Building Homes in Lima, Peru

This August, we Frassati missionaries will be traveling to Lima, Peru on an 11-day mission trip to serve the poorest of the poor in a shantytown called Laderas de Chillon. Laderas is located within the sprawling hills and northern outskirts of Lima. Accompanied by the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and in partnership with the Fraternas (our local partners), we missionaries will build homes, visit the sick, and share the joy of the Gospel.

$2500 TO BUILD A HOME IN LADERAS
Did you know it costs only $2500 to build a home in Laderas? This home, while provisional in our eyes, will radically change a family’s life. It will provide shelter, stability, safety, and even legacy. In shantytown's like Laderas, once a family has been able to remain on a piece of land for a number of years, they will eventually be given title.

HELP US GIVE HOMES TO FOUR FAMILIES
Our missionary team has a fundraising goal of $10,000.00 -- enough to provide homes for three to four different families. We work with our local partners (the Fraternas) to identify the families in most need. And we employ local foreman (or maestros) to plan for the building sites and map out the home.

MORE THAN JUST A HOME...
The homes also help these growing shantytowns with structure and organization. Unlike in first-world countries where a government's first response is usually to bring in water and electricity, in Laderas, it is only once there is some semblance of organization and structure, that the local government will start to bring in potable water and electricity.

VISITING THE SICK
Each day, our teams will also rotate from the building projects to home visits. We understand there are not just material needs but also spiritual, emotional, and medical needs as well. And so the missionaries will go two-by-two and accompany our priests to pray with the sick, bless homes, and perhaps even celebrate a baptism or First Communion. We will also bring basic medical and hygiene supplies that we've collected ahead of time.

Because of the difficult terrain of Laderas, it's often very hard for the sick and elderly to get about. They often become isolated and/or bed-ridden. And so we are grateful for the opportunity to bring the Good News to them, share in any burdens, and have a time of fellowship.

JOY IN COMMUNITY
The Sunday we are in Laderas, we will have a community day where we will celebrate Mass with the community, lead a Holy Hour with praise & worship, and plan an afternoon of children's games.

For many of the children in Laderas, by the time they are 8 or 9, they may already be working an odd job or taking care of younger siblings while their parents work. This is a time to bring the community together and to also allow the children to truly just be kids.

Some of our favorite activities include jump rope, face painting, the parachute, and of course soccer, er, we mean football. Gooooooaaaall! We just do our best to keep up with the six-year-old's that run circles around us with the ball!

FEEDING THE HUNGRY
And at various points throughout the week, we will also rotate into the local soup kitchen. This amazing place is lead by Señora Rosa (pictured below). She, along with several other women of the shantytown, gather together to cook in bulk to provide food for over 700 people a day. The food is fresh, healthy, and delicious. The teams will also bring food to those who are shut-in and unable to come in person.



BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
We are grateful that six years ago this July/August, Frassati went on its first-ever mission trip to Lima, Peru. Since then, we have raised over $20,000 and provided homes to 8 different families. This is now our third trip, and we are excited to once again visit our friends, like Señora Rosa, to share the beauty of the gospel with a spirit of gratitude, humility, and joy, and love. 

HELPING LADERAS
We hope you will join us helping Laderas. You can help us by giving hereand spreading the word. Whether it's $0.50, $5.00, $50.00 or more, every little bit helps, and no amount is too small! We know and trust that whatever love and hope we sow, God will only multiply.

Lastly, we ask for your help through prayer! We ask that you keep all the missionaries in prayer as we prepare these coming months -- that we may truly be the hands and feet of Jesus and be an encounter of love and mercy to all those we meet.

OTHER WAYS OF GIVING
Help us ensure 100% of your donation goes towards Laderas and avoid the credit card fee -- make your donation at our PayPal Giving Fund. Then contact us with the message you'd like it posted on the GoFundMePage, and we'll take care of it for you. You can also email us if you'd like to make a contribution via check.

ABOUT FRASSATI FELLOWSHIP
Frassati Fellowship of NYC is a registered non-profist and 501c3.  We are a Catholic young-adult community inspired by the life of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, a young man who lived an ordinary Christian life extraordinary Christian virtue. By his example, we hope to accompany one another in our walk with Christ by doing acts of charity each day and asking for the courage to be great.

Thank you in advance for your time, prayers, and support.

Verso l'alto!
Frassati Missionaries - Peru 2019

PS Click HERE  to see photos of our 2015 trip.