They Say "Education is the Key"

But I like the phrase "education is the most powerful weapon", a quote by Nelson Mandela, who used it to emphasize education's ability to transform individuals and society. I am thankful that education is something we can and do have some control over in this day and age in Playa de Oro. It was not long ago and still in many places today where education faces significant challenges, including a lack of access, poor quality, and underfunding.

Underfunding is still a big issue in Playa de Oro, but we have combatted lack of access for the students who graduate from 6th grade. The school in the village has fabulous teachers so no poor quality issues! What a blessing this had been to this community.

It is getting to the end of the year for school in Guatemala. As school winds down there have been many activities that the children in Escuela Playa de Oro have been involved in and I love to be able to watch weekly and sometimes daily how the kids are doing and the fun activities or the lessons they are learning. You too can see them by liking there facebook page EORM Playa de Oro.

One of the biggest blessings that we have received this year are these!

Estuardo who was a 5th Grader when we first met him in 2018 just graduated from 9th Grade this November of 2025! He has persevered through starting 7th Grade school in mid January of 2020 to having no school until again January of 2022 because of Covid. That's when Angel joined him and they both continued 7th Grade. They both work full time during the week and go to school on the weekends. Their dedication and desire to continue their education while helping their familes by providing for themselves is their most powerful weapon!

Estuardo and Angel will continue to study,

but on a specialized track that prepares students for university or a career.

They both are deciding what that will look like for each of them.

HOPE- the biggest gift to be given and to receive.

The Theme of 2025 World Mission Sunday

“Missionaries of Hope Among the Peoples”,

was a gift started by our late Pope Francis in February of 2025 and continued by Pope Leo XIV.    The theme serves as a call for all Christians to be messengers of Christ’s hope and love especially to communities who face hardships.

Since 2018 St Michael Parish has been messengers of hope to a small village in Guatemala. In Playa de Oro, the school is what holds the community together. The teachers that are there are amazing Christians, they are true missionaries of hope each day. They do so much with so little for the children. They also do a lot for us when we come to the village. The school is our host home for our daily mission in Playa de Oro.

In Guatemala, the teachers struggle to get funding for the needs of the school. Last year they were able to get a bit of grant money to complete two windows in the school, there are 10 more windows in the school. Grant money is extremely hard to get in Guatemala as there are many schools in need. This past July when we were in Playa de Oro, we were able to see the transformation between the new windows and the old windows and the difference it makes in the classrooms. The old windows do not have screens that would keep the dust from the dirt roads out.

World Mission Sunday began in 1926 was when the Church initiated asking all Catholic Churches to show its solidarity and to be messengers of hope by giving to parts of the world that are so desperately in need.

Give and help other mission groups in the world complete their missions. There is a big need in many parts of the world. Pick one that is close to your heart.

To give to Love is the Mission see the link QR Code below for online donations which will be gratefully accepted but we will also be selling 1 of 4 gifts of St Michael Holy Fudge (with many varieties of fudge) for Christmas Presents starting at the Parish Bazaar on November 1^st that are featured below.  Contact Rhonda at 605.361.1600 or rhonda@olvictorysd.org or loveisthemissionguatemala@gmail.com to order if you are not in Sioux Falls!

Things that other people can teach us about ourselves

A few years ago on our trip to Playa de Oro, I was introduced to Otto Bautista, affectionately known as Pichi, by his friends. Otto runs and owns a couple of businesses' in the Playa de Oro area, where he employs and knows many of the members of the community. And the village had just recently voted him in as their new COCODE (Comité Comunitario de Desarrollo) is an elected Community Development Council that represents local residents, advocates for essential resources, and initiates development projects within their community. They serve as the highest local authority for citizens' issues and needs, composed of a resident assembly and an executive committee. In the short time that he has been the COCODE he has done some amazing things for the community. Thins that Love is the Mission dreamed of- Otto made come true! (road work, bussing, Mass)

Otto is a selfless man who works hard, plays hard, prays hard and loves hard. The one thing he does not do very well is take care of himself!

He is so busy taking care of everyone else around him, running his businesses, fulfilling his role as a family man and a COCODE that he neglects to take care of himself! He forgets to take his medicine in the morning as he is running out of the house for work. He forgets to drink his water during the day to keep himself hydrated. He forgets his health is important.

On this last trip, Doctor Jesika Da Silva, sat with Otto, ordered tests and emphasized the importance of self-care, warning him that neglecting his health would prevent him from taking care of EVERYTHING else! I do not know how personally that hit Otto, I hope it did, but one thing I do know is it hit me right between the eyes!

Otto and I share a united bond in our Catholic faith, in our humanity and in the fact that we love so hard that leads us to take care of everyone and everything around us before we take care of ourselves! Today, I want to express to all of you and most importantly to myself and to Otto, because I love you all, because Love is our Mission, I vow to take care of myself better and ask and pray that Otto does the same because Love is the Mission needs him to be around for a long, long time!

In Him who first loved us, Rhonda