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Check out missionary reports below from the CMT summer missionaries in their own words….Beka, Grace, Milani, Kristine, Kamryn, Christina, & Dani.
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Check out our first mission of the summer! More videos to come!
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“Last week in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, the Holy Spirit was moving!! Our team continuously prayed for the teens to have open eyes, and God concretely answered our prayers! Many teens reflected in their evaluations that their eyes were opened to the need in the world and that God blessed them with perspective this week. I enjoyed working alongside the teens at la casa de Roberto! Through him and his family, we encountered Christ in their gratitude, generosity, and joy! It was a week filled with cultural and sacramental experiences – a week I will never forget!” -Christina, CMT Summer Missionary Team Leader
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I was a little worried about the work projects that we had last week because not all of them were at people’s houses. But I quickly realized at the end of the day that the students didn’t seem to care about what it was that they were doing, they were just so happy to be doing it. They truly fell in love with the community they were in and it was so evident to see that God was truly present in these moments. God shows himself in mysterious ways and this last week He immersed Himself into our authentic communities. -Kamryn, CMT Summer Missionary & Videographer
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“This week I saw God working in many ways. Prayers were answered about the softening of hearts and openness to God’s Love and joy. This past week, I witnessed teenagers learning to be childlike again, and in turn, learning myself to be childlike. I saw the glory of God in the tears and smiles of the teens, the joy of the missionary community, as well as God’s creativity in nature in trying a passion fruit for the first time. I learned more about what it means to serve, and that we don’t choose how we get to serve but we simply say yes and serve. God has been so good and I am so grateful for all these moments!” –Grace, CMT Summer Music Missionary
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“This last week, I have seen the glory of Christ in all those I encountered. Looking at the teens we were working with, I recognized people from back home, my family, my friends. I saw their struggles and their desires and how we are all so similar, yet created uniquely by God our Father. Christ spoke through one boy in my small group and his suffering in his faith reminded me of my sister. He was present in each member of the community, in the love and compassion they showed to us and the teens. Stefania in particular I got to work with all week and her connection with the teens and God was incredible. Our task was simple, loading boxes of donations to send out to those in need. But her joyful nature transformed this into an amazing experience for each group that came through to work. Christ is always present with us and in the people around us. You just have to open your eyes.” -Beka, CMT Summer Missionary
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“I witnessed the glory of God in the simplest way actually. It was about 2 or 3 days into our work projects, and it was a very hot day. Everyone was sweating and working hard… I was struggling with the heat as well! But then a few minutes after I came out of prayer, it started to rain out of nowhere! Everyone started running in the rain, up and down the montañas, and it was very joyful. The Lord truly provides for His children- even in the midst of the what feels like the impossible heat.”
-Vanessa, CMT missionary
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“I enjoyed getting to build the house for Roberto. Also getting to experience the culture and life and people of Puerto Rico, like Stefania, Fr. Juan Carlos & Serigo.” –Notre Dame Academy Green Bay, WI Missionary High School Student “I enjoyed the Puerto Rican people especially Padre Juan Carlos as he brought me extremely close to God.” –Notre Dame Academy Green Bay, WI Missionary High School Student
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My team and I stayed at Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (NPH). NPH loves and serves children who do not have parents, who were abandoned by their families, or who come from unstable homes. It was founded in 1954 by Father William Wasson and is not only present in the Dominican Republic, but in Bolivia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Peru.
Last Sunday, I was able to experience Mass with all the children at NPH. It was amazing to see them sing and dance – praising God with their whole bodies. Although I am not fluent in Spanish, all the interactions I had with the children throughout the week spoke the language of love. Therefore, I was able to understand them and they were able to understand me.
We had a group of teens from an all girl school in Kentucky join us on mission. Everyday, we would start off our day with Mass to receive the Word and the Eucharist, the source behind all our strength as missionaries and as God’s beloved children. Then we would work at a village called H3 where NPH was building a workshop. We were able to continue on the progress completed by the groups who have gone before us by plastering and painting the exterior walls. But most importantly, we were able to make house visits and hold a party with all the families in the village where we played games, ate, sang, and danced with the kids.
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On Thursday, we did not work at H3, but rather, stayed at NPH to visit the San Marcos house with kids who have disabilities. It was there that I had a profound moment of seeing the face of Jesus:
I once heard a story about a reporter who visited the place where Mother Teresa worked in Kolkata. There was much to be done and the reporter was willing to help with anything except to minister to the dying and with the Holy Spirit having such an amazing sense of humor, Mother Teresa asked him to help wash up a poor man in the room for the dying. The reporter was asked to shave the man’s beard and give him a bath, but the reporter said that everything in him wanted to flee because of the sight, the smell, and the situation of this man because he was so poor that there were maggots in all his wounds. But the reporter began to shave the poor man’s beard and everywhere the reporter went, the man’s eyes would follow. And as the reporter started to shave more and more of this poor man’s beard, he would look back at the eyes which were following him. Then, for a flash, as the reporter was looking into the poor man’s eyes, he saw the face of Jesus. And in that moment, not knowing that Mother Teresa entered back into the room, the reporter began to weep and hug the poor man, pulling him close to himself. Then the reporter turned and saw Mother. She smiled and asked to the reporter,
“You saw Him didn’t you?”
When I was at the house of San Marcos, I sat next to a boy in a wheelchair named Geraldo. He who had did not have control over his hands or legs and so often accidentally punched and kicked those around him. I would hold his hand and rub his arms and legs when I could, but mainly I would just sit and gaze at him. I sat and gazed at him long enough that in a moment, Jesus also showed Himself to me like He showed Himself to the reporter – I saw the face of Jesus in Geraldo. After that, I began to weep since I more fully understood how to truly sit and adore the Lord. My experience very much reminded me of the reponse Saint John Vianney got from an old farmer when the Saint asked him what he did looking at the tabernacle, “Nothing. I look at God and He looks at me.” In that moment, Geraldo became my tabernacle and the tears coming from my eyes were because God had overwhelmed me with His mighty, mysterious, and miraculous love.
I have many, many more stories of all that I have seen, learned, and witnessed through the time I’ve spent with these kids, but until I get a chance to tell you all about it, I will continue to ponder these treasures in my heart. You are all in my prayers. God bless you and most importantly, thank you for all that you’ve given to me and these children.
-Kristine, CMT Summer Missionary
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“What an experience the Dominican Republic was!! There were way too many amazing moments that it’s hard to picky my favorite but I was able to encounter so much love as well as Christ working though others. Although it quite hot and very sticky, it was a great way to sacrifice and offer it up. St. Gemma says that “To love is to suffer and to suffer is to love.” I love this because they are so intertwined and they help us to remember to offer up what we are doing, going through, or struggling with for other people. I especially had a strong connection with this little boy named Patricio who was apart of the disabilities home there but he would love to just throw his arms and legs around in excitement and to music. I loved him so much and he brought me a lot of peace. Also seeing our girls that came in from Kentucky grow in community with each other as well as the orphanage was so beautiful and I came to personally love each one of them. It’s hard saying goodbye to each of these people I encounter on mission but what’s beautiful to always remember is that God is the center of the relationships and we will all see each other again one day in Heaven! I will never forget my time in the DR and all of those that I encountered.” -Milani, CMT Summer Missionary
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“Seeing the love and the joy that was present in a place of such poverty. I loved seeing the face of Christ in all of the kids and through all of the people I met. My relationship with Jesus has grown so much and I feel like I have gained so much trust and joy that I hope to bring home with me and spread to the community around me. i feel as though I have a responsibility to take what I have learned and seen and bring it home and advocate for those I have met and share their love and joy” -Notre Dame Academy Park Hill, Kentucky Missionary High School Student 2023
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It’s not too late! Join us this summer!
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It has been a joy to witness our faithful team of 7 women summer missionaries shine this summer! They are radiating the heart of Jesus for His people on mission! I am so proud of them! After being in the mission field the past 5 weeks with the impromptu Lake Charles Mission with Southeastern Louisiana University, 3 weeks of the summer missionary training, and being on mission in the Dominican Republic last week, I am glad to be back with my heart filled with witnessing so many graced moments of joyful tears for so many participants, (myself included) and the joy of so many communties coming together to love! If you have yet to join us on CMT mission, now is the time! This your invitation. Come join us on a domestic trip in Kentucky this summer July 31-Aug 5 or on an our last international trip to Belize July 24-29! You don’t need a group for these, just come! Now it is time to get all the details buttoned up for our upcoming missions in Kentucky, Louisiana, & Belize. Pray for us! For real… He keeps playing tricks on us to see if we really trust Him 🤣
Jesus too wants to know who His true friends are. Will we be tried and true for Him through the storms?
The thing that offends Him most….is our lack of trust.
“Now I really rejoice when something does not go as I wish – because I see that He wants our trust – that is why in this loss let us praise God as if we have got everything.” -St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Viva Cristo Rey,
Megan Yedkois
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