Pat the Friar

Prior to this trip, my experience with missionaries, particularly those located along the southern US border, was practically none. I pretty much had absolutely no clue what I was getting myself into when I heard we were staying at the San Solano mission in Topawa so I was presently surprised when I arrived. Of all the experiences that I had over the trip, my stay at the mission was one of the most memorable.

Being that the housing available to us was split between a large living complex that housed eleven people and a small one-bedroom hut in the back of the property, we ended up having to be separated. Donnie, Pat, and I ended up being the odd ones out and had to live in the “off-site” house. Again though, not knowing exactly what I was getting into, I was pleasantly surprised to find the house a quaint little home with all the amenities of a normal living structure. Pat and Donnie obviously found it quite comfortable considering they fell asleep almost instantly as seen by the picture below.

With both Pat and Donnie asleep and there still being an hour or two until dinner, I decided to take a walk around the property. Other than the church, a few living areas, and classrooms, I didn’t expect there to be much else in the area. I was surprised then to find that the site had at least three basketball courts, multiple swing sets, and a plethora of assorted playground infrastructure strewn across the landscape. Overall, it was a very cool place to stay.