Answered prayers in search of a new home - Maryknoll Lay Missioners
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Lent 2023 newsletter

 

Ann Greig, El Salvador

With Pete and Melissa Altman, in the new home of the Soy Program in Zaragoza

 Greetings from the Soy Program. I hope this letter finds you and your family healthy and safe.

The Soya/San Ramón Program finalized its mission in San Ramón at the end of 2022. Remember that we are in transition to the Soy Nutrition Program in Zaragoza. I will share more about the move in this letter.

Saying goodbye to the beneficiaries at the end of 2022 was difficult. Some of the Salvadorans had been in the program for years.

It was helpful that I informed everyone six months before closing. Still, it left me sad; Soya/ San Ramón was an experience of friendship, learning, challenges and faith growth.

Back to the move: The soybean team began the task of packing up everything. After that, the technical assistant arrived to disassemble the industrial machines.

We had a major obstacle to overcome: Although the search had been on for several months, Melissa and Peter Altman had a hard time finding a suitable home for the equipment and the program. Many of the possibilities they looked at eventually fell through, but finally, on Feb. 9, a place was available, and it is now ours. Hallelujah!

Psalm 27:14 tells us, “Wait for the Lord, take courage; be stouthearted, wait for the Lord!” I kept telling myself that something would be available, to not give up in despair and wait!

As you can see from the photo above, the new place in Zaragoza still needs some work. The new home is smaller, so we must carefully utilize the area with our industrial equipment. But what is most important is that we have a new home!

As I mentioned in the previous newsletter, we support the food program of Good Shepherd Parish in San Ramón with beans and rice. It is mutually supportive. The parish now continues to help some of my beneficiaries.

We baked oatmeal raisin cookies for the students.

We are baking and have frozen thousands of cookies for the schools that the program will support in Zaragoza. It will be an excellent complement to the soymilk for students.

We have also cooked and frozen red beans for the food program in the community of Asuchio, located in Zaragoza.

As we walk the Lenten journey this year, let us all use the opportunity to strengthen our prayer and faith commitment.

Faith does not take away life’s challenges and hardships but allows us to face them with love and support. Faith does not make things easy. It makes them possible. Faith provides the strength and hope to confront life’s stressful moments. The search process for a new home was a test for us.

On a personal note, December and January are the coolest months of the year (although nothing compared to your winter temperatures in the United States). I did not swim for six weeks because the pool was too cold! As February gave way to warmer temperatures, I returned to the pool. No doubt, for me, swimming keeps my soul and mind together!

Stay tuned. We will have more to report to everyone in the next newsletter.

I am truly grateful for your continued support of my ministry and my sustenance, which allows me to remain in mission during this transition. Let us keep one another in prayer this Lent and continue to pray for peace.

This Easter, may God strengthen our faith and reconcile us in love.

Warmly,
Ann


Please consider joining our circle of COMPANIONS IN MISSION. Companions in Mission are generous donors, like you, who give financial gifts on a regular (usually monthly) basis. For more information visit  Become a Companion in MissionThank you so much for your generosity!

 

Ann Greig
Ann Greig is the co-founder and director of the Health through Nutrition Soy Project in San Ramón, El Salvador. The project provides families with better health and nutrition as well as with education on health and social issues through workshops.