Theresa K. (Tepeyac)
Hola, friends and family! This is Theresa from Tepeyac. The
past few days have been very fun and very tiring. I have met so many people and
made many friends. Today was my favorite so far because we spent most of our
day out in the Nicaraguan community. The day began at 6:30 am when we went to mass
(which we do every day), then we went on a bus and went to the church. We split
up into small groups and had leaders from the church who took each group out
into different neighborhoods. We went up to people’s houses and introduced
ourselves, told them why we are here, visited with them, and prayed with them.
I really enjoyed meeting all of the kids and speaking Spanish with them. We
also invited each family we went to come to mass with us this evening and play
soccer and other games with us before mass. We went to the home of a Nicaraguan
family for lunch, and I was touched by their kindness. When we returned to the
church, I played soccer with some of the missionaries and 4 very kind
Nicaraguan boys. Their soccer skills were much better than mine, but it was a
lot of fun. We did crafts and visited with the Nicaraguans until it was time
for the second mass of the day, this time in Spanish. Some highlights of my day
were the people I met along the way throughout the neighborhood. I met a sweet
old lady, who was born in the 1930s. She was full of joy and was very welcoming
and kind to us. As I speak on behalf of all of the missionaries here, we want
you all to know that we are doing great, and we miss everyone at home. To my
family, I miss all of you, and tell Emily that I wish she was here to
experience this with me. Adios!
Hayden H. (Tepeyac)
Hola from Tepeyac! Hayden writing here from Bishop Dunne,
although, at this point, the name of the school is simply that. In the short
span of two days, we have already grown into one big family, and I think that a
symbol of our new community here at Tepeyac is our faith. That is really
beginning to get to the heart of this mission trip; our faith in God binds us
all together in a very special way. It’s not only evident here at base camp,
but evident when we travel out into the community of Tepeyac as well. Wednesday
was really the first day we got to spread the Gospel and do God’s work out in
the community. I got to go out with Deacon Oscar Miranda today, blessing the
people and their households. I also brought my guitar with me and played during
these blessings, and during the Spanish mass with the entire community. I was
told by one of the locals, Roberto, that even though he couldn’t understand
what our song was saying, he felt the connection that we all have with God, and
the connection as brothers and sisters in Christ. This is precisely our mission
here; to build up the community of Tepeyac, and the kingdom of God, one heart
at a time. One of the most gratifying parts about this is that we will hold
these relationships forever, and that we now have a home here in Nicaragua. We
have all met someone here in Nicaragua that we have felt an emotion and
spiritual connection to, and I know that all of here are so excited to continue
to carry out the Lord’s work here. The love we have for our fellow brothers and
sisters, not just between each other, but the love we have for the people of
Nicaragua, is more than abundant, and I’m excited to get out to others to bring
them home to the Lord.
To all the parents, family, and friends that are reading, I
promise that you are still on our hearts and minds. We are praying for you guys
every single day, and I assure you that we miss you. But we have still have
work to do here in Nicaragua. We love all of you, and we can’t wait to see you
when we get home.
Natalie U. (Tepeyac)
Hello! This is Natalie from JPII writing from Tepeyac! We
have only been here for three days, but I have already been touched by God. The
first night was rough, but with the support of my roommate, Claire from BL, she
gave me such positive vibes and made me feel a lot better. Even though we have
not been here long, we are no longer in our group of school friends, we are one
big family. We all have grown so close by the love of God and passion that he
is putting into our hearts and it is honestly one of the best feelings I have
ever had. I know that we are all homesick, but we are here to serve the Lord
and he is calling us to be here for a reason. We, the missionaries have all
come to a conclusion that we were definitely called to be here at this moment.
I was able to see that today when we went into the community and we got to go
to people’s houses and bless their house and them. Knowing Spanish, I talked to
them and helped translate for my friends that cannot speak the language. I was
also able to spread the love of music with Hayden from Bishop Dunne, and he
played guitar and I would sing and we sung for the families we prayed for while
Deacon Oscar was blessing the house. Being able to communicate in a different
country, different language, but believing in God and being Catholic is so
incredible because they are so far away from us, but we still have a
connection. I have no words to describe the experience that I have had here in
one paragraph. I love Nicaragua and the community.
To my family and friends back at home, I love you all and
miss you all! You are all such a great support to me and encouraging me to come
on this trip!!
