May 2010

It has been quite a while since I have updated anyone on how Belize has been going. That is due mostly to the fact that this semester has been difficult in various ways. I think everything dramatically changed in my prayer life which then made everything else change as well. It's very easy to get caught up in the “busy”ness of life. With lesson plans, papers, tests, quizzes, homework, assignments, it can become very difficult to balance everything in the proper order. Thinking that I simply do not have enough time to really take time out of my day to pray. This resulted in more disorder, more stress, more negativity, gossip and I thought that the way to balance it out was to spend more time grading and preparing and then having more free time for myself, however, this was not the case. Only by spending time with the Orderer, Himself, can our life even begin to have any order.

I still made time for daily Mass, which for sure kept me afloat from sinking, but when it came to going into that inner sanctuary where our restless hearts can truly rest, I thought myself too busy with too many things to do. How foolish and stupid I have been. Here is one example: I'm a religion teacher and I have a curriculum of things I need to teach before the end of the year. At certain times, the campus minister has our class go to Adoration with our class cutting our teaching time in half. At times I would feel FRUSTRATED BY THIS?! What in the world am I thinking?! I thought “Dang it, we have adoration every other week and I don't know if I'll have enough time to teach everything that I want to.” HELLO! Where do I come up with such non-sense?! To think that I could teach something to these kids about Jesus that would be more important than spending time face-to-face with Him in the Blessed Sacrament?! How could I be so naïve? I realized that I was thinking as the world does and I realized that I was becoming like an ordinary teacher, but God does not desire ordinary people with ordinary jobs, but saints with vocations.

The only way we can become saints is by prayer which turns darkness into light, ordinary into extraordinary, human to divine. Without prayer, anything we do will not have any lasting presence. Despite my failings, I know that God has continued to work in and through me in various ways because even though I have said no to Him in so many ways, He has allowed my yes to come down here to Belize to re-echo throughout everything I do. There have been so many blessings of this semester. The blessing of Franciscan University coming down to spend time with my students, to teach them, to get to know them, and to pray with them. It was amazing to see my students get prayed over and have them reflect on their experience which for many of them was the first time anyone has ever prayed WITH them. I could see changes in them and I have continued to see changes in them. Easter down here is absolutely huge. Every single night of Holy Week there is a huge procession with “undes” which are huge floats that weigh a lot with either Jesus and Mary on top.

They process them throughout the town and pray. On Good Friday, the whole town participated in a Passion play and then that night there was a huge “unde” which was enormous. I believe it weighed 1 and a half tons and was carried throughout town by 200 men. On the streets throughout the town were “alframbas” which were carpets made of different color dyed sawdust with beautiful designs that took hours to be made only to be destroyed later that night by the procession of the “unde.”What was so encouraging was a student who told me “I have really begun to understand everything we do this week a lot more thanks to your class.”


Throughout this semester I had the opportunity to travel with the guys soccer team where they won a National Catholic tournament, that was a blast!


I also went to Antigua, Guatemala where I rode my first horse up a volcano and saw flowing lava.Yesterday was Fun Day, where we played sports with the students and competed against each other to try to win. There was a section where a bunch of people were dancing, and I, being my normal crazy self, began swing dancing in the middle with Ms. Iliana and I can honestly say I have never heard anything louder in my life. It was so funny because the students only see my “serious” side and when they saw that, they were so funny.

In fact, a student who I have been teaching since August, invited me to go to one of their ranches only after that. I thought that was funny. Over Easter break, a group of teachers and I went to Placencia, where I went snorkeling and saw a barracuda, a sea turtle, a sting ray, a spotted eagle ray, and others saw a nurse shark. It was pretty awesome. But nothing makes me happier than entering into my classroom and having students great me with a “hey Mr. Brokke!” “Maestro!” and a fist-pound. They are the coolest kids I have ever met and I love them with everything I am. I only desire that they know God and that somehow I have reflected His face to them. I only hope that somehow what I have taught them will bring them into that communion of intimacy with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – that never ending burning Love that burns, yearns, and thirsts to spend time with them. I am continually amazed at their childlike innocence despite their situations. I have seen so much in one year than I ever could have imagined. Students that have been cutters, students involved in pot and alcohol, students that have been sexually active, students addicted to porn, a student that was attacked by a gang, a student that survived her parents trying to abort her, a student that is the result of incest, a student with cancer, students that have been involved with the occult and witchcraft, students that have been abandoned, students who's parents have died, a student who's father is a murderer, a student who has been raped, a student who once was kidnapped, students verbally abused by their parents, a student physically abused and the list goes on. But they are the most beautiful kids I have ever met and I love each and every single one of them, which is why I have decided to stay another year at the mission. I will be going home for the summer (June 12th) and then I will come back in August to teach another year at Our Lady of Mount Carmel. I am very excited to be able to have this opportunity. There will also be a group of students trying to go to World Youth Day in Madrid 2011.

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. But most of all, I would encourage you all to keep praying for the students but also to really keep praying for the teachers and their sanctity as well that we might be effective role models of holiness that will truly show them the face of Christ in our daily encounters with them. Thank you so much for your support throughout this year. I love you all and God bless you all!

February 2010

1st semester has come and gone along with tests, quizzes, and exams. As a whole my classes did really well. 71 students passed my class out of 80 for the first semester. Then Christmas break came and I had the glorious opportunity to go home. It was such a relaxing break. I spent most of my time just with the family and it was probably one of my most low-key breaks I have ever had - which was good because I needed it. Many people asked me how it was to be back home after experiencing such a vast difference of culture, economic status, language, living conditions, etc... and the weird thing was that it was not weird. It felt normal to be back home except for the fact that it felt like the past 4-5 months of my life were just a dream. But I know they were not. Others asked how I felt being around material things, expensive things, comfortable things.

Being in a foreign country on mission is very different than a week mission trip to a foreign country. The attitude one comes out of it with is much different. In the past going to places like Jamaica and coming back I was filled with a misplaced zeal that constantly echoed in my head "to cleanse America's attachment to material things." But I realize now I had completely missed the point. It was not that I had to cleanse America's attachment or even anyone else's, but my own. I now realize that the zeal I felt was not for everyone else to be purified, but myself - in realizing what things are actually important and what things are extraneous in my own life, in realizing how much everything is a gift and a grace from God and not something I deserve, in realizing that everyone in my daily routine life at home should be treated with the same love that I had given to complete strangers, and in realizing that I should be just as concerned about those I see in everyday routine life, concerned about their problems, their hurts, their brokenness, their desire to be loved, their thirst for love, their hunger for love, and above all concerned about their salvation. For some reason when you're on mission, you're able to see those things in a much clearer way but once back in "reality" of routine life it's easy to forget those things and caught up with honestly, very stupid and trivial things. Belize has taught me so much and when I went home, I really wasn't distracted by the comforts and luxuries of home, I just saw them in a different light, I saw them not as something bad that I needed to get rid of, but rather as gift. Everything is gift. I became so appreciative of all that my family has done for me and sacrificed for me so that I could have a good life.

I became so appreciative of all those who have encouraged me along the way, friends, parents of friends, teachers, classmates, colleagues, and family. I LOVED being home. I LOVED being with my family. But there was something that was missing. Something that I didn't realize what it was until I came back to Benque - that I am meant to teach and that I am meant for ministry and evangelization. As soon as I stepped foot onto the school grounds and was greeted by smiling faces of my students calling out "Hey Maestro!" I knew I am where I am supposed to be for now. We had a group from New York come in to all of our religion classes for the first week back and it was so funny to watch. One, how concerned I was to make sure that this group wouldn't say anything that would scandalize my kids, I felt so protective of them, and Two, how the kids did not seem to trust them as much as they trusted us missionaries who had been there for a while. They for sure treated us the same way when we first came, but it has been amazing to see the progression in relationships with these students - because they have been opening up to us in new ways and I think are beginning to realize that we are here because we love them and that love is changing them.

Teaching has been fun and it is one of the most wonderful things to be able to see your students actually learning. I strategically set up my classes in ways that my students would begin to see connections between the Old Testament and New Testament and it has been awesome to see my students raise their hands with a look of wonder and awe at the fact that they finally get it... "so Jesus is the New Moses?!?!" I am very excited for things still to come in my classes. It is truly amazing to see the child-like faith of these kids and to really see how much they desire to become men of God. A student wrote in their journal, "Mr. I want you to pray for me to be a good boy and to stop doing bad things because I don't want to be like that. I want God to help me to be a different person in this world. I want to forget bad things and to know good things of God. I want to pray to do good in high school also to have more power to continue in high school. Because I want to graduate from here. Please Mr. help me to be a different boy I don't want to be a bad boy and I want to stop doing things that are not good. Please Mr. help me, thanks." Another student wrote, "I would appreciate much if you would pray for my study because I want to very good and pass to the next form and keep studying so that I may have a better future also I would love if you would pray so that God change my life so that I may follow Him and understand that He is the way to the eternal life. Pray for family so that all problems may be taken out by God and that I may have a better character. Thanks for all that you do for the class. I appreciate that you care about us. I will be praying for you too. Thank you."

One of the most amazing things thus far was the fact that one of my student's grandfather passed away. I cancelled my classes for the day and went to attend the wake and the funeral. As his family gathered in his living room in front of the casket and prayed a Rosary - I began to realize how much responsibility I have. I am responsible for these kids' souls - for teaching them, for forming them, for loving them. The look of appreciation that the student gave to me when he saw I was there was intense for I realized that I have a much bigger role in these kids' lives then I could ever have imagined.

Recently I held a retreat for guys who are interested in joining a club that will encourage them to practice their faith together known as the Knights of the Immaculate. I told them nothing about the retreat but 9 guys showed up. Unbeknownst to them, the secretary and I called their parents and asked them to write a letter expressing how much they loved them and how much they were proud of them an appreciative of them - things Bequenos do not speak of too often. It was awesome to see them read their letters and their reactions - many cried because of the love that they had felt. One student came up to me and asked, "Mr. who wrote the letter that said "your mother and your father'"" and I said "Your mom and your dad." In disbelief his eyes got really big. "But Mr. are you sure it was them?" and he showed me the envelope and I said "Yes, that is the envelope your dad gave me." Again in disbelief he looked as if he was holding back the tears. "What?" I asked, "Mr. they don't know how to write." "Well, I guess they found someone help them." He was in shock. Then I surprised all of them yet again with T-shirts.

They all looked so happy and had a glow about them and together, in our awesome T-Shirts we all went to Mass together. Then I received this letter... "Hola Mr. David, I just wanted to let you know that I applaud your effort you are giving into the young men's youth group, "Knights of the Immaculate." It takes courage for young men today to do this especially in our Belizean society. This is the first time since I have been at Mount Carmel that there has been something like this. I am most especially thankful for the change you have made in the life of my son. He has had his fair share of sadness in his tender age. Growing up without his daddy and and me always being so far away from home working in trying to make ends meet has been tough on him. I don't know what you have been doing in your classes with these young men but I sure know its great things because you have made a difference in his life. So for this I would like to extend a big thank you."

Needless to say, mission has been going amazingly. Why do I write you these great things that are happening? Not at all to boast but it goes back to what I said before - Everything is gift. Everything that I give, is not my own, I can only give what I have received. Everything that I give, it is because I have received it. I may not even be here now if it weren't for the fact that you all have supported me through prayers, through monetary support, but most of all through love. We all have received and received and received and it is all grace and gift, sown by someone else, watered by another, and harvested by another. These fruits of conversion that I see are because someone else has sown, others have watered - the only way I am here now is because others have sown, others have watered, but most of all because people like you and people before you LOVED. Everything is gift - be open to receive it and be ready to give it away. "What do I do with all of this LOVE?" and He answered, "Give it away, give it away, give it away!"


Continue to keep us in your prayers. If you could offer any Masses, Rosaries, Holy Hours, quiet times, Bible reading, suffering, sickness, pain, etc... for the mission, trust me, it will produce fruit. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

November 2009

Hello Everyone!

It’s been a while since you heard from me last. I am writing you to keep you updated on mission life down here in Belize. So much has happened and yet not much at all has happened. Life here is very simple and repetitive so in that sense – as far as what we as missionaries have been doing it’s pretty much “the same old.” We wake up, go to school, teach, eat, teach, eat, go to Mass, maybe Holy Hour too, lesson plan, hang out, go to bed and do the same thing over again the next day. But in a very real sense, we have seen mountains move in the lives of these kids in the very simple things.

From retreats, to teaching in class, to journal entries done by the students, we have witnessed how much these kids thirst for the Beauty, Truth, and Goodness of God. They want it so bad and so many have taken gigantic leaps in their faith in order to try to seek Him For Whom Their Soul Longs: Confession, receiving the Eucharist, and admitting that they need God in their life. The thing about these kids is that they are so childlike and innocent in their faith. They are not tainted by the skepticism and bitterness that you can find in American teenagers today. These kids have childlike faith and HOPE that I have not seen before. Their lives are surrounded by so much darkness but still there is a light that pervades within them. Many of my students have had their fathers abandon them, abuse them, commit adultery, some of their fathers have been killed or died, some of their fathers have even committed murder. Many of my students are easily caught up in the culture of sex, drugs, violence, and alcohol, but none of them are in any sense of the word “bad kids.” They are deeply, deeply good and some how remained unscathed by the torrents and tempests around them in their simplicity and innocence.

They want so badly to receive the Joy Without End but have many obstacles in their way… lack of support, encouragement, and love from those whom they need it from the most. But still they try. The crazy thing is how much each of our hearts burn with such a zeal and love for these kids and nothing makes my heart rejoice more than when I see them take these steps of faith. I have often thought, “If only these kids knew how much I loved them…” to which God quickly responded “I feel the same way...” It is really amazing to see the students that are starting to understand why we’re really here… there’s a light in their eyes, a HOPE. One of the miracles that I have seen is over the past week we had a retreat for 67 of literally the most wildly hyperactive and at times disrespectful teenage boys. I was worried at first. But I have never seen them behave so well, I have never seen them listen to people so intently. I have never seen them take the steps of faith that they did. Many of them went to Confession and many more went to receive Communion (which they often do not do) – even some of our most notorious trouble-making students were those who went to Confession and received Communion. It was a miracle. Another beautiful thing that I have seen is that I started a club called the Knights of the Immaculate which is an opportunity for the young men that I teach to pray together (15 minutes of Adoration, decade of the Rosary, Mass on Sunday) and the first time we had 8 guys, 2nd time we had 12 guys, and many more have expressed a genuine desire to become involved. It’s so exciting!

I have also had the opportunity to go with my friend Victor and his family to Placencia.

It was so beautiful there and it has been such a blessing to have found such a great friend in him and his family! Besides that we have seen some peoples’ lives change dramatically simply due to the love of God working in and through us. The work is not ours it is His: to Him be the glory! Thank you so much for your continued prayers. I have a favor to ask of you though:
if you have the opportunity to offer up a Holy Hour, a Rosary, and/or a day of fasting for our students and the community down here once a month that would be INCREDIBLE!

October 2009

It’s been quite some time since you’ve heard from me last. A lot has happened since I last talked with you. I survived my first month of Belize and my first month of teaching. It’s hard to believe it’s already been a month but then again it’s hard to believe it’s only been a month. I have learned so much already and there’s still so much for me to still learn. I’ll give you a brief synopsis of things that have happened thus far. My first week of school was welcomed with a surprising amount of ease and peace. The moment I stepped into the classroom it all just seemed so natural and made a lot of sense.

It’s truly amazing to see how many different experiences in my life prepared me for this moment to be able to teach here in Belize: from mission trips to classes at Franciscan from catechizing the youth of Totus Tuus in Denver, Colorado to Y-Camp… each of these experiences had a part to play in preparing me for Belize and it's beautiful to see these pieces fit together to have made my transition down here so easy and natural feeling (not to mention all the prayers and intercessions that people have offered up for me and my fellow missionaries). The priests here are incredible and the Belizean staff at the school is fantastic. They are so hospitable and welcoming – it wasn’t hard to feel included. And the whole focus of the school is “the salvation of souls.” Amen!

The thing I love most about teaching is for sure my students. Honestly I hold each one in my

heart and they all have the ability to easily melt it. (They all call me “Maestro” which pulls at my heart strings every time). It’s crazy that these kids who I had never met before, I loved the second I walked into the classroom. Some are so little and adorable and the thing that really amazes me is the simplicity, sincerity, childlikeness and openness of their faith. I teach one class of freshman boys, two classes of sophomore boys, and one class of junior boys (with the exception of two girls). I love my guys, especially my sophomores. They absolutely crack me up and constantly have me laughing (at least internally).

Discipline has been no simple issue, it for sure has had challenges, especially because I have no idea what I’m doing but it is funny to see me become like my parents and teachers who have disciplined me in the past (“Look at me when I’m talking to you,” etc…) After I act all tough and “teachery” I go to the teacher’s lounge and laugh at how I tried to act authoritative and like I knew what I was doing but deep down I have no idea what I’m doing – then I realized “Wow, this is probably what my parents and teachers felt the first time they had to discipline” – Huge realization to come to that, "wow just because you’re an adult does not mean that you have all the answers" as I once thought.

Growing up is tough! I realize I’m only good at being young but I’m trying my best at this “adult” thing… I felt really old when they said we would have parent teacher conferences and I would speak with the parents of some of my students – I’m too young to do that! I felt even older when some of my students said they were born in 1995 (Lion King came out that year!) And I’m sure those reading this who once taught me or remember when I was young are flipping out at the fact that I’m a teacher (but heck I’m flipping out at the fact that I’m a teacher, for the first week I had to ask “Is this real life? Am I really a teacher or am I just playing teacher?”) But my third week of teaching rolled around and a student of mine came up to me and said “you know what Maestro, you look like a teacher!”

I love teaching the faith. It’s great to see my students begin to comprehend and apply the things they have learned. One day of teaching on the Fall and Redemption through Christ, one student came up to me and said “That is why I have hope!” Other students have written the most beautiful prayers and reflections on things they have learned. God has done so much already – I’m excited to see what else He has in store. The beautiful thing is living down the street from the church and being able to go to Mass daily. Because in the end teaching is not my vocation – Jesus is. In the end – it’s not about me and it’s not about my lessons – it’s all about Him and if I do not have Him – I cannot give Him to others. I just hope that I am able to be His hands, His feet, and able to speak His words.

Some other highlights thus far: I got E. Coli (along with the majority of the other missionaries), Belize has had two major holidays including St. George’s Caye Day and their Independence Day which were celebrated by huge parades in the street, a group of us missionaries went to Flores, Guatemala for a weekend to relax,
I’ve made friends with a lot of the little kids in the area and I sometimes have visitors at my front door asking “Can Mr. Dave come out and play?,” I went floating down the Mopan river, I met up with my friend from St. Ignatius High School Selvin, school is cancelled sometimes for strange reasons, I went to my first Belizean birthday party where I had the privilege of dancing in the Chatona (a huge scary doll woman that you wear and dance around in for entertainment), and I have become really great friends with the IT guy at our school, Victor – probably one of the coolest people I’ve ever met and we chill pretty much every night. So to sum it all up – Belize is wonderful. Please continue to keep me, my fellow missionaries, the people I’ve met, but most of all my students in your prayers!

August 2009

Hey Everyone!
I hope that you all are doing well! I wanted to thank you all so much for your prayers! They are much appreciated and I can already see the effects they have had. I left Monday, August 17th and flew from Baltimore to Houston. While I was at BWI Airport I was standing in line for the security check and then…. I see him. brown shoes, green shorts, beige shirt, green hat hiding his bald head and his blue eyes... I couldn't stop starring... it was him! it was him! holy cow it was him! I know that face and figure anywhere! So excited that I saw him I kept looking behind me to see if it was really him... then I get on my plane and what do you know, there he is sitting in the first row of first class! Flabbergasted I smiled and nodded, and he smiled and nodded back knowing that I knew his identity while others around him did not... there he was the infamous JOHN LOCKE from my FAVORITE TV show LOST!!! The whole flight I imagined crashing on the island and having conversations with him and the other survivors and LOST cast members! I was really excited by that experience and it was totally a loving joke from God as a “You see, you really are supposed to do this, here’s a funny present that I know you’ll enjoy to show you how much I AM happy with your ‘yes’”

So later on that day… I met up with Iliana Bazan (San Antonio, Texas, went to Franciscan), a fellow missionary, at the Houston Airport and happened to be sitting unknowingly next to Emily Green (Minnesota, went to University of Minnesota), another missionary. The three of us flew to Belize City, Belize and met up with Brynne Olsen (San Diego, California went to Franciscan), another fellow missionary. At the airport we met up with Sister Mary Mother of the Divine Savior, SOLT and Brother Michael Mary, SOLT who drove us to the quaint town of Benque Viejo del Carmen where we would be stationed. We arrived at the Parish Mission to eat dinner at the refectory where all of our meals are prepared for us everyday. The other missionary volunteers we met there were Rebecca Ignowski (Kansas went to Benedictine), Karen D’Souza (Toronto, Canada went to Saint Thomas Aquinas). Then we went to Spanish Mass followed by being taken to our houses where we started to unpack and make our homes away from home a little more homier. Our houses are considerably big and are fairly nice.
The guys weren’t coming until later and so I moved into my house all alone. There are a few surprises here and there, mostly discovering new “housemates” I didn’t know I had, but it’s not that bad. Over the past week we had teacher orientation with workshops on discipline, lesson planning, the Mass, and Natural Family Planning. The people here are so welcoming and the priest who oversees everything is awesome! Its great to see a Catholic school that has kept to its Catholic identity and actually strives for the salvation of the souls of its students. It has been great to see the Belizeans whom I had met before. Some of my favorites: Harry Topsey, Byron Hernandez, Gian Parham, and Charlie from the ice cream store… I’ve been the sole male this past week but as of last night my housemate Patrick Helfrick (went to Benedictine) came in and tomorrow is due my new housemate Jed Kenny (from Louisville, Kentucky). Yesterday we had a staff trip to have team building exercises at Chaa Creek, a five star resort hotel (about 15 minutes away). It was absolutely gorgeous there. Bungalows, a pool with a waterfall, a message station and definitely the lifestyles of the rich and famous. There we played games and bonded with the Belizean staff.

The weather is warm and I love it. Its 86 – 93 degrees everyday and sometimes at night… There is no air conditioning and I’m sweating constantly but fans and the occasional breeze make it better.

This year is going to be busy, busy, busy. I am in charge of teaching Religion for 1st Form Boys, 2nd Form Boys, and 3rd Form Boys and Girls, which is comparable to Freshman boys, Sophomore boys, and co-ed Juniors. I teach 1st and 2nd form four-times-a-week and I teach 3rd form three-times-a-week, which means that I have to do 11 lesson plans a week which adds up to 362 lesson plans for the whole year. Let’s just say – I have my work cut out for me. I’m excited to start and get my hands dirty but still a bit nervous on the whole discipline and classroom management issue, especially when all the Belizeans shake my hand and say “Good luck!” whenever I tell them I have 1st Form Boys. I will also be a 1st Form Homeroom teacher for girls. It should be interesting and it will be fun to be the “teacher” but really I feel like I’m the student learning everything anew and continually having a deeper appreciation for the teachers I’ve had. Keep me in your prayers!

Your prayers have really made a huge difference because experiences that I am usually intimidated by have all seemed normal and for some reason even walking in the streets and around the town has all seemed so peaceful. Thanks so much! Keep up the prayers especially during this time that school starts MONDAY! God bless!

Dave