Lord, Give Success to the Work of Our Hands

“Satisfy us in the morning with your loving kindness, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Let your work appear to your servants; your glory to their children. Lord, give success to the work of our hands.” – Psalm 90:14-17

I was able to attend Mass in the morning on Labor Day in Abbeville, Louisiana. St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church is absolutely stunning with the art, architecture, and reverence that give glory to our Lord. It is refreshing to stop by there now and then. When the psalm for the day was read, this particular verse stood out to me. I observed what was probably the blood, sweat, and tears of the many hands that made that church what it is today. If I were God, I’d totally echo the words, “It is good!” 

Chris has been reminding me of a thought that struck him after our return to the States. He said, “Angie, I think God has us here, not just for our son CJ, but to allow the ‘seeds’ to sprout—to see the fruit that was planted without us being in control all the time.” Sometimes when we are in the field, we are so busy doing and being. Every once in a while, we have to take a rest to observe and reassess what God has done and may want us to continue to do (or may not want us to continue doing). It can be difficult to combat the distractions—even in missions, so we have to step back to focus on God’s work and will. While we have been here, we have been doing just that.

We still communicate weekly with many people from our ministries, some friends, and even the priests from our parish and neighboring parish, which has been LOVELY! It allows us to listen, observe, and appreciate what God has done through our family and beyond. A little glimpse of His handiwork, if you will.

Take Casa Emanuel (the rehabilitation center), for example. Last spring, we ran into Jonathan (the one with whom we first journeyed with for extended help and restoration with substance abuse, and who introduced us to Casa Emanuel). While doing a little street evangelizing, Jonathan caught a glimpse of Chris and quickly turned around, embarrassed. Chris recognized and called out to him anyway, and he complied. Jonathan told Chris he was, once again, homeless and was too embarrassed to ask for help. Chris offered to help him again if he really wanted the help. We called Umeke, the director, and she said she would gladly take him back. 

The next day, he and a friend came to our house for a shower, a meal, and some encouragement before heading back to Casa Emanuel. While at our house, one of the singles came to share her experience with substance abuse. Both Jonathan and his friend were intrigued! She reached a great depth of understanding that I couldn’t, no matter how hard I tried. She told them only Jesus could help her completely win with her struggle, and that every 20 minutes she would have to make another commitment to be free from all substance abuse, until she could handle a little longer, and a little longer until there were days, weeks, months, and now even years. 

Although Jonathan’s friend, Archangel, only stayed for one month, Jonathan is still there and is actually helping to manage Casa Emanuel with another brother who is also clean at this time. They work together to make things run smoothly and with compassion. We are super proud of him right now and ask for prayers for his complete recovery, along with all who struggle with addiction. We call once a week, and he gives us an update on how they are doing. He told us that an awning has been built between the kitchen and the main building, so they will not get soaked when it is raining as they grab their meals from the kitchen. Thanks to your prayers and support, there was a donation specifically to make this possible. Their next project is to enclose the kitchen with materials to keep animals out. 

Elida, our old neighbor and a disciple, found a job at a supermarket. It just opened up the weekend of Labor Day, and she is making enough money to pay for food for her family. Her husband also struggles with alcoholism, but he pays the rent and comes home when he is sober. ALL of her children now have scholarships to attend the Nun’s Day Care, Praise the Lord! She is still attending beauty school once a month. Please continue to pray for this family, as they are deciding to have more of their children baptized. Although they do not attend Mass regularly, they still connect with some of the missionaries who are in Costa Rica. Again, thank you for your support to help her kids go to the Nun’s Day Care, her tuition for classes, and encouragement that she and her family have been seen and loved. 

The nuns from the Nuns’ Day Care still communicate with us and are doing well. They just built a gym and chapel, and it will be blessed soon! The nuns in Coopevega are also doing well and are informing us of a project that we are funding for Dona Anna and her daughter. We first met Dona Anna because she needed help with building a bathroom. Her house was as big as a shed, with the “kitchen” and “bathroom” outside. She had electricity running from a neighbor and no water. She walks an hour away to get fresh water in a 5-gallon bucket. While walking her daughter to school, she is frequently robbed. It is a pitiful situation, and so the nuns in Coopevega asked if we could help at least get water to her house and build a small bathroom. 

We always ask for paperwork proving ownership, but she had to have them made up for us. 

While trying, she was told that the sale of her property was invalid (not sure why or what the details are on that). She was duped by whoever she bought the property from, and was looking for somewhere else. A man in town told the nuns he would also help by selling a small piece of property if we came up with enough money. With your help, this has been paid for, and soon she will have a piece of land, IN TOWN, with access to water and electricity so she and her daughter can live a little more comfortably. At this moment, the man who gave the land is talking to his “friends” in the government, who will provide a small home for her that is secure and has all these amenities. Please continue to pray for this project as it unfolds. 

Yerlin and David (our foster children last year) are doing well. Yerlin still attends school (she has one more year) and recently passed an English exam with flying colors! They live with Yerlin’s mom, sisters, and mom’s boyfriend. Yerlin tells me that David is very happy being there. He is growing well and like a weed. Super cute at two years old now! 

A couple who are in formation for the Sacrament of Marriage with Father Camillo (our English-speaking priest near us) is getting their wedding dress that we gave them altered and ready for their big day! They have been together for almost 20 years, but were not following the Lord until recently. Father Camillo encouraged them to get married in the church, but they wanted to make sure they had all the details in order (wedding dress being one of them). Because we had a donor let go of something special to her, this couple is learning that when they give to our Lord, He multiplies the revenue WAY more than they could have ever expected.

This is only the beginning of what God has been allowing us to observe through our “littleness” while we are resting with Him. There is a lot more, but we wanted to share that the ripples keep going, and praise be to God, we get a chance to see glimpses of them from afar. Our hope is to allow you to see how the Lord gives success to the work of OUR hands, as you support this beautiful ministry of sacrifice and mercy.