ACTIVITIES IN MEXICO
Want to know what a week on a mission trip is like? Click the following link for video taken during the 2016 mission, and then see below for more images and information about the missionaries' activities.
Video: drive.google.com/file/d/0B_C6J_eNSBj7YURBY08taXp3OGc/view
Video: drive.google.com/file/d/0B_C6J_eNSBj7YURBY08taXp3OGc/view
PRAYER
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After breakfast and getting ready for work, all of the participants gather in the chapel to begin their day with morning prayer and a reflection led by one of the priests in attendance. After the work day ends, the missionaries gather to celebrate Mass with the local community. Many of these locals do not have regular access to the sacraments, and they are happy to have priests around to say daily Mass. Finally, after dinner the missionaries gather again to reflect on the work of the day and say night prayer.
On the last day of the mission, the group goes to Mexico City and visits the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. There the missionaries learn about the appearance of Mary to St. Juan Diego in 1531 and then celebrate Mass in the basilica. |
WORK
Over the last seven years, Mount Michael mission groups have built eleven houses as well as a chapel (with the assistance of another group). See the projects page for pictures of these buildings. In addition, they have put new roofs on many houses, constructed stoves and chimneys for families cooking with open flames in their homes, and built furniture.
Mission Youth finds all work sites for the group and purchases building materials in advance. However, the remote location creates unique challenges. Missionaries regularly have to carry bags of cement and other materials to work sites, and one year water had to be hauled by donkey to mix mortar for the walls. |
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PLAY
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A major part of each mission is interacting with the locals, particularly children. Whether playing "pato-pato-gonzo" (duck-duck-goose) with children, practicing their Spanish with adults, or playing soccer with young people from the area, the missionaries always make a real connection to the local residents.
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ACCOMMODATIONS AND FOOD
Sleeping arrangements during the mission are very simple. Each missionary brings a sleeping bag and sleeping pad, and all sleep on the concrete floor of an auditorium or community center. In La Cima, there is a campfire outside the building for cooking and community interaction in the evenings.
The food is also simple. Breakfast generally consists of cereal and the like at the auditorium. Most lunches are cooked by the locals, and are very similar to what they eat: fresh corn tortillas, beans, rice, and sometimes eggs or meat. Dinner varies but is usually cooked at the campfire after Mass each evening. All food is purchased ahead of time at a reputable store in Mexico City and is prepared with bottled water to protect the health of the missionaries. |
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SIGHTSEEING
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After the work is done, the last day of the mission is spent sightseeing. In the past, Mount Michael groups have climbed on Pico de Orizaba (a dormant volcano and the highest mountain in Mexico), visited the 400 year old cathedral in Puebla, toured the Toltec city and pyramids at Teotihuacan, explored the archaeological zone at Malinalco, and celebrated Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The last night of the mission is spent in a hotel in Mexico City before everyone returns to Omaha the following morning. |