Wounderin' Bout The Wind

I’ve often lived my life saying I’ll go where the wind takes me. Some days there seems to be little to no breeze, while others there’s a tornado and I find I’m not in Kansas anymore. This past year that’s exactly what happened, and I landed in the little town of Benque Viejo, Belize.

Upon graduating from Pittsburg State University in May of ‘22, I was extremely excited to start Physical Therapy School at the University of St. Mary’s that June. In that month transition period, I had an amazing opportunity to go on a ten day mission trip to Benque Viejo, Belize with the Catholic order SOLT (Society of Our Lady of the Trinity). On this mission trip we served the community through teaching, rebuilding houses, visiting the sick and elderly and so much more. This is what I was excited for and expecting to do on mission and it was definitely moving. I was surprised however that one of the more moving parts of the trip was starting everyday in a Holy Hour in front of the Eucharist, followed by Mass. Spending quiet time in front of our Lord gave me the opportunity to take inventory of my life, and I quickly realized how my faith had dwindled throughout college, and gotten to a point of simply going through the motions. I left the little town of Benque to start my next chapter, with a feeling that the wind would one day bring me back.

Physical therapy school was truly a blessing. I loved the material, the teachers were amazing, and I made some incredible friends among my classmates. While attending PT school I decided to get two different bartending jobs to help pay off school as I went. My life became consumed in school and work and not long after I had the realization of my weakened faith, I found myself even worse than before. The funnel cloud was forming. I often thought about Belize, and the locals I met, and Holy Hour and Mass every morning, and how I so quickly fell back into my old ways upon returning. Then one night, a few weeks into my second semester, the tornado touched down. I realized how far I had fallen and that I couldn’t go on without discerning what He truly wants for me. I felt Him calling me back to where my faith had been temporarily kindled, so that He could start an everlasting flame. So that October, I found myself back in the little town of Benque Viejo, Belize.

The head of the SOLT mission in Benque, Fr. Beau, was very generous in accepting me to the mission late, as all the other missionaries had been there since August. Fortunately they had a need for another teacher at the high school and a campus minister at the junior college, so I jumped right in. I taught religion and PE at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel High School where I defiantly grew in patience but also a passion for getting kids excited about encountering Christ. The role that surprised me however was that of campus minister at JPII Junior College. I was not nearly as involved with my Newman Center or campus ministry in my four years of college as I would have liked, so I saw this as a second chance but I had no idea how to approach this position. It took a lot of trial and error but I was thankful for the opportunities I was given to get the students excited about, and more involved with, the Catholic faith through various activities such as retreats, adoration nights, community service, and even got a handful of students to join me for the 33 day consecration to Mary! The biggest blessing of this role however was getting the chance to get to know many of the students personally and try to help them figure out how to deepen their faith in their own lives. A recurring theme among many of the students seemed to be that of community. I learned first hand the importance and benefits of community in my faith life by serving with the other SOLT missionaries, and I wanted to spread that gift to those who were trying to go at it alone, like I had in the past.

As humans, we are not meant to walk this journey alone, but for many of the young men I got to know in Belize, this seemed the only way. In Belize, there is an immense lack of fathers as; drugs, alcohol and an utmost disrespect of women is prominent within the town. With a lack of fathers, there is a decreased understanding of the importance of fatherhood and how to grow as a man in faith and virtue. These young men were all striving for something great with their lives and their faith but, outside of school, they had nowhere to facilitate these aspirations. Through prayer, planning, and many conversations with Fr. Beau, I decided to create a place where these young men could live together in community, striving to grow closer to Christ through faith, service, and fellowship. In doing so we decided I would have to separate myself from the SOLT mission and make it its own entity, which is now called the Pio House. St. Padre Pio has been an important role model in my own life and I pray for his guidance in helping this project along. So before leaving Belize for the summer to come back to Kansas for some weddings and to visit family, I signed the lease for a six bedroom house and the Pio House was coming together. With a couple guys holding down the fort there now and a handful more ready to move in, I'm extremely excited to get back in a couple weeks.

The Holy Spirit is often represented by wind in the Bible. The past year has truly been a whirlwind, but sometimes you gotta drop the paddles and let the wind take your sails, and I am grateful for all of the gusts of wind He has sent my way leading to this project. I plan to post updates on the Pio House and our adventures monthly, so I hope you follow us along this journey!

"Pray, hope, and don't worry."

-St. Padre Pio, pray for us!

Some pics from last year in Belize:

“He created Adam for adventure, battle and beauty; he created us for a unique place in his story and he is committed to bringing us back to the original design.” -John Elredge