Mary Our Queen 2017 Honduras Mission: The Roof Project

Dear Friends, Family and Benefactors,

Tom and I have primarily rebuilt a roof in the last three days on a house that seems to be a revolving door for several women and lots of children.

The finished roof plus the added "kitchen"on the back of the house

The project started out as repairing a hole in the roof from a fallen tree branch, but on closer examination, there were many holes in the roof and several of the beams were termite infested. So we tore the whole roof off a 24 x 24 foot two-room house and rebuilt it from scratch with the people still living in it. We did the back half of the house first and then the front, so that they had some place for shelter while we were working. The house had three double beds, some bags with clothes and an open fire pit made of bricks to cook on (inside the house). All the rafters were charred from smoke. There were also chickens, turkeys, ducks, dogs and cats that had free rein of the yard and house. There was basically people and stuff all over the place.

The family plus us missionaries

It seems chaotic, but everyone was calm, and there was a peace that existed in this turmoil. There were no expectations, no demands, and no outrage when the dust and dirt from the roof got all over their beds and clothing. What became apparent was that their living conditions were not important, but rather their relationships were what held them together. They shared their water and food with whoever happened to be there. They offered us drinks.

Br Justin gave the Dona of the house an icon that someone from Mary Our Queen donated

The other unique part of this project was that we had no formal plan, yet things got done. Douglas, who lives near the friary, acted as foreman for the project, and directed how to tear down the old roof, and build the new. Men just showed up to help, not expecting anything in return except the dignity of working. Tom and I helped where we could. It was not “our” project.

Another project Tom and I did with Brother Dismis was to take building supplies up into the mountains. A woman with six children, whose husband had abandoned her, lives in the hills with a friend. She had obtained the building supplies from the mayor, but had no way to get them to where she was living. We made two trips with lumber, cement and tin roofing up the side of this mountain, on steep paths that the truck had difficulty making up. This woman had traveled to the friary on foot with two small children (at least 5 miles away) to remind the friars of this request. She waited patiently for the truck to be available. Now that the supplies are delivered, she has yet to figure out who or how the house will be built. We will keep her in our prayers.

Tom and Paul with their friends

In order to do laundry, this woman had to draw the water from the well, bucket by bucket

Patti with some children

The Mary Our Queen mission team with the family

While we have not solved poverty in Honduras, we have given a brief ray of hope for a small group of the poor, where hope is in short supply. You can see the lack of hope in the blank looks on their faces. The few smiles we get, especially from the children who are less hardened, are worth all the sweat and sore muscles. In the end, we are all called to serve the poor until it hurts. Thank you for this opportunity.