o ini Sum us e the - St. Pius X Catholic High School

Alison Bruckert ’01, Jennifer Bafundo ’00, Rachel Braham’86
and Trey Broussard ’01.
MISSIONS IN JAMAICA AND NICARAGUA
“I truly believe that one of the best part about being an alumni teacher at St. Pius X is having the opportunity to see our kids doing the same things we did
as students, with just as much energy and zeal, but at the same time to experience those moments from a completely different perspective,” noted Alison
Bruckert. “One of the most rewarding experiences that many of us have is taking a mission trip with our students and fellow faculty members to serve
the poor in other countries.” This year we were fortunate enough to have four alumni teachers attend trips to Jamaica and Nicaragua as chaperones—
Alison Bruckert ’01, Jennifer Bafundo ’00, Rachel Braham ’86 and Trey Broussard ’01.
The first mission trip of the year fell over spring break and found seven teachers and 16 students traveling to Jamaica. The team left on April 5 to
experience the work of Mustard Seed Ministries in the area surrounding Kingston and three alumni teachers—Trey, Alison and Rachel—all attended.
Although months of preparation went in to making sure the team was ready for the adventure, no amount of foresight could have prepared them for the
incredible, life-changing experiences to come.
Each day was a full day for the team. Every morning we rose at 5:30
to help the caretakers feed the children at Sophie’s Place. At 7 a.m.
we traveled to the various sites operated by Mustard Seed to do labor
work projects. In the evenings the group would return to Sophie’s
Place, play with the children in residence there, and spend time praying,
reflecting and growing together as a team. Trey Broussard commented,
“I went to Jamaica wanting to provide hope for those less
fortunate, but in return I received more hope and faith for my own
life than I could ever have imagined.”
The trip to Nicaragua was especially meaningful because it fell over
the first week of summer and was built primarily around a team of
2010 seniors who had graduated just days before departure. Truly, it
was an alumni trip! A nine-day adventure, Alison and Jennifer went
with three other chaperones and 17 students to the Mustard Seed site
just outside of Managua in Diriamba. Most of the children in residence
at the site were either given up by their parents or handed over
to Mustard Seed by the state. When not helping with the children,
the team worked on intense work projects of moving dirt, leveling
land, painting bunks and gardening with machetes. Jennifer recalled,
“The work was hard, but we all kept doing as much as we could.
The kids were truly impressive.”
The stories from these missions are joyful and inspiring. Alison and
Jennifer both agreed that the most incredible thing about the trips
was the opportunity to see their students using the things they taught
them; not necessarily the things they learned from books, but rather
the values that St. Pius X, as a Catholic family, has helped instill in
them over the course of their high school careers. Rachel commented,
“As alumni, it’s our responsibility to contribute to our students
in a special way—to show them that a commitment to justice and
service...is paramount to a life of grace.”
The call to service with each other and with our students is something
so profound that it is often difficult to describe in words. As
Alison told her mission trip small group, “It’s when we stop to listen
that we truly experience the moments of grace that can change our
lives forever.” Listening to God on these mission trips and seeing the
face of Christ in our team and the Mustard Seed communities can
only be described as life-changing. All four alumni chaperones are
already looking forward to attending mission trips again next year
and count the experiences among the most enriching of their lives.
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