Alumnae Spotlight- Lauren Hodde

Below is a great recap from NM '03 Alumnae, Lauren Hodde. She recently went on a mission trip, spending most her time in Chimbote, which is six hours north of Lima. We asked her to give a recap of her experience for our Alumnae Spotlight

We stayed at a parish that was on the outskirts of town, where they are just now installing roads and sidewalks.  On a typical day, it's normal to see donkey carts pulling produce.  The unemployment rate is high after the fishing industry became overrun and changes in fishing due to El Nino.  Many families are just trying to survive.

We partnered with an organization called Friends of Chimbote, http://friendsofchimbote.org/, which have been successful at slowly growing the economy by creating job opportunities.  Partnering with this organization was extremely helpful, they are local and could tell us the biggest needs in the town.  I was led by the Go Fish team, which are amazing individuals that have been going back and serving Chimbote for nearly twenty years. 

One of the best parts of my trip was the first two days that we spent demolishing, then rebuilding a house for a very grateful family of 6 that was living in unthinkable conditions prior.  Cockroaches and bugs overran their 10' x 40' home.  Within a few days their housing was drastically improved, and the mother kept crying and saying how we would be in her heart forever.  This is a moment that will also remain in mine.  Ive attached her photo below.  In total, all of the teams were able to restore and/or rebuild six homes.

The third day we spent with men and women at a prison and later visiting a hospital.  The hospital serves a majority of low income families, many of which are unable to afford their medical expenses and/or prescriptions, especially since patients are required to pay up front before any surgeries or procedures.  As a group, we were able to bless 14 families that were unable to pay their financial expenses.  It was amazing, and a few lives were saved including a mother and her baby that needed an emergency c-section.  We were also so blessed to have a priest on the trip that has a rock n roll spirit, which proved highly valuable in the prison!  The inmates had an incredible time listening to him jam out and their spirits were completely different after being uplifted.

The last few days we spent time with the neighborhood children, 50 of which are disabled.  We were able to bring them to the beach and feed them lunch, which was such a treat since many of them are unable to see much outside their neighborhood.  They were so joyful as they played freely in the water and sand.  We also held a fiesta, where we provided over 500 people with a hot meal and lots of dancing!  The remainder of the food was provided to soup kitchens and will serve a meal to approximately  900-1000 people.

Again, I want to thank your encouragement and support. I have such amazing friends and family- seriously you are incredible!  Be on the lookout for more photos I'll be posting on Facebook soon!

Until my next adventure,
Lauren

Sisterhood Retreat 2013

The week of March 1-3 we went to Greenville, South Carolina for our Sisterhood Retreat! We left Friday afternoon and made our way to Asbury Hills Camp and Retreat Center. We stayed in cabins along a trail in groups of about 10 sisters per cabin. Saturday morning we woke up bright and early to snow! It was a beautiful sight to see and we all bundled up then started our day filled with many activities! We split up into six groups and all rotated between different activities which included hiking beautiful trials, the Giant Swing, the Alpine Tower, the low ropes course, the rock climbing wall,  and the Leap of Faith.

The hiking trials were along a lake and in the distance we could see the mountain tops. The Giant Swing consisted of one sister being harnessed in and the rest of the group worked together to pull her up fifty feet in the air. She then released herself and swung through the air! It was a great time and everyone loved doing it. The Alpine Tower was a sixty feet tower combination of rock climbing and ropes with a platform at the top. Once we conquered the tower and got to the top, it was a beautiful view of the mountains of South Carolina.  The low ropes course was a team building activity in which communication and team work were used. First, we worked as a group to move numerous small objects with the use of one hook. We communicated with each other and moved various ropes as a team to move the hook and pick up the items. Next, we completed an activity in which we walked on wires leaning against another sister. We had to trust each other and there were many laughs exchanged. At the rock climbing wall, sisters held each other’s rope as they made their way up the wall. We helped each other by shouting out tips on where to place our hands and feet and motivate girls to make it to the top. The Leap of Faith was exactly what it sounds like! Harnessed in, we climbed up a twenty foot pole and then jump off it and hit a bell. 

After a long and exciting day, we had dinner and a bonfire with s’mores! Everyone bundled up, huddled the fire, and had a great time. Overall, the weekend was a great success and everyone enjoyed it! We all got to face our fears in attempting the activities and help each other overcome them. We also had down time in which we were able to share laughs and connect with sisters.