Dignity

Greetings! I pray that this reaches you all in good spirit! Praise God for He has been doing great things here, and please continue to pray for us and more importantly the people of Honduras, for with the good work of God comes satan attempting to ruin it.

This past week has been quite an adventure and the topic of discussion around the house is human dignity....praying and working to restore the diginity of the people here who many times through their situations, feel less than human, and for us to grow more human and to lose the comfort barriers built up in our own lives.

This week has been a week of rest for me, I have spent much of the time laying and reading and trying to walk around with the missioners yelling at me to rest. By the grace of God I managed to finish the dog house and a pen outside before Max arrived on Saturday. Thursday however was a turning point in the week, and was when I had enough strength to start walking again. We had a 3 hour vigil at a little chapel called St. Martins in our neighborhood and the whole week was spent inviting people to the Rosary, Mass, and then Adoration Thursday and thanks be to God, about 75+ people showed up to worship our Lord! Personally, the evening was a turning point in alot of my spirituality when a 14 year old girl, Fatima, gave her testimony while Jesus was exposed in the Blessed Sacrament. She talked for 5-10 minutes, but what was amazing was that she was preaching about suffering and how it is such an important part of our faith. She shared her story and her immense suffering and urged the people there, who she admitted probably suffered much more than her in her life, to carry on in Faith and Love. From then on, as Father Harold offered Confession (for some people there, the first time in years) and others sobbed and carried their burdens, suffering, abuse, etc... up to Jesus and knelt before Him in His Precious Body, and at that moment I thanked and praised God that He had cradled me firmly in the Church, and at the same time I began weeping realizing how little faith I have, and this girl who is 14 and probably been abused and who-knows-what-else, is a Prayer Warrior! It was at this time agian, that I heard Christ ask me in a soft voice if I was willing to give my life as a friar in order to love Him...so please pray for that and for my discernment, and more importantly too, the people who were present at the vigil.

On Saturday night, it was quite a turning point, for we had run a lot of errands, and I was finishing up the dog house and other things, when I heard gun shots, and 5 minutes later, ambulances near our neighborhood, less than 20 minutes later, Maria Luiza, (a girl in our girls program who is 12 and lived with us a few months back when her mother left her with her and her 6 month old baby for a few days, and the baby got sick and passed away, please pray for her and her family) came running to our door screaming, and as I answered the door she told me they had killed her father and cousin.

I had never been around murder before and didnt know what to do, so Allyson and Ethel just comforted her, and prayed with her as we called the friars to come over. To make the long story short, after the friars went back to her house and found her father their, they went and prepared things for the funeral because by law, the body must be buried by 24 hours. This was absolutely horrible, and even worse, not so uncommon here, and all we could do was pray....but the more I thought about it, that was the best thing we can ever do...is to give everything we do to Christ...and thats what Maria did, she prayed with us as she mourned and I praised God that our house was their for her to run to, and that the friars were there to help the family and give some reflections....there is much more to say, but in keeping with her dignity and her family´s dignity I should stop and just ask that your prayers are with her and her family.

Overall, I felt Christ with the family through the funeral procession and carrying of the coffin to the cemetery the next day, and the presence of the family and the devotion of prayer I saw in each one of them touched my heart, but again it brought out in me, my selfishness and weakness I have in my dependence in Christ, which needs to increase more than ever. For in the hands of the young girl was a Rosary as she sobbed and begged God to give back her father, she was sincerely praying, listening, depending on Christ for her strength.

Yesterday, in the afternoon, Ethel and I took a family to IHNFA, a government run organization that helps get children out of extremely abusive houses. Once again, this was the first time I had ever experienced anything like this, and I felt this was none of my business, but as the daughter(another girl from our girls program) told me about her mother and some of the things in the house, I understood why Ethel needed to take them to try and get help, they had been neglecting their children of school, food on some days, and any parenting at all...the atmosphere quickly changed when the young boy of 8 years grabbed my hand and told me he couldnt walk alone in the city, and the little girl took my other hand. Christ shined so clearly through their faces yesterday, and I wanted nothing more than to make their mother a good mother for them, or get them into a house where they would recieve love rather than giving it all day......

it broke my heart, and at Holy Hour last night, i realized more and more how much we HAVE to allow ourselves to learn from what this world calls the "poor and the broken", for as much as we try to teach them, it is really them teaching us and until I understand that fully, I will have a hard time hearing Christ in His whispers, especially when it is the child at our front door whispering for Him.

Back in Honduras......for good

Ahh...so the first week back in Honduras is over.....and the shock of not going home like every other short term mission is now hitting me. It has been a beautiful week, but last night reaffirmed in all of our hearts how much the work is just slowly beginning. As much as I have grown to love the girls who stayed for the summer, it is a positive thing to see the forming of the real team that will stay for this coming year or more. So far...after Tony and the other girls leave, it will be Carol, Joseph, Allyson, Ethel and I. Last night we discussed the issue of long term commitment to the mission from the supporters in the state.....its strange and very providential that Joseph and I came when we did....for there would have only been Carol and 2 or maybe 3 people on the permanent team for this year...which would have been a crazy responsibility on them. But, after this week and the blessings and oppurtunites God has given this summer and for the future of ministries here in Comayagua....more long term commitments are needed so we are praying, and ask that you pray for that as well. God provides, and as Carol said last night, He always has, even when it would take a miracle so we must Praise Him..

Anyways, with much work and responsibility has come Beauty like I have never ever seen before. Working with the young children and families this week whether in a classroom type situation, or outdoor ministries, or last night in a small Chapel on the other side of town.....God shines through these people in ways I never knew. Again, amidst the pain I find so much love and willingness to submit to our Lord...it is truly amazing. But as I am witnessing this beauty, I am coming face to face with my failures and my lackings...everyday the little things that I struggle with are highlighted in such profound ways, in which God is demanding conversion of heart...it has been the most difficult thing I have ever encountered but I am growing so much, and yet have so much still to grow in.

Yesterday, as I was working on a very ugly looking dog house for the puppy we are in the market for, the discipleship girls met in our house and totally blew me away with their presence. I felt so much peace, and as I listened to their testimonies and their voices, I felt like I was in the midst of Jesus Himself...and I was. They were all living tabernacles of His love, and yet all had so much pain in their pasts, whether physical and/or sexual abuse, extreme poverty, and lack of love from family. Still, they had SO much love to give and desire to share with Someone, anyone....and I am slowly learning how sometime to just let these children and even adults with such sad and horrible backgrounds....love you with their whole heart. It is truly a beautiful humility to be learned....and I believe we all need to learn how to love, but also to let others Love us... After the class, we went over to the soccer court near our house and I asked the guys who always play on the court everyday, to let us play a game first, since the girls are never permitted to play.....and being a little bigger than most hondurans, they gave in. So we played soccer, and I saw so much joy in the smiles of these little girls....just having the oppurtunity to play soccer and enjoy life, which seems crazy to believe, but these children can enjoy life in the little things, hugs, games, coloring, etc....but they do it with their whole heart...and you can definitely see it.

After the game, we drove over to San Isidro which is a little chapel built for the people to have vigils in about a 10 minute drive from our house. Every thursday we prepare a meeting on a certain aspect of the faith, and have praise and worship with about 20 or 30 people in that neighborhood, and they Love it....they bring their families and praise our Lord with us. Last night was beautiful, and the the presence of Christ was so evident for me, as well as His peace in all the faces, especially the old women there...one of them Eva, is this beautiful older women wit the biggest smile and and even bigger way of showing her love every hug or kiss she gives....and it constantly reminds me of how much love I lack and need to continually pray for.

Right now I am preparing some things for a meeting with Brother Mateo, so I apologize if this was rushed, I really do want to update this so I can petition you all for constant prayers and intercession...I need it more than ever before....so please forgive me.

Also, pray for all those who left last week from here and are back in the states.....Especially the 3 or 4 I had the honor of spending time with friday....their vocation and calling....Josh, Fina, Amador....I saw the face of Christ in all of you guys...and Im praying that you continue to listen to Gods calling in your lives....

I have to go now, I have a long day downtown today, and the Poor Clares are having their feast day today....please keep all of us in your prayers, and we will be praying for you.. P

Peace of Christ

Andres