Giving Thanks!

Thursday, July 13

We did the easiest part of our water project by drilling the holes in the buckets and covers, Until we get the water filters from Customs in Lima, we won't be able to continue assembling these systems. We're going to drive to Piura on Friday to see if anyone at LATAM has been successful in getting our suitcases to Piura.

We went to Mass at 7pm this evening in Paita and talked with the parish priest, Padre Pedro. He told us that he visited with the people in a tent city outside of Catacaos and took the people food, clothing, and miscellaneous household goods. Due to the flooding of the Piura River in March, many people lost their homes and everything in it. Temporary housing was setup for the people in tents. Many of these people don't have anything except for the shirts on their backs. They lost their farming jobs because the fertile ground was stripped away from the earth and the farm fields need to be rebuilt. For most of these families, life has come to an end as they knew it and they are starting all over. Lisa and I are talking about how we can help them back in the USA.

We give thanks to God for everything we have been given by Him.
 

The Altar

Mary

Our Lady of Mercy

St. Francis and Jesus

S. Matilde, Lisa, Padre Pedro, Deb and S. Paula



Feliz Cumpleaños A Mi!

Thursday, July 13, 2017

 

It's my birthday! As you can see by the first picture, my fingers and arms are crossed and I'm holding the numbers 3 and 6 in each hand. If you believe I'm 36, I've got some really good Florida swamp land I'd like to sell to you!

 

It was a busy day and a day of celebration. Thanks to the sisters and my dear friend Lisa for making it special!! By the way, we really did work hard today.

 

Deb

 

36 Years Old, Again 



Rice and Peruvian Dish Lomo Saltado

 

 

 

 



 

Sister Maribel Presenting the Chocolate Tres Leches Birthday Cake

Singing, In Spanish, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
 

An Evening Celebration of Good Food



Sister Monica Making Pisco Sour

Busy Day Today

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

We've been busy today. Earlier this morning, we visited with the children at school, while they were at recess. The earlier post, provides pictures of some of the kids.

We are getting our buckets ready for drilling tomorrow. When they were transported from Piura, the store wrapped 10 buckets at a time in plastic and heavily taped. We had to cut away the plastic tape, inventory the buckets  and separate organize the buckets so that we're ready for drilling.


100 Buckets Were Wrapped Like This

Lisa Organizing the Buekets

Thanks to Sister Maribel, we had very tasty Peruvian cuisine this afternoon. Our lunch consisted of what they call green spaghetti, (basil and spinach pesto), Papa a la Huancaina which are sliced boiled potatoes covered in a cheesy, slightly spicy yellow sauce, served with olives and a hard-boiled egg,  and chicken in a tomato sauce. Our beverage was also very traditional, Inca Cola.

Green Spaghetti, Potatoes, Papa a la Huancaina in Behind Potatoes  and Chicken

Sisters Paul and Maribel

Late this afternoon, Sister Monica, Lisa and I drove to Piura via taxi and worked with the airlines again. The roads are awful. The floods in March destroyed the roads in Piura. Here's an interesting resource about the flooding that occurred in March. Please click on this link for more information.       Flooding in Peru

We still don't have our baggage. The airlines asked us to sign some paperwork authorizing them to work with customs  and transport the suitcases to Piura. We pray that customs releases these filters to us and the we don't have to fly back to Lima to pick them up. We want an end to this soon, I'm sure you don't want to hear about it again, either. The airlines will be calling Sister Monica at 11 pm this evening to let us know if they were able to ship the filters. Please keep praying that we receive our three suitcases soon.

Deb Passino

Brief Visit During School Recess

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

We visited with the children as they were outside during recess. Look at their beautiful faces. Click on a picture to make them large and to scroll through all of them

 

 

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We've Made it to Paita!! Our Suitcases Haven't!

Tuesday, July 11

Hello Blog readers!

Beds in Hotel, Very Comfortable!

We spent the morning in the hotel, sleeping late and taking the taxi back to the airport around noon. We were told that our suitcases should be available around that time. We went to the LATAM Lost Baggage desk to find them we told them that we needed to get the bags to go through customs but they insisted that they would be flown to Piura. The woman told us to continue our flight and the bags should be available when we get there. Guess what? They weren't there.


Last wagon to unload! Suitcases not there!

Once in Piura, we talked with another employee. Carlos works for LATAM and was willing to be a big help to us. He took the time and listened, made several calls and located our bags  in Orlando. He told us that they will be flown back to Lima and available on Thursday. We may have to fly back to Lima claim them. We'll know on Thursday.

Please pray that our bags are released from Lima on Thursday and flown into Paita. We don't want to fly back to Lima.

Deb

Arrival in Lima and Problems in Customs

Tuesday, July 12, 4am

Lisa and I arrived in Lima around midnight. We were cautiously optimistic that we would be able talk with customs about the donations based on the 2015 experience. Customs told us to bring a letter from our church proving that these were donations.

Changing our flight with LATAM

Filing a baggage claim

We waited for our baggage. Only one of four bags arrived. It was the bag that contained the 500 rosaries and Deb's personal items. We continued waiting for the other three bags of donations to arrive. People continued picking up their bags and only six people were left standing at the conveyor belt and a man from customs walked over to us. He asked, "Are you Lisa Bixby and Deb Passino?" He then asked us to go to the customs desk and mentioned that three of our suitcases were in Orlando. The three suitcases that remained back in Orlando had the 50 water purifiers and other miscellaneous personal things.



Artists Conference

We filed a claim and had to reschedule our flight with LATAM. We were told that the suitcases would come in today, Tuesday, July 11, at noon. We rescheduled our flight for 4pm this evening to arrive around 5:50 pm in Piura. Thanks to LATAM, we stayed at a really nice hotel in Lima called Novotel. They also paid for our transportation to and from the hotel.

We need to work with customs at 1 pm today once we pick up the suitcases that were left behind in Orlando. Please pray that we are able to take our flight this afternoon and not have to another day in Lima. As much as we like Lima, we'd like to get to our Paita home to spend time with our sisters at St. Clare School.

Deb Passino

It's a Waiting Game

Here we are again, traveling to Peru and being delayed by the thunderstorms. We're at O'Hare, patiently waiting for our flight to Orlando, FL. The thunderstorms delayed the flight coming in from Texas which is the plane we're taking to Orlando.

Looking at the forecast for Orlando, more thunderstorms. Pray that we fly to Lima this evening. We hate those 24 hour delays. (So does Sister Monica.)



Parish Blessing

Lisa and I felt so honored to stand in front of our parish family for a blessing today, Sunday, July 9.

Thank you for your blessing during Mass and all your hugs, kind words and warm farewell wishes. Please pray for us as we begin our travels to Peru.

We'll keep you updated on a daily basis as we travel.           

Deb P.

Prayers for Our Travelers

Lisa and Deb leave for Peru on Tuesday. They'll be staying overnight at a Chicago hotel Sunday night so that they can be at O'Hare International by 5:30am on Monday morning.

Please pray for our travelers. This prayer was obtained from website:
https://prayerideas.org/praying_for_needs/mission-trip-prayer/  Thank you for sharing this prayer.

Dear Father,

We pray your help and blessings on the members of the mission trip.  Thank you that each person is taking time out of their busy lives to serve You by serving others.  Thank you that You have spoken to their hearts and that they are willing to venture outside of their homes, neighborhoods and comfort zones.  Keep them strong mentally, physically and spiritually.  Give them safe travels, energy and enthusiasm and an ability to be flexible when plans change.

May their arrival at their destination be a sign of Your love to those they serve.  Help the smiles and hugs and acts of friendship of the mission team members clearly communicate acceptance and comfort to those hungry for You.  May they be true ambassadors for Christ through their actions both on and off the job, both with those they serve and with their fellow team members.

We pray that this trip will be extremely successful in strengthening the faith of every team member.  Increase their trust in You as they leave their responsibilities and worries about their families and lives back home in Your watchful care.  As they see and experience different ways of life, give them new perspective on their lives and about the things that really matter most.  Give them the joy of service.  Strengthen their faith and reliance on You.  Enable them to graciously and humbly receive small gifts of great magnitude given to them by those who have little yet who are moved to give sacrificially.  May each team member strongly feel Your Holy Spirit at work in them and through them.

And so Father, we ask that you bless the mission project, the team members, those they serve and the team member’s families back home.  Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to actively work in a meaningful way in Your wonderful Kingdom.

Amen

Blessing of Rosaries

The fourth Corporal Works of Mercy is to visit the imprisoned. Thanks to Dick Schimmel, the Rosary Man,  the Sisters will be able to visit the imprisoned and provide rosaries to the prisoners in their local prisons. Dick was able to acquire 500 rosaries from rosary makers throughout the United States. Unlike here in the USA, rosaries can be given to the prisoners. Lisa and Deb will learn more about that ministry on their visit.

On Saturday, Father Dan blessed the 500 rosaries.

Lord God, we acknowledge your infinite glory and the abundance of your gifts. Before the foundation of the world, you appointed Christ the beginning and end of all things.
You chose the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Mother and companion of your Son, the image and model of your Church, the Mother and advocate of us all.

She is the new Eve, through whom you restored what the first Eve had lost. She is the daughter of Zion, who echoed in her heart the longings of the Patriarchs and the hopes of Israel.

She is the poor and lowly servant, who trusted solely in her Lord. In the fullness of time she was delivered of the Sun of justice, the dayspring from on high, Your Son, Jesus Christ. In her flesh she was his Mother, in her person, his disciple, in her love, his servant.

Father, may all who pray the rosary, know her protection and trace in their hearts the pattern of her holiness. Bless them with faith and hope, love and humility; bless them with strength in hardship and self-respect in poverty. Bless then with patience in adversity and kindheartedness in times of plenty. May they search for peace, strive for justice and realize your love, as they pursue their journey through life towards your heavenly city, where the Blessed Virgin Mary intercedes as Mother and reigns as Queen.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

Meet Deb

Deb and her husband Michael became involved at St. Paul Parish in 1992 after hearing that the parish would be twinning with a parish in Guatemala, in partnership with the School Sisters of St. Francis (SSSF).  She was welcomed by  the pastoral associate, Len Grassmann, who had invited her to join them in this new venture. That was the beginning of a wonderful friendship with Len, the SSSF and St. Paul Parish. Deb has lead several trips to Guatemala, visiting an orphanage run by the SSSF called Guadalupe Homes in Santa Apolonia,  and working with different ministries at St. Paul's sister parish in Zone 18 in Guatemala City.

In 2013, the parish explored the idea of doing God's work at St. Clare School in Peru. Deb P. and Lisa B. went on their first trip to Paita, Peru that year.  Once again, Deb and Lisa will be traveling to Paita, Peru. This will be Deb's fifth trip to Peru and Lisa's second trip. They will be working with the SSSF at St. Clare School by providing Berkey water purification systems to 50 families.

Meet Lisa

Lisa, a mental health nurse and active Catholic, visited Santa Clara school in 2013, and remembers a warm, welcoming community, and the hearts of the School Sisters, and is glad to go back.

She is interested this time in learning about the assembly, end user training, and efficacy of the Berkey water filtration unit, which will be the focus of this trip.

She and Deb are both grateful to their donors who have helped supply the product for this mission. Lisa is a little hesitant about her lack of Spanish--during the last visit, she struggled to manage with the limited communication; hoping that technology may assist this time.  

GoFundMe Fundraiser Results

Thanks you, Miranda, for your GoFundMe fundraiser! Miranda raised $1565.36. This money will be used to purchase Berkey purifiers through New Millennium Concepts. in Texas. You did an awesome job!!!

Genesee Depot Teen Brings Life Saving Water Filters to Peru

Miranda Spindt, a high school student at Kettle Moraine High School, has been raising money on a private, GO FUND ME fundraising campaign. The local newspaper, Lake Country Now, has published information about her fundraiser.

Please click the link below for more information about how she's raising money to help the people in Peru.

Link to Lake Country Reporter

 

Weather Forecast for Piura, Peru...15 More Days of Rain

The weather forecast for Piura and Catacaos doesn't look good right now. 15 more days of rain is expected. Please select the link below to see the catastrophe in that area.

Three links to YouTube:

Flooding in Piura


Another Link Showing the Flooding in the Streets of :Piura


More Flooding

 

Human Right to Safe Drinking Water as Addressed by Pope Francis

Pope Francis addressed the Vatican Conference on February 24, on the human right to safe and good quality water. Please click this link for his address.

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/02/24/pope_francis_addresses_vatican_conference_on_right_to_water/1294848

The Connecting Hearts and Hands with Peru, a Catholic Christian committee at St. Paul Parish in Genesee, WI,  is working with a school in Paita, Peru, run by the School Sisters of St. Francis.

There has been a natural disaster in the state of Piura, Peru, due to the rains and flooding. See prior posts on this blog.  We have been asked to provide Berkey water purifiers, to families in this region.

Please read the blogpost "Go Fund Me Fundraiser for Water Purification" below to donate to this awesome fundraiser. This fundraiser is trying to raise money for water purifiers. We were hoping this fundraiser would raise $2,500 and provide 25-30 Berkey water purifiers.

I have good news. A donor has come forward and will match this GO FUND ME fundraiser, up to $2,500. If this fundraiser raises $2,500, we will have $5,000, enough money to buy 50-60 Berkey systems. 

Please pray for a successful fundraiser!

More Rain and Flooding in Peru

The El Niño weather pattern has caused a warming of the water in the Pacific Ocean

on the coast of Peru. In July, 2015, the Peruvian government predicted that their country would be struck by flooding due to this weather pattern.

According to the Golf Times, "El Nino is triggered by a change in wind speed across the Pacific. The prevailing winds usually flow from east to west, which pushes the warm surface waters of the tropical Pacific Ocean towards Indonesia. This allows cool water to well up around the coast of South America. The cool water is rich in nutrients and fish, providing rich pickings for the Peruvian fishing industry. During an El Nino year, however, the winds, which blow along the surface of the tropical Pacific Ocean, ease. Why this happens is unclear, but it can have dramatic effects. The warm water sloshes back towards South America, which hides the nutrient-rich cold waters and ensures fish are in short supply."

There is a lack of fish in Paita, Peru, right now. This is due to warming waters; the cold water fish moved to cooler waters in the Pacific Ocean, far out of reach from the Paita fishing boats. Packing plants have closed and there has been a complete collapse of the Peruvian fishing industry in this area of Peru.

The rains and flooding in the state of Piura has been devastating to the people in this region. Please select one of the links below for more information about the flooding in Peru.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/03/29/Four-drown-in-Peru-after-Piura-river-overflows-floods-town/7201490796677/


http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-39418314

Go Fund Me Fundraiser for Water Purification

Miranda Spindt, a 16-year-old from Genesee, WI, and St. Paul Parish, has been active with the "Connecting Hearts and Hands with Peru" committee since 2014. Miranda is bilingual. In 2014 and 2016, she helped the medical team by being a translator for them. She also became involved with Berkey water purification in 2016 when she trained families on using the water purification system and distributed 50 systems to families in Paita.

Access to clean drinking water is a basic human right and a key component in protecting human life, Pope Francis said. To continue giving aid to our brothers and sisters in Peru, a team from St. Paul Parish, Genesee Depot, will be going to Peru in July, installing 30 Berkey water purification systems, to help families receive clean water. Due to the flooding, water is contaminated with all sorts of pathogens.  Miranda is doing a private fundraiser on gofundme. Please select the link below to donate to her fundraising campaign.

THANK YOU!!

https://www.gofundme.com/clean-water-for-peru-flood-victims

Flooding in Paita, Peru

We have been notified by Sister Monica, Director of St. Clare School, that Paita has had its worse flooding ever. Many families enrolled at the school have been affected by this destructive flood. Peru's Civil Defense reported that heavy rain fell for 30 hours beginning the evening of January 30. There were 340 homes completely destroyed and 16,800 homes flooded, displacing around 2,545 people. Sister Monica stated that the PRONOEI preschool was also damaged by the rain. The roof needs major repairs and the fencing around the school has been destroyed and needs to be replaced. Please pray for our friends in Peru so that they may receive the financial help needed to give them relief from this disaster.

More rains have occurred in March, as well. Due to the continued rains in Paita, the school year will begin on April 3. AccuWeather has a link stating that was posted on March 21, 2017, stating that more flooding is anticipated. Here is their link.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/more-rain-expected-as-death-toll-rises-to-75-from-peru-flooding/70001160

Here are some pictures of the flooding.

Basketball Court at St. Clare School

Streets Around the PRONOEI School

Streets Around the PRONOEI School

You're Invited to Serve Others!

We're planning our 5th trip to St. Clare School in Paita, Peru!

If you love working with children, you'll enjoy partaking in this mission trip. We'll be working closely with the school children...singing, teaching and playing games. We will also connect with the families in the community by providing Berkey water purification systems to them.

The trip dates are July 10-19. Interested? Please contact Deb at deb_passino@yahoo.com.

From Guatemala to Peru...What Next?

In 1992, St. Paul Parish was one of the first Catholic parishes in the Milwaukee Archdiocese to establish a sister parish relationship in Guatemala. We were involved with a parish in the colony Juana de Arco in  Zone 18, Guatemala City. Thanks to Len Grassmann, our pastoral associate at that time, and Sister Marietta Hanus from the School Sisters of St. Francis (SSSF),  for helping St. Paul Parish nurture that relationship for 20 years. As the violence kept on increasing in Guatemala, there were concerns about the safety of our missionaries traveling to Guatemala.. Sister Matilde, who had worked in the SSSF Development office in Guatemala City, was moving back to Peru and no one was taking her place. We wanted to continue our relationship with the School Sisters of St. Francis (SSSF) in Milwaukee. We asked Sister Matilde where our parish was most needed. Without hesitation, she said, "St. Clare School in Paita, Peru".  Sr. Matilde and God led us to Paita, Peru in 2013 and that's how it all began.

Our annual involvement:

• 2013 - Three delegates travel to Paita, Peru to gather information of the needs in Peru
• 2014 - First Medical mission trip
• 2015 - Milwaukee School of Engineering tested the city water and installed 25 Berkey water systems.
• 2016 - Second medical mission trip

What next? Sister Monica, director of St. Clare School, has given us several suggestions. 

• There's a great need for dental care. Many of the people have decayed and abscessed teeth. In order for a dental team provide services, dental chairs and supplies must be acquired and sent to Peru prior to the team arriving. We hope to acquire these necessary supplies and form a team for a trim in 2018. 
•  Walking with the students at St. Clare School - The students would like to have visitors. This visit will build relationships.
• Continue providing clean water to those with contaminated water

Our medical team is planning a trip to Peru in 2019.