Between 2001 and 2021 I lived in Honduras and for some time, I lived with two other MMMs in Marcala, a mountainous region, home to the Lenca Indigenous people.  I was involved in health education and preventive health in the schools in these remote communities.  Now that I am back in Ireland I look back at a typical day:

4.45 am: The start of another day.  Begin with prayer in my room.

6.00 am: A brisk twenty-five-minute walk with Rita (MMM) to meet Martha, my co-worker; Aida, Rita’s co-worker; and our driver, Antonio.  Load the car, making sure we have put in the tools.  It’s the rainy season.

6.30 am: Off to El Potrero, a fifty-km journey taking two hours with the mountains and the rain.  The cliffs are covered with wild orchids.  Silence descends.  I pray, asking a blessing on the day and on all we meet.  We pass a military check point.  The last thirty minutes is a steep descent with sheer cliffs on either side.  A sigh of relief when we reach the bottom.

8.30 am: Arrive at meeting place for Rita and Aida’s women’s group.  We have breakfast using the back of the pickup as the table.  Nothing tastes as good as coffee with tortillas and beans in the mountain air.  I think of Jesus breaking bread with friends – the true meaning of Eucharist.

8.45 am: A fifteen-minute drive to the school.  The fourth, fifth, and sixth grade girls have organized the chairs in an old classroom.  We start with sex education, and they present their homework from last month: diagrams of various shapes and sizes!  We begin this month’s theme, on “violence”.  There is a high incidence of violence – domestic and alcohol and poverty-related. We hope to raise awareness and self-esteem to break this cycle.  We use exercises to relieve the tension the children experience.  Martha and I are pleased with the participation: the girls here are usually timid.  An ordinary day Exercises help to reduce stress.  Participation is key for learning.

10.30 am: Repeat the process with the boys.  I am touched by their sensitivity as they share experiences.

11.35 am: We meet Rita and Aida.  It starts to rain heavily, and we are relieved when we reach the top of the cliff road.  We know the car will not reach our next school.  Antonio stays with the car while Martha and I head for Carayman.  Rita and Aida go to Guasore.

12.30 pm: We reach the school; the teacher has left.  Thank God for good hiking boots and rain gear!  The girls do a word search while we work with the boys as in the morning.

1.35 pm: A much-needed cup of coffee and a sandwich.  Rafael’s father comes to collect his son’s medicine.  He tells us about Rafael’s appointment in Tegucigalpa – seven hours away by bus.  The eldest of eight, he has juvenile arthritis.  MMM pays for his appointments and medicines.

1.45 pm: We repeat the process with the girls.

3.00 pm: Downhill to Azacualpa to the car.   Aida and Rita have arrived.  We kick off the excess mud and head for home, sharing stories about the day.

4.45 pm: Cleide (MMM) is preparing the evening meal after a day visiting the sick and housebound.   I clean my boots and stuff them with newspapers, so they are ready for tomorrow.

5.15 pm: Time to pray and reflect on the day.

6.15 pm: Evening meal together, then evening and night prayer.

7.30 pm: I watch the world news and check emails, then organize for tomorrow’s trip and evening meal.  It’s my turn to cook.

8.30 pm: Quiet time to read and unwind.  I thank God for the day before I rest.