December 23, 2008

Dear Family and Friends,
Seasons Greetings! Hope this Advent is filled with joy. We’ve been very very busy over the last several months which is why I haven’t written for so long. This last semester at Florida State was very intense and I was constantly studying. But it’s over and I graduated a couple of weeks ago. I had my last final last week. Michael and I celebrated by going out to a very nice dinner.

Here’s the url to pictures of my graduation:
http://padremickey.blogspot.com/2008/12/yay-she-did-it.html

Michael went to CREDO in which was held at Lake Logan in Canto, North Carolina. He had a wonderful time with everyone there. Not only did he met fellow blogger Jane R., he learned a lot about healthy eating, exercise, and our pension. Below are links in which Michael describes his trip.

http://padremickey.blogspot.com/2008/09/im-back.html

http://padremickey.blogspot.com/2008/09/episcopal-bloggers-meet-in-asheville-nc.html

http://padremickey.blogspot.com/2008/10/lake-logan.html

Our congregation serves a Thanksgiving luncheon every year the Sunday before Thanksgiving day. We had a bilingual service and went to the school patio for lunch. Michael loves to cook turkey, so we donated a lovely turkey. All the food was donated by various individuals or groups in our parish. As entertainment, our youth choir sang Dona Nobis Pacem while people ate. Afterward we had music that was on a cd. The lunch is always free. This year, Michael went to the school auditorium afterward where St. Paul’s Episcopal Church held a luncheon and program. Below is the link to pictures and Michael’s commentary on his blog.

http://padremickey.blogspot.com/2008/11/ayer-en-las-parroquias-san-cristbal-y.html

January will be time for campamento again. This is our summer camp. Both Michael and I will be going this year for the middle-school age group. It is our goal every year for all of our kids to have the opportunity to go to camp. Many of them, however are from poor families who can’t afford to send them. We’re always looking for scholarships to send them. Michael and I contribute to this also. This is very important to us because we believe that these children are the future of our church. I know it’s Christmas and the economy is bad right now. But if you have an extra $20-$30 you would like to donate to help all our kids go to camp, it would be much appreciated.

Now that I’m out of school, I’m driving Michael for visiting the sick. He doesn’t have a drivers license here. They’re only as good as long as our visa and I’m the one how needed to do the most driving. This week was my first Wednesday to do it and it was a really lovely and humbling experience. We went to see three elderly ladies who are housebound right now. We used a “service for visiting the sick” which Michael put together from the Book of Common Prayer, sang, and said prayers. They got to receive communion along with anyone in the household who wanted communion, too. This is a ministry Michael usually does after the Wednesday morning service. It’s one that has really touched me. The smiles on the women are priceless. The thing is, they think we’re giving to them, but what they give to us is something we can cherish for ever.

Before I had a chance to finish this newsletter, Michael already posted two more groups of pictures that took place over the weekend. We give out Christmas grocery baskets to the poor every year. This time we had 102 families. He also posted pictures of our Sunday services. Please be sure to check it out.

I hope everyone has a chance to go to the blog regularly. It’s really the best way to keep up with what we’re doing. Michael is still posting about the saints; the latest on is St. Thomas. It’s a really good way to learn about all kinds of saints on their feast day. Please visit us anytime and feel free to leave comments. We like to hear what you have to say and welcome you into the community. May God bless you this holiday season.

Have a very Merry Christmas.

Your missionaries in Panama,
Mona and Michael Dresbach
mgdbach@hotmail.com  - Michael
mldbach1@yahoo.com  - Mona
http://padremickey.blogspot.com

Please pass this letter on to everyone. If you would like to make donations or a monthly pledge to our mission, please contact St. Francis Episcopal Church, 1205 Pine Ave., San Jose, CA 95125, 408-292-7090. Please feel free to check St. Francis' web site at www.stfrancisepiscopalchurch.org , which includes an archive of our letters and pictures of our mission.