A Random Moment

Dear Friends,

It's been a week since we arrived home from Honduras. It seems difficult to put into words what we experienced there. Anyway, at the last moment we had an opening to go to mission trip so Fr Dye invited two Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi (Jennifer Kelley and Sarah Gagnier)

Sarah and Jennifer

to come along with us. What a blessing for all of us to have them with us.

Sarah sent her reflection from her time on the mission trip....

When we were driving back to Comayaguas from our trip to Tela (the beach), we stopped by a gas station so that people could use the restroom. I got out of the van to stretch my legs and as I was strolling across the parking lot, I spotted four little kids huddled around the tire of a parked sixteen-wheeler.

The street children with Marybel

I approached them, asked them their names and ages. The oldest child, a ten year old girl with large, silver hoop-earrings, a pencil-width scar running from her hairline to her eyebrow and another scar- probably from a repaired cleft-lip- introduced her siblings: a nine year old boy, a five year old girl and a one year old boy (whose swollen belly and stickly limbs reminded me of National Geographic prints of kids from Somalia).

one of the children

I asked if mom or dad were nearby. "No." It was Sunday, so I asked if they had gone to Mass. "Mass is in the evening. We don't know if we will get to go."

My heart was moved that they were hanging around a gas station and parent-less, so I asked if they knew Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Their blank stares told me that they had no idea who I was talking about.

Br Gabriel and Br Miguel with children

I tried again, mentioning the name of Our Lady of Guadalupe, still blank stares looked back at me. I asked one of the missionaries nearby to get a picture of the Blessed Mother so that they could see their Mother. After a moment, Brothers Miguel Pro and Gabriel suggested that we re-enact the Juan Diego skit that we had presented at AIF the day before. In a matter of about three minutes, Marybel narrated, Brother Gabriel was Juan Diego, Brother Miguel Pro was the Bishop and I was Mary in a very spontaneous rendition of the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Sarah and the Friars and Marybel reenacting Our Lady of Guadalupe

It was a delight to introduce the kids to a very important member of our Faith Family. I pray that those precious children understand that they have a Mother who is always with them, loving, protecting and guiding them towards her Son Jesus. I mention this story because this experience (among many) has led to the following reflection…

The humility and simplicity of life which the Hondurans and Franciscan Friars of the Renewal live brings a smile to my face and moves me to live with a greater consciousness of my identity as a consecrated soul, "set apart for God".

Sarah teaching about the Sacraments with Abby and Br Gabriel

I think Christ wanted to take me away with Him to Honduras so that He could remind me how much He loves me and wants to be my everything. I experienced a tremendous joy being still with Him in prayer and while being a Catholic "edutainer" for the Hondurans during our daily AIF adventures and other spontaneous occasions.

Sarah, Marybel and Abby with the children

The challenge that presents itself to me here in Georgia is to live more deeply anchored in the awareness of Christ's passionate love for me so that I may share that love more deliberately & freely with others.

Jennifer talking with the locals and giving them a rosary

I ask for prayers and want to thank each of the missionaries for being "other Christs" during our service together.

Sarah and Jennifer with Carol who is a consecrated woman serving the poor in Honduras

Jennifer playing guitar with her dad, John, and Br Miguel

Mary Ellen, Jim, Kathleen and Joe

Dear Friends and Benefactors,

On the last day of our trip to Honduras we celebrated our successful work with a day at the beach.

The view from the porch of the beachhouse

It was a wonderful day of fellowship with each other and finally a chance to catch our breath before we returned home to the States.

Deacon Bill relaxing at the beach

A large crowd of people left Casa Guadalupe at 4:00 am (!) to make the drive across the country to the Caribbean coast: all the missionaries, the Friars and a bus load of neighborhood Hondurans who either work with or are helped by the Friars.

A view of the beach

The Mission Team with the Friars

The water was gorgeous, clear and warm as a pleasant bath. As I was swimming around, I found myself playing with a group of young teenage girls who live in a home called Casa Milagro. (Miracle House). This home was established by the Friars as a safe haven for up to 8 girls who come from abusive environments.

One of the girls from Casa Milagro

A house mother lives there with the girls and they are raised in a secure Catholic home. When they finish school, the Friars even work with other Catholic organizations in Honduras to provide them the opportunity to go to University. It is truly a miracle from God for these girls who have been abused in all possible manner to wind up with a very bright future.

Br. Daniel, Kate, Kathleen and Tom enjoying lunch

While I was in the water, one girl in particular wrapped herself around me because she couldn’t swim and she was laughing and playing with the other girls. She was about 12 or 13 years old and big enough that I couldn’t manage swimming with her arms around my neck. So I turned her over on her back and let her lie in the warm, salty sea.

Paul and Tom playing with Jesus (one of the boys from the house they painted)

Immediately, her body relaxed as her ears lowered beneath the surface of the water. For ten minutes or more, I held her in the water as she floated and I could only stare at the serenity in her face and think about all the horrors this child has seen in her young life.

Tom with one of the girls from Casa Milagro

What a contrast with the security and peace she must have been feeling in that water! The sounds and sights of the world were blocked out by her closed eyes and the water over her ears. I hope she felt the presence of Jesus as much as I did.

This made me think that all we are really trying to do when we travel to Honduras is to bring the presence of Jesus to these children. Me and the girl in the water seemed a metaphor for the purpose of our mission: to provide a bit of fun and security to these children but especially to bring hope. The hope of a Christian who can face all things because God is with him. And the knowledge that every Christian has that ultimately good will always overcome evil.

Meghan playing with some of our Honduran friends

Thank you very much, benefactors, for the opportunity to share this hope with the children of Honduras.

From Fr Dye

Mary and her new friend

John with his little friend whose dad was killed this year

Dear MOQ Missioners fellow members of our parish family:

Br Gabriel with the children in front of the aldea's little church

Deacon Bill communicating with a child

Coming back after Honduras is always an adjustment.

Everything in Honduras is behind locked doors, but my keys there were three in number. My key ring here has about 15 keys! Are we more imprisoned by our wealth here than the poor in Honduras?

Br Miguel driving the kids to the fiesta in the rain. The weather didn't dampen their spirits at all.

In Honduras I talked to the group non-stop from awakening to going to sleep.

Br. Malachy with the children

Since returning I have talked face to face with my wife and have communicated with a ton of people by telephone and through answering emails.

Bruce and Zach with some of the children

It is difficult to love people from a distance. Maybe we need to make more of a conscious effort to be present to one another and not just live for ourselves. I ate some ice cream when I arrived home last night which was a treat that I probably did not really need.

Little house in the mountain aldea

Our abundance distracts us from what would really make us satisfied.

We shared God’s love for us with the poor people we met in Honduras, but we certainly were blessed more than we gave --- about a hundred times more!

Chris having fun at the fiesta

It is very special to be back where we came from and where we are planted. Whatever we shared of ourselves we shared as a mission group from our parish family at Mary Our Queen.

Cecilio (whose house we painted) and his two youngest children

The Mission was truly a larger and extended version of the love of God in Christ that we know here in our parish.

It is good to be home, and see our many blessings more clearly.

Br Miguel,Mary and Kate with their friends

Fr. Dye

We're home safely

The team with the Friars

The teenagers with the Friars before we left today

Dear Friends,

We arrived home safely tonight. We are all tired but quite joy-filled.

On Saturday, we weathered the Tropical Storm Alex with pouring rain all day. The Adventures in Faith team had planned a Mass and fiesta for the aldea for the afternoon. We debated whether or not to do it but ultimately decided to go for it. The Mass was held in a one-room school and by the time we were ready to do the fiesta, the rain slowed enough to do some of the fiesta activities outside. The children and parents loved it. It was an awesome way to end our time with children.

On Sunday we had the blessing to go to Tela which is a beach on the northern coast. We left at 4:00 am for a 3.5 hour drive. It was a beautiful beach and a time for being with each other and the Friars and relaxing. The storm had moved out and it was great.

This morning we had Mass at 6:00 am and then headed out to go back to Tegucigalpa to fly home.

God bless you all for your support.

More posting and photos will be posted in the next few weeks.

Thursday

Dear Friends,

We are having a blast here. We can´t believe how much joy and laughter a person can have while doing a mission, serving Christ.

The work team is almost finished painting the house. The bedrooms are painted with three walls light pink and the fourth wall a purply pink. It looks really nice. Today the family members are helping the team paint. The other day, after the team left for the day,the little six year old boy decided to paint too. When our team arrived in the morning, he had paint all over himself and he even painted the refrigerator! Today, Br Damiano, Br Matteo, and Br Andre are helping the team. Once they are finished they will go to another house that the Friars are building and help backfill the foundation.

The Adventures of Faith team (AIF) are rearranging their schedule because the children in the first aldea have to go to school this morning. This afternoon, the AIF team will split up so that they can go to both aldeas to present their program.

Last night after dinner, Br Gabriel gave us his testimony of how he came to be a Friar. Afterwards, Jennifer and Sarah had us do a group activity and we all laughed hard...and what we found out is who can make up a really believable wild story.

This morning is the Solemnity of St John the Baptist. Br Daniel (who is a transitional deacon Friar who will be ordained a priest in May) gave the homily at Mass. He talked about living a radical life like St John. St John said that He must increase and we must decrease although we are frequently tempted to do the opposite....increase ourselves. John preached God´s truth and we must also be bold and do the same.

God bless you and thank you again for your prayers. We are keeping all of you in our prayers.

The Mary Our Queen Mission Team

PS I am having trouble uploading photos today so I am sending this without photos....what we take for granted in the US!

Adventure of Faith photos

Kate with her little friends

Singing songs in the aldea

Meghan doing a craft

Sarah, Marybel and Abby telling a story

with the mountain vista in the background

Fr Dye walking to the first aldea

with some of his friends