Casa Feliz purchase & Minneamigos Mission trip!

So.....life has taken on a new and fast pace since last month!

As of September 24th, 2017....LEAST became the owner of "Casa Feliz" 

& my father was able to be present at the signing of the new deed.

Jesus...we trust in You!

After the signing and final purchase, 

I spent the next 4 weeks having Guatemalan masons 

rip out the windows on the first level of the Annex building

and replace 28 metal-framed windows and 2 metal doors:

The Minneamigos group arrived October 3rd...

just in time to paint till their heart's content

and try to figure out how to repair the first level

(kitchen, pantry & hallway) from serious smoke damage.

After serving as an orphanage for up to 160 orphans from 1980-2000,

Casa Feliz was used as a shelter for families in San Lucas

who lost their homes in the landslides 

due to Hurricane Agatha in May of 2010.

Unfortunately, the Annex building suffered a lot of negligence

from those seeking shelter there and was eventually abandoned

until LEAST's purchase this year.

Kitchen at the time of the purchase (above):

 

It took Tom Wyrowski & our Guatemalan mason worker, Genaro

TWO days to chip away at the kitchen ceiling to get the char off (above left):

We had no other choice but break the chimney's on the second level

to unplug the chimney (above right).

It just happened to be plugged up by nothing other than 5 little chip bags (below): 😩

At least the smiling faces made the mess a little more pleasant to deal with!

 

It took 5 days to finish the stoves:

The finished kitchen!

The pantry also had a lot of smoke damage

and it was a fun learning adventure on how to NOT paint 

over smoke stained ceilings.

We also discovered (being that we are in the height of the rainy season)

how hard it is to work with completely saturated wood

trying to make shelves and tables...

 

(Almost) complete pantry next to the kitchen (below):

We put a little extra love into the renovation of the dining room

being that the elderly will spend most of their time there.

(Above left): The dining room at time of purchase.

(Above right): Mary & Mary Clare taking over as painting machines!

Getting ready for the "Mother Teresa" stripes (above):

Painfully worth it!
Finished dining room (below):

As life would have it, we were without water last week
in the entire village for SIX days (no comment) 😩

As soon as the water was turned back on,
I made sure to make use of the scaffolding brought to Casa Feliz
and was able to clean (maybe for the first time in 35 years?)
the "Good Samaritan" mural that Fr. Greg Schaffer made
in honor of what the orphanage stood for.

It was amazing the transformation the mural had just after a little soap and water.
I also found a hidden cross cemented in between all the pebbles of the mural
and it made me think about all the hidden beauties we miss in this life
because we don't take the time to pay attention
and attend to what God places before us each day.

I am so incredibly grateful for LEAST's first mission group

("Minneamigos" from North Mankato, MN)

who completely renovated the first floor of the Annex building

of Casa Feliz in 2 weeks.

Our bodies are exhausted, but our hearts are full

as we look back and give thanks for all that we could do for the "least".

A heart felt thank you to Tom & Mary Clare Wyrowski and Gary & Mary Zellmer

for your unconditional support, incredible generosity,

"slave-driven" hard work (partly because of my over-ambitious work goals)

and love for the Lord which inspired you to take this leap of faith with me.

I can't wait till the feeding center is up and running

and we are SO much closer to this goal because of each one of you! 

Please keep this ministry in your prayers!

Miracles still do happen...

It is with great joy and much anticipation that I am finally able to make this news public!

I have been holding in my heart for the past 3 years a call from the Lord

to turn the old orphanage here in San Lucas (called "Casa Feliz")

into a center for the abandoned elderly.

This building has the potential for many services-

(feeding center, nursing home and even hospice)...

but God will reveal His plan in His time.

As life would have it, the orphanage was roped into legal settlements

that the Mission went through after the death of Fr. Greg Schaffer

and in 2015, it was bound by law to be sold at a certain price...

which was way out of my potential or capacity!

Most of you know my history here in San Lucas,

but I began working with the elderly 2 years ago with the hope that God

would send a donor to help me purchase Casa Feliz.

Exactly 2 years after leaving the position 

as the volunteer coordinator of the Mission in San Lucas,

the Lord sent me a donor.

God willing the purchase will be finalized next month

and I can begin the work of converting the orphanage 

initially into our main center where we can continue to feed the elderly 

and bring them together for organized activities.

I've attached a video below (separated in 2 parts)

showing the history of the orphanage, 

the work that has been done with the elderly here over the past 2 years,

and ultimately the reason why I continue to live here in Guatemala:

to answer the Lord's call (Matthew 25:40)

and to honor the purpose which Fr. Greg wanted the orphanage to be used for

(to serve the "least"...the most poor and vulnerable in the community).

I feel that this project will bring to life once again the spirit of the Gospel

which Fr. Greg allowed to flow throughout Casa Feliz years ago.

As you can imagine, there is MUCH work to be done

in the restoring and preparing of the buildings for their new functions

(the building has been abandoned for almost 3 years).

The purchase includes (2) two-story buildings which together contain:

39 rooms, 2 kitchens, 2 pantries, 2 huge dining rooms,

7 private bathrooms, 4 communal bathrooms, a laundry room,

a basketball court and garden area.

If you feel called to support the humble beginnings of this incredible opportunity, 

you can donate the following ways:

1). (For smaller donations) Click the "donate" button on the top right to donate through Paypal.

2). (For larger donations) Make a check out to "Foundation for Saving Sight", place in the check memo "LEAST" and mail the check to:

Katie Wallyn 

1204 Lewis Ave.

Hutchinson, MN 55350

San Lucas continues to be blessed not only by the missionaries

who give their lives to work and live alongside the people,

but it is also blessed by people like you who feel called and inspired

to reach out and help us with your prayers and financial support.

May God continue to be glorified and the Heart of Jesus continue to be consoled

through our service to the poor in this humble village!

Part one:

Part two:

Fr. Brian's Construction Group- Day 4

Friday was our fourth and last day working on construction

and the group was able to finish a kitchen AND house

by 3 pm!

(Above): Lucia and Fidel's kitchen before...

(Above):  The finished kitchen

It only took 4 hours to build...amazing!

Our last project was building a house for this humble, humble man named Juan

who is an orphan in the community with no family.

(Above left: Juan / Above right: Juan's old house)

(Above: preparing the foundational posts)

Team work!

(Above: Juan still in shock of the generous gift given to him!)

Thank you all who made this amazing week possible!

So many great memories, hard work and awesome conversations

to give thanks for...and 3 families who will be forever grateful for your support.

God bless you all...your presence will be missed!

Fr. Brian's Construction Group- Day 3

Meet Fidel & Lucia Arenales Jacinto!

I have mentioned Lucia before...she is the mother of one of my cooks

and even though she is in her 60's, Lucia has been bed ridden for 4 years now 

with 2 herniated discs in her back and a broken right arm 

(surgery is not an option because of her severe osteoporosis).

Lucia and her husband met at the Mission's first clinic:

Fidel was the patient and Lucia the nurse...the rest was history 😊 

(Above left: The old house / Above right: The happy couple 😉)

(Above photos): The brave souls who tore down the house Wednesday morning.

(Above photo) It took about 1.5 hours to tear down the old house...

(and about 30 of those minutes were spent dodging 

the numerous spiders and fire ants that were EVERYWHERE!)

 (Above photo) Wednesday afternoon, 

we had a different crew help place the foundation and posts.

Thursday we were given a day with NO rain and we finished the house by noon!!!

Thank you again for giving another poor family

a gift they always hoped for... a beautiful new home

and new friends with the love of Christ in their hearts!

Fr. Brian's Construction Group- Day 1 & 2

This week we are busy

with an awesome group from western Minnesota

(and some also from Nebraska, South Dakota,
Iowa & North Carolina)!

On Monday (while the group was traveling)

I was able to do a kitchen with 2 other Guatemalan workers

for an elderly lady (Candelaria) who struggles with diabetes

and who receives little financial support from her family.

(Above photos: Candelaria & the old kitchen)

(Above photo: new kitchen)

On Tuesday, my Guatemalan workers and I were joined

by 4 hard working women with beautiful smiles...

 Despite the rain (and REALLY stubborn wood that didn't want to be nailed!)

we got through the day making great memories 

and getting half the house finished!

Today we had 10 awesome workers that finished the house by noon!

(Above: Old house)

(Below: New house)

Giving thanks for all who are here serving with their hands

and to all those who are afar serving us with their hearts and prayers...

we feel the love and the support and are so thankful!

Un poco de todo...

"A little bit of everything"

...that just about sums up this past month!

Again...in being a missionary, it's not so much what we "do",

but how we give ourselves and open our hearts to those around us.

And this includes remaining with the people...

in their joys, in their sufferings, 

in their hopes and in their despair...

This past March, our dearest and oldest elderly in the program
(Andrés, who will be 100 years old on December 1st)
was unfortunately backed into by a "tuc tuc" taxi

as he was making his way into our weekly feeding...

and being his age and fragile condition, 

Andrés broke his right knee and dislocated his right hip;

which means he will now be bed ridden until the day he dies.

There is no medical insurance in Guatemala

and there is no way a person who is 100 could undergo

a double knee/hip replacement surgery and survive the therapy.

The reason I share this tragedy is because this is life here...

it is raw, it is real and there is no way to cover it up or run from it.

Andrés humbly accepted his fate 

and continued to sleep in his delightful spring-only bed frame 

with cardboard as a "mattress" (photo above left)-

with a broken hip and knee (photo above right). 

One cannot help but be moved to make this person's cross lighter...thanks to the LEAST fund, 

we were able to buy Andrés a new bed (picture on left)

and thanks to the generosity of Fr. John Goggin, 

(who now is going on 50 years of being a missionary priest here in Guatemala!), 

Andrés was able to receive the Anointing of the Sick (picture on right).

 

And of course, we celebrated a beautiful Holy Week 2 weeks ago

and were able to make the elderly their favorite dish:

                                                    -White beans with pork and rice (left picture)

                                                    -The traditional Holy Week sweet bread (right picture)

It brings so much joy to see the friendships that have been made
and fellowship that the elderly enjoy

after almost 2 years of consistent meals provided!

More additional activities have been 

taking some elderly to the hospital for emergencies (above...) 

 

...and some joys have been collaborating with Butch Mueller

to provide some elderly with beautiful new stoves.

(Before and after stove for Gumercinda & Alejandro in photos above)

Our last housing project from Mission St. Luke was also finished last week (above left)...

and yesterday, we lost one of our elderly (Román, 70 yrs old) 

to a sudden heart attack as he was coming home for lunch.

As hard as it was to walk with the grieving family today to the cemetery (above right)

to bury their husband, father, brother, uncle, grandfather, friend...

is this not the least I can do?

Is it not as valuable to these people to give them my heart, my emotions, my sorrow, my faith...

and not just material things like a stove, or a house, food or medical care?

"We just finished with Lent up through Easter
and we were asking to enter into the suffering of Jesus
and we can enter into the suffering of Jesus
through prayer for those in the world who suffer and are less fortunate than ourselves."

-Kim Lamberty (Catholic Relief Services)