If you would like to join our mission support team, by making a donation, follow these instructions here.
Simply mail your check, made payable to Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary, to 7686 Herber Rd, New Tripoli, PA 18066 or give in person to the DeMaster family. Checks payable to Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary are tax-deductible gifts You can also donate online at www.sfxmission.com. If you choose to contribute this way, please be sure to include Annika's name or Tessa’s name in the “donation on behalf of” field at the Paypal checkout. Please note that there is a small charge taken out of your donation for Paypal.
Friday, February 24, 2017
Parishioners join Mission Trip to Mexico
I want to tell you about an exciting opportunity my Mom and I have to grow in our faith and serve others.
This Easter, we are going to spend 12 days in Guadalajara, Mexico doing mission work. In Mexico we will be spreading the faith by sharing the Gospel through our example and by assisting with service projects. During the trip we will spend Holy week in Guadalajara at Our Lady of the Pillar parish and end the trip with a visit to Our Lady of Guadalupe shrine in Mexico City.
Our faith calls us to continuously grow closer to God which includes knowing Him, loving Him, and serving Him. This is a great opportunity to take part in service as we show God’s people the love they are meant to encounter every day. St. Therese and many other saints show us that the way to holiness is through acts of love and service, and this mission trip in an excellent way for us to do that. The trip is sponsored by the Saint Francis Xavier Mission of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter and you can learn more about it by visiting www.sfxmission.com.
Christ calls us all to be evangelists. Each person has a unique and critical role to play in God’s plan. I write you today to invite you to join us on our mission in Guadalajara. You can join us in a couple important ways – with your prayers and financial gift. I ask you to prayerfully consider joining us in doing corporeal and spiritual works of mercy in Guadalajara. We need to raise $1,900 by March 1st plus an additional $1,600 for transportation, which brings the total cost to; $3,500. In order to meet this goal as quickly as possible, one-time gifts of $25, $50, $75+ are greatly needed. There are no minimums or maximums and all gifts are greatly appreciated! Feel free also to contribute something now and to do so again in the coming months if possible.
If you would like to join our mission support team, simply mail your check, made payable to Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary, in the stamped, self-addressed envelope. Checks payable to Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary are tax-deductible gifts. I will mail it to the St. Francis Xavier Mission Trip organizers at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary. Please send your check as soon as you are able. I will call you within the next week to see if you have any questions. Thank you for your prayerful consideration!
You can also donate online at www.sfxmission.com. If you choose to contribute this way, please be sure to include my name or my mom’s name in the “donation on behalf of” field at the Paypal checkout. Please note that there is a small charge taken out of your donation.
Once again thank you so much for your support and I hope to hear from you soon.
“Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And he will say, ‘whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25: 37-40
Sincerely in Christ,
Annika and Tessa DeMaster
Monday, February 6, 2017
Farmer's Summary of trip to Moshi, Tanzania
In January, I travelled to Tanzania as part of the Farmer to Farmer program operated by Catholic Relief Services and funded by US AID. This program exists to provide volunteer technical assistance from farmers, agribusinesses, cooperatives, and universities to improve productivity, access new markets, and conserve environmental and natural resources. I had previously travelled to Tanzania with this program in 2015. I chose a project that interested me and my application was approved in December.
My assignment took place at St. Amedeus Secondary School in Kilema, Tanzania near the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. This school produces most of the food that serves to the 700 boys that board and study there. It must also feed an additional 100 teachers and staff. The assignment objectives required me to assist the school to put an additional three acres into vegetable production. This included a preparation of cost estimates, a farm design, crop recommendations, equipment recommendations and a schedule for beginning the project. As a result of this project, CRS hopes that this farm will be a place to demonstrate and to teach good farming practices to local farmers and to the students.
One of the first steps that a farmer takes when planting a new field is to get a soil test. This is difficult to do in Tanzania because it is expensive and complicated. In order to do this quickly, I brought a soil test kit along with me. This kit measures PH, available phosphorus, and available potassium. On my previous trip, I had performed about 30 soil tests and I had a good idea of what to expect this time. As expected, I found that the soil from the new field had a low PH, low phosphorus, and high potassium levels. Once farmers know this type of information, they can take the necessary steps to improve their soil.
My next task was to more effectively use the limited water resources available to this farm. During the rainy season in the spring, all farmers plant crops. The farms that have a source of water can also plant crops during the rest of the year. The school does have a source of water but they are not using it as efficiently as they could. Switching to a drip irrigation system allows farms to produce more vegetables using less water. I spent some time visiting companies that designed and installed drip irrigation systems. I got estimates from several companies and put together a plan for the system.
Then I spent time gathering prices for seeds and fertilizer. I helped the school select the varieties of vegetables they would grow and figured out how many of each plant that they needed. I showed them how much of the crop would have to be sold in order to pay for their expenses and how much of the crop they would be able to use to feed the students.
Along with my visits to various agricultural companies, I also visited organizations that assist farmers with various aspects of farming. One of these organizations is called the Tanzania Horticultural Association. This group is also funded by US AID and functions kind of like our farm extension service. I met the regional agronomist and introduced him to the school headmaster. The school agreed to join this organization and will continue to receive assistance from this group.
When I write this down on paper and read it from an American perspective, it sounds like a simple and straightforward process. It is not difficult to do this on my farm because I am accustomed to having an elaborate infrastructure supporting agriculture. I have access to dozens of businesses that exist to help me succeed as well as research institutions and farm agencies funded by taxpayers. I cannot overstate how difficult these same things are to accomplish in Tanzania. Travel is difficult and expensive and farmers do not know about the resources available to them. Searching the internet is tedious and time consuming.
By the end of my project, I had put together a plan that will help the school move forward with its project. The plan addresses short term needs as well as some long term issues. Both CRS and the Tanzanian Horticultural Association will continue to provide support and oversight for this project. I gathered many emails from the teachers at the school and I am able to continue to communicate with them. It is not easy for a farmer to make changes to his or her farming practices. New knowledge takes time to understand and to implement. Farming success is measured in years, not in months. I'm thankful for the opportunity that I had to both teach and learn while in Tanzania.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)