Dear Sponsors, Donors and Friends,
As another year comes to a close, we hope this letter finds all of you doing well. Your donations are currently supporting 59 students: 17 high school girls, 17 high school boys and 25 university students, who will complete the school year in July. If you are sponsoring a student, you’ll see that a brief biography, a photo (we’re missing a couple of photos) and the letter they’ve written to you are accompanying this newsletter. If you are a donor not sponsoring a specific student, know that we consider you to be sponsoring all of them!
As you know, we use the newsletters to keep you updated on student progress. This newsletter is a bit different. In September’s letter, we solicited your stories of how you got involved in MTF. Thanks to all of you who responded with such heartfelt stories! Here are a few excerpts:
“We first heard about MTF when Fr. Loren spoke at St. Augustine Parish in Gainesville, FL, in the 1980’s. Our University of Florida student parish got quite involved, sending groups in the summer to work in various activities Fr. Loren had going in Yajalon. Our son was one of those. He gave a week of English at the school in 1990. Incidentally, my wife’s brother knew Fr. Loren when they were seminarians doing a summer stint in Mexico in the 1960’s. We became close friends with Fr. Loren in the years after his retirement and visited him on Isla Mujeres.”
“I heard Fr. Loren speak at Our Lady of Assumption Parish in Carmichael, CA, where my daughter was attending grammar school (she is now 37). Father gave a sincere and lovely talk about MTF and brought along handmade goods from the community. I bought something and also became a monthly supporter at that time.”
“When I was a teenager, I met Fr. Loren when he was a deacon at St. John Vianney Church in Hacienda Heights, CA, over 54 years ago. He coordinated day trips to the orphanages in Tijuana. His family and mine remained close throughout his life. I was going to go with him to Chiapas, but I fell in love, got married and had 5 children. That’s when I decided to start supporting MTF. We would host potluck dinner fundraisers when Father would come to CA. We never made it to Yajalon but visited him in his retirement on Isla Mujeres in 2017. It was our last visit with him until we attended his funeral service the following August, 2018.”
“In 1994, my daughter Amy was about to start college. We heard Fr. Loren speak at St. Francis Xavier church in Burbank, CA. Amy said, ‘Mom, you should sponsor a student because it would cost you a lot less to educate them than it’s going to cost to send me to San Diego State.’ She was right!! It has been a privilege to be part of this wonderful project.”
“I first got involved with MTF after Fr. Loren spoke at our parish, St. Michael’s, in Livermore, CA, in 2004. I’m a big believer in the “drop in the bucket” philosophy. Every drop helps to fill the bucket. I’ve been blessed to be part of the drops since I first heard Fr. Loren in 2004.”
“Around 1999/2000, Fr. Loren spoke at St. Augustine Church in Gainesville, FL. He only spoke for a few minutes, but the message he brought was so powerful that I hope to sponsor a student for the rest of my life! Over the years, I’ve cut back on donations in order to adjust to inflation, etc., but I’ve never considered eliminating MTF from my budget. When Fr. Loren spoke that day at mass, he said, ‘This is an opportunity for you to participate in these students’ lives.’ I remember that word so clearly: opportunity. I seized the opportunity. Fr. Loren showed us the uplift that’s possible when people come together in the name of Jesus.”
Thank you for your very meaningful stories. Fr. Loren touched many, many lives in many, many places. We are grateful for your continued support, and we wish you a blessed Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year.
The Staff of Mission Teaching Foundation
Christmas 2023
