Dignity of Work
I desire so much to open a window to the mission field, so you can all clearly see the work of the Lord here and the love he has for the poor. I am so honored to share with you this update. I am grateful for each one of you and so honored to be the hands and feet of Christ here among the world’s forgotten people. Though I am so unworthy to be his servant, He desires to use me in so many ways I cannot fully understand. I am merely learning how to become docile to his will in all of this!
We are making progress on the the Santa Maria Magdalena home. This is much more than just a home for abused and unwed mothers and their children. The construction of the home alone has given new life and dignity to the small communities atop the mountain on which it sits.
We have been able to employ some of the local men here. Four of them have been able to work full time, which has changed their lives in such a wonderful way. We have also found Mr. Sanchez, who is a woodworker, living a bit further up the mountain. We have employed him to make the home’s 19 windows and 19 doors by hand from his little humble dirt-floor home.
And I cannot forget our trusted, brave dump truck driver, Geraldo, who is not scared to cross rivers or mudslides to bring material to the mountain. And Miss Liz who is the cook. She provides three hot meals a day to the workers who live up here on the land, and her food is amazing.
It can be a temptation to judge the poor, the beggars, and the homeless we encounter. Many times, we immediately think badly of them or believe they are just wanting something for free or a handout. But I truly feel that they have no other choice, and the reason they have no other choice is because we—the ones who can make a difference—turn the blind eye. Perhaps it is much easier to accuse, assume, and critique than to give a chance, opportunities, or even our possession, resources, and ourselves to them.
When Liz, our cook, came to me the first few weeks of construction asking for help to purchase metal roofing for her sugarcane mill, I am sad to say that I jumped to conclusions as to who she was. I explained to her that I did not have money to donate for the roof and that I was sorry. I felt bad and possibly a little taken aback that someone I just met a few minutes before was asking for money. But then I realized that God desired to give her dignity through work, and I asked her if she would like to be the cook for the workers. She of course said yes and was overwhelmed by the opportunity to work.
It has been a wonderful blessing for her to have an opportunity to earn money. And she blesses the workers with some wonderful, delightful meals each day. She was indeed able to purchase the roofing material for her sugarcane mill, which gave her a sense of ownership and dignity. But even better, she invited her small community to be a part of the mill’s production process—which will allow others to earn money as well.
Some words to reflect on:
“The poor and the middle class or rich have a mutual need for each other. The poor need the rich: their money, their initiative, their education. The rich need the poor because there is no other way for them to go to heaven”
–Father Rick Thomas S.J.
“Work is a necessity, part of the meaning of life on this earth, a path to growth, human development and personal fulfillment. Helping the poor financially must always be a provisional solution in the face of pressing needs. The broader objective should always be to allow them a dignified life through work.”
–Pope Francis, On Care for Our Common Home (Laudato Si’) 127-28)
“In many cases, poverty results from a violation of the dignity of human work, either because work opportunities are limited (through unemployment or underemployment), or ‘because a low value is put on work and the rights that flow from it, especially the right to a just wage and to the personal security of the worker and his or her family.'”
–Pope Benedict XVI, Charity in Truth (Caritas in Veritate), 63
“Work is a good thing for man, a good thing for his humanity, because through work man not only transforms nature, adapting it to his own needs, but he also achieves fulfillment as a human being and indeed, in a sense, becomes “more a human being.”
–St. John Paul II, On Human Work (Laborem Exercens) 9)
Peru
Karen Del Castillo
Karen Del CastilloMission Page: delcastillofamily.familymissionscompany.com
Blog: unbrokenarewe.blogspot.com
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