Hello,
and welcome to my blog. I am Karen (Sprock) Hunka from Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
For years I desired to be a missionary but working, raising children and caring
for elderly parents kept me quite busy.
I put my profession as an accountant/auditor on hold four years ago to
take my mother out of a nursing facility and care for her where she wanted and
deserved to be–at home. I was blessed to
be my mother’s caregiver for three years.
November
2017, when my mother went to meet her maker, I had a decision to make. I knew
with my work experience I was marketable. Going back into the workforce would
not be difficult. I could continue to make a decent salary and add to my
retirement fund. However, this no longer seemed important to me. I felt there
was something else I should be doing.
The
Holy Spirit was calling me to go down a different path. At the age of 60 I was
being called to mission. With resources provided me by my parish priest, Father
Sedlak, of St. Florian Catholic Church, United, PA and use of the internet, I
found an organization that seemed to be perfect. I filled out the Lay Mission-Helpers
Association (LMH) application, obtained the required recommendations, and flew
to Los Angeles, CA for a weekend of discernment and interviews. Ultimately, I was accepted into the program.
LMH knows that going on mission in a distant country
in not easy. I just completed a
formation program in Los Angeles, CA., where for 4 months I was taught by some
of the most amazing priests, sisters, brothers, and professors imaginable. Living
in community with three others also discerning for mission, I worked on developing
the skills and knowledge I need to serve successfully overseas. Soon I will
travel to Ghana, Africa, where I will serve for the next three years as an
accountant in the Diocese of Damongo.
The motto of LMH is: For We Are God’s Helpers. Please pray for me as I journey off to
help God’s people in Ghana and begin the next chapter of my life.
God bless you and please check back!
