Our missionary community went on a discernment retreat in late August/early September to the beautiful mountains of La Paz, near the Honduras-El Salvador border. It was certainly a long drive to get there (about 16 hours away from the Finca split up over 2 days), but, as was the case the first time that we went to this specific retreat house owned by the Missioners of Christ in August 2025, IT WAS SO, SO, SO WORTH IT!!! The natural beauty and the silence that you are able to find and simply be present in on the 20–30-acre property is BREATHTAKING and something that no Finca missionary will take for granted after living in the hectic lifestyle that often accompanies the missionary life in the Finca del Niño.
As many of you probably know, our missionaries from the United States have a two-year commitment when they agree to serve at La Finca del Niño, and our missionaries from Honduras only have a one-year commitment since the program is just getting underway. That being said, Rachel, Theresa, and Teddy arrived at the Finca in September 2024 and had to announce to our missionary community at the end of the retreat if they were staying for a 3rd year in the mission or going back home in early December to walk with God on their respective paths. Likewise, Alicia arrived at the Finca in January 2026 and also had to announce to the missionary community if she would be staying for a 2nd year in the mission or going back home to Lempira in early December.
On the last day of our retreat in Cabañas, I woke up with a familiar feeling that I felt throughout most of my life playing basketball: gameday nerves!! I had a few indications and a general guess on what each missionary would choose in their discernment announcement, but I WAS SO, SO, SO NERVOUS!! I firmly believe with my entire heart that we have a family in Casa Santa Teresita (CST), and it is NEVER, NEVER easy to say goodbye to your missionary family, especially after living with them for 2+ years. I have said goodbye to my fair share of missionaries in my 5 years at the Finca, but I had never lived with anyone for than 1 year in CST until Rachel, Teddy, & Theresa arrived on September 30th, 2024. As we gathered as a missionary community during the afternoon of our last day on retreat, I remember looking at the 4 missionaries as they were about to walk us through their discernment during their time at the Finca and make their final decision and simply thinking, “Somos hermanos. Somos familia para siempre. Los quiero MUCHÍSIMO”.
Ultimately, Rachel, Theresa, Teddy, & Alicia have all decided to leave the Finca in early December to return to their homes and pursue their next chapters in life. After each missionary announced their decisions one by one, we cheered as a family and embraced them in a profound hug. & After all 4 of them had announced their intentions for the following year, we simply sat in silence as a missionary community for at least 10-15 minutes, looking at the BEAUTIFUL view of the mountains before us and giving praise to God for the time that we have been able to spend as a missionary community. I was filled with incredible gratitude during our time in silence as a missionary community for being able to live in intentional community with each one of them and for being able to walk alongside them as a family for our 1-2 years together.
I will deeply miss Rachel’s kind heart and her lifegiving sense of humor, known for snorting like a pig when she laughs deeply and starting to tell others a funny story but not being able to finish the story for some time because she was laughing so hard. I am eternally grateful for Rachel’s servant heart and how she simply loved each and every patient in front of her and gave them all of her time, regardless of how she felt in that moment or how much she was struggling with Finca life. I am eternally grateful for Rachel’s yes to our mission and for the two years that we got to serve together!!
I will deeply miss Theresa’s ability to start intentional conversations with anyone in front of her and being able to make a person feel genuinely cared for, loved, and special. I am eternally grateful for Theresa’s incredible stories that she has told over the last two years about life on the farm in Iowa and for her deep passion for coffee and coffee farmers alike. Theresa has a special, special gift of allowing you in to her suffering and accompanying you in your suffering, simply desiring to walk with you as a brother in Christ. I am eternally grateful for Theresa’s yes to our mission and for the two years that we got to serve together!!
I will deeply miss Teddy’s servant heart and intense desire to serve in any way that makes others around him feel more loved and special, even if it comes at his own personal sacrifice. I am eternally grateful for Teddy’s incredible spirituality and for pushing me to become a better hijo de Dios every single day with his example and his pure heart. Teddy is one of the most incredible human beings that I have ever been around, I am eternally grateful to have gotten to spend such quality time with him in the Finca, including as roommates for 2 years! I am eternally grateful for Teddy’s yes to our mission and for the two years that we got to serve together!
I will deeply miss Alicia’s laugh of pure joy ringing throughout our kitchen and our entire house in CST, and I will deeply miss her loving presence constantly asking me, “Cómo está, patróncito?”. Similarly to Teddy, I am eternally grateful for Alicia’s profound and lifegiving spirituality and her constant desire to grow closer to God in everything that she does. Her constant example and consistent prayer life have motivated me every single day since I first met her in June 2025 to become a better Christian and to walk closer with God each moment of my life. I am eternally grateful for Alicia’s yes to our mission and for the year that we got to serve together!
Please pray for our 5 new missionaries that will be arriving at the Finca on Wednesday, September 30th!
Please let me know how I can pray for you!
God Bless!