CLAA Missions

CLAA Missions will be organizing missions to Haiti and Jamaica to supply volunteer help in both places.

1.  HAITI MISSION

We have been asked by the Missionaries of the Poor to organize help for their Haitian mission, which is struggling to provide medical care after the recent earthquakes.  Doctors and nurses are needed as well as volunteers for general help.  The MOPs have established a care center in Port au Prince in a Catholic Church where they are providing daily care for 1,000 orphaned children who have lost their parents.  They also are caring for many poor who cannot stay in the hospitals.

2.  JAMAICAN MISSION

The Missionaries of the Poor are building a 200 resident pregnancy care center right in the center of Kingston, called Holy Innocents Center.  They need volunteer help with the building of the center and construction workers able to bring their own tools are most needed.  Nevertheless, men willing to offer their physical labor to the Lord are greatly appreciated.  Have a direct impact on the pro-life work in a third-world country and help the MOPs discourage the government from making abortion legal in Jamaica.  The money of the U.S. government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is pressing the Jamaican government to legalize abortion and the Missionaries of the Poor along with other Christian groups on the island are keeping them at bay.  The Holy Innocents Center will be offered as an example of a better way to address the problem than to legalize killing.

For more information, contact us:  missions@classicalliberalarts.com.

My upcoming mission trip will be from February 16th-27th and I will be joined by a group of CLAA fathers.  I will be teaching a 2-week course to the brothers while Fr. Ho Lung travels to visit the other missions and we will be visiting the centers daily while there.  I’m looking forward to a new visit to make some new friends, and share new events, topics and pictures.  Stay tuned.

Before I left Jamaica, Father Ho Lung asked if I would come back in February and teach the brothers while he was away.  I will teach a mini-course in Logic or Rhetoric while he travels and visits the MOP’s missions around the world. 

I would like to use the opportunity (since my family would not be going) to bring some CLAA fathers with me to experience the life and works of the Missionaries of the Poor.  Therefore, if any men would like to join me, please let me know.  I do not yet know the exact dates of that trip or how many men would be able to join me, but I will publish that info as soon as I have it.   I will likely go in late February for 1-2 weeks.  Men joining me would not need to stay with me the entire time, but I’d be there to help introduce you to the world of the MOP.  I promise you that you will come home to America with a new look on life…and a lot less stress.

We arrived safely at home around 9pm Wednesday night.  The comforts of American life were evident as soon as we ot in the car.  The kids immediately noticed how smooth the roads were how quiet the driving was.  We have an older Jeep Cherokee on the farm and after being in Jamaica it felt like a luxury vehicle.

We got home and my mother had bought us  some groceries: a few pizzas, a few gallons of milk and some juice…but I never appreciated a gallon of milk like I did last night!  There is no milk/dairy available where we were.  Then..running water!  Oh, how convenient it is live in America.  Now, we are more conscious than ever of the fact that, “to whom much is given, much is expected”.  Time to get to work.

P.S.  If you’re considering home improvements…don’t!  Spend a few weeks in Kingston, then when you go home you’ll have a house that looks like new.  I never noticed how nice our home was until coming back from the ghetto.  I wil NEVER talk home improvement again.

Potential home/office in Kingston, Jamaica. (Click to enlarge.)

As we prepared to leave Jamaica Wednesday morning, talks heated up about our establishing a home there.  Fr. Ho Lung mentioned a property just beside the Corpus Christi monastery that a friend of his owned that we could acquire.  It is located just next to the Cathedral, across from the prisonand up the road from another great Catholic mission organization called “Mustard Seed Ministries”.  Perfect location.

It was once a Catholic orphanage, but the second floor burned down and it hadn’t been re-opened since.  We would be interested in renovating the building, adding a second floor for guests to stay with us and making it beautifyul–a sing of life and hope in the midst of the ghetto.  This property would become our home in Jamaica, the CLAA/Beatitudes school office and a guest house for visitors coming from America to work with us.

We’ll keep you posted as we get more info.

I can’t believe it, but our 24 days in Jamaica are over.  I am printing out the course outlines I drafted and accreditation materials for the MOP Institute, Dania is cleaning up the guest house and packing up the kids and tomorrow morning…we’ll be on our way home.  24 days!?  I can’t believe it.

Please remember us in your prayers as we fly tomorrow morning 2:50p EST, stop in Atlant around 5:30p EST and land in Charlotte 8:15p EST.  Moving 7 little ones through the airport isn’t exactly the fun part of this trip.  p…a…t…i…e…n…c…e…   One foot in front of the other.

This trip really started something MUCH bigger, which I’ll share when we get back.

MOP brothers in attendance at last language class on Dec. 10, 2009. (Click to enlarge.)

Tonight my language class wrapped up and this marks the beginning of the end of our November/December mission work with the MOP in Jamaica.   I taught the brothers (just over 60) the basics of linguistics so that they could understand what causes the differences in dialects among English speakers and why their English does not sound American or British.  We had a lot of fun making fun of the Philippinos, whose constant smiling doesn’t allow them to make American English sounds!  I say, “To pronounce the English “R”, you need to round your lips and make the sound at the front of your mouth.”, but the Philippinos cannot round their lips!  I tell them their happiness as a people has made them unable to make the “R” sound and that they should be proud of their pronunciation problems.  Even if you look at the picture, the Indians and African brothers are straight-faced and the Philippinos are smiling. 

Anyway, one project completed.  Time to start wrapping up.  I can’t believe we’ve already been here for 19 days…and have only 5 to go.

Posts have been non-existent because I’ve been working non-stop the last few days.  I’ve had a list of projects that needed to be figured out for MOP–helping to design a catechism program for the ghetto kids who come to church on Sunday (over 100!),  teaching a linguistics class in the evenings (almost 60 students now),  creating an entirely new e-mail system for the MOP that brings all of their international missions together, continuing to work on the MOP Institute program, and, oh yeah, running the CLAA.

We only have 7 days left here (!!) so I’ll be spending the rest of my time working.  I’m running out of time.

When we went to Mt. Tabor there were lots of things to see.   We saw the donkeys and the pigs and all the animals then we went for a long walk to the Mt. Tabor well and there were big fish and little fish, crabs and snails-so much to see!  When we were about to leave the Mountain the brothers took us for a tour to the water fall and we got to walk in the water and it was soo fun!!  We hunted for snails and fish and smooth rocks–how fun it all was.

jamaica is cool and i love taking walks and seeing all the fruit and i love working and doing stuf with the Brothers. i love seeing all the  wonderfull things i think the mountian is cool i love taking walks and seeing the animals and i rid on a donkey and the one i rid on was pregnent and it dinit move when i was on it. it just stayd stil and i pet it.i love being in jamaica.    -David, 6

The MOPs maintain their own blog (which really allows them to roughly post info that I then clean up and incorporate into the official MOP website), and if you go to the blog and look at the link “Visitor’s Profile” you will find a bunch of pictures from our faimly’s visit to the Bethlehem House.

http://moponline.wordpress.com

Not today.  Jamaica is in the midst of a drought and today there is NO water in our area of Kingston.  We have 55 gal. barrel of water from the well and that’s it–my sons had to fill it this afternoon.   We went from splashing around in mountain streams this morning to dry facucets this afternoon, so we pray that the Lord will give us some water.

The brothers grow their own food on the mountain--everything from milk to meat to vegetables and sugar cane. here, Br. John gives us a tour of the vegetable gardens...the background isn't too bad either. (Click to enlarge.)

Br. Nelson was a shepherd boy in India and played some of his own Indian shepherd songs for us before sunset. (Click to enlarge.)

View from the front porch of Mt. Tabor Chapel, where our first Beatitudes School classes will likely be held. (Click to enlarge.)

Yesterday, we took a day away from the office and out of the ghetto to (a) get some much needed rest and (b) visit the Beatitudes House, which is a home for poor retarded children owned by the MOPs in the mountains north of Kingston.

The MOPs were given 70 acres of land on top of a mountain, which is breathtaking.  The brothers have built a retreat center at the mountaintop, which is used for prayer and laity retreats.  We had the place to ourselves yesterday to enjoy some peace and quiet.  Here are some pics:

We took some time to get out of the heat and splash around in the mountain streams. You can see it's a paradise. Dania and I were exhausted and all a mess and the kids were very unhappy to take time out for a picture. (Click to enlarge.)

Our view this morning from our balcony at the MOP's Mt. Tabor retreat center. P.S. You can visit this place for a retreat. (Click to enlarge.)

Brother John, who supervises the brothers living on the mountain, leads us up the mountain streams through the woods with Jonathan close behind. (Click to enlarge.)

Scenes from Kingston (Click here to enlarge.)

Kingston has to be one of the strangest places in the world.  Sitting beside one of the world’s largest harbors in one of the most beautiful locations on earth is one of the world’s poorest and most violent communities.   One must gaze down from the mountains across the city upon the harbor to see the stunning beauty of the land itself.  A tropical paradise with white sands and bright blue water–but then the city begins. 

The harbor lacks the Caribbean blue water due to pollution.  The shore is filled with what look like tourist area hotels from a distance, until one notices that, due to local violence, they are all vacant and is disrepair.  Around the  harbor one can see the remains of what was once a beautiful, thriving city, full of hope–but today it is stripped bare and lies in ruins.  The area near the coast is ghetto and wealth increases as one moves toward the mountains, where the luxurious homes look down from above–and fuel the envy and rage in the ghetto below.

The ghetto is a war zone–only the war is between rival political gangs.  All businesses have left because the violence makes business impossible.  The people here fight over crumbs of real estate not understanding that peace would bring them all incredible wealth.   The battle between political gangs and between rich and poor will never end–only the Gospel can enrich these people–not only in heaven, but also on earth.  The conversion of the area itself would make the area wealthy–and eliminate the suffering which is the direct result of the hatred and covetousness  that fills the city. 

Here are some pictures from the area.  Realize that these are shots taken on the main roads in safe areas–and families live in these buildings.

Scenes from Kingston (Click to enlarge.)

Scenes from Kingston (Click to Enlarge.)

Dania and I were asked if we would be willing to teach the brothers from India, Kenya, Uganda, Haiti and the Phillipines some English and we, thinking of a convenient time down the road, said “Yes.”. 

We then learned that our first class was scheduled for Monday (last night) at 8pm…with 40 students.  Not expecting to be teaching NOW, I called over to the office and asked, “How many classes were you hoping to have?”   The brother replied, “Oh, don’t worry.  Not every night.” 

Not every night?!  We went from “Would you be willing to teach English to the brothers?” to “Don’t worry, you don’t have to have class every night.” 

We need to be careful what we agree to around here…the brothers jokingly  call it the “MOP Schedule”…you find out what you’re doing 15 minutes before it begins.  Fortunately, I just happen to have written a complete linguistics program (which none of you know about) that now has an immediate use.   Opening night was a blast.

Today, we visited Bethlehem House again and spent some time with the children.  We also helped with the filming of “the Church and the Poor” while there.  Here are some pictures:

Elizabeth (8) helps Brother John feed residents at Bethlehem House. (Click to enlarge.)

Jonathan (9) enjoying time with baby Stephen, who was born with Down Syndrome and left with the Missionaries of the Poor. (Click to enlarge.)

Bethlehem Center is jammed with abandoned babies--nearly all of which were born mentally retarded or with serious birth defects. (Click to enlarge.)

Elizabeth (8) with Joshua and Sister Lubica from Queen of Peace. (Click to enlarge.)

This afternoon, Father Brian  (who we love so much) took us to tour Queen of Peace, which is the care center of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity, right in the middle of the worst part of the Kingston ghetto.  We were invited by the superior, Sr. Lubica after Fr. Brian had told her of Elizabeth’s interest in becoming a Missionary of Charity and after meeting our family this morning at Mass.   The sister is leaving on Monday for her home visit after 10 years of service and when Fr. Brian called her to the altar for a blessing, he remembered his talk with Elizabeth earlier this week about meeting the superior, so he stopped the service and called Elizabeth up to meet the superior at the front of the chapel–it was very funny.  Elizabeth was about to burst and participated in the blessing. 

In the afternoon, we toured the center, which is in every way like an MOP center, except that it has an extra feminine touch, which the MOP centers lack.  They care for elderly men and women who are beyond the help of the local hospitals.  They are not in as bad condition as the residents of the MOP centers, though, that is for sure.

The superior (who Dania said was the most beautiful woman she ever met in her life) gave us a bunch of gifts including Missionary of Charity of medals and prayer cards for the children and Mother Teresa prayer cards with a small piece of Mother Teresa’s robe.  If you could see the location of this center, you would be stunned to find these smiling, beautiful sisters working inside.

Dania and some of the kids with Sr. Lubica (MC) and Fr. Brian (MOP) at Queen of Peace center in Kingston.

We attended Mass this morning at Bethlehem Chapel–which is simply incredible.  The place is a dump in American standards–peeling paint, worn tiles, dirty fans, no color matches, cracked cement–to put it simply, a ghetto church. 

However, it is jam-packed with at least 500 worshippers.  The first 20 rows are filled with crippled and retarded adults and children in wheelchairs, or being held by the brothers up front.   The chapel is actually the second floor of Bethlehem House.  On the first floor is the Bethelehem House care center for crippled, retarded and abandoned children.  Also downstairs is the Lord’s Place–the care center for those suffering from HIV/AIDS.   Quite a different environment from our parish church in Monroe, NC.

When the Mass began, you would have thought Jesus was walking down the aisle with the 12 Apostles–the place was rocking.  About 50 brothers were up front leading the singing and the whole body of worshippers was singing with all their might.  The entire Mass was alive and responsive. 

We were seated in the second row (I was assigned the mass readings). At the time of offering, people came from the back of the chapel with bags and crates full of fruits and vegetables!!  The whole front of the altar was loaded with food offerings–no money offerings were taken.  The woman sitting next to me gave me an avocado as a gift right in the middle of Mass and the brothers up front laughed at me as I tried to figure out what to do with it.

If there was one thing I could confidently say would change your life forever, it would be Mass at Bethlehem.

Well, what I thought was going to be a quiet weekend has suddenly exploded.  It never ends.

We spent the entire day shooting video for EWTN with Dania, Jonathan, Elizabeth and I being interviewed individually for “The Church and the Poor”–and that after 15 min. notice.  Jonathan (9) was working in the garden with the brothers when they interviewed him and Elizabeth (8) gave them her usual spiritual talk…the brothers call her “the mystic”…she is amazing.  

The camera will also be going with us to Bethlehem House on Monday to film more, so you’ll get to see the centers on the show and all of the goofy Michael family.   It’s a cool episode, though, and I’m happy to be part of it.  They decided to use our visit to promote faimly visits to MOP missions…exactly what I was hoping to do through our trip.  I hit it off with the camera man who is a Jamaican and is psyched about the Beatitudes School…said he’d provide me with a clip for the CLAA website from Jamaica.  Cool deal.

It appears that we will be staying on the mountain Sunday into Monday, so I’ll share pictures from there.

I’ve been asked to participate in this month’s taping of the MOP’s show  ”The Church and the Poor” for EWTN…today…so things may be less quiet than I expected.  It never ends. 

Anyway, you’ll likely get to see us at Bethlehem House on EWTN sometime soon.  Good advertising for the Beatitudes School if I can find a natural opportunity.