As I had already been to Honduras with Gesu, I was excited to go with Gilmour and have a different experience. I think my favorite part of the trip was one of the things that was also a part of the Gesu trip: playing with the kids. I believe that playing with the kids in Nuevo Paraiso is one of the most impactful parts of the trip, especially because it kept coming up in our reflections. The joy on the kids faces brought us all hope, and allowed us to look past the fact that they might not have a birth parent with them at all times, they might not have a phone or a iPad, but they're so happy that they radiate joy, and we can see that in our daily lives as well.

I loved learning about different areas of their lives, and I loved learning more about their school life. I especially loved being introduced to their subjects in high school, welding, electronics, etc. I thought it was super interesting that they learned more trade-based stuff to help with their lives after high school, whereas our high schools are so geared towards basic topics - math, science, etc.

From September until late March, I would (and will) attend between 6-8 hours of hockey practices and games every week. I also attended the Big Bear tournament in Michigan, for which my team (the Peewee 3s) tied for 5th place. I help run drills at practices, keep the children engaged, and pass pucks when necessary. I also have participated in the drills if the teams need more players. Although I have never played the sport, I enjoy every minute of coaching these kids. Many of them I have coached for 3-4 years, and I’ve watched them grow as hockey players and as people. These children are some of the people I will miss the most when I go to college next year, because I am so used to seeing them every other day that it’s going to be a hole when I don’t see them anymore.

I planned the New Year (starting months in advance) and carried out the physical purchasing of supplies, set up, worked during the event, and stayed after to clean up. I met with Mr. Stepnowski, Jack Guo, Esther, Ian Miller, and Emily Stickle multiple times. Planning this and making sure it ran smoothly was my main goal.

I led the skit station at the freshman retreat with Braeden Friesen. We brought props, helped to engage the freshmen, and led them in insightful conversation. I also was a Eucharistic minister during the mass at the end of day 1.

We woke up early in the morning of June 20th to get to the airport. We boarded our flight, the day flew by, and suddenly we were in Honduras. The very first day we were there we got accustomed to the area, took a tour, and met our translators, Luis and Marina. We went to sleep, and the next morning we woke up, had breakfast, met more important people (the construction crew and our security guards), and went to go meet the kindergarteners. The kids sang us songs in Spanish, and we sang back to them in English. We played with the kids for a while, and while they spoke rapid-fire Spanish and I spoke no Spanish, we still had a great time. Later we went and played soccer with the older kids, where we were destroyed multiple times. We didn't stand a chance. We went to bed that night tired and sweaty. The next day we started the wall, which we continued to work on every day. We played soccer more often, and got poured on (it's winter in Honduras, which means rainy season), and saw many many bugs. One of the low points of the trip, in my opinion, was seeing a scorpion on our bathroom floor. It was terrifying. Each morning, we would walk the little kids to school, and the pure joy on their faces when they saw us coming us unimaginable. I loved every minute of this trip, especially every minute I spent getting to know people I didn't know before.

For a week, I went to the Church of the Gesu at 8:30 to set up to work with kids aged around 7-9. We played outside and in the gym with them, led activities, and read and acted out bible stories. The kids learned valuable lessons and got to walk around the church. We helped manage kids and aid the leaders. There were also multiple kids with ADHD, or on the spectrum. It was our job to make sure all the kids were included and a part of all the activities.

I have coached this team for 2 years, and every year it's a learning experience. I love growing in my own knowledge of hockey while teaching them how to play as well. My favorite part of this season was probably when we went from being 4th seed at the end of the year going into playoffs, and beating the number 1 ranked team (who had only been beaten/tied against twice, and both times were our team). We went on to get 2nd place in the championship game, but I was so proud of them. The kids I coach are like my little siblings, and I've grown in friendships with them, their siblings, parents, etc. I truly appreciate every minute I spend with these kids and I'm looking forward to coaching again next season.

For many years, I have altar served at Gesu. Every Sunday since 6th grade, I have been an altar server with many other Gesu students and graduates. I have been especially helpful with younger kids who are just learning how to serve, as I train them and aid them with anything they need to do.

I was an assistant coach for the Squirt 2 team. I do not play hockey, but it was very fun coaching the kids and watching them improve. I used my lacrosse goalie experience to help the hockey goalies and I was an equipment manager, photographer, videographer, and babysitter for the team (especially on our overnight trip to Michigan). I kept everyone in check, was moral support, and helped explain the rules of the game during film sessions and on the bench. Overall, I was an important asset to the team and I would love to do it again next year.

I attended this class to learn more about Honduras before going, and learning more about the meaning of immersion.

I went to the class that aligned with the Honduras trip and learning about the point of Immersion trips.

In late 2020, I asked if I could help coach my brother's team with my dad. My dad said he would have to ask the head coach, Coach Berg, so I waited a full year. Last November, my dad finally asked Coach Berg and he said yes. I started going to practices and games with them, and I had a lot of fun. For one thing, I have never played hockey. It was fun to learn the sport and coach kids that were 7 years younger but 7 times better at it than I was. There were 2 main coaches and 3 student coaches to coach 10 kids. However, if there was a shortage of coaches on the other teams that practiced at the same time as us, I could help out on other teams. For example, when there was no coach for the Mite Blue team, I coached them solo for the entire practice.

My jobs consisted of keeping the kids in line (as some had anger management problems or weren't good with teams), warming up the goalie and sometimes the kids, opening the door during games, and shouting encouragement. I got to know all of the kids and it was so fun to coach them. Overall, I'm hoping to do it again next year, granted my dad can coach again.

Evie Limberg

Ms. Tietjen

Senior Service Essay

11 April 2025

Senior Essay Reflection

The St. André Bessette Service and Justice program is modeled after the life of Br. Andre. Br. Andre spent his life helping people and holding doors for students, so we attempt to model his service to others. Service is not just a commitment we make when coming to Gilmour, instead, it is a doorway held open by Brother Andre for us to step into the world of service and foster compassion. Developing a deeper understanding of the needs of the vulnerable characterizes my personal service experience. I have spent my four years of high school doing my best to live for others and attempting to live up to the mission that Brother Andre set out for us. Through my experiences, I developed a deeper understanding of the needs of the vulnerable, the distinction between charity and justice, and the power of building genuine relationships with those I served. One particular experience stands out, shaping my perspective on what it truly means to serve others and inspiring me to carry these lessons forward in my life.

My service has never been lacking. I reached the graduation requirement for service in my freshman year and have only gone up. I have been involved in many different types of service: service trips to Honduras, coaching youth hockey, running school celebrations, leading retreats, teaching Vacation Bible School, Altar serving, and working at a preschool. The requirement has never been the goal for me, instead, it has been the journey. I have gained further compassion for the vulnerable, which I have demonstrated through continuously gaining hours of service, some of which go unlogged. I make it my mission to love everyone, and I hope that my service shows that. I truly believe in being a person who loves when people hate, and I take care of every person I meet like a brother or sister. Many of the people I meet are young (the majority of my hours are characterized by helping those who are young: coaching hockey, helping at a preschool, VBS, and service trips to Honduras where I make it a priority over my fatigue to play with the kids), and I enjoy being a person who they know they can always look up to, and someone they can always contact if they need help. Because of my service coaching, I have made many connections, and I babysit some of the kids I coach. These kids are exactly like younger siblings to me, and I demonstrate my love for them daily. Going to Honduras, I saw the vulnerable and I saw the injustices they face, and I hope I helped them – not as someone who can “fix” their mindsets about women or someone who can “fix” the poverty – but as someone who can hold their hand for some time and bring them joy.

In that way, this program has shown me the difference between charity and justice. Charity as a word means “the voluntary giving of help, typically in the form of money, to those in need.” So often, we consider “charity” a permanently good thing, when in truth, the intentions matter. Going into a situation such as a mission trip to Honduras and expecting to “fix” everything about them is not charity. True, genuine charity would be giving the most you can to an organization, whether that be time, money, etc., but not going into other people’s lives hoping to be the one that fixes everything, as we so often think. On the other hand, justice is attempting to make things just. Whether that means learning about the issue or putting yourself into a situation where you can attempt to better the situation (not “fix”), that is generally better than our idea as a society of the meaning of charity.

Although I could talk forever about the connections I’ve made from my stories with service, there is one particular individual who has stayed in my heart since I met him. The first time I went to Honduras, I barely spoke any Spanish. I slowly learned more and more as the week went on, and tried to practice with all of the kids. I remember them laughing if I would pronounce something wrong, not to make fun of me, but just because they didn’t understand. Two younger boys would always be near our group, helping us build our wall and chatting with the people who spoke Spanish. I remember meeting these kids then, and seeing them always run to play soccer with us and join us whenever they could.

Then, the second time I went to Honduras, I waited to see these boys again. I finally saw them on about the third day. I remember seeing the absolute joy radiate on their faces when they recognized me and realized I kept my promise that I’d come back. One of the boys, Fernando, was by my side the whole time. He had a broken wrist, and although he didn’t have a cast to hold it in place, he had a splint and an Ace bandage to keep his arm straight. He would always be our soccer goalie, and he was a better goalie with one arm than I would be with two. He would come to the playground with us, and at some point, he and I ended up on the swings. He spoke little English, and I little Spanish, but we sat on the swings together and just kept getting slowly higher. At some point,t I thought it would be fun to jump off the swings, so I yelled “Listo?” and jumped off. I forgot that I was wearing shorts and my legs would stick to the swings, so when I “jumped” off, I just fell flat onto my hands. I sat on the ground for a second, and Fernando was laughing at me. I was laughing too, even though it hurt for a moment, it didn’t feel like I’d broken anything. I went to go stand up, and I looked at my hand. My knuckles were gushing blood, and my knee was too. Fernando saw me sitting in partial shock and got off the swings. He stood behind me, and with a broken arm pulled me so I was standing. He pointed at the place where we were staying, implying I should go clean it up. That moment has stuck with me since the moment it happened, partially because I now have scars on my knuckles, but mainly because it just truly encapsulates the meaning of friendship. Of course we knock each other down and of course it hurts sometimes, but we always have someone at our back to pick us up and dust us off. I’m so grateful that even through the language barrier I have had the opportunity to meet so many loving people, including my friends from Honduras, who help me understand that even though one could look at what they had and pity them, feel bad, and throw money, one could also live with them, see the joy on their faces and their love for God’s creation, and understand that there is no need for charity, just a passion to love every human equally, justly.

At 8:00, we left my house to drive to Gilmour on Saturday, November 6th. When we got to Gilmour, I boarded a bus and we drove to the GCFB. When we got there, we washed our hands and got assigned to a station. My station was loading cereal boxes into the Shelf Stable box. I had to put two boxes of cereal into each box. We worked on that for three hours with a 30 minute break. Overall, we filled 320 shelf stable boxes with 9,600 pounds of food. I went through two pallets of cereal. It was definitely a fun experience, and it means so much that I'm helping people through a hard time.