Teenagers in Miramar, Florida have a lot of fun ways to spend their
summer vacation. They can go to the beautiful beaches of Fort Lauderdale, hang out at the mall or take in the latest blockbuster movie.

But a group of teenagers at the Oblates’ St. Stephen Parish in Miramar
decided that their summer vacation was going to be more than a day at the beach. They traveled to Peru to spend time with some of that country’s poorest people.

For one year prior to their departure the nine teenagers and four adults engaged in mission formation at St. Stephen. They gathered on a bi-monthly basis to prepare themselves mentally, physically and spiritually to participate in a foreign mission.

Shortly after arriving in Peru in June, the group traveled to Chincha Ica, a small town three hours southwest of the capital city of Lima. This area of the country was devastated by an earthquake in 2007. Two years later, evidence of destruction is still all around.

“Our group was filled with missionary excitement,” said Fr. Jonathan Closner, O.M.I. the group’s leader. “As we pulled into town word circulated that the gringos had arrived. As much as we all identified
ourselves as Latin Americans in the United States, in Latin America
itself we definitely were still gringos.”

The group’s living quarters were in a small former convent. Father Jonathan said as he walked through the second floor of the convent he imagined the Upper Room where Jesus met his apostles for the Last Supper. “I was also thinking of the small room where St. Eugene De Mazenod, our Oblate founder, lived with his first missionaries,” said Fr. Jonathan.

“The place was small,” he continued.“There was one room for the boys and one for the girls, along with one toilet and one shower for the 13 of us.”

Father Eduardo Terreros, O.M.I. gave the group a walking tour of Pueblo Nuevo. He pointed out the devastation in the area, and then explained the ministries of the Oblates in the town. A major project of the Oblates in Pueblo Nuevo is the construction of homes for the poor, under the leadership of Bro. Blaise MacQuarrie, O.M.I.

The teens from Florida took part in this project each day of their visit.

The teen missionaries engaged in other apostolic works as well. They visited the homes of the poorest of the poor, where they shared conversation and prayer. These were powerful moments for each of
the young men and women. They often cried with the local people because they were so happy to receive their visitors from the United States. Their hearts were profoundly touched each time.

The teens also visited Asilo de Ancianos, a home for the abandoned elderly. Many of these people were found in dumpsites, left to die. Others had wandered the streets because their families no longer wanted to care for them. The teens prayed the rosary with them and transported them to the dining hall where they would feed them by hand. Saying good-bye to their friends at the home on the last day there was one of
the hardest things many of the young missionaries had to do.

The original plan for the mission trip was for the group to spend half their time in Chincha and the other half in the jungle at Aucayacu, another Oblate mission. But travel into that area had become unsafe, with threats from terrorists and road blockages. Local uprisings were spreading and riots left many indigenous people dead at the hands of the military.

“Given our dilemma I asked the group of teenagers what they wanted to do,” said Fr. Jonathan. “Our choices were to go back to Lima and spend a week there as tourists or remain in Chincha and continue our
mission there. The teens unanimously decided they were not sent as tourists but as missionaries. As one teen put it, ‘God has His reasons, Fr. J, and I believe we are being called to remain here in Chincha ... there is a purpose why we were called here.’ ”

As their time in Peru came to an end, the group celebrated Mass in different chapels around town. The teenagers gave testimony about their experiences. Father Jonathan was filled with pride and joy as he
watched them give their testimony with much happiness on their faces. They connected with people of a distant land, and as one of them told the assembly, “I feel as if I have a family right here in Chincha.”

“God blessed our missionary journey,” said Fr. Jonathan (below, center). “The challenge for us now is to continue that missionary spirit right here in our local parish community, in our schools and where we
work. We all believe that we received more than we gave. From what we have received, we are now called to share. The spirit of the Oblates and St. Eugene De Mazenod is alive among the youth at St. Stephen.”

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