St. Michael the Archangel Honduras Mission Project

Hola, hola!! Wow, today was FULL! We started the day with a reflection on mercy and the parable of the Good Samaritan, reflecting on the words of Jesus to “go and do likewise”, treating others with mercy.

We ate a wonderful breakfast at the elderly home with the nuns. It is always so fun to get to know them better. They let us know that some of the elderly are still enjoying those noise blowers from yesterday – waking their neighbors up bright and early!

After breakfast, we headed to the girls’ home to meet with the director of the home, Sor Deysi. She was also the director of the home 25 years ago. Hearing how life at the home was 25 years ago was eye-opening. There was no running water and everyone went to the river weekly to wash all their clothes. Additionally, they struggled to have enough food to eat and Sor would go door-to-door asking for food. She said things have changed so much. The home has improved nutrition and healthcare. The girls have access to glasses, dentistry, and orthodontia. There is hope for their future through improved education.

After meeting with Sor Deysi, we headed to the Maria Auxiliadora high school. Currently, 24 girls from the home are attending school here. We met with the new director. She shared her hopes to have some of the students start returning to in-person classes next week.

We headed back to the elderly home for another delicious meal with the sisters. Then, prepared some of the gifts we brought down that will be distributed later this week.

FINALLY, we headed to the girls’ home to kick off the quinceañera celebrations! Due to not having been down the past 2.5 years, we had some extras to celebrate! A total of 8 girls celebrated their quinceañeras. They looked beautiful and were beaming! The Bishop came to celebrate Mass, after which we all ate dinner together, danced, and (of course) ate delicious cake! There were so many smiles and so much joy. It is such a blessing to be able to be a part of such special memories being created. Great fun was had by all!

This evening the group returned to the elderly home and met for our nightly reflection. We were asked to think of how we saw mercy today. We saw so many examples of mercy all around us. It made us reflect on how many times we see someone in need and don’t stop to help. How often are we “too busy”? Here in Honduras life moves at a different pace. We have a schedule, but know that all things are final and WILL change. We don’t stress about it. We remain flexible, adapt, and enjoy the extra time we get to spend with the girls, elderly, or sisters if something is running a bit behind. How can we carry this with us when we head back home?

I’ll sign off with a quick story of the beautiful relationships happening down here. The sisters are so attentive. We were eating dinner with everyone from the girls’ home all together and Sor Deysi continued to make sure we had everything we could possibly need. One of the people in our group made a comment about how well they treat us. Gracia María, sitting right there and hearing the comment, immediately said, “Then imagine how well they treat us.” It was the purest, unprompted comment that completely espoused what we have seen and felt this week.

God, grant us the grace to be your hands and feet showing mercy to all those we encounter. Amen.

¡Paz y bien!
Dani