Missionary's thanks

I am a new Maltese missionary in the village of Santa Rosa in Ayacucho, Peru, and I recently received a handsome donation of €1,200 from the Mission Fund, Malta.

God has entrusted me a parish of 11,000 people, which has no church, no parish house and lacks so many other amenities: there are no banks, no postal service, barely any electricity and no drainage.

The water is contaminated and the inhabitants earn a living mostly by growing coffee, chocolate beans and cocoa leaves which are also turned into cocaine.

Because of this drug trafficking, my parish is still dangerous to live in and we cannot use the roads after 5 p.m.

The people of Santa Rosa never had a priest; they only saw one once a year.

Now they do not know what to make of me. I started to build a church for them and put two religious teachers in their primary school.

They cost me €230 a month each but 1,100 children are getting what is their right as Catholics.

I also intend to invite other groups as the Neo-Catechumens and the Charismatics to start a group in my parish. This way I will be building two churches, one of stone and the real live parish of faithful.

I thank all those who help the Mission Fund by sending them used stamps and telecards and money because through them all the Maltese missionaries around the world benefit. Have a look at what the Mission Fund does by visiting www.missionfund.org.mt and you can also learn where and who the Maltese missionaries are.

God bless you and repay you hundredfold for your generosity.