Ten new lay missionaries — including an engineer, teachers, administrators, ministry professional, physicians and their children — were commissioned by the Lay Mission-Helpers Association and Mission Doctors Association May 20 at St. John the Evangelist Church for service in Cameroon, Kenya and Tanzania. Both organizations were founded in the 1950s in Los Angeles by Msgr. Anthony Brouwers, becoming the oldest lay mission-sending nonprofits in the United States.The 2012 class, coming from Southern California and around the U.S., prepared for four months with classes in Scripture, mission theology, cross cultural issues, Catholic social teaching and more. Receiving rings inscribed with the organization’s motto “For we are God’s Helpers,” each adult made a solemn promise to serve God’s people in the country to which they were assigned. The children received medals of the patron saints of the missions, St. Therese of Lisieux for the girls, and St. Francis Xavier for the boys.New missionaries Pete and Joy Newburn said they were pleasantly surprised when they found out that the LMH accepted children in their trips.Pete, a parish life director at Sacred Heart Church in Rancho Cucamonga (Diocese of San Bernardino) had gone on short missions to Papua New Guinea, China and Tanzania, and had his heart set to go back again. But he did not want to leave his wife Joy and three children (Joshua,10; Jessica, 7; and Emily, 6) behind. They will spend the next three years (as of mid-July) in Cameroon, where Pete, who has a doctorate in theology, will teach at the major seminary, while Joy, who has a master’s in clinical psychology, will work in the diocesan ministry office. The children will attend school.The Newburns believe this opportunity will help develop values in their kids that will have an impact for the rest of their lives.“We really think this will be a good experience for the kids,” Pete and Joy told The Tidings. “They will be exposed to a broader world and to the greater body of Christ, rich in diversity. Church is bigger than our limited cultural experience.”Regarding how they will cope with potential health issues, especially with their children, the couple said they will rely on God.“He has called us and He is going with us,” said Joy. “In fact, He is already there ahead of us. We are confident because God is leading us and He’ll work everything out. And we want to be a part of what He’s doing [in Africa].”Jan Donohue, a widow and mother of seven children from the San Bernardino Diocese. has a degree in early childhood education. She will serve as a teacher in Kenya. Kathleen Mathews is from Arizona, a mother of four adult children. She has a degree in political science and will serve as an administrative assistant in Kenya. Justin and Lauren Linck, from Oklahoma, will be serving as teachers in Tanzania. Lauren has a degree in religious studies and Justin is an aerospace engineer. Commissioned to work at St. Benedict Hospital in Tanzania are pulmonologist Chris Powers and his wife Maya, a pediatrician. The physicians from South Carolina will also take their three children, Joshua, 11, Madison, 8, and Caroline, 5. Also assigned to St. Benedict’s are Enrique and Carolina Wulff, parents of one adult son. Enrique is a neurologist and Carolina is a teacher, originally from Venezuela and most recently from Florida. For more information about the Lay Mission-Helpers Association, visit www.laymissionhelpers.org, and for the Mission Doctors Association, visit www.missiondoctors.org.{gallery width=100 height=100}gallery/2012/0622/laymission/{/gallery}
