Serving Kenyan Mothers and Infants

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Tony M
Baby Raphael with his mother

Baby Raphael with his mother

The baby in this photo was the first child to be born at the new St. Raphael maternity ward in Matisi Village, Kenya. Appropriately, his mother chose to name him Raphael!

Cross Catholic funded the construction of the maternity ward because of the urgent need for better care for infants and mothers. Kenya has high infant and maternal mortality rates, and the area where the ward was built is extremely poor. The ward was completed around the beginning of last year, but due to legal issues was delayed from officially opening until October. Since then, with ongoing support from Cross Catholic, the professional medical staff has been saving lives. We met one young woman named Carolyn whose first pregnancy had ended in miscarriage and whose second child would most assuredly have died from being tangled in the umbilical cord if not for the expert care provided by the maternity ward staff.

During the blessing and opening of the maternity ward, a physician assistant spoke about the importance of motherhood:

It is a call for a woman to fulfill a longing in her heart and body for children and to come closer to God through love of her children. Many women here in Kenya struggle through trials and tribulations, but so many of them keep on persevering out of love for their children, family, and love of God…So many women – Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Madam Curie of France, Mother Seton of the United States, Kenya’s Nobel Prize winner, Wangari Mathai, and even my own mother who raised ten children – all gave their lives in dedication to mankind and children to alleviate suffering and replace it with love.

So we celebrate today all women and especially pray for the women present today and future women who will bear their children here. May they live in the light of God’s love and comfort and care for their children.

-Tony M.

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New Creations

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Annie W
Through Christ-centered community transformation and Bible studies, Cross Catholic is helping Gawad Kalinga change the lives of thousands of Filipinos from the inside out.

Through Christ-centered community transformation and Bible studies, Cross Catholic is helping Gawad Kalinga change the lives of thousands of Filipinos from the inside out.

“My whole life has changed,” says 18-year-old John Michael Montilla, one of thousands of Filipinos benefiting from Cross Catholic’s support of Gawad Kalinga, a ministry that revitalizes old, impoverished slums into new, Christ-centered communities. We help replace shacks made of tin and wood scraps with beautiful, concrete homes; clean up polluted streets; and turn a slum culture rife with gangs and violence into a community defined by fellowship and peace. The renovated neighborhoods also offer everything from free medical care to education to Bible studies—things previously unavailable in the slums.

“This is a group of people with a burning passion and love for God,” John Michael says. “This group has helped me become more faithful to God and thankful for the gifts he has given me.”

He also says he has finally met new, true friends—friends who never let him down and who are there for him in times of need. This is a big change from the gang culture that dominated his old neighborhood.

“My life has meaning now,” says John Michael. “This program strengthens my spiritual life, the career sessions develop my self-confidence, and the tutorial sessions are helping me improve my studies and reach my dreams.”

Stories like John Michael’s—of incredible physical and spiritual transformation—remind me of 2 Corinthians 5:1: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

What joy we as Catholics have in this promise—that Christ takes us out of our sin and squalor and changes our lives with his love and light. At Cross Catholic, we know that this level of dramatic transformation only occurs when Christ is at the center. That’s why we support projects like Gawad Kalinga in the Philippines, who share our commitment to provide long-lasting, holistic change for the poor.

Praise God that the lives of Filipinos like John Michael are being changed from the inside out!

-Annie W.

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An Offering of Love

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Stephanie J
A Family receiving a food-kit during a home visit

A Family receiving a food-kit during a home visit

A simple plastic bag filled with food. It’s something I take home from the grocery store each week without really thinking about it. While I’m by no means rich and don’t buy extravagant grocery items, I’ve never had to worry about whether I have enough money to buy the food I need.

For the deathly ill single mother and her two children pictured here, however, having enough food was never a guarantee—until our ministry partner Reencontro stepped in.

In Mozambique where Reencontro ministers to orphans and single mothers, food insecurity wreaks havoc both mentally and physically on thousands of families. Children are malnourished; mothers never know if they’ll have enough resources to buy food; entire families go to sleep at night with empty stomachs.

For these members of God’s kingdom, the plastic bag filled with food that they receive from Reencontro each month is anything but simple. It’s a life-line. And it’s all possible because caring Catholics like you helped us provide it.

I like to think of these bags of food as humble gifts from one Catholic in America to a fellow believer in Mozambique. I imagine Cross Catholic and Reencontro as the hands transferring that gift from America across the world to Africa and into the family’s reed hut. It’s not gift-wrapped, but it’s wrapped in love.

It’s quite a picture, one that illustrates how a plastic bag of food can become so much more than what it seems. When you think of it that way, it becomes an offering of love made in the name of Jesus. And that, we know, is one of the most beautiful offerings of all.

-Stephanie J.

Categories: Hunger and Feeding | Tags: | Leave a comment

Changing hearts in the Philippines

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Tony M
More important than beautiful houses are the beautiful souls of the people living inside of them.

More important than beautiful houses are the beautiful souls of the people living inside of them.

Whenever I see the results of Cross Catholic’s Gawad Kalinga house construction projects in the Philippines, my first thought is, “Wow! This used to be a slum?” The newness, the cleanliness, the bright, cheerful colors are a visual repudiation of poverty.

This is the tangible part of ministry. It’s also, in some respects, the easy part.

The Gawad Kalinga team tells us the more difficult – and more important – part of their work is bringing that newness and that brightness into the human heart. If the values and attitudes of the people are not changed, then even if you build new houses and clean up the dirty streets, in a few years their community will deteriorate back into a slum. That’s why the houses come packaged with a program of community outreach services aimed at transforming people’s lives, on the outside and the inside.

This is not a unique perspective. Cross Catholic’s Filipino friends at the Center for Community Transformation (CCT) also have made it the crux of their outreach strategy, and if you spend a little time with them, you discover they just can’t stop talking about it.

We asked Karl Ombion, an engineer employed by the self-help and microfinance focused ministry, why he joined the organization. His answer: “Because of its commitment to long-lasting, significant transformation, starting with heart change from knowing Christ.”

But, we reminded him, hadn’t he previously worked with an award-winning charity organization that was helping Filipino farmers? Wasn’t that transformational?

“Not really,” he admitted. “It was just technical. Without the heart-change, it wasn’t long lasting or significant.”

No matter the time, no matter the place, Jesus is still the answer!

-Tony M.

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Remembering a Day We’ll Never Forget

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Stephanie J
On this day two years ago, the Haitian people cried out in unspeakable pain. It’s a day I will never forget—and I know the Haitian people will never forget it either.

On this day two years ago, the Haitian people cried out in unspeakable pain. It’s a day I will never forget—and I know the Haitian people will never forget it either.

On this day two years ago, the Haitian people cried out in unspeakable pain. It’s a day I will never forget—and I know the Haitian people will never forget it either.

January 12, 2010 began like any other day in Haiti. There was nothing remarkable about it at first. Children went to school, parents went to work, shoppers filled the marketplace, and the colorful Haitian buses, called tap-taps, buzzed through the streets of Port-au-Prince.

It was just a regular Tuesday — until the unthinkable happened.

Without warning, a massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake shook the earth violently; buildings swayed and toppled into piles of rubble; cars flew into the air and collided with one another; the Presidential Palace and National Cathedral crumbled. In about 45 seconds, more than 220,000 innocent people were crushed to death, about 300,000 were injured, and 1.5 million who once had a home and belongings suddenly had nothing to call their own but pain and grief.

It’s hard not to wonder why such a terrible tragedy happened to Haiti’s people. But that’s where we need to stop and look to the gospel for answers. Consider this passage: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33.

God is present with us always, both in tragedy and in triumph. He doesn’t cause suffering; instead, he overcomes it. Even on the dark day of January 12, 2010, he was there in Haiti, comforting his people and holding them close.

If I close my eyes, I can see Jesus laying there with the children under the rubble, wrapping his arms around them and protecting them. I can also see him carrying souls away to heaven and bringing his believers to the golden streets.

Please join me in a prayer for Haiti’s people as we remember what happened two years ago today.
Father, because of your son we can enjoy peace in a world marked with tragedy. Because of you we can offer comfort to the world, even if they don’t yet know you. Because of your love, we can rest secure in your arms, even in the midst of suffering. On Good Friday, you suffered the ultimate tragedy, giving up your only son, because you love us. Thank you, Lord, for suffering tragedy for us and with us. We pray these things in Christ’s victorious name. Amen.

-Stephanie J.

Categories: Disaster Relief, Haiti | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Thank You from the Philippines

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Tony M
With Cross Catholic’s help, filthy slums are being replaced by new, brightly-painted homes.

With Cross Catholic’s help, filthy slums are being replaced by new, brightly-painted homes.

Cross Catholic has been working with Gawad Kalinga in the Philippines to transform the slums of metro Manila into thriving communities. The difference is like night and day, and you can see the change not only in the landscape but also in the hearts and minds of the families who now have so much hope.

Here’s an amazing letter we recently received from the Linga family:

I am Dalisay Linga. My husband, Alberto, and I were blessed with a son. My family is a beneficiary of Gawad Kalinga in Mandaluyong City. My husband works as a tricycle driver with a monthly income of $68.

Our area was a typical squatter’s area, narrow pathways, dirty surroundings surrounded by smelly, open manholes. The houses were made of discarded materials and wood and are attached to each other, which made them prone to fire.

Gambling and other vices were common in the area during those times. There were gang riots every night and fights between neighbors.

Now, our house is made of concrete, two-stories, with bedroom and bathroom. I’m no longer afraid of fire because my house can withstand fire. The alleys are wide and clean, the drainages are covered. Gambling ceased and peace reigns over the place.

Our community is changing into a beautiful community. Now, it doesn’t look like a squatter’s area but an exclusive subdivision. It will be more beautiful when all the house constructions are finished.

I hope you will never get tired of helping the poor people like me. I am very happy that I was among the blessed ones to receive your help. You have given my family a wonderful gift when you helped us build our house. Thank you very much.

-Tony M.

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Remembering

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Nola B
Please Keep Haiti and the long-term recovery efforts of our Haitian partners in your prayers.

Please Keep Haiti and the long-term recovery efforts of our Haitian partners in your prayers.

When Cross International Catholic Outreach was launched more than a decade ago in South Florida, we began much of our overseas ministry in Haiti—only 90 minutes from Florida’s shore, yet the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Today we continue to work with many of the same partners we first sponsored in those fledgling years. Together “we are co-workers in God’s service.” (1 Cor. 3:9a)

It’s been nearly two years since the earthquake devastated Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital city and metropolitan center. We still mourn the loss of friends and loved ones. We have a deeper appreciation for the Lord’s divine strength to endure. And we have a profound respect for Haitian survivors who continue to praise the Lord as they pick up the pieces of their lives.

Please…Keep Haiti and the long-term recovery efforts of our Haitian partners in your prayers.

-Nola B.

Categories: Haiti | Tags: , | 2 Comments

Ringing in the New Year

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Tony M
Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

2012 is here! And the blogosphere is buzzing with New Year’s resolutions, end-of-the-world theories, and political campaign predictions. With the holidays behind us, society’s focus has shifted a little more toward personal weight loss goals and a little less toward feeding the hungry.

But of course, hunger never takes a holiday.

I’m sure many people in the countries we serve are simply grateful they’ve survived to see the new year, because there were times when they would have had no hope if not for the support from our donors. 2011 brought many hardships – from the Horn of Africa drought to the floods in the Philippines – but our overseas ministry partners served faithfully and will continue to serve faithfully in 2012.

The move from December 31st to January 1st isn’t really any different from other passages of days, except for the meaning we impose on it – in this case, a sense of new beginnings and second chances and the unfolding of God’s redemptive purposes through our lives. Here at Cross Catholic, we’re firing on all cylinders as we prepare for a new season and as we look ahead to the continuing needs of the poor and determine how we can be a relevant force for change, materially and spiritually, in their lives. As always, we plan to offer lots of fantastic outreach opportunities, and I believe that with your help, we’re going to bless a lot of people.

Please pray that God will continue to prosper our efforts in 2012 as we carry the good news of Jesus Christ to the poorest of the poor in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia.

-Tony M.

Categories: Hunger and Feeding, poverty | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Renewed Hope

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Annie W
Thanks to Cross Catholic, Kasu is obtaining a solid Catholic education at Shambu Kindergarten in Ethiopia.

Thanks to Cross Catholic, Kasu is obtaining a solid Catholic education at Shambu Kindergarten in Ethiopia.

With the New Year just around the corner, many of us in the U.S. will be making our lists of New Year’s resolutions. As I contemplate my future hopes to work harder, give more, and worry less, I can’t help but think about a mother and son in rural Ethiopia that showed me what I should really strive for in 2012—a life of thankfulness.

According to his teachers, Kasu Tenesa is a lively five-year-old boy. He gets his spirit from his mother, who still hopes and smiles even after losing her husband and primary source of income. Without an education herself, she struggles to find steady employment. She does what she can—usually helping her neighbors with daily chores—but putting food on the table is not an easy thing.

She feared most for her active son, who she could not afford to send to school on her own. But thanks to Cross Catholic’s support of Shambu Kindergarten, the Tenesa’s have renewed hope and gratitude. Today Kasu is receiving a solid Catholic education and a daily school lunch—two things that before this year would have been impossible. The kindergarten serves 240 other poor children from a remote mountainous village a few hours northwest of Ethiopia’s capital city. Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world, with more than 70 percent of children under the age of 7 never receiving the opportunity to go to school.

So that’s why the Tenesa family goes through life thankful for their blessings. Kasu is a bright and happy student. But even happier is his mother, who now knows her son is receiving nourishing food, education, and will one day have an opportunity for a better life.

“With the help of Cross Catholic, we at the kindergarten are able to provide students like Kasu with basic necessities. As a result, his mother is free to save the money she would normally spend on food and tuition,” said Fr. Alvaro Palacios of the Consolata Missionaries. “Sometimes we help her too so that the whole family improves. The important thing is the way she is so thankful. Because of her grateful heart, anytime, she is ready to help us in the school or help with the other children.”

Praise God for donors like you, who are offering renewed hope to some of Ethiopia’s most desperate children!

-Annie W.

Categories: Africa, children | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Merry Christmas to Christ’s Disciples

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Stephanie J
Thank you to John and his team at Amigos for Christ for all their hard work this year bringing relief to the poor.

Thank you to John and his team at Amigos for Christ for all their hard work this year bringing relief to the poor.

This Christmas, many lay missionaries—and many of our ministry partners—will be spending Christmas out in the field, ministering to the poor they serve. These disciples of Christ might be serving hot meals, visiting the elderly, or doing other meaningful work on behalf of the poor on Christmas Day in addition to celebrating Christ’s birth.

Here’s an excerpt of a conversation we recently had with John Bland, founder of our longtime ministry partner Amigos for Christ in Nicaragua. John explains how Christ calls us to help each other and spread the gospel all year long, which is why he ended up in the mission field bringing food, housing, water, and hope to the poorest of the poor in Nicaragua.

There’s a definitive command in the Bible to help your brother. Jesus said it on numerous occasions, so for us the backbone of everything we do is Christ-centered, and what’s actually come to pass and how this has played out for us is, it’s the best way to get a chance to build relationships with people and have the credence.

When you spend a lot of time digging ditches with people and doing the basics, working alongside people and getting to know them, if you want to share the gospel with anybody, they’re gonna know you already, and that’s a big deal, because if they know you as a person, it’s like you telling them, “Man I saw the most awesome movie.” If they know you already, they’re gonna have some credence to that, what you’re saying.

Sharing the gospel is the same thing. If they get to know you and know that you’re really in it for the long haul with them and not just short time. If you’re there for the long haul, and really get to build into them as people, then you start doing programs with them that give them an avenue…to help them to see that yeah hey there are some very tangible things that God is doing, and one of the tangible thing is he’s sending a group of people to come help, and that’s kind of what we want to be for them.

Thank you to John and his team at Amigos for Christ for all their hard work this year bringing relief to the poor. Thank you also to all the Catholics who’ve helped John and many other lay missionaries in developing countries through their support for Cross International Catholic Outreach!

-Stephanie J.

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