Our Finca missionary community always goes on 2 or 3 retreats every year in order to step off the Finca, spend time in God’s presence, and explore other parts of Honduras or Central America. Missionaries typically go on the first retreat in mid-January before classes start at our Finca school on February 1st. However, January and early February was a really unique time for our missionary community, as the Looby family returned to the United States and Chloe and I were living for a short time in different houses at the Finca.
Since neither Chloe or I are serving in the school as an English teacher this year, we were able to go on our missionary retreat in late February! We decided to visit the SOLT mission in Belize for our retreat! The SOLT mission is located in Benque Viejo de Carmen, which is directly on the border between Guatemala and Belize. Fr. Beau was a Finca missionary in the early 2000’s and is now a SOLT priest at the Belize mission, and he very kindly hosted Chloe and I at their mission and led us in a few retreat activities.
IT WAS AN INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE!!! It was two full days of bus travel both ways (four days total) only to be at the SOLT mission for 4 days, but Chloe and I both agreed that it was absolutely worth it! That’s how incredible the experience was for both of us! The mission has an astounding 29 volunteers every year living in three different houses within walking distance of the Catholic Church in Benque Viejo, so their community life is raging with excitement and energy at almost all times of the day. Maybe they can share a few of those volunteers with our Finca community?!?!
I was able to cultivate a really awesome balance between seeing and experiencing the local Belizean culture and the SOLT mission and simply filling up my own cup by receiving the sacraments and spending quiet time in God’s presence. Chloe and I were able to visit some INCREDIBLE local spots, such as a beautiful poza with a rope swing, local Mayan ruins, and a beautiful waterfall in the nearby mountains. I was also able to go to daily mass in Spanish and English, routinely visit the perpetual adoration chapel attached to the church, and spend quiet time along the beautiful river that flows through town soaking in God’s presence and the incredible sunshine. That balance is not always easy to find on retreats, but I was incredibly grateful that I was able to find that balance during our time in Belize.
However, probably the most beneficial result of our retreat in Belize was the relationship that Chloe and I were able to mend and build upon during our long travel days and our time in Benque Viejo! It would be an understatement to say things were really challenging between us prior to the retreat, but we were able to come to a mutual understanding and commit to taking the next steps forward in our friendship. Fr. Beau very graciously led us through a healing day full of amazing, vulnerable conversations on the side of a BEAUTIFUL waterfall in the nearby mountains of Benque Viejo. Chloe and I were really able to get to know one another on a deeper level, which has resulted in us living together in CST upon returning and trying to love and support one another living in intentional community. It still isn’t the easiest thing in the world to live in intentional community with only 2 people, so please pray for us!
About a week after we returned from retreat, we had a Spring Break group come from Notre Dame University for a week! ANOTHER INCREDIBLE WEEK!! There were 13 students and 2 chaperones this year, and it is hard to describe how amazing it was to once again live in a vibrant house with that many people. As the interim service coordinator at the Finca, I was in charge of the group during their time at the Finca. It was certainly a lot of work preparing for the group to arrive at our Finca community and during the week-long visit, but all of that hard work was so worthwhile!
The week was filled with so many laughs and quality moments, and I will be forever grateful for the relationships that formed during our week together at the Finca. It is always so special to share this incredible children’s home in rural Honduras with other people and watch as the place inevitably captures the heart of every person. It happens every time without fail! That’s how special the Finca is!!!
The Notre Dame students and staff also had the unique ability to translate in far-away mountain towns for a medical brigade that came from the United States. It was a life-changing experience for the students who participated and a really awesome opportunity to see the local culture in these mountain towns and how that differs from the Finca and the surrounding communities.
As is the case for any visitor who comes to the Finca, the Spring Break group has served as a nice reminder to enjoy every single second of the natural beauty of the Finca! Seeing their pure amazement at the beach literally in our backyard, the beautiful mountains on our walk to the Finca church, and all of the other natural beauty in Honduras has served as a nice reminder for myself to take a step back no matter how busy I am with work on a particular day and be grateful for the calling to serve at the Finca! It is a pure gift that should never be taken for granted!
Please pray for our Finca community as we embark upon Semana Santa, especially for the ability to enjoy the times as a Finca community and to deepen our relationships with Jesus throughout the week.
Please let me know how I can pray for you!
God Bless!