2007 Parish-Dental Mission Trip
Seven people from St. Monica joined a 22-person mission to Peru from June 15 to 24. The mission consisted of a 5-person dental team and a 17-person general team. Most missionaries were from Oklahoma parishes while five were from, Ohio, Florida, and Canada.
Dr. Christopher Barry, a neurosurgeon, served the poor in many non-medical ways. With him was Robin Justice, his fiance and a nurse, and her teenage daughter, Hailey. Christopher is shown shaving a homebound man to whom Communion was being brought.
Tina Konzak partipated in building houses and a chapel and delivering food packages. Here she is having lunch with her sponsored family. All missionaries have this opportunity during the week and they are aided by translators so that they get to know their families in more depth.
Delivering boxes from Oklahoma is exciting for both the Peruvian and American families. Here is Robert and Helen O'Connor (blue shirts), Hailey Jones (blue cap), and Deacon Lee (red cap) with a very happy Peruvian family. With us was Dianne Frazier from St. Patrick in OKC.
Jacquie Pereira, glasses, is shown being welcomed be a Peruvian family with a photo of their family at St. Monica. Many Peruvian families ask us if we know their families and they light up when we say, "Yes." Then, they ask us to greet their American families when we return.
Why do we go there? First, because we get the see the face of Christ in the people we serve over and over again each day we are there. We can make a difference, one person at a time. Also, we get to spend time with our sponsored families.