Full Circle

The LMH Class of 2011 has been commissioned and they are preparing to depart for their mission sites in the next few weeks. We go on mission to share our gifts and live our faith. Living in another culture changes us. At the end of three years, we often realize that we received so much more than we gave. Most of us will never know if we made a difference. But I guess that can be said for just about anyone in any place - we don't often see the "fruits" of our labor.

Lay Mission-Helpers have been sending lay missionaries overseas for 55 years. The people in this year's class have been requested for their mission assignments because of LMH'ers who served in the past.

In the late 1960's, George Nkuo was a Form I student at Bishop Rogan Minor Seminary. His biology teacher was Betty Risley - a Lay Mission-Helper. He is now Bishop George Nkuo of the Diocese of Kumbo. He remembers Betty as a dedicated teacher who lived out her faith and was an example to the students. Now that he is a Bishop, he is requesting LMH'ers to serve in his diocese. He sees not only the value of the skills they share, but the faith they witness and the friendships that are developed. Debbie Bauer and Frank Olszyna are the most recent in a long list of LMH'ers to serve in the Diocese of Kumbo.

Fr. Bernard Njeru was just a young boy when he met LMH'ers like Addie Coronado who served in Kenya in 1962-68. Years later, when he became a priest and worked in the Chancery Office of the Diocese of Meru, he worked alongside LMH'ers such as Mike & Yuki Ohashi. Now that he has his own parish, he has requested that LMH'ers Jeff & Dorothy Flint help him build up his parish. He knows that working together, we can build up the Kingdom of God.

With 55 years of service, and over 700 LMH have served, one can only wonder what impact each of us has made. All we can do is follow God's call and trust that God will do the rest.



Fr. Eugen, Frank Olszyna, Bishop George Nkuo, Debbie Bauer



Jeff & Dorothy Flint with Fr. Bernard Njeru