by Frances Fowler-Collins
It is difficult to raise children well under any circumstances, but it is especially difficult when all the children in question have been abandoned and most have also been abused. This was a central theme of the retreat that Madre Ivonne Sommerkamp, of the HogarRafael Ayau in Guatemala City, led at Christ the Savior/Holy Spirit Orthodox Church in late September. About 120 people from Ohio and nearby states attended this retreat in Norwood, Ohio, entitled “Healing in Christ.”
Madre Ivonne and two other Orthodox nuns operate the “Hogar,” or Home, an orphanage that shelters about 100 Guatemalan children of both sexes, ranging in age from infancy to the mid-teens. The nuns’ work with the children is shaped by a coherent theory about how children, including children who desperately need physical, emotional, and spiritual healing, should be brought up. During the morning session, Madre Ivonne described the daily life of the children at the home; in the afternoon session she elaborated on the theory which she and her sister nuns have developed to guide the work that they do. They seek to follow a middle road between being too severe with the children and spoiling them. “There are two limits,” said Madre Ivonne, “not enough and too much. . . . It’s very important that children not expect to be served.”
The children’s daily schedule can best be described as “rigorous.” Rising at 5:00 A. M., the girls wash clothes while the boys swim laps. At 6:30 everyone eats breakfast; then they attend Matins at 7:00. No one is required to attend church, but since there is nothing else to do during services, almost all the children choose to attend. No doubt one reason that the children “love” to go to church is that they are permitted to play an active role in the services as chanters, readers, bell ringers, and censers. After Matins comes another important part of the Hogar’s program: almost five hours of school work. At 1:00 PM the children eat lunch. Extracurricular activities follow. In the afternoon the girls swim laps, and the children also pursue such activities as music, working with computers, carpentry and crafts. After a snack at 4:00, they attend Vespers. Supper is at 5:30, and the rest of the evening is devoted to homework and sports. Bedtime comes early.
This plan of activities is shaped by the philosophy of education that the nuns have developed through study and experience. Madre Ivonne shared a list of “Books to Read” with the retreatants. They included such works as On the Upbringing of Children, by Bishop Irenaeus; Raising Them Right: A Saint’s Advice on Raising Children, by St. Theophan the Recluse; Soul Mending, by John Chryssavgis; and Parenting Other People’s Children by John L. Stoller.
The spiritual healing of the children is of central importance at the Hogar. As Madre Ivonne said, “God must be the center.” Therefore, the sisters teach the children to pray and to count on God. Most are baptized soon after they arrive at the Hogar, and they are anointed daily. When priests are available to celebrate the Divine Liturgy, the children receive the Eucharist, with the older children carrying babies and toddlers to the chalice. Madre Ivonne and the other sisters also teach the importance of forgiving others quickly–an especially necessary lesson since most of the children feel deep anger because they were abandoned.
However, the children need healing on other levels as well. Drawing on Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as presented in Stoller’s book, the nuns make sure that all the other needs of their charges are addressed as well. First, their physiological needs for food, water, shelter, and exercise must be met. “If those needs aren't satisfied in infancy, you’ll tend to confuse needs and wants. You won’t trust anyone,” explained Madre Ivonne. Next in the hierarchy of needs is safety and security. The Hogar is a complex of buildings protected by a wall; however, it is located in a crime-infested area of the city. One of the reasons that the nuns are preparing to move the Hogar outside the city is that the children’s need for safety and security can be better met there.
The next need in the hierarchy is for love and belonging. Madre Ivonne stressed the importance of meeting this need, not only at the Hogar but throughout our society. Ideally, children receive love and develop a sense of belonging within their families, but today many children have weak families that fail to meet this need. Families should eat meals together, said Madre Ivonne. “We all need belonging. . .If we don’t belong, we’re lost.” Children who don’t feel they belong anywhere are likely to be attracted by gangs, which appeal because they do meet the need to belong.
Self-esteem comes next in Maslow’s hierarchy. The children at the Hogar usually lack self-esteem, so the sisters try to build their self-confidence in various ways. Some of these include teaching them to read in a country with a high illiteracy rate; developing their skills in such areas as swimming and music; and providing them with attractive clothing to wear. The last need in the hierarchy is for self-actualization, usually not achieved until adulthood. Through their program at the Hogar, Madre Ivonne and her co-workers seek to lay the foundation for self-actualization later on in the children’s lives.
Madre Ivonne concluded her talk by telling the retreatants how to work effectively with a child who suffers from “reactive attachment disorder,” a common problem among abandoned children. First, all of the child’s needs must be met. Second, the adults must be absolutely trustworthy. However, they must also let the child know that they are in control. Last, any adult who works with such children must be emotionally strong because these children usually go through numerous cycles of “bonding and rebellion.”
The system of education which the nuns at Hogar Rafael Ayau have developed is relevant, not only for the Hogar, but for everyone who is involved in raising or educating children. After all, every child needs healing to some degree. And, as the title of the retreat suggests, Christ Himself is the great healer. Madre Ivonne put it this way: “If we choose to follow Him, healing will come.”
Monday, October 13, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Miracles mark story of Guatemalan Orphanage
by Frances Fowler-Collins
“Miracle after miracle.” That is how Madre Ivonne Sommerkamp described her twelve years at the Hogar Rafael Ayau in Guatemala City. She was leading a retreat, “Healing in Christ,” on September 27 at Christ the Savior/Holy Spirit Orthodox Church in the Cincinnati area. About 120 people attended, coming from various parts of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky. In her presentations, Madre Ivonne shared the history of the orphanage and described the theory and program that she and the other two nuns have developed to heal the more than 1,000 abandoned and abused children who have lived in the Hogar since 1996.
Hogar (Home) Rafael Ayau was originally founded as a hospice in 1856 by Don Rafael Ayau, the great-great-grandfather of Madre Abbess Inés, who heads the monastery. After a few years it was taken over by some Catholic Sisters of Charity, who ran it as an orphanage until the 1970s when the Guatemalan government assumed responsibility for it. Conditions deteriorated seriously under the government, and in 1996 the president asked the nuns of the Orthodox Monastery Lavra Mambré to take it under their wing.
As Madre Ivonne explained with considerable humor, the nuns were not originally sure that God was calling them to this task. They engaged in an all-night prayer vigil to St. Herman of Alaska, seeking to know God’s will. The next morning, before they had even finished praying, they received a FAX telling them that the Hogar was theirs! Many of the miracles of their early years involved God’s steady answering of their prayers for funds to renovate the shabby buildings. “The most important thing in life is prayer,” Madre Ivonne said. “We have to ask.”
The major goal of the Hogar is to heal the children it serves, physically, emotionally, and spiritually–often a difficult task since the experience of being abandoned has left the children angry and mistrustful. Therefore, the nuns have developed a program designed to help the children learn to love, trust, and forgive. Of course, they believe that “God must be the center” because “love is the answer. . . .God is love.” This means that the children’s lives are surrounded by prayer; they attend matins and vespers every day, are anointed every day, and are baptized at an early age. They are also loved and listened to.
However, the nuns also realize that the children need a balanced life if they are to heal and grow to healthy adulthood. This means a daily schedule that includes three nutritious meals, about five hours of school on weekdays, swimming, and extracurricular activities such as music, carpentry, crafts, and sports. The children take frequent excursions and watch some carefully selected television shows and films each week. They are not allowed to watch whatever they choose on television because, as Madre Ivonne says, “We are what we see, what we hear.” The Hogar’s approach to healing is working. Bit by bit the children learn to forgive and to trust. They also learn to love God. “They love God; they love the Mother of God. . . .They are very pure in their faith,” said Madre Ivonne.
Now the Hogar Rafael Ayau is engaged in an enterprise which will depend on more miracles; the nuns are building a new orphanage 17 miles outside the city, near their monastery on Lake Amatitlan. Their current complex is located in a red light district, and they do not believe it is a good environment for the children. The new orphanage will cost well over a million dollars–money that the nuns do not yet have. But they have learned to depend on God and his miracles. As Madre Ivonne put it: “If God wants it, it will happen!”
“Miracle after miracle.” That is how Madre Ivonne Sommerkamp described her twelve years at the Hogar Rafael Ayau in Guatemala City. She was leading a retreat, “Healing in Christ,” on September 27 at Christ the Savior/Holy Spirit Orthodox Church in the Cincinnati area. About 120 people attended, coming from various parts of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky. In her presentations, Madre Ivonne shared the history of the orphanage and described the theory and program that she and the other two nuns have developed to heal the more than 1,000 abandoned and abused children who have lived in the Hogar since 1996.
Hogar (Home) Rafael Ayau was originally founded as a hospice in 1856 by Don Rafael Ayau, the great-great-grandfather of Madre Abbess Inés, who heads the monastery. After a few years it was taken over by some Catholic Sisters of Charity, who ran it as an orphanage until the 1970s when the Guatemalan government assumed responsibility for it. Conditions deteriorated seriously under the government, and in 1996 the president asked the nuns of the Orthodox Monastery Lavra Mambré to take it under their wing.
As Madre Ivonne explained with considerable humor, the nuns were not originally sure that God was calling them to this task. They engaged in an all-night prayer vigil to St. Herman of Alaska, seeking to know God’s will. The next morning, before they had even finished praying, they received a FAX telling them that the Hogar was theirs! Many of the miracles of their early years involved God’s steady answering of their prayers for funds to renovate the shabby buildings. “The most important thing in life is prayer,” Madre Ivonne said. “We have to ask.”
The major goal of the Hogar is to heal the children it serves, physically, emotionally, and spiritually–often a difficult task since the experience of being abandoned has left the children angry and mistrustful. Therefore, the nuns have developed a program designed to help the children learn to love, trust, and forgive. Of course, they believe that “God must be the center” because “love is the answer. . . .God is love.” This means that the children’s lives are surrounded by prayer; they attend matins and vespers every day, are anointed every day, and are baptized at an early age. They are also loved and listened to.
However, the nuns also realize that the children need a balanced life if they are to heal and grow to healthy adulthood. This means a daily schedule that includes three nutritious meals, about five hours of school on weekdays, swimming, and extracurricular activities such as music, carpentry, crafts, and sports. The children take frequent excursions and watch some carefully selected television shows and films each week. They are not allowed to watch whatever they choose on television because, as Madre Ivonne says, “We are what we see, what we hear.” The Hogar’s approach to healing is working. Bit by bit the children learn to forgive and to trust. They also learn to love God. “They love God; they love the Mother of God. . . .They are very pure in their faith,” said Madre Ivonne.
Now the Hogar Rafael Ayau is engaged in an enterprise which will depend on more miracles; the nuns are building a new orphanage 17 miles outside the city, near their monastery on Lake Amatitlan. Their current complex is located in a red light district, and they do not believe it is a good environment for the children. The new orphanage will cost well over a million dollars–money that the nuns do not yet have. But they have learned to depend on God and his miracles. As Madre Ivonne put it: “If God wants it, it will happen!”
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Retreat Reflection, by Fr. Steven
September 29, 2008
Dear Parish Faithful,
Our designated "retreat reporter" was Francis Fowler-Collins, and she will actually write up a couple of different accounts of the retreat that will eventually appear in some of our Orthodox publications and websites. I will forward these to you once they are prepared. As we await Francis' articles, I would like to add a few comments by way of observation and reflection on Saturday's retreat.
To begin: I believe that we had an outstanding retreat. I expected as such, but the retreat clearly exceeded my expectations. This, of course, was primarily due to the preparation and presentations of Madre Ivonne. For ultimately, the success of a retreat is dependent upon the retreat's leader or main speaker. Madre Ivonne not only did not disappoint us, but she also inspired us by revealing to us what a person with strong faith in Christ can accomplish. In addition to providing needed information about the ongoing activities of the orphanage, she provided a flesh and blood example of Christ-like care and love for God's children. How does that phrase go?: "she walks the talk." As our church faces an embarrassing crisis and scandal over an appalling lack of authentic Christian leadership, here was an authentic voice and an authentic person. Right now, we needed that. And that is all that it really takes to get our respect and attention: an honest, sincere, believing person who speaks from the heart about the love of God that can transform human lives. Our hungry response to that authenticity was revealed in the rapt attention of everyone there in both the morning and afternoon sessions. And after the beautiful Great Vespers that ended the day, in the long line of well-wishers patiently waiting to personally greet and thank Madre Ivonne for her presentation. I have been good friends with Madre Ivonne for a few years now, and I knew that she would give an impressive presentation of the work of the Hogar, and that she would put a "face" on the Hogar, as did Madres Ines and Maria back in 2003 when they were with us. So let us first thank God for her presence and presentation.
The content of her presentation, of course, was the lives of the abandoned, abused and orphaned children of the Hogar San Rafael Ayau Orphanage. Only a heart of stone could not be deeply moved or remain "uninterested." Madre Ivonne wakes up every morning with one hundred children that she must help care for and get through the day! (For those familiar with the Madeline stories of children's literature, I often see her as the Orthodox equivalent of Miss Clavel, which I say with great respect, and the reminder that this is the "real thing"). She then outlined the daily schedule of the children in the exhaustive efforts to bring a sense of normalcy and decency to the lives of the Hogar's children. And in the process convince them that there are adults that can be trusted and loved in return. The unloved children of today, are tomorrow's hardened criminals. Sadly and tragically, as Madre Ivonne informed us, there are countless thousands of homeless children wandering the streets of Guatemala City who remain unloved amidst great squalor and abject poverty. The Hogar is a spiritual oasis that these children will hopefully be ever grateful for when they grow up. What impresses me is how, under the guidance of Madre Ines, the three nuns have the foresight to always plan ahead for the future and "stay ahead" of the ever tumultuous chain of unforeseen events that unfold on an almost daily basis. Part of this foresight is the current construction of new dormitories for both boys and girls on the grounds of the Orthodox Monastery of the Holy Trinity - Lavra Mambre. There the children will leave the uninviting sights and sounds, as well as the moral chaos of the Hogar's urban landscape, and move into the open air of the countryside and the idyllic surroundings of Lake Atatlitlan. I would imagine that a part of our contribution will go toward these dormitories. The madres are looking to the inevitable adulthood of these children in the upcoming years, and planning for their educational opportunities so that they can take a productive place in their society. This, of course, is combined with the emotional and spiritual healing that is at the heart of the Hogar's existence. To complicate life further, in addition to the cares of the children, Madre Ines especially is constantly dealing with judges, social workers, lawyers, government bureaucrats etc. We can imagine the necessary patience and diplomacy that this entails: "Be as gentle as doves, and wise as serpents ..."
There were easily over one hundred retreat participants here during the course of the day. In addition, there were about a dozen children that we provided child care for. Combined with our parishioners, it was a genuinely pan-Orthodox retreat, united in the common desire to deepen our collective and personal lives in Christ. Many of our guests were acquainted with the Hogar through being members of past Mission Teams. Madre Ivonne's reputation preceeded her here, and these participants made the effort to join us and hear her yet again. We also had some non-Orthodox visitors, primarily some of my XU students. One of my students requested to join our Mission Team next summer to the Hogar after listening to Madre Ivonne. In fact, many of you spoke with me for the first time about one day joining one of our parish Mission Teams after this encounter with Madre Ivonne. May it be blessed. I believe that our parish was a warm and hospitable place throughout the course of the day. Madre Ivonne's comments to this effect were surely sincere and from the heart.
A great deal of time, talent and treasure goes into creating the atmosphere for a successful retreat. Thank God it all came together for our parish and for us as participants this last Saturday. I am certain that this parish event will remain memorable for a long time to come for all who participated. If the retreat was one choice among many to make this past Saturday, then I believe that God rewarded that choice. The day will come, God willing, for a future retreat - but not for awhile, I would hope!
If you would like to pass any of your own observations and comments that I could selectively share with the parish, please do so.
By the way, after hearing our choir, Madre Ivonne told Pat Pride that she wanted to take her back to Guatemala with her. I then told Madre Ivonne that we can be generous - but not that generous!
For those who regrettably were not present on Saturday, there was a young man from Lexington who made a very professional recording of the two talks, that will hopefully be available in the near future. I will keep everyone informed.
Our heartfelt thanks to the personal of the following ministries :
- Our Retreat coordinator Elena Drach, and her assistant Presvytera Deborah. Everything was very well-organized and anticipated in advance.
- Our technical support coordinator, Ralph Sidway, who set up all systems to full capacity.
- Our Child Care support coordinator, Terri Sauer, and her "team" of Hannah & Lydia Charles, Sophia Myers, and Michaelanne Sauer.
- To all involved in set-up, clean-up and the donation and preparation of the meals.
Fr. Steven
The "Money Trail" - Hogar Donations Abound!
Webmaster's Note: The following entries from Fr Steven, delivered in "real time" following our retreat on September 27 featuring Madre Ivonne, gives a real feel for the gathering momentum of our 2008 efforts for the Hogar and what we must clearly attribute to the Grace of God. Further, these rather intimate, immediate entries speak to the total transparency regarding all of Christ the Savior's fundraising efforts on behalf of the Hogar.
September 29, 2008
Dear Parish Faithful,
I must begin with a confession: apparently, I am a man of "little faith." Based upon on the fact that we have had two very extensive fundraising drives over the course of the last year-and-a-half or so, we did not make a special collection for the Hogar in anticipation of Madre Ivonne's visit here. The decision was to allow for all of the money collected as registration fees/donations for the Retreat to go to the Hogar. Anticipating around a hundred retreat participants, I was hoping we would make a donation of around $2,000.00, which is still substantial. After yesterday's Liturgy, Mickey (Callendar, Parish Treasurer) let me know that as of Saturday, we had collected $3,040.00. That was a wonderful surprise, indeed. After the Liturgy yesterday, a basket was present for those who did not attend the retreat. After the basket had been filled with further generous donations, Mickey informed me that we now had over $4,275.00 as our contribution to the Hogar! Quite a basket! As the madres always say: Big is God! With an anxiety-causing ecomony, this was truly a remarkable collection.
Yet, that excellent collection demonstrated another "theory" of mine (somewhat at odds with my modest goals), that was also in my mind during this past weekend, that breaks down along these lines: If anyone sees or hears Madre Ivonne - her humble bearing and authentic voice - and is impressed by the strength of her faith; reflects for a moment on the incredible accomplishments of only three nuns alone as Orthodox in a poverty-stricken country such as Guatemala; and thinks for a moment about those poor, defenseless children, "abused, abandoned, and orphaned;" is it possible for a follower of Christ, with a clear conscience, to pass up the opportunity to bring some light and joy into those troubled lives with a donation of any size? It is hardly possible - if not virtually impossible. Apparently, most of you accept my "theory" - and acted upon it! - based on the basket yesterday that brought in an additional $1,200.00. As the priest and pastor of our community, it is deeply gratifying to witness such a communal manifestation of "cheerful giving" in response to real need.
So, by the grace of God, my second theory triumphed over my "little faith." May the Lord bless everyone who made a contribution to the work of God that we are blessed and privileged to support by sharing some of our material blessings.
If you were absent this weekend, and would like to make a contribution to the Hogar San Rafael Ayau Orphange, then please contact me. We can wait a bit longer before sending our check to the Hogar.
In Christ,
Fr. Steven
~~~
October 2, 2008
A few people requested that we wait before sending in our check to the Hogar based upon last weekend's donations, so that they could add their own contribution. Therefore, we will hopefully collect these further generous donations on Sunday, and send in our check early next week. We have now collected about $4,365.00.
During the Retreat, Madre Ivonne referred a couple of times to the Matthew Krueger Memorial Fund which is assisting the children there.. In order to inform everyone who may not be aware of this, I asked Wayne and Karen to provide a description of this, and thus we have the following:
We can add: "Memory Eternal" to Matt!
Fr. Steven
~~~
October 6, 2008
Dear Parish Faithful,
I hope the workweek - or schoolweek, or homeweek - ahead of you is a blessed one ...
Before departing for the Midwest Diocesan Assembly in Chicago, I wanted to pass on our final collection total for the Hogar. Following the basket by the Cross yesterday, combined with a final and very generous donation that I was informed of from within the parish, we will be able to donate $5,652.50 as our Retreat-based collection for the support and assistance of the ninos and ninas of the Hogar. Truly remarkable! Big is God!
Fr. Steven
September 29, 2008
Dear Parish Faithful,
I must begin with a confession: apparently, I am a man of "little faith." Based upon on the fact that we have had two very extensive fundraising drives over the course of the last year-and-a-half or so, we did not make a special collection for the Hogar in anticipation of Madre Ivonne's visit here. The decision was to allow for all of the money collected as registration fees/donations for the Retreat to go to the Hogar. Anticipating around a hundred retreat participants, I was hoping we would make a donation of around $2,000.00, which is still substantial. After yesterday's Liturgy, Mickey (Callendar, Parish Treasurer) let me know that as of Saturday, we had collected $3,040.00. That was a wonderful surprise, indeed. After the Liturgy yesterday, a basket was present for those who did not attend the retreat. After the basket had been filled with further generous donations, Mickey informed me that we now had over $4,275.00 as our contribution to the Hogar! Quite a basket! As the madres always say: Big is God! With an anxiety-causing ecomony, this was truly a remarkable collection.
Yet, that excellent collection demonstrated another "theory" of mine (somewhat at odds with my modest goals), that was also in my mind during this past weekend, that breaks down along these lines: If anyone sees or hears Madre Ivonne - her humble bearing and authentic voice - and is impressed by the strength of her faith; reflects for a moment on the incredible accomplishments of only three nuns alone as Orthodox in a poverty-stricken country such as Guatemala; and thinks for a moment about those poor, defenseless children, "abused, abandoned, and orphaned;" is it possible for a follower of Christ, with a clear conscience, to pass up the opportunity to bring some light and joy into those troubled lives with a donation of any size? It is hardly possible - if not virtually impossible. Apparently, most of you accept my "theory" - and acted upon it! - based on the basket yesterday that brought in an additional $1,200.00. As the priest and pastor of our community, it is deeply gratifying to witness such a communal manifestation of "cheerful giving" in response to real need.
So, by the grace of God, my second theory triumphed over my "little faith." May the Lord bless everyone who made a contribution to the work of God that we are blessed and privileged to support by sharing some of our material blessings.
If you were absent this weekend, and would like to make a contribution to the Hogar San Rafael Ayau Orphange, then please contact me. We can wait a bit longer before sending our check to the Hogar.
In Christ,
Fr. Steven
~~~
October 2, 2008
A few people requested that we wait before sending in our check to the Hogar based upon last weekend's donations, so that they could add their own contribution. Therefore, we will hopefully collect these further generous donations on Sunday, and send in our check early next week. We have now collected about $4,365.00.
During the Retreat, Madre Ivonne referred a couple of times to the Matthew Krueger Memorial Fund which is assisting the children there.. In order to inform everyone who may not be aware of this, I asked Wayne and Karen to provide a description of this, and thus we have the following:
Shortly after Matthew's death, Karen and I established the Matthew Saad Krueger Memorial Fund through the Greater Cincinnati Foundation. Our intention was to direct these funds toward organizations involving music and children, two areas that Matt loved dearly in his short life.
After our family's visits to the Hogar and continuing discussions with Madre Ivonne, we finally decided in 2006 to sponsor the hiring of a full-time music teacher for the children at the Hogar in Matthew's memory. We hope to continue this sponsorship for as long as we are able.
In addition, we were also able to purchase new Liturgy books and a sound system for Christ the Savior/Holy Spirit from the same fund and we are in the process of sponsoring a portion of the Computer Composition Laboratory at the new school of Creative and Perfoming Arts which is currently under construction in downtown Cincinnati. This K through 12 School is open to all children by audition regardless of their financial capabilities.
We can add: "Memory Eternal" to Matt!
Fr. Steven
~~~
October 6, 2008
Dear Parish Faithful,
I hope the workweek - or schoolweek, or homeweek - ahead of you is a blessed one ...
Before departing for the Midwest Diocesan Assembly in Chicago, I wanted to pass on our final collection total for the Hogar. Following the basket by the Cross yesterday, combined with a final and very generous donation that I was informed of from within the parish, we will be able to donate $5,652.50 as our Retreat-based collection for the support and assistance of the ninos and ninas of the Hogar. Truly remarkable! Big is God!
Fr. Steven
Welcome!
Our parish, Christ the Savior~Holy Spirit Orthodox Church (Cincinnati Ohio, USA) has a warm and loving relationship with the Hogar Rafael Ayau dating back ten years. One of our parishioners joined up with an OCMC (Orthodox Christian Missions Center) team and fell in love with the Hogar, the children, and the Orthodox nuns who provide the love of Christ to these abandoned - and in many cases, abused - orphans. This parishioner (now herself an Orthodox nun here in the United States) made repeat trips, reporting back to our pastor, Fr Steven Kostoff, about this amazing oasis of peace and hope amidst the squalor of a poverty-stricken area of Guatemala City. Soon, we were sending our own mission teams, the members of whom were all deeply touched by their experience with the children. As Presvytera Deborah put it a few years ago when we began planning another mission trip, "Prepare to be loved!"
We have had the double blessing of not only sending teams and financial support to the Hogar, but of having the nuns come to our parish now on two separate occasions to lead retreats. First, in 2003, Mother Abbess Ines and Mother Maria came for a special Missions Conference which also featured Presvytera Renee Ritzi of OCMC. And now, just this September, Madre Ivonne (the Coordinator for the Hogar) led us in a very special retreat titled, "Healing in Christ: From Orphans to Children of God."
The success of this retreat, coupled with Christ the Savior's longstanding relationship with the Hogar, and the joy and anticipation we feel over our upcoming June 2009 Mission Team has prompted us to create a special page for the Hogar on our parish website, and to launch this new blog. We plan to use this space to further spread the word about this miracle in Central America, where the ninos and ninas and the faithful nuns of the Monasterio Ortodoxo Lavra Mambre (Antiochian Orthodox Church of Guatemala) together bear witness to the life-transforming Gospel of the Incarnate Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ.
We invite you to read on as we report on our recent retreat, and to visit our Hogar webpage. Photos, slide shows, and (hopefully soon!) MP3 audio files from Madre Ivonne's talks will give you a brief introduction to the Hogar and the children. And should you be as moved as we have been, we invite you to follow the links to the Hogar's official website and to consider making a donation to this truly blessed haven of Christ's love.
As the nuns and the children say, "BIG is GOD!"
Ola!
The Official Website of the Hogar Rafael Ayau
How to Donate to the Hogar Rafael Ayau (pdf file)
The Hogar Page of the Christ the Savior Website
We have had the double blessing of not only sending teams and financial support to the Hogar, but of having the nuns come to our parish now on two separate occasions to lead retreats. First, in 2003, Mother Abbess Ines and Mother Maria came for a special Missions Conference which also featured Presvytera Renee Ritzi of OCMC. And now, just this September, Madre Ivonne (the Coordinator for the Hogar) led us in a very special retreat titled, "Healing in Christ: From Orphans to Children of God."
The success of this retreat, coupled with Christ the Savior's longstanding relationship with the Hogar, and the joy and anticipation we feel over our upcoming June 2009 Mission Team has prompted us to create a special page for the Hogar on our parish website, and to launch this new blog. We plan to use this space to further spread the word about this miracle in Central America, where the ninos and ninas and the faithful nuns of the Monasterio Ortodoxo Lavra Mambre (Antiochian Orthodox Church of Guatemala) together bear witness to the life-transforming Gospel of the Incarnate Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ.
We invite you to read on as we report on our recent retreat, and to visit our Hogar webpage. Photos, slide shows, and (hopefully soon!) MP3 audio files from Madre Ivonne's talks will give you a brief introduction to the Hogar and the children. And should you be as moved as we have been, we invite you to follow the links to the Hogar's official website and to consider making a donation to this truly blessed haven of Christ's love.
As the nuns and the children say, "BIG is GOD!"
Ola!
The Official Website of the Hogar Rafael Ayau
How to Donate to the Hogar Rafael Ayau (pdf file)
The Hogar Page of the Christ the Savior Website
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