Block Work - Las Flores, Belize (January 7 - 15, 2019)

Over the past few years, several members of our parish have been able to assist Luke Boiarski, SCN, in helping Manuel realize his dream of a new home.

Manuel is a man in his twenties whom Sr. Luke met as a young boy. Since then, he has selflessly volunteered with other home builds in his community. On this trip, Ron and Wayne, working alongside volunteers from Alabama, the Martinez family, and community friends, continued building Manuel's home. Wayne feels especially blessed to have been able to help with Manuel's home over the past couple of years, as well as for all of his other volunteer opportunities. This is his way of giving back to the SCNs and thanking them for teaching him at St. John's School. He feels passionate about building these homes to make the children's lives better in the future.

The volunteers laid bricks, built a roof, mixed concrete, laid foundation, and spread gravel around the house to help provide a cleaner and safer place for everyone to gather and play. Everyone in the family helped throughout the week, including the young grandchildren, and, as always, the volunteers made many new friends.

In the photo gallery, you can see a street-view from the block house being built. Then you see pictures of the current house where Manuel and his family live. But nothing in Belize is ever wasted. Once the family moves into the new block house, the current house will become home to one of the other family members.

While in Las Flores, the volunteers stayed within a short distance of the build site in Camalote Camp. They distributed dresses, shorts, flip flops, school supplies, and rosaries to the local communities. They visited St. Michael's School, enjoying lunch there several days. Finally, they made time for worship and rest, attending Mass in the local community. They even made friends with the wildlife at Altun Ha Mayan Ruins before the traditional picture at the Belize sign!