Dear sisters and brothers, The new houses in La Cueva are shining with battery-operated Christmas lights, the pin ata is drying on the clothesline for a much-anticipated children’s party on Christmas Eve, and the kids are learning from Gleni and YouTube how to make Christmas wreaths for their new
homes. Every child has received a new outfit for Christmas, custom-purchased by our fellow-missioner Debbie Holderman, and everyone I’ve heard from so far is delighted with the fit. Proceeds from the community sales of your donated items continue to benefit pregnant moms and new mothers who need help paying for their delivery costs and their transportation for check-ups and vaccines. After a difficult start, two-month old Joanli is thriving now, thanks to all your help and prayers. Two of La Cueva’s elders, Danilo and Carpio, donated to the community the tin-sided buildings they owned that were not included in the Diocese’s building project, so the children will still have a place to play going forward. (The parents felt the new church is much too lovely for the kids to be kids there!) Work is almost finished to give these two historic buildings cement floors and 18″ surrounds. The Cuevans organized the planning, purchasing, transportation and construction for these projects themselves, using the construction skills they learned over the last two years. How good is that?
Our next collection will be for women’s clothing (small-to-medium), toys for the new playhouses,
bedsheets, and towels. We will collect any of these items you can spare between January 17-21.
Thanks again for your generous donations and constant prayers this past year. Special thanks to the parishes of Holy Spirit in Lake Wales and Holy
Name of Jesus in Indialantic, who have involved countless more parishioners in our effort, enabling us to share used clothing with more communities in our sister diocese in Las Lomas. I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a blessed new year.
Jean