{"id":1163,"date":"2007-07-25T10:06:34","date_gmt":"2007-07-25T10:06:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/viamedia\/2007\/07\/missions-near-and-far.html"},"modified":"2007-07-25T10:06:34","modified_gmt":"2007-07-25T10:06:34","slug":"missions-near-and-far","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/viamedia\/2007\/07\/missions-near-and-far.html","title":{"rendered":"Missions near and far"},"content":{"rendered":"

A reader sent along this link to an article about an Iowa couple dedicated to helping a New Mexico school:<\/a><\/p>\n

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Some might be heading west on a family vacation, but for Bob and Tess Thompson their trip will be a mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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They are collecting school supplies, computers, bicycles, books, canned food, clothing, kitchen items, linens, towels and more to help the St. Bonaventure Indian Mission & School near Thoreau, New Mexico.<\/p>\n

It’s a trip the Fort Madison couple has made before, but this time, with gasoline prices soaring, they are concerned about being able to pay at the pumps during the journey.<\/p>\n

The items will be transported in a semi-trailer in October if the couple can save enough money for fuel and have a truckload of supplies to take with them.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur motel rooms and food are no problem. We’ll handle that, but I bet the fuel costs are going to be close to $3,000,\u201d Bob said. \u201cWe’re hoping that maybe a fuel supplier will donate a gas card or money just for the fuel.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Thompsons – both with Indian heritage in their family trees – discovered the mission and school years ago. Tess – who has been involved with the local school system for years – was particularly interested in the struggles of the Catholic private school.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe’s always buying something and shopping sales for books, pencils, school supplies. She just can’t help herself,\u201d Bob said.<\/p>\n

The St. Bonaventure Indian Mission and School is a private Catholic agency providing education to the Eastern Navajo Reservation. The school serves about 220 students in grades kindergarten through eighth during the year and has 160 currently enrolled in its summer school program.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnlike a lot of reservations, they don’t allow gambling of any kind,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cSo they don’t get a dime from that. They are entirely dependent on private donations.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The school’s homepage – the school, in case you didn’t pick that up, is tuition-free.<\/a><\/p>\n

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Welcome to the homepage of St. Bonaventure Indian Mission and School! Located amid the beautiful red mesas of Thoreau, NM, St. Bonaventure serves the people of the Eastern Navajo Reservation. In addition to operating a tuition-free preschool and elementary school, St. Bonaventure Mission manages extensive human services programs, a thrift store, provides housing solutions, and serves as a major local employer<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Here’s the donation page<\/a><\/p>\n

Then…on the other side of the globe – here’s a post from the blog of an adoptive family of two little girls from China, with links to organizations that give assistance to foster parents for orphans overseas:<\/a><\/p>\n

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Foster care gave our girls a leg up on life:<\/strong><\/span>
<\/a>These two girls who are our daughters make me grin with their strong spirits, wicked senses of humor, captivating personalities, and boundless talents. From the very beginning DaShuang and XiaoShuang were strong, confident, charming little characters. So what made them into who they are? Obviously their genetic makeup from their birth parents, who I imagine are amazing people. But also, they were blessed to live with a foster family from the time they were tiny babes. I firmly believe that they would not be the same kids they are today without this loving foster family.<\/p>\n

The foster care program gave our girls a leg up on life and watched over them until we could.<\/strong> I will be grateful for the rest of my life.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

What follows is a set of links to helping organizations, not just in support of foster care, but other needs as well, such as clean drinking water.<\/a><\/p>\n

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A reader sent along this link to an article about an Iowa couple dedicated to helping a New Mexico school: Some might be heading west on a family vacation, but for Bob and Tess Thompson their trip will be a mission. 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The Catholicism comes from her side. Amy grew up in a number of places - Indiana - Washington, DC - Lubbock Texas - Arlington, Virginia - DeKalb, Illinois - Lawrence, Kansas - and Knoxville, Tennessee, where the family settled in 1973. She attended Knoxville Catholic High School, then the University of Tennessee where she majored in history. She received an MA in Church History from Vanderbilt University, where she wrote a thesis on the changing role of women in 19th century American Protestantism, and the ways Scripture was used to justify those changes. She worked as as a teacher in Catholic high schools and a Parish Director of Religious Education and started writing for the diocesan press - the Florida Catholic - in 1988. Amy has written columns for Our Sunday Visitor and Catholic News Service at times over the past twenty years. Her articles have been published in venues ranging from Our Sunday Visitor to the New York Times to Commonweal. She has written 17 books. 18, if you included the as yet tragically unpublished novel. Amy has five children, ranging in age from 26 to 4 and was married to Michael Dubruiel, who died unexpectedly in February 2009. 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