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!