthquake in Peru

The large earthquake in central Peru this evening occurred 620 miles south of Piura. All our sponsored families in northern Peru are safe, not even being close enough to feel the shock waves. Amen!

2008 Mission Trip Being Planned

Representatives from several U.S. parishes will meet with Fr. Uhen in late August to decide dates for mission trips to Santísimo Sacramento Parish in 2008. When 80-some St. Monica sponsors were asked if they would like to go on a mission trip in June of July, 23 expressed an interest.

The St. Monica trip date will be announced around the end of the month. Then several meetings will be planned to discuss details about the mission trip. If anyone else is interested in going, please let me know.

Piurans Visit Oklahoma

Missionaries from the U.S. visit Santisimo Sacramento Parish in weekly waves from late May until early August. In mid August, Fr. Uhen and some of his staff visit parishes in the U.S.

Fr. Uhen will visit St. Monica on Monday, August 20. He will preside at a 6 p.m. Mass and preach about his parish. Then we will have dinner in the Parish Hall, followed by a presentation and discussion.

Dinner requires a RSVP to my e-mail address: DeaconLee at cox.net

Preparing for six weeks in Piura

I have been on five mission trips to Santisimo Sacramento Parish in Piura, Peru over the past five years. Feeling God's call to do more there, I asked the pastor, Fr. Joe Uhen, about opportunities. He replied that his archbishop said that he could invite any priest or deacon to serve in the parish and that he was inviting me. I asked my main boss, my wife Karen, if this was okay. She said "yes" and initial plans were made to go to Piura in mid-Janury 2008.