After months of planning and preparing for this next chapter in Belize, it’s been amazing to finally get boots back on the ground in the beloved town of Benque. It was great to finally move into the new house where there are currently five of us living; Andre, Marvin, Nigel, Zaiden, and myself. There are also a few more looking to join in the near future. We are in a six bedroom house, so it’s exciting to see it almost completely full, and looking like we’ll have to double up in some of the rooms here pretty soon. In order that you all may meet the Pio House, I plan to publish a “meet the member” article every month, in addition to these monthly recaps. So without further ado here’s your recap for the month of November:
Here’s the house for starters. Two stories, six bedrooms, and two bathrooms with our makeshift weight room on the side yard. Couldn’t be happier with the house we got! It's about a 20 minute walk to church and not a bad walk to JPII for the students. It’s nice and tucked away with not many next door neighbors, and the neighbors we do have have all been very welcoming and helpful. We are just renting currently, costing BZ$800 a month before utilities. Students pay $50 a month as it’s hard for students to find work in town, and non-students pay $150 a month. Groceries and all the rent is covered by myself and any donations from you guys.
This was actually the end of October but had to include it. This was Anna Broderson (now Meluch) and Andrew Meluch’s wedding in Bow Valley, Nebraska. Anna and Andrew are missionary legends in the town of Benque Viejo as Andrew taught at JPII for 5 years and Anna for three. They served the community in the classroom but also all throughout Benque as they were constantly serving. Anna was actually a huge inspiration and has been a great help for me in starting the Pio House, as she started a house for young JPII female students her last year in Belize. I learned a lot from her through her experiences of running the house, which is still running under new guidance down in Benque. It was an honor to serve with them last year and I can honestly say the Pio House would not be where it’s at without the guidance of these two. In the picture are all the SOLT missionaries (all that could make it) that they served with throughout their years.
Fr. Beau crossing the Calla Creek village swinging bridge after a Sunday Mass (the church is the little white building in the background) . There are two extremely rural villages run by the parish that receive Mass or communion service every Sunday, and it’s always a joy to get to celebrate Mass in these villages. As a house we are going to go to at least one village Mass a month together and try and help encourage the young guys of the villages to join.
Along with accrediting Anna and Andrew for helping me on this new journey, Fr. Beau deserves a lot of thanks as well. Fr. Beau is the head of the missionaries in Benque so when I had the dream of the Pio House last year it led to many meetings and proposals with him. At the end of the year we came to the conclusion that the Pio House will run as its own entity separate from SOLT at least in its first year, just as with Anna’s girls house which has now been incorporated into the SOLT mission. Although I am now separate from the mission, he has been an amazing spiritual leader and continues to help guide us along the way.
The month of November was started with Día de Muertos where we honor those loved ones who have gone before us. The altar is decorated for the occasion with a photo of Fr. John Mcghugh, the founder of the SOLT mission in Benque. Also pictured is Andre with our puppy Gasket. We found Gasket while having car troubles, which is where he got his name, with a man on the side of the road who informed us that his mother had recently died. We took him in and cared for him best we could but unfortunately he passed away not too long after. He is now buried in our yard and remembered in our hearts.
Please keep Pio House member, Nigel, and his family in your prayers as his uncle and three others passed away in a fatal car accident last week.
Missed my fresh coconuts and homemade flour tortillas. First picture is from my farmer friend Estaban’s coconut farm. You'll hear more about him throughout the journey. Second picture is my sad attempt at making tortillas for the house. As you can tell I'm a little rusty.
Thanksgiving was a highlight of the month at the Pio House. Since Thanksgiving is an American holiday, it is not celebrated in Belize but I thought I’d share some of our culture and give them a taste of one of my favorite days of the year. The members of the Pio House were present as well as fellow JPII students and graduates with a special appearance from Mr. David Ruiz, the former dean of JPII Junior College. Spent the whole day cooking some classic thanksgiving dishes with the help of some of the house members then went to Mass together as a house before feasting. It was a great night filled with thankfulness, laughter, fellowship and, of course, some great food. Pictured above is the crew at dinner along with our unconventional turkey cooking and my mom’s signature apple caramel pie. Extremly thankful to be back in Benque and for the early success of the house and for everyone who's helped me get here including all of you reading this and following our mission
Not being a SOLT missionary volunteer this time around, it’s been great to live the life as a parishioner and be able to help out with the SOLT parish in Benque, Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Pictured above is a Eucharistic procession for the feast of Christ the King where we walked through the streets of Benque while Fr. Beau presented the Body of Christ the King. Next picture is part of the Nativity scene that some Pio House members, a couple parishioners, and I have been putting together. The full set put together will be revealed in the December recap!
Again, thank you for joining us on this journey and please keep us in your prayers. Donations are always welcome and greatly appreciated, as it will help the house to continue to run efficiently and give more opportunities to help us form more men for Benque. I’m excited to keep you all posted on our future adventures!
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