A Simple Wooden Box Burial

Teodoro was 95 years old when his passed away.

We've been asked by many to explain a "typical" day, but it's hard because there is nothing typical about our lives as missionaries.  When our phone rings, someone knocks on the door or we're approached on the road, we have NO IDEA what to expect.

Recently we were asked to visit Teodoro, a gentleman who had been sick for a while.  Although we weren't given any additional information regarding his condition, the people thought it best that we go sooner than later... so we did. After driving for over an hour on the rough roads, we arrived and were greeted by Teodoro's caretakers: two sons and a nephew.  They explained that he had recently developed a problem which made eating difficult.  Without food, his health had declined rapidly. When he lost the ability to swallow even water, it was exponentially detrimental.

While we were there, Teodoro's son desperately dribbled water into his mouth with a straw, but the drops just trickled over Teodoro's cheeks.  Knowing that death was near was very difficult and the feelings of helplessness seemed to make it even worse.

Deceased family members are usually laid out
in the front room of the family's home for 2-3 days.

After praying together, we asked how we might help. The three men silently exchanged glances. After a moment, Teodoro's son explained that they are all very poor. As such, they couldn't afford a coffin or even the wood to make a coffin. As a family they had agreed to bury him in a blanket, but this decision seemed to be weighing heavy on their hearts. After a bit more silence, the son humbly asked if there was any way we could buy his dad a simple wooden box.... so we did.

Days later Teodoro died.  We stopped everything and drove to a nearby town to buy him a coffin. When we visited the home and saw Teodoro resting peacefully, we were overcome with gratitude for this call to missions.

We had hundreds of these pictures of Jesus printed on vinyl.
We give them to people every chance we get.

As I sat quietly, I noticed the items hanging above the coffin -  the picture of Jesus and the rosary that we had given them as a gift.

As I looked around I realized that these were the only visible signs of their faith.

I bowed my head and thanked the Lord again for calling us to this place for this family.














Thank you for taking time to read about what the Lord has been doing through Team Carmody. Please pray for our continued success as we work hard to preach the gospel and serve the poor here in Peru.

We'd love to hear from you via email:
carmodyfamilyonmissions@gmail.com

If the Holy Spirit is nudging you to support us financially, please visit:
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