What do you do if your parish has some statues that definitely look like they have seen better days? Well, if you’re St. Christopher parishioner Ana Juarez, you roll up your sleeves, get out your paintbrushes and get to work.

Juarez worked on the statues at the Moreno Valley parish over a period of several weeks, fixing the parts that had chipped with plaster and then painting them with beautiful colors. While she said she enjoys being creative as a hobby (doing things like painting, drawing, knitting and crocheting), she had no formal training in this kind of repair work. However, she felt called to take on the project to give back to God and to her parish.

“I felt like the little drummer boy; I don’t have money that I can offer, but I can give myself and my hands to tell God, thank you for everything you have done for us,” said Juarez, who also volunteers at the parish library, teaches second-year catechism and participates in the group Acción Católica.

Despite some recent difficulties in her family over the past few years, including serious sickness to herself and her daughter-in-law, the loss of her mother to COVID, her husband (who is currently in diaconate formation) losing his job and even a period of homelessness before friends took them in, Juarez remains faithful to God and grateful for her blessings. “I just want to make sure that I please God. That’s my main thing,” she said.

Full story at Inland Catholic Byte.