Encarnate the Gospel...

Then, Jesus sent them to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick and He said to them: "Take nothing for the journey..." Lk 9, 2.

Assumption style mission was one of my motivations for joining the congregation, it has always been a time to share who I am with others. During this Holy Week I was in Tepetlapa, a town in the municipality of Atenango del Rio, Guerrero.

It is a small town dedicated mainly to agriculture. From this experience I learned three things: to share what we are, to be simple and to embrace our reality with joy.

It is interesting that during this mission I talked more about planting and caring for farm animals than about anything else. The people taught me to share what I know, it is a way to incarnate the Gospel and sharing life in love.

On the other hand, the people helped me to live a Holy Week in a simple but meaningful way. I asked myself, what else can I teach a community that shares food, takes care of each other, knows each other well, respects each other, believes in God and collaborates with each other? That is the real experience of living the Gospel.

Sometimes in the big churches we get distracted by enormous and exaggerated decorations, but on the night of Holy Thursday, only a small table, some plants and candles were enough to have an evening of intimate and authentic encounter with Christ.

The people embrace their reality, there is no ambition, they do not want big houses or millions of pesos, they recognize their wealth in what God has given them in the field.

Any other person in the city would say that this is conformist or mediocre thinking, but many times we are ambitious without knowing it, we aspire to great riches without recognizing our essence. The people of Tepetlapa taught me that we do not need too much to be happy in life.

In the end, in this mission I learned what the Gospel says, to go to proclaim the Kingdom without any attachment, carrying nothing along the way. The only thing we need to share life, is in the heart and in the mind.

Rafael Huerta Ramos, a.a.

Missionaries "Beyond Borders" (FRAS)...

Dear brothers and sisters, I want to share with you this great experience of having followed Jesus' command "Go and preach the Gospel".

We traveled about 12 hours to reach our destination, the Chapel of Carrizal Zenzontepec, in the state of Oaxaca, where the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception (HFIC) are located.

We were the first and only group from the State of Veracruz. The people were already waiting for us with a delicious welcome snacks and the persons in charge of the chapels were also waiting for us to take us to where we were assigned.

The communities we were assigned to are called: The community of El Temblor, where Marlen Morales and Ingrid Aixa Zepahua went, and the community of Santa Maria Siempre Viva where Alfredo Guzman and myself went respectively. The four of us are part of the council members of FRAS (Fraternidad Asuncionista).

In reality, one comes to discover that it is not so much what one gives, but how much one receives in experiences, contact with the ordinary people who always show generosity and closeness, who share what they do not have, teaching us how much good poverty does us.

They are communities with deep faith, especially to the missionary’s word of encouragement and hope, to be able to share the Gospel to them.

I continue believing and laying down my life in those distant places where the missionary is much needed, but still close and united to the Church. As the word of God says: "There is more joy in giving than in receiving" (Acts 20:35).

As disciples of the Risen Christ, it is up to us to stretch out the hand of God to the world and enjoy the gift of being sent to different places where the need becomes a permanent call to us, baptized and committed to the Kingdom, and thus continue to show the face of Jesus alive through us and bearing witness to Him.

At the end of our mission, we took a short tour in the center of Oaxaca, visiting among other places like the Temple of Santo Domingo, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the ex-convent of San Pablo, and trying some Oaxacan cuisine.

I appreciate much the kindness of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception for inviting us to be part of this mission.

Lionel LC, member of the FRAS council.

"La Mohonera", a little bit of heaven...

In the parish of San Andrés Totoltepec, the Holy Week 2022 mission was carried out by the Maranatha Missionary Youth Group, in Mohenera, a small town pertains to the municipality of Chilapa, in the state of Guerrero. The objective of this mission was to live Holy Week and forming the Church with the simple ones.

Moreover, we tried to strengthen the Synodality in the communities, as proposed by Pope Francis, giving meaning to the Creed as a testimony of our faith. Indeed, "Synodality" is a new term that expresses the identity of the Church as the People of God on a journey, on pilgrimage towards the Kingdom; it stresses the common dignity of all Christians and affirms their co-responsibility in the evangelizing mission.

The choice to go to the state of Guerrero was made in order to diversify our options as well as our apostolic vision. Mohonera has about 2500 inhabitants, their native language is Nahuatl. Its inhabitants are very simple people but with a big heart. It can be said that it is a town or place that God holds dearly.

The presence of God can be felt in each one of them. The community was very fraternal because they all treat each other like family. The younger ones treat the older ones like uncles and aunts, even though they are not directly related. That filled me with joy, because you can feel the closeness among them. They all know each other very well.

It is important to take note that it is really a large community, but you can feel the unity among them. Also, it is a very participative and cooperative community, always ready to support in everything. Thus, to the missionaries, they opened the doors not only of their houses, but also of their hearts. They were happy in welcoming us in their homes during our house visitations.

We had the opportunity to share with them their way of living. Most of them are dedicated in weaving hats, and a very few families are not. In the month of October, almost all of them leave for the green beans harvest and the village is practically abandoned, because everyone helps.

The theme during the mission that was implemented was "Synodality". The motto was "All Together". I was surprised by the number of participants of the kids, the youths and the adults, because the hall was full, and the enthusiasm and joy that was experienced for three days were great.

On those three Holy Days, that was, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, we reflected on a paragraph of the Creed: "I believe in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church", and we connected it in the Synodality. Truly, the actions of this community are a beautiful example of unity and walking together as a Church. Let us all look back at Mohenera as a symbol of unity, faith and love for our neighbor.

I thank God for all that we have experienced in this mission. I am infinitely grateful to Father Joseph Mahamba for sending us to this mission; to Father Antonio Roman Bahena and Father Arturo Cornejo for receiving us and opening the doors of their parish.

My gratitude is extended to the community of Mohonera, for receiving us in their homes and for allowing us to work with them. Finally, I thank the Maranatha Missionary Youth Group for their willingness and enthusiasm to carry out this mission.

Below, are experiences shared by some companions of the Maranatha Missionary Youth Group.

Maru Copado, lay assumptionist.

Experiencias de jovenes misioneros

I want to share my first experience as a missionary in the community of La Mohonera in Guerrero: The acceptance of the people was evident since we arrived the first day in the chapel.

The participation of adults and children, who never failed to come for a single day, was impressive. The lady in the photo is Angela, a native of La Mohonera and an excellent teacher of the Nahuatl language.

I am very grateful for all the teachings and knowledge that I learned from them and to see their tears that rolled down when we said goodbye. I hope to be with them again next year.

Leonardo Dionicio Pérez

My experience in La Mohonera was very nice because the whole community is very united and they transmitted a lot of happiness and love.

I treasure the smile of each one of them, and the happiness and affection that the children, youth and adults gave me.

Evelyn Barrientos Copado

My experience in La Mohonera has been one of the most beautiful experiences in my life. I really enjoyed sharing with the whole community.

They gave us the opportunity to get to know them a little, they gave us a little bit of their time, they opened the doors of their home and their love. These are blessings that I will carry in my heart forever.

Jocelyn Barrientos Copado

My experience as a missionary in the community "La Mohonera", has been one of the best things that have ever happened in my life, to be able to share moments with the people, to learn from them, from their values and to see how they opened the doors of their hearts and their homes.

I have no enough words to thank them for the love they gave us since the first day. I can say that I am very satisfied because I am finally beginning to discover a little of God’s purpose for my life, to serve others with love and share a little of the joy that God has affected in me. In addition to my personal growth, thus, I was able to overcame certain challenges that allowed me to get out of my comfort zone and also I was able to overcome my fears.

Abigail Corona Reyes

My experience in the mission was amazing, I thank God for allowing me to live this first experience in the community of La Mohonera, the people are very warm, united and very participative.

I am very grateful for the warm welcome and all the learnings that the community has given us, I take to heart every moment that we shared.

Denisse

I want to tell you about my first mission experience in a community called Mohenera in the state of Guerrero. In spite the community is very large, all the people know each other and treat each other with a lot of respect. The community welcomed us and treated us as part of their family from the first day we arrived there.

In the activities and dynamics that we have prepared for them, the commitment and desire to know more about God was evident from the first day. From them I learned that age does not matter to praise God, whether we are young or adults.

For them Holy Week is very important. From Thursday they make their offering for our Lord Jesus Christ until the Feast of the Resurrection, they celebrate it...

Sayra Reyes