We're Heading home

Today we are heading home. It's been an awesome time. yesterday afternoon we took a hike up one of the mountains that surround Comayaguaa nd then into town for some ice cream. A nice way to end our time here.

Thank you for all of your support. Without you, this mission trip would not be possible.

God bless you.

A sunrise

overlooking Comayagua

Meghan, Paul and Patti

Hiking back

Susan and Alex

Deacon and Fr Paschal walking in town

The Old Woman

While in Holy Hour, I am able to reflect on my day and my different encounters with the Honduran people.

An Icon hanging in a home

This morning, we brought Communion to an old woman, shriveled and shrunk with age and sickness.  She lives in a tiny 3-walled cement room in the “backyard” of a home, with only a curtain separating her from the outside.  Inside is a plastic chair, small table and a picture of Jesus and Mary on her cinder block wall.  Since she is bedridden, the family brings her daily food and water.

After eight mission trips to Honduras, I’m embarrassed to admit that my Spanish is still almost nil.  But I don’t need to speak since Father Pascal is quietly praying with her.

I gently help her sit up and then decide to sit next to her on her bed.  While I’m near her, she holds my hand.  Am I a comfort to her?  I don’t know.  But strangely enough, she is a comfort to me.  I feel peaceful sitting next to her.  I am hoping that on a basic level I am sharing Christ with her in that we are all brothers and sisters.  We are bound to care for one another.

Being able to share the Eucharist with her in an extremely close and personal way was moving.  Taking the time to be with the poor and understand that we are all human and need to be treated with dignity and respect is a lesson in humility.   It also reminds me of what Jesus commanded us to do, “Whatever you do for the least of my brothers, you do onto me.”

Adoration

Adoration is my favorite time of the day.  We have all returned from our various work projects, Communion calls, home visits, and children’s activities.

We go our separate ways in the morning; small groups head out in different directions tasked with their duties for the day.  But in the late afternoon, we gather back as Casa Guadalupe, tired but anxious to share our experiences with one another.

 At 5 o’clock, we have our daily holy hour called “Adoration”.  We begin with group prayers and hymns and then we sit in silence before the Blessed Sacrament – praying, meditating, reading, journal writing, or just gazing at the Lord trying to be in deeper Communion with Him.  There are two members of our group who play music and sing contemplate songs.

There is a contentment, a peace that surrounds me in a joy that fills my heart.  Spending quiet time in prayer in is not always easy at home in the U.S. – noise of work, tv, different activities, family life, etc. seem to consume our day, with little time set aside for quiet prayer.  Here, like the Friars, we are disciplined in our prayer life.  We specifically set aside different times of the day to pray.  Adoration is an opportunity to be intimate with the Lord and give him a chance to enter into our hearts.

I think we don’t realize how much we need this prayer time; how much our hearts desire – and God’s desire for us – of being opened up and to rest before Him.

Most times, the hour speeds by and then it is time for dinner.  As St. John the Baptist said, “I must decrease, so He can increase.”  I hope He has increased in me.

Our last day in Honduras

Dear Friends, Family and Benefactors,

We’re all tired but have had an experience of a life time. The teenagers with us have been awesome…hardworking and full of laughs and energy. It’s good to see that not all teenagers are self-absorbed. We can have great hope in our future with these kids.

Ben, Chris and Ben

Chris, Deacon Mike and Sarah

The team before we left Mary Our Queen last Sunday

Fr Youssef 

A sweet couple who have been married 50 years

Meghan and Kathryn

While being in Honduras, we have met some of the most humble, joy-filled, beautiful people in the world. They don’t have much but they are rich in love and appreciation.

Mary with Sr Florencia

Deacon Mike with Lukas

Last night, Noe and his mother, two of his sisters, two brother-in-laws and little nephew, Lukas joined us for dinner last night and talent show. Their appreciation for our help building his house was humbling.

David and Elizabeth in their talent show skit

Noe telling us his appreciation for all we did

This morning some people went back to Dona Olga's house to finish a few things while the rest went to a girls' orphanage to play with the children and plant some trees.

Fr Paschal with a little girl from the orphanage

David

Digging holes to plant trees

Team work

A Day in the life of a Honduran missionary

We already incorporate our benefactors and family in our trip through our daily prayers but we would also like to take you through a day in the life of a Honduran missionary.

3:15 am : The hillside erupts in the patriotic Honduran song; the roosters.

Sunrise over the mountains

6:15 am : We awaken to the faint aroma of burning basura (trash) and the cacophony of birds, dogs, cars, an occasional fire cracker, and the never ending crow of the rooster.

6:30 am: Morning prayer begins with the rosary, liturgy of the hours, and Mass celebrated by one of the four Franciscan Friar priests.

8:00 Breakfast

8:45 am: We leave our casa and embark on the bumpy ride to our work site.

Casa Guadalupe

9:00 am: The typical workday includes shoveling, mixing, and cementing cement. Other common activities climbing include building roofs over a lady's piles and piles on rubbage. Some of the days’ less physical work includes communion calls, the kids’ lunch program and visiting the boys’ orphanage.

Elizabeth and Br Diego

Chris playing with neighborhood children

Franklin at Dona Olga's house

12:00 noon: Dirty and depleted of energy, we break for lunch and get an opportunity to interact with the crowds of children who gather to watch the Gringos work.

Mike, Len and John

4:00 pm: We return to the compound, on the brink of exhaustion, longing for the cold water of our showers and rushing to be prepared for holy hour.

5:00 pm: Holy hour begins

6:00 pm: As guessed… holy hour ends.

6:30 pm: Famished we rush to the dining hall for a traditional Honduran supper.

7:30 pm: It’s game time baby!

9:00 pm: Night prayers during which we examine our consciences. Card games on the roof follow the conclusion of our day of prayer.

10:00 pm: Lights out as we sprawl out on multiple “mattresses” made of foam begging for even the slightest breeze to blow through the oven that we call a bedroom.

Buenos Noches,

Chris and Sarah

Year Two

Last year I came to Honduras and had an amazing mission, I can’t say this year has been better, but it’s been equally wonderful and God-filled. The biggest difference for me was coming in expecting the intense prayer life and looking forward to it! This changed my outlook on the week and has made me more positive.

Brother Gabriel gave a talk one night about love and said it was a great thing when we go from having to love and pray to God to wanting the relationship with him. Throughout the year leading up to my second mission I yearned for the daily mass and adoration; as Brother Gabriel said “when our desires are not satisfied they grow stronger” hence my great excitement leading up to this peaceful week where you can leave behind your worries and focus solely on your work and relationship with the Lord.

Benediction with Deacon Michael

Last year we were blessed with a very challenging work project that lasted the entire week and that is all we saw; this year there have been 2-4 things going on at any given time giving you a variety to choose from. On Monday I was able to visit the beautiful orphanage and while doing hard work, develop relationships with the kids and young adults.  Tuesday I choose to help with Noe’s new house and mixed cement, dug a sewage trench, and met a beautiful 5 year old girl named Josebelle who after introductions she showed me every piece of her school work, her drawings, and her mom’s notes. After a while we became friends and she even went to the streets local pulperia and bought me a fried soybean and hotsauce snack, and later a piece of of gum. She was a reminder from God to be thankful for my schooling and being as excited about every part of it as she was.

Friday I finally went to Doña Olga’s house and was overwhelmed by the amount of junk she has everywhere. She could be on ‘buried alive’ the show about hoarders, she has so many piles of junk. Still, throughout the day she attempted to converse with me with her best English and told us of her travels and boyfriends. She helped me to remember to be thankful for my possessions and when I return home, to clean my room.

Dona Olga  and the team working at her home

Overall this week has been even more special because of all the people I’ve met, in our mission group, the beautiful Honduran people, and my friends and family around me. I have seen their compassion, donations, love for Christ and his people, and I hope to take a piece of Honduras with me in my heart. Anne Frank once said; “whoever is happy will make others happy too.” I hope my happiness from this trip will then create a chain of happiness back in Atlanta.

God is good! 

Sarah

House blessings

Today is the feast of St Sharbel (we didn't know who he was either until Fr Yousef, who is also Lebanese, celebrated a Maronite-rite Mass for us this morning). He is one of the greatest saints of Lebanon, priest and monk. He lived 23 years in a hermitage. Many miracles have been attributed to him (http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint.php?n=534)

The Maronite-rite Mass was very beautiful. It's different and yet the same.

Passing the peace is done person to person

After a quick breakfast we left to pick up four Missionaries of Charity sisters and headed to a barrio (neighborhood) about 20 minutes away. We started with Mass and confession for the local people and then split into two groups to bless the houses.

The first house we went to, Fr Yousef brought communion for a woman who has breast cancer. He blessed her with a relic of St Sharbel and then blessed her home. Many of the people had tears (including some of us).

Fr Yousef

The love of neighbor that the Hondurans have is striking. It's not like anything we've seen in USA. All of the people walked from house to house to have their house blessed.

One group

It's a beautiful country and a blessing to just walk around going house to house.