Our missionary Maryknoll Sisters will be spending their holiday helping vulnerable people around the world who, like the Holy Family on Christmas Eve, are looking for a kind face and a helping hand in their time of need. The best Christmas gift these people can get is the chance for something better. You can make this happen!
By supporting these efforts, you can join us this Christmas as we celebrate Jesus and the spirit of love and compassion He brought us.
In the small island nation of East Timor, to the north of Australia, Maryknoll Sister Hyun Jung Kim serves as a social worker at a clinic called Uma Ita Nian, which means “Our Home” in the Tetum language. There she works with local people who have physical and mental disabilities.
We’re sure you know how difficult life can be for the disabled, even here in America where there are many resources, laws and regulations designed to help. In the area the clinic serves, though, there is no safety net, and most families don’t have the means to give disabled members the care and support they need. Sister Hyun Jung and her colleagues operate a mobile clinic which goes twice a week to remote villages that have no other sources of professional health care. In addition to treatment, they provide rehabilitation and equipment for the disabled, health education, and nutrition services.
The clinic and the people it serves are in dire need of YOUR HELP this Christmas season! Sister Hyun Jung says, 200 families of the disabled are in need of immediate assistance.
Sister Hyun Jung (pictured in this article with baby Augustina) tells us about one recent event which shows how much of a difference the clinic makes:
“This baby girl, Augustina, was born in August. Her mother is one of our clients-she has hemiplegia (paralysis on one side of her body). When she was nine months pregnant she weighed only 90 pounds, at four and a half feet tall. But, she gave natural birth to Augustina and both were in good condition, although Augustina weighed only 4 pounds. So I call Augustina God’s grace.”
This is just one example. Sister Hyun Jung and all of our missionary Sisters work directly among the needy on a day to day basis around the world. You can be certain that your Christmas gift this year will go directly where it is needed, and will make a real and immediate difference in the lives of people who are so in need of compassion and a chance at life!
Again, a dollar stretches much further in these countries. Even a small donation can save a life, and your generosity can literally work miracles—give what you can!
May God bless you for your caring, your prayers and your support, and may He grant you a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year!
