Terri Cranmer has faith like a mustard seed. If you were to tell her a few years ago that she would be instrumental in founding a Catholic missionary project and bring vital support to the poor in Guatemala, she probably would have thought you were crazy. But through her extraordinary faith in God and the inspiration of a special Oblate, Terri has not only helped to organize a missionary group, she is also serving as their president.
“It seems as though God has guided me along this path,” Terri explains. The path began through Terri’s active involvement in Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Alton, Illinois, to which the Oblates are assigned. It was through her parish, that she first met Fr. Peter Weiss, O.M.I. At the time, Peter was not yet ordained. He was attending the Oblate Novitiate in Godfrey, Illinois, and Peter and Terri quickly became good friends.
When Fr. Peter was ordained as a Missionary Oblate in 2002, he was called to serve the poor in the impoverished region known as Playa Grande in Guatemala. He often wrote Terri, telling her of the poverty and need in the area which had suffered horrific tragedies due to war and violence.
Overwhelmed with the missionary spirit, Terri began to organize a group of lay persons who shared her concern for the poor and wanted to help. Soon after, the Mustard Seed Peace Project was born. Inspired by a passage in the Gospel of Matthew, the plan of the project is to respond to the needs of the people of Playa Grande by creating a more peaceful environment in which the children of the region can be nurtured and educated. Soon, thanks to the tremendous support of her parish and a grant from the Missionary Oblates, Terri had raised enough money to begin the first phase of the project.
In January of 2004, Terri found herself in Guatemala purchasing five acres of land on behalf of the project. During her visit, she was truly amazed by the generosity and kindness of the entire community. “I went there so I could give something to the people of Playa Grande,” she explains, “yet, when I left, I realized they had given me much more than I could ever give them.”
Terri returned home more passionate about the Mustard Seed Peace Project than ever. The touching experiences she shared with the people of Playa Grande had filled her with compassion and gratitude. She quickly started arranging a mission trip so others from her parish could experience the same fulfillment.
In December of 2004, a group of missionaries set out for Guatemala to experience the Catholic missionary spirit that Terri was describing. In addition to bringing essential medical supplies for the people of Playa Grande, the group proposed their missionary vision to build a chapel and a school on their newly purchased land.
The trip was such a success that Terri has already started planning another trip for next December which will include several volunteering doctors. In fact, as each month passes, thanks to the passionate faith of Terri and her many friends, the Mustard Seed Peace Project has remained true to the Gospel passage that inspired its name. “... if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, ... nothing will be impossible to you.” The project has continued to grow like a mustard seed of faith, branching out to bless the lives of many with healing and hope.
