On mission: Youth and adults are rewarded for labor of love

Incarnate Word Academy students and supervisor Dennis Kenedy, at left, help build ramp for elderly woman in Big Wells, as her son lends a helping hand.

Mary Cottingham, South Texas Catholic

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The Incarnate Word Academy Missions Team had an adventure of a lifetime. More than 100 IWA students learned how to troubleshoot, problem solve, think of others, make sacrifices, work as a team and trust in God and each other. 

The team repaired, rebuilt and refurbished more than 50 homes of elderly and disabled people living in Asherton, Batesville, Big Wells, Catarina and La Pryor, as well as two homes in Corpus Christi. The project took months of planning before its execution, which was the week leading up to Easter Sunday.
 

Sister Rosa Marie Ortiz, IWBS prepared and guided students on Missions Team.

“I think the main reason it’s so successful is because it is a student run organization,” Sister Rosa Maria Ortiz, IWBS said. The Missions Program started in September when she prepped the student leaders as they underwent faith formation. Team leaders gave talks on different aspects of faith and service every Wednesday for two hours.

The students and adult chaperones boarded a bus on Sunday, March 29, and headed for the communities in the Diocese of Laredo. They began work on Monday and were expected to have most of the jobs finished by Holy Thursday. Each community was invited to join the Mission Team at Mass at each of the sites. After Stations of the Cross, they packed up on Good Friday and headed back to Corpus Christi Saturday morning. The Corpus Christi group worked on Good Friday and Holy Saturday.

In Asherton, student Cesar Hernandez said the experience was “life changing.” He visits family in Mexico and said the level of poverty was about the same in Asherton. “Most of us take the things we have for granted. Going to mission made me realize what we have isn’t for us to keep. It brought me closer to God. We prayed every night and that was new to me.” 

After evening prayer the teams evaluated their day. The evaluation process was called “Rose, thorn and bud.” Each project was given either a rose–what they felt good about; a thorn–projects that were challenges; and the bud–was their hope.
 

Students measure ceiling tiles, before cutting them and replacing the water damaged tiles in Immaculate Conception Church in Asherton. Mary Cottingham, South Texas Catholic

Some of the students assigned to Asherton are on the IWA track team. They took orders at night, woke up at 5 a.m. to run and then made breakfast for the adults. “We adults in Asherton were spoiled. We had French toast and omelets. That has never happened before–on any of the prior mission trips,” Sister Rosa said. 

In Batesville, students Paris Shirley and Dana Alonso Bauer helped to build decks, redid a kitchen and built a porch. “Even with adult supervision, you had to learn to problem solve. You would go to your teammates at night and you would have to troubleshoot,” Shirley said. 

“From my experience it’s humbling myself, seeing the sacrifices that I can make for a person can make it worthwhile. They were very happy with what we did for them,” Bauer said. 

For senior Michelle Ndwaru, a team leader in Big Wells, this was her third and final IWA mission trip.  She said her group in Big Wells really bonded. Ndwaru plans to do more service in Austin where she will go to college next year.

Senior Trey Dimas did not think he would have much fun on the mission, but on the bus ride to Big Wells he realized that not only was it going to be fun, it was going to be daring. “One day we were walking down the street when a car stopped us and thanked us for all the hard work we did. That’s when it hit me, we really made a difference,” Dimas said.

Dimas had the last shift at the Holy Thursday adoration in St. Michael the Archangel Church in Big Wells. “I was tired, but it was good to connect with God after a long day of working,” he said.

In Catarina, the people at St. Henry Mission spoke only Spanish. The mission team consisted of a group of girls, led by Sister Jo Ann Saenz, IWBS and parent Maria G. Leon. They went to pre-determined houses to visit with people who “just needed to talk and pray with them,” Sister Jo Ann said. 

Three of her students spoke Spanish fluently and interpreted what was said so the others would feel included. At the request of one woman they helped clear her home and yard which was cluttered with junk and debris.

On Thursday Sister Jo Ann presided over Holy Thursday Service because no priest was available. She washed the feet of an older man, a woman, a toddler and some of the girls on the Missions Team. Her group also learned the long version of the Stations of the Cross in Spanish. 
 

Sister Jo Ann Saenz, IWBS presided over Holy Thursday Services, because a priest was not available.

“It was very humbling and I was very proud of my girls,” Sister Jo Ann said. 

Many of the students thought the mission experience was, “eye opening.” Junior Cristina Madero had never experienced the level of poverty she saw in La Pryor and had an opportunity to help so many people. 

“Even though they were so poor, they were still committed to their Church and they still believed in God and had hope,” she said. In addition to seeing that level of commitment, she learned how to use tools and build things. “We worked a lot. It was tiring, rewarding and fun,” she said.
 

Priscilla Ramos, top left, and her team of IWA students in La Pryor built a much-needed ramp for the  Mata family’s son. Before they could complete the ramp, students lifted him in and out of the house to his wheelchair so he could get to the bus that picked him up for school.  Julio Ramos, Incarnate Word Academy

Student Marco Garcia said he wants to make a positive difference in peoples’ lives and make the world a better place. He had heard about one group of students in La Pryor who volunteered to temporarily lift a boy and his wheelchair into his home until they were able to build him a ramp. The boy had never been able to walk. 

“This kid goes to school every day without being able to walk. People forget how fortunate we really are,” Garcia said. 

When Garcia’s team built a ramp for an elderly man who used a walker, he remembered “The old guy was so happy that every time he saw us he told us ‘you guys made such an impact in my life.’ I think it was Ghandi who said, ‘Be the change you want to see in the world,’ and if I can make a difference in one life, it makes it worth it,” he said.

Adult volunteers, including some parents, ate, slept and worked alongside students at each location. Most of the towns had between seven to 15 projects and each project had to be near completion in three days. 

Parent Margot Coco, one of the team leaders, said the mission experience left her humbled and enlightened. Their group stayed at St. Joseph Church in La Pryor and their facility had showers and parishioners brought dinners to the church. Some of the locations did not have showers and the youth and adults made the best of it with makeshift showers that consisted of a stand-up tent and water from a hose.  

In Asherton, volunteer—and a painter by trade—Brian Pekar did not expect to enjoy working with the youth. “I thought they were kids, but I underestimated them,” Pekar said. He went on the trip as an overseer of building projects, but got way more then he expected. 

“I didn’t expect near the quality of work or that I would enjoy working along side them and I saw what the students got out of it. They not only worked as a team, but they were able to enjoy themselves at the end of a long day,” Pekar said.

A handful of students at his sites painted three houses in three days. He was pleased to see that. “These young adults are able to invest in something other than themselves,” Pekar said. “I am impressed with the scope of what Sister Rosa takes on. It’s a large project to govern and they do a good job in making it happen.” 

This was the fourth consecutive year that Sister Rosa—normally a religion teacher—has spearheaded the mission. She was quick to point out that she had a lot of help. 

She and Jamie Faught traveled to all the sites three times, before the actual mission work began. They took photos and brought them to Peter Matl who figured out how much lumber it would take and the approximate cost of each project. Matl drew plans of each of the sites in all five towns of LaSalle and Dimmit Counties. Moms Monica Ellison and Courtney Thorud made sure everyone had plenty of food to eat.

Fundraisers and contributions provide for the materials, travel, meals and other costs of the mission.  

 
Photos by Julio and Priscilla Ramos, Incarnate Word Academy and Mary Cottingham, South Texas Catholic.