Mexico City, July 2018
Dear Friends, peace,
Hello from Mexico City; so much has happened since my February letter! Once again I did a parish mission for Holy Week: this time in an inner-city parish here in Mexico City.
The terrible earthquake was 10 months ago, and tens of thousands are still homeless! As part of my work with “Caritas” (Mexican Catholic Relief Services), we are rebuilding houses and churches as quickly as possible despite a lot of bureaucratic red tape from local authorities. I am also pushing ahead to build a permanent homeless shelter so that no one has to sleep on the street, especially during the rainy season (now) or the cold season (December – February).
In May I was in Nigeria to inspect the School of the Faith. We had a local fundraising event to contribute to the construction of our regional office there, and the Archbishop came to bless the cornerstone of the new construction. Things are moving forward!
I then visited the School of the Faith in northern Ghana (West Africa), where the people are much poorer. Incredible things are happening: one of our students told me how his studies have helped him manage his anger issues and keep him out of fistfights. Another one (a retired teacher) spends his evening with his Muslim friends “sharing the Good News!”
Father Paul, our School director there, doesn’t even have transport. I will dedicate the rest of 2018 to getting the funds to buy him a pick-up, since the roads are terrible and he has to drive over four hours to get from one branch of the School to another.
Back in Mexico, we have planted another 4 acres of lime trees on the ranch in Sinaloa, to create work for people left destitute by the drug traffickers. The trees are apparently very healthy. We also dug a new well to water the trees in the dry season. Please pray for this project!
In June, the Fire Volcano in Guatemala erupted, killing many and wreaking havoc in the diocese of Escuintla, where we are sponsoring the Full-Time Catechists. Several of the Catechists were involved in disaster relief there; we also organized a charity dinner in Guatemala City on the 14th of June to help.
So never a dull moment! I won’t write more because I want to send this letter when I pass through the USA on Monday. But please keep our work in your prayers! Spread the word and, if you can, make a donation to help us meet our goal of sponsoring two new Full-Time Catechists and getting a pick-up for Father Paul this year!
I am praying for you and your family,
Father Robert
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