Life on Himes Summer Service Immersion Dozens of students experienced the value of service fi rst-hand during Jesuit’s annual service immersion mission trips this summer to South Dakota, Appalachia, and Nicaragua, as well as locally at MDA Camp in Brandon NICARAGUA truck and hitch a ride down. The dump arrisen Pike ’19 and Miles Almadrones ’17 spoke at Convocation in August, sharing with the student body their experience as part of a 14-student contingent serving in Matagalpa, Nicaragua Jesuit students and alumni with MDA campers H this summer with chaperones Fr. Patrick Hough, S.J. and Dr. Angelo Pastore. Below is an excerpt from their presentations. Harrisen Pike ’19: My fi rst time truly experiencing service on this trip came when Fr. Hough brought four of us to get bread at the local panaderia, or bread store. When we arrived, two women recognized Father Hough right away from last year and greeted us with open arms. What really stood out was when they invited us into their house, which was connected to the bread store, and offered us all the food and drinks they had. Even though bread and coke didn’t seem like much to us, this was all they had – and they were willing to just give it away to strangers. It made me feel honored and welcomed into their country. After we got the bread we started the drive to the dump, which was an experience I’ll never forget. I saw kids walking the dirt road toward the dump badly in need of new clothes, and houses like I’d never seen before. Kids would hop on the back of the Distributing food in Matagalpa 12 JESUIT PERSPECTIVES • FALL 2016 smelled awful, but my senses dulled after I saw all the people digging through the garbage for clothes. There were mounds of garbage everywhere that dogs were tearing through, and people searching for necessities. Father Hough pulled the truck into a space between mounds of trash, where we tried to hand out clothes in an orderly fashion, but we ended up getting mobbed. Seeing the smiles on all the kids as they hitched a ride to the dump, and seeing the smiles as we handed them clothes, shoes, and toiletries – it was amazing how playful and happy they were even in those conditions. This mission trip gave all of us an opportunity to connect with God in a way we never had before. We were able to serve the humblest of God’s people and truly see His love in the work we did. Miles Almadrones ’17: My fi rst taste of service came on the second day, when Dr. Pastore took us to the local hospital. Although we weren’t allowed to visit
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