August 8, 2005

Yesterday (Sunday) was an amazing day. After Mass and brunch at the friary, we accompanied Father Herald and Brother Matteo to bring Holy Communion to a neighboring family. Three of the four children in this family are severely handicapped with cerebral palsy. The oldest child is healthy and has two little ones of her own (see photo below).

Father Herald conducted a beautiful Communion Service as we sat with the family on the floor of their little house. He went around to each family member to invite them to offer an intention - it was very moving to see the little girl make an effort to point to each of us and pray for our needs!

From there we went up into the mountains and got to experience first-hand why 4-wheel drive is a necessity here! We drove through evergreens, palm, and coffee plants and caught some incredible views of the town of Comayagua. We met several mountain families and two young boys who were happy to lead us through their family's corn and coffee crops to a higher lookout point. The older boy (maybe 12 years old) easily wielded a machete - commonly used for hacking through the mountain foliage.

On our journey down the mountain, our pickup truck became a bus as we offered a ride to many people, young and old, making the long trek down into town. One stop wasn't for another passenger - rather to redirect a horse who was stubbornly blocking our only path!

One family we met on our way had an extremely malnourished child. The little girl is one-year-old, yet is the size of a newborn. Without proper nutrition, she won't live much longer. Father Herald got as much information from the family as he could and hopefully will be able to supply them with formula and nutrients very soon.

Please pray for us and for the people here!

Sr. Clare