Two De La Salle Warren students Justin Peklo and Christopher Davis, along with Spanish teacher Nicole Setlack traveled to Ecuador in July 2009 with a group of students from the Archdiocese of Detroit (AOD). Encounter Ecuador, is a product of a partnership between the diocese of Riobamba Ecuador and the AOD. The focus was on working with the Indigenous people in three communities to have an experience of the culture and to learn how we can support the efforts of the people to improve their life situations. Another purpose of the trip was to begin the process of building relationships to help youth from both dioceses hear the call of the human family.
Christopher Davis is a senior and has participated in Science Olympiad, is a member of the National Honor Society and LINK Crew. He also volunteers at a hospital and is involved with the youth group from St. Therese.
Chris reflected on his trip with these words. “On our trip to Ecuador we were privileged to witness not only the beautiful country but an inner beauty of the people that was shown through their incredible generosity and faith. They don’t have all the material things we do, so the main thing in their life is the Church. We saw how great a person it can make you, through their hospitality and love for people they never met.”
Justin Peklo is also a senior and has been a member of the Campus Ministry Leadership Team for the past two years. He is also involved in school activities such as the Lacrosse team, Student Council and the National Honor Society. He also was a member of LINK Crew which assists the freshmen in getting acclimated to the school.
Justin writes, “My experience of living simply in Ecuador this past summer has helped me in becoming more appreciative of my own life. I am now more fully aware to the needs of those on a global basis” Justin remembers one experience “We got up about 8 a.m. and began to ready ourselves for breakfast, a tri-lingual mass, delivering llamas and the markets in Riobamba. … The Mass turned out to be more Quechan and Spanish than anything else and was interrupted by a goat making noises on the top of the bus. … It was our delight in seeing the faces and reactions of the very thankful and humble appreciations of those who were selected to receive the llamas. Finally it was time to do the little work that they had for us, but were very gracious for our gifts and our work.”