A trip with a purpose
(The following is reflection written by Felipe Cueto ’21 following a seven day mission trip to Mexico City with his brother and parents November 27- December 3.)
I have gone with my family on trips before but this trip was very different, it was a mission trip to help serve the poor in Mexico City. My parents, my brother Andres ‘23, and I went with the Franciscan Friars and 30 other people. A group called Hope of the Poor led us to some of the most oppressed parts of Mexico City. At the start of the trip we went to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadeloupe and learned a lot about the Aztec history and what the Virgin Mary did to bring millions to Christ through the powerful miracle of her image on the Tilma of Juan Diego. We also visited the Blessed Miguel Pro Church, a Mexican Jesuit martyr.
In this mission, we first served those who live on the streets and then spent most of the trip at a place called “the dumps.” The dumps are exactly what it sounds like - piles of trash, miles of it. Communities of families live in the dumps. At first, I could not believe we were walking deep into the awful smelling dumps but once we met the people and started talking to them, everything changed. We no longer saw or smelled the dumps of trash, we only saw amazing people. We served the people food and water. Seeing their faces light up just to get a good meal showed me how much I take basic things for granted. One man said he didn’t need food because he ate two meals a day, which was more than he said he needed. We also celebrated Mass with them and participated in the baptisms of many children. These were all impactful experiences. We also played games with the children, which was a lot of fun.
On another occasion, we visited a shelter for abandoned women, were we spent a lot of time with them, spoke with them and made each other laugh.
We fell in love with the people we met, the culture and the children. They were humble and full of joy. We learned so much from them, we learned about hard work, sharing with others, being appreciative and the importance of family and community. We also learned that what matters is not material things, what matters is much deeper and simpler than that, what matters is the person.
BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba by Queen Isabel II of Spain. The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline. In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the School property and expelled the Jesuit faculty. The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow. Today, Belen Jesuit sits on a 30-acre site in western Dade County, only minutes away from downtown Miami.