Return to Mission

By Deacon Bruce Carlson

Covid-19 has kept us from traveling to our mission partners around the world in 2021. However, it hasn’t kept us from supporting them. Funds raised during last years Faith Promise Appeal helped to send a container to Bolivia. A pallet and boxes to the Philippines. We have an order placed for indigenous translated bibles for the Navajo Nation. In our continued work with our partners new projects have been identified and we will need help to fund them. Because of quarantine restrictions we are not able to enter the Philippines for the 2022 year. We will have to wait until 2023. Yet we still have request for the people of Borongan. The Oikos Sisters have asked for help with the following projects; build two homes, to be able to hold twice weekly month-long feeding programs for 6 barrios, and school supplies are needed. The diocese has asked us to begin a shelter building project in Jipapad which is to the north of Borongan. A list of patient needs is being developed. We can’t be in the hospital, but we can still provide for the patient needs. We would like to send more boxes of medical supplies to help.

At this time we can still enter Bolivia. We hope to have a team ready to go. We are accepting applications for the mission, March 26^th through April 9^th. Can you go? You can apply at, https://partnershipinmission.managedmissions.com/OurTrips. Just click on “Apply” in the Bolivia mission window. We are just hearing about the new variant of covid-19, omicron. Too early to say if it will keep us from returning to Sucre. Whether we go or not, we are still working to fill a container of medical supplies and other items to Sucre. Last year we were able to send an endoscopy system to Sucre. At this time the containers is half full with donated supplies and equipment. We continue to work with Mission Outreach to fill the rest of the container. If any of our medical missioner know of equipment becoming available, let me know and we’ll see if the hospital can use it. Our friends in PASCAR would like to build more homes for people and continue to operate the bakery and water filter programs. The indigenous people program made great strides in helping people understand their rights as indigenous people of Bolivia. We can continue to help the poor through your support.

We are about to send out the press release for the information meeting for the Navajo mission leaving on June 4^th and returning on June 17^th. We’ll have two dates for the information meeting, January 4^th and January 12^th. The Navajo Nation was hit hard with covid-19, but through vaccinations they are recovering. We are always looking for new missioners to join us on the Navajo mission to do construction and repair work. By the time we return to Chinle in June it will be three years since we were there last. I’m sure there will be lots for us to do.

We can’t forget our university missions. We will begin talking with the universities at the beginning of January to start planning their return to mission partners. Our primary focus has been construction of new homes and service based projects in Bacolod, Philippines and Sucre, Bolivia. A new mission idea for Uganda is to build a relationship with nursing student from here and with the nursing students in Ibanda, Uganda. We are even thinking to expand it to medical folks to help round out the mission.

All these mission opportunities need you as missioners to make it happen. Your presence on missions, resources you provide, and funds makes this a truly unique mission program. Our Faith Promise Appeal is one way you can continue to make Partnership In Mission a blessing to those we serve. Your help on this Giving Tuesday and during the month of December will make our return to missions a strong and continue proclaiming of the Gospel message. You can mail a check to:

Partnership In Mission, Diocese of Joliet,16555 Weber Road Crest Hill, Il  60403

You can donate on-line through our Facebook page, Joliet Diocese – We Are Mission (https://www.facebook.com/DOJPIM) or at the bottom of this article.

Let’s pray for a return to missions in 2022. Through your help we can make a difference in people’s lives by coming on mission, helping location resources, and raising funds. Thanks in advance for your support for Partnership In Mission and hope to see you soon. Any questions you can reach me at bcarlson@dioceseofjoliet.org or 815 202-6256.

Keep safe and stay well.

God bless you,

Bruce Carlson, Missions Administrator