I feel ashamed that I have taken so long to write a blog....
Since I last wrote, I went to the Huasteca the week before Christmas which included being part of killing chickens and a big hog, which was a neat experience. Just picture me scraping off the skin and hair off of the big hog...it was quite a process. Then, Dec. 25th, my dad flew in and spent about 5 days with us here. He helped us to refocus with the mission and it was really good to reconnect with him and see a friendly face. I picked the guitar up again today, as I have not played much recently. I am also making a lot of progress on my application for Alliance for Catholic Education which is a masters in education through Notre Dame.

What I'd like to post now is the proposal that I sent to my higher-ups about what I want to be doing here. It was as positive of a document I could put together. There were many drafts that were less optimistic that came before it, so enjoy...

I know it is important to have an organized approach to this mission. I have been drafting my thoughts as I come to understand the community of Fomerrey 35 and the surrounding parish of San Rafael. Tere Mañon, Dra. Granados, and Sister Beatriz are waiting for a particular proposal for a project that I will take on personally. Just as you do, I also want my time in this mission to be productive, and I want to be in agreement with all of you that I am using my time in a meaningful manner.

Through discussions with Fernando Ferrara, I understand that his highest priority for me is to have opportunities to grow and change as a person through interactions with the community. I think we would agree that so far, I have been very successful in this regard, but that it is a work in process. Most of my personal development in Monterrey has occurred through my interactions with people from the choir of Señoras at San Marcos, and from the sick and elderly people that I have visited. I have also spent quite a bit of time with the Sisters, and Priests of the Holy Cross in Guadalupe where I am part of a group of young women who discuss issues, and provide a faith support structure to each other called Club de Amigas. I spend a lot of my time with these three groups of people, and those interactions are all very worthwhile of my time.

At this point, I do not think it is wise to plan out and implement a major individual project that I begin from scratch. I do have interest in working with the Social Work department on many of the initiatives that they have in mind to improve the involvement of the Clinic with the community. In addition to continuing to visit sick people in their homes, and representing the team by singing with the choir at San Marcos, I have interest in assisting with “Juguemos a Leer.” This program is designed for 5-8 year old children learning to read in English and Spanish. Raquel, the director of this program for more than 5 years is interested in having Mike and me lead a one hour rotation of English while she works with the other half of the kids on Spanish each Saturday morning. We are still finalizing details, but have committed to working with her in this program. In addition, I want to help improve the program with the Grupo de la Tercera Edad on Thursday mornings led by Abrana, another woman from the community who does wonderful work. I want to continue to be supportive of the efforts of the Social Work department because it is the major means through which the clinic reaches out to the community. This may include cleaning up the physical appearance of the clinic to create a more welcoming atmosphere for the community center. I feel strongly that our volunteers who are currently working through the clinic for community outreach need more support. This may include teaching them to use the computer in the social work offices, and it will include being present for their main events when they need extra support. I want to have a schedule that is flexible enough to accommodate their needs, my needs and that of the team as a whole.


I ask for your comments and help in the following efforts to support the community:
1. Continuing to visit sick people in their homes
2. Representing the mission team to the parish through singing with the choir at San Marcos and regularly participating in mass there
3. Developing an English portion of “Juguemos a Leer” on Saturday mornings
4. Helping to plan and improve the program with the Grupo de la Tercera Edad on Thursday mornings
5. Building rapport with the staff of the various clinics within the Foundation, supporting their efforts and listening to their concerns as part of the pastoral team
6. Participating with Club de Amigas
7. Supporting volunteers in the social work departments by getting to know them personally, visiting their classes from time to time, and being part of their major events to affirm the ways in which they reach out to the community
8. Grow as a mission team and seek ways to help each other in our individual efforts and mission projects

As a missionary who will be here for a limited time, I feel that my time is more worthwhile spent in supporting those people in the clinic who have vision and motivation to make things better for the clinic. There are many needs in the community, and rather than providing new programs that may or may not serve the needs of the community, I intend on keeping alert to the needs that surface through personal interactions with people. I have learned that the American manner of implementing programming before creating relationships will not be successful here in Mexico, because the most important way that I can extend the healing presence of Jesus Christ in this community is by creating relationships. In order to flourish as I would like to during this time in Mexico, I need to be trusted. I intend to be at the clinic most afternoons during the week, and I generally will spend weekend mornings in the community as well. I would like to spend 3 mornings during the week away from the clinic as preparation time for the projects I will be involved in as well as personal time for reflection. I plan on developing a more concrete schedule for myself, so I can be more accountable to you all. I chose to be part of this program, and I am pouring my heart into creating relationships with the community, especially through my involvement at the parish, and it is important to take time to make sure I can keep putting forth that effort.

Above all, creating a sustainable 'mission team' is more important than any individual project I can begin. Initially it has taken a lot of energy to do this within our small group of four, within the clinic, and with the Sisters. There is still a lot of progress needed to set up the necessary support structure for missionaries to function, with the hope of flourishing in this new place. As I continue to work toward implementation of these ideas, I will continue to update you on my progress. I would appreciate your response to my personal plan, and ongoing encouragement if you agree that these things are worthwhile for me as part of this mission.

Thank you for valuing the work that we do,
Andrea Krebs

I appreciate all the ways you continue to support me and love me. It is certainly not easy to stay down here. I was thinking about all those of you who I am grateful for this Christmas Season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Love, Andrea