“Why are you here?”

Entering the Belen Youth Mission trip, Father Willie presented us with this big question; “Why are you here?” At first, many of us may have thought it was to complete service hours or to provide water to those who need it. And although providing the people of Yerba Buena with water was part of the answer, the reason was much greater. This eye-opening experience gave my fifty-eight classmates and me in Yerba Buena a great gift we could never have imagined. This trip exemplified what we need to value in our lives, how God has blessed us with so much, that He chose us to be there, and that we bonded with each other. The town members were amazing and loved to spend time and mess around with us. We even have a WhatsApp group chat with some of the Belen guys and some of the kids that live in Yerba Buena. 

The trip also taught us how to work hard for what we want. The Dominicans who worked with us were incredible. They could do what we did in 15 minutes in 5, and they never got tired. Working in the hot sun on a field all day wasn't easy. Sometimes we would feel the urge to stop and give up, but we kept going. I enjoyed reflecting on how we built this aqueduct due to the necessity of water in Yerba Buena. The Dominicans knew that they would get out of it what they put into it, so they worked like there was no tomorrow. This meant that they would transition from having water for 30 minutes daily to having access all day. This experience showed me, and I’m sure showed others, the power and strength that these people have and fueled us to work as hard as possible. When we first saw the water gushing out of the pipes and realized the aqueduct worked, it was the most exciting feeling of the trip and one of the best of our lives. We got to celebrate with the students, adults, and all the town members on the last night with a party. We celebrated friendships, family, and joy together.

Throughout the trip, we celebrated Mass daily and got the opportunity to participate in daily reflections of our experiences, where we saw God, and more. The name of the town itself reminds us how we should stay grounded, be rooted in our faith, and be good to others, or in other words, men for others. We were very proud of the fact that we could help these people that we knew deserved it. The connections we made and the times we had helped us answer Father Willie’s question. This trip was an experience that I would recommend to any Belen student, and I am so grateful to everyone who made this trip and experience of a lifetime possible.