Jan. 5, 2011

BCU Students Conduct Life-Changing Work in Honduras

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Enduring strenuous hikes along rocky trails and dodging scorpions did not prevent 23 members of the Briar Cliff University mission team from bringing clean water to the impoverished village of Lempira, Honduras.

Upon arrival in the Central American country, BCU students and staff hiked nearly three miles to reach their worksite in the Tierra Nacar Mountains, one of the steepest terrains in Honduras, where they dug trenches for waterlines to villagers’ homes. 

“Our task was physically and mentally challenging, but working right alongside villagers made it easier,” said junior biology major Elizabeth Benjamin of Whiting, Iowa. “As we fellowshipped with villagers through daily prayer, card games and celebrations, we learned about the rich history and culture of the Honduran people.”  

The annual BCU Honduras mission trip was a life-changing experience, said Sister Janet May, OSF, director of Campus Ministry at Briar Cliff University.  “Our lives were changed along with our worldviews,” said Sister Janet.  “We had an inside view of third-world poverty and the lack of opportunities there.”

Briar Cliff University is a Catholic institution with an enrollment of more than 1,150 students from 29 states and 11 other countries. Students are educated in the Franciscan tradition of excellence in the liberal arts and career preparation in an environment of care, compassion and service. For more information, please visit briarcliff.edu.

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