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Make Mission Matter — Far from Home
Our global trips to Ecuador and El Salvador allow our students to see how less fortunate people in the world live by fully immersing themselves in their society.
These reflections are the words of only two of the hundreds of students whose lives have been touched by our mission trips.
Taken from reflection by
Matt Wood ’14, Ecuador 2013
or starters, this
F trip truly was an
immersion experience
for me as I finally
saw the other side of
the world and how
people survive day in
and day out. I knew
poverty existed; yet
I had never seen or
experienced it in depth.
It was remarkable
to not only see how
disadvantaged people
survive, but also to see
how those who were relatively affluent
were able to help by creating different
social justice programs. I could not
imagine trading in my comfortable life
here in the States to live with and help
these impoverished people like so many
volunteers that we met had done. One thing
I found interesting that Mr. Dennis said was
that the volunteers may not be trading in
their life but beginning to live their life anew.
I feel that each experience profoundly
impacted my life on a day-to-day basis and
it is for this reason that I want to return
to Ecuador next year and lead my Prep
brothers on an immersion experience.
I remember the first night we flew into
Ecuador like it was last night. It was my
first time out of the United States so I was
a bit anxious and apprehensive especially
when the Rostro de Cristo volunteers told
our group we needed to close the windows
of our van for protection and our safety.
This direction furthered my apprehensive
feelings and I began thinking to myself, what
have you gotten yourself into? However,
throughout the week and each and every
day these little feelings of insecurities
began to quell as I built community with my
Prep brothers, Rostro volunteers, and the
Ecuadorian people as a whole.
On the trip we met several neighbors,
but the one neighbor that stuck out the
most was Carolina. She and her sister
owned a small corner market that served
as the income for her family. Carolina had
moved from a province where she owned a
farm to this poor area for work and a better
opportunity for her children. Carolina knew
about the poverty she faced and was trying
to break the cycle. She sent her kids off
to a private school and rarely saw them
maybe three or four times a year. This
impressed me because she put whatever
profit and money she made on the store
into her children’s education. Carolina
was just one example of a neighbor who
put her children’s educations and future
success ahead of their own. This action of
self-sacrifice is challenging for many people
in the United States because we get caught
up in the chaos of our lives, but in Ecuador,
it seemed almost mainstream which I found
admirable.
After being inspired by not only Carolina
but also other neighbors I met on the trip, I
was fully blown away when I met Luis from
Hogar de Cristo and Sister Patricia from
Nuevo Mundo. Both of the generous human
beings helped to create opportunities to
help the less fortunate and poorer people
of Ecuador. Luis helped adults and children
with their circumstances at home while
Sister Patricia helped children at school in
order to break the cycle of poverty…
I feel that after this trip I have begun
to believe in the dignity of each and every
human person. Everyone is not born into the
same circumstances but everyone has the
opportunity to succeed.
Matt is shown above, front row, 2nd
from left.
20 Prep Today