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Blessings in Honduras
Reflections from the 2009 Diocesan Young Adult Mission Trip
By Brent Heiser
In the spirit of St. Paul, “Called to Mission” was the theme of this year’s Diocesan Young Adult Mission Trip to Honduras. I had the honor and blessing of accompanying this optimistic, energy-filled, excited group of 18 people to work with Fr. Marcos Ayala in San Juan Pueblo, Honduras, on March 24, 2009. Fourteen young adults and four young-at-heart adults from different walks of life, occupations, and parishes around the Diocese of Raleigh came together as a team to travel and serve on this annual mission trip. We began meeting months in advance to plan the trip and gather supplies for the clinic and special-needs school in San Juan Pueblo. Several fundraisers were held at Sacred Heart Cathedral and Newman Catholic Student Center Parish, along with the Three to Get Ready school project, to raise money and awareness about the mission efforts.
We were a diverse group in age, occupations, and experiences, which gave the team a wonderful variety and richness both practically and spiritually. Our team included a banker, a lawyer, recent college graduates, scientists, contractors, IT professionals, doctors, health care professionals, teachers, and lay ministers.
We focused our efforts on three main projects for this trip: working in the local clinic, opening a temporary school building for special-needs classes, and painting the permanent school building. The clinic team provided medical diagnosis and treatments, including dental hygiene and pulling teeth. Our on-site pharmacy was stocked with needed medications and medical supplies, which were dispensed by team members. We distributed glasses to those in need as well. The construction team served by providing electricity to the temporary school building, a task that involved digging a 50-yard trench to run power cable from the church building and wiring the school building for lights and receptacles. On the last night, the lights in the school were turned on, and we were recognized at the evening liturgy. The whole parish celebrated with great joy!
Later, some of the team members shared their experience and insights they reflected on the time with our sisters and brothers in Honduras:
“So how cool is it that 18 people, basically strangers to each other, with incredible amounts of diversity in terms of personal logistics, mission experience, life experience, and language skills could come together in faith to travel to a developing country to serve our Lord and our neighbors in Honduras? Well, how cool and incredible is God? We worked hard, served hard, prayed hard, rested hard, played hard, and even rode the bus hard. Essentially, we came together to create a truly Christian community. I think that's what lies at the center of our joy. Now, our challenge is to bring that message to others: that there is incredible joy, satisfaction, and love in a life based in service to Him.” — Lori Schweichert
“As I prepared for the mission to Honduras, I was patting myself on the back for my willingness to give. I thought of all the things I was going to be able to do for these poor people I had never met. I was really leaving my comfort zone in so many ways (not being in charge, going to a new place, not speaking the language, not being a doctor or dentist, going with a group of strangers, etc), and I expected that I would grow quite a bit from that, but I had no idea how much. By not being in charge, I learned lessons in humility and trust. These people, who had so little, were willing to give what they had. They welcomed us into their homes and their lives with open arms. They showed Christ to me, when I was fully expecting to show Christ to them.” — Amanda Livermore
“The most remarkable part of this journey was the people of Honduras. They are profoundly poor, they live such simple and uncomplicated lives, yet they are as genuine, happy, and inspiring as anyone I’ve ever met. After witnessing these peoples’ lives, it is almost embarrassing to realize that what I thought was important in my everyday life is trivial in comparison. When I feel pressures creeping in, I just relax, take a breath, and think back to our mission week.” —Tom Knosler
“As I reflect on our mission trip in Honduras, I become tongue-tied. I am not sure where to begin, let alone how to find the perfect words to express what we all experienced. Each day was extreme and overpowering. The people were full of love and patience. They were warm and welcoming. The sweet children just radiated joy – pure joy. They brought smiles and love to all of us throughout our days at the clinic, schools, and churches. They live with so little, but are so happy.” — Jessica Smith
“I’m glad I experienced a moment of solidarity with the people of Honduras. My experiences in their church showed me that we are one people and one family, and I am now even more encouraged to work to reduce the burden of suffering of the global poor.” — Don Lucas
“Every one of us contributed to a whole that was bigger than the sum of us all. We functioned as one in our tasks though we came from different backgrounds. It was a magical happening that is affecting me to this day. I truly feel changed from this experience in the most positive way I could imagine. It's all about centering yourself with LOVE and acting in a way that expresses that LOVE. What a gift of realization!” — Bill (Slack) Rogers
“The most extraordinary experience of the Mission for me is summed up in one word ‒ love. Love in the giving, love in the serving, love in the sharing, love in the receiving. As Blessed Teresa of Calcutta said, ‘Prayer in action is love, and love in action is service. Try to give unconditionally whatever a person needs at the moment. The point is to do something, however small, and show you care through your actions by giving your time . . . Do not worry about why problems exist in the world ‒ just respond to people’s needs. Let us love as Christ loves us.’ ” — Jamie McDuffie
“I felt more love in that week than I have in a really long time. Our week in Honduras was the best because I got to spend it with some of the most inspiring people I’ve ever met and because I got to get out of my daily routine and really make a difference through God’s love and compassion.” — Marianna Garcia
“We ended each day with dinner, followed by Mass and reflections. I have to admit that some evenings it was pretty late by the time we got ready for reflections and I prepared myself to just ‘suffer through it,’ but even on the evenings that I was most tired, God shifted my focus to listening to what each person was saying and I was struck by the beauty of each individual there . . . truly being able to see God in each one. We often asked the question, ‘Where did you see Jesus today?’ During the eight days that I spent with the mission team, I saw Jesus in each one of the team members. I recognized Jesus in the people that we were serving, I saw Him in the beauty of the land around us. My heart ached as I recognized Him in the children that we saw sleeping on the street. Over the past week, I have truly seen that God is in all things and all people. It is my daily prayer that I will be able to continue to recognize Jesus in all things and all people, and even when I can’t, to love them anyway.” — Marcia Edge