Rev. Pat Kinney
The last Mission of Miracles returned January 28 from El Salvador, tired and grateful for good work that was accomplished and for the many friends we have in this small Central American country. Dr Daniella Flamenco, the El Salvadoran doctor who works directly with us, welcomed 28 people from across central New York and various other points across the USA. With the generous support of a number of parishes in our diocese, as well as businesses, we were able to serve hundreds of El Salvadorans. Thank you to each and every one of you who gave hundreds of items, from braces and crutches to ointments and readers!
Each year, we reflect on our experiences, using a metaphor. One year, we considered our mission as “planting seeds” and recognized how the work we did was a beginning of better health that would eventually bear good fruit. We also saw that this altruistic work plants seeds within us.
This year, we reflected on our last Misiόn de Milagros as “coming home.” For us, returning after the pandemic and seeing our friends, recognizing many people in the villages, seeing the familiar scenery felt like we were back home. The warm welcome and the sense of being one of the family made us feel like we were home, too. One member reflected how she came home to find her belonging in family, place and within herself in El Salvador.
