God’s blessings to you! My name is Amilcar Cabar.

At this moment I take my pen, with tears still trickling down my face. Several months have passed and I still feel the emptiness in my heart due to the unreturnable loss of Mia Natalia Sierra Varela. I was her Physical Education and Social Science Teacher at Holy Trinity Episcopal School in La Ceiba, Atlántida, Honduras, Central America.

One day Mia Natalia said to me: “Teacher I will not be able to do Physics today, I have a little pain in my leg”. My reply was: sit down, there and watch your classmates exercise. I still didn’t know anything about her health situation. Shortly after I realized that she got sick and was undergoing treatment which led to the amputation of her leg. I never imagined this would happen. Nevertheless, knowing this brave little girl, with such great unwavering faith I was confident that she would someday recover.

The unexpected moment arrived when two years three months, June 24 th of this year I looked at my cell phone and saw a black ribbon in Reverend Nery Varela’s (Mía Natalia’s mother). I realized that Mia Natalia passed away.

I was looking for a way to call, but I couldn’t make the call. I was afraid to face the sad news. However, I I called. Reverend Nery answered and I couldn’t speak a word. A great big lump in my throat didn’t allow me to speak. I realized that Mía Natalia was gone. Reverend answered me, with the brave voice of the woman of faith that she is: Mr. She is in a better place.

How brave a woman, a mother to see her daughter lying there lifeless, and have the strength to answer a call. We who watch Mia Natalia from she was in her mother’s womb born, grow day by day and became an exemplary as well as very talented girl in the family, school, church and community.

After every episode of that terrible sickness as soon as she recovered enough to do so: She would join online and ask me, “Mr. What tasks do I owe you, I’ll do what I can.” She was very punctual despite her illness. I always pondered in my mindand said to myself, not even those who are healthy and at home try to do their tasks and Mia Natalia is willing and punctual to our virtual classes despite her illness.

Mia Natalia WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED, for her bravery, her desire to live, her love for life. But there is no doubt that God has her in a better place.

To all of us who love Mia Natalia Sierra Varela, she will forever live in our hearts. I’ll always remember her alive and not dead. My memories of her are picturing her running around the field doing physical education even though now only the memory remains.

MIA NATALIA you WILL LIVE In the hearts of those who love you.

Your Physical Education and Sports Teacher.

Amilcar Cabar .

It is very difficult to talk about a student when she is no longer here. When God has her in his holy glory…

Mia was a charismatic, loving girl. Always with a smile that changed your perspective of the day. She always tried to do her best. She liked to study and to keep up with her classwork and homework. She was friendly with her classmates and very positive to face any adversity.

Mia you will always be in my heart.

Blessings.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Vanessa Alvarez
Teacher

I, James Talbert Cooper Merren, hereby and on behalf of my ex-student Mia Natalia Sierra Varela, inform you that I first met Mia in the year 2010. I saw her grow up in a God fearing family, and became a very good friend to her mother, Reverend Nery Yolanda Varela and Mr. Javier Sierra her father. As my student in seventh grade in the year of the Lord 2019-2020, Mia was always responsible in her scholar duties and eager to learn. Mia was always committed to obtain excellent grades and gave her maximum effort in all of her assignments, classwork and homework. As a young-child member of our Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Mia showed a lot of interest in learning more of the Holy Scriptures. She would help out in Sunday School Classes, and was always willing to go to the pulpit to read the Psalm or any other reading. Mia was a respectful, obedient and a wonderful loving girl. I feel honored to recommend her and her blessed memory for the Scholarship Foundation to bear her name.

Yours, truly

James T. Cooper

Good afternoon

May the Lord Almighty continue to shower abundant blessings on your lives.

My name is Irza Aguilar, I work at Holy Trinity Episcopal School.

Knowing Mía Natalia has been a wonderful experience in my life. I had the privilege of being her teacher in second and seventh grade. She was a sweet, loving, attentive, collaborative, dynamic, responsible girl in all aspects of her academic and personal life. It is an understatement to speak of such a noble being.

She was always willing to participate in school activities especially dances😊😊. She loved to dance. A very smart girl always remained on honor roll. When she started her struggle with the illness, she still connected to her classes (during Covid 19), participated, and did all assigned school work. Mia Natalia was always willing, despite those dark days of rough struggle she never gave in and much less gave up. She was an inspiration to many because despite her young age she was always positive throughout the adversities that this disease presents and never lost faith in God, she was a child who served the Lord.

Our relationship went beyond one of teacher-student since she was a companion of my own children since her preschool years and maintained that sincere and beautiful friendship all the way. She left many beautiful memories in their lives and in the life of each person who had the opportunity to know her noble heart.

Ink and paper are not enough to describe Mia Natalia. I met her when she was in her stroller. I saw her grow up, her sweet, gentle and caring demeanor always had her to out stand among her companions. From Pre-School through her years of middle school, she was a responsible student, with an angelic smile. She had a courageous spirit, never lost hope, despite her illness she kept her sweet smile, her unwavering faith in God and her optimism. Even if she is no longer with us, we will always remember her with all our hearts. We pray that the Foundation will help the many children in need that she always tried to help and encourage. She is truly indeed our heroine.

Joseph Marcelin her French Teacher.

Mia Natalia’s Brave Step

In a poor urban neighborhood, on the north Cost of the Central American country of Honduras, lived a little girl named Mia Natalia. She was a bundle of love, always smiling, her eyes filled with boundless curiosity. Mia Natalia had a spirit as vibrant as the summer sun of the City of La Ceiba in any of the tropical countries in one of which she was born. She was indeed the apple of everyone’s eye.

Mia Natalia, Rev. Nery’s daughter, was an active part of the church. She served at the altar as an acolyte, attended church school every Sunday, Vacation Bible School, lead the Psalm from the lectern using a little bench and also served as an usher. By the age of ten she helped the missionaries as interpreter Spanish to English and vice versa. With the younger kids she would volunteer handing out coloring books/pencils, as well holding their hands to help them around. etc.

Mia Natalia had a particular fondness for dancing, her little legs carrying her effortlessly across the small but cozy stage at her school. She would dance worship/liturgical dances, folkloric dances at community celebrations. She was part of the city’s Children Ballet, her legs moving her gracefully forward at any and all of these events with talent and enthusiasm. Those legs were her source of strength and her vehicle for exploration. Mia Natalia also had a passion for crafting, especially jewelry.

But one fateful day, when Mia Natalia was only two months away from celebrating her 12th birthday, her life took an unexpected turn. She began to experience a persistent pain in her left leg, a pain that refused to subside no matter how much she tried to ignore it. Concerned, her parents took her to see a doctor. The diagnosis was heart-wrenching: cancer had taken root in her left leg.

Mia Natalia, with her characteristic courage, faced the news head-on. She began to receive a series of treatments, each one a test of her resilience. Her hair fell out, but her spirit remained undeterred. She wore hats and caps of all sorts and colors. She adorned her head with lovely scarves and wore them like crowns.

Throughout her battle with cancer, Mia Natalia’s family, friends, teachers, her church’s prayer group, the community prayer group as well as other prayer groups nationwide and internationally rallied around her. They became her “Courage Crew,” standing with her through every chemotherapy session, every doctor’s visit, every surgery and every sleepless night. Her left leg became a symbol of her determination and unwavering hope.

Almost 2 years after her diagnosis, Mia Natalia faced a difficult decision. The cancer had taken its toll, and the only way to stop its spread was to amputate the leg. She was wise beyond her years, and made the courageous choice to let go of her leg knowing that it was the only way she could continue her journey.

The day of the amputation arrived, and Mia Natalia, with a brave smile, kissed her left leg goodbye. She whispered words of gratitude for the strength it had given her, the adventures it had allowed her to embark upon, and the lessons it had taught her about resilience.

After the surgery, Mia Natalia was on the list of people awaiting a prosthetic leg. She saw the new possibility as a symbol of hope, a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there could be a new beginning, a new chapter in her life.

In the meanwhile, Mia Natalia continued to play, move around now using her walker and wheelchair, and continued to teach her younger cousins to work on crafting jewelry. Incredibly, she also continued to give them instructions and modeled how to dance to many of the folkloric music of the nation, moving her own body from the waist up.

Mia Natalia was an inspiration to all who knew her, proving that courage could overcome even the greatest of challenges. Her gentle smile, her spirit as bright as ever, still echoed through the neighborhood, her classmates, teachers and prayer groups locally, and internationally. Everyone inquired, prayed, and with hope eagerly awaited words if not of total recovery but at least not of further decay of her physical condition

Though Mia Natalia lost her left leg to cancer, she gained something far more powerful—a heart filled with resilience, an indomitable spirit, and the unwavering love and support of those who cherished her.

Early on in her treatment, Mia Natalia doctors suggested her transition to the capital city of Tegucigalpa. She resided at her grandparents, Mom, Dad and little brother, (Carlos Emmanuel). In the quietness of her room, bathed in the soft glow of a single bedside lamp, this remarkable young girl, laid in her bed while her strength was slowly waning. Her face, once filled with the radiance of youth, now began to denote the marks of countless struggles and sleepless nights. Yet, her spirit and faith remained as resilient as ever.

Mia Natalia had always been a beacon of faith and hope. She had faced adversity with unwavering courage, inspiring everyone around her. Her parents had watched helplessly as his daughter fought a battle no child should ever have to endure. But through it all, she had held onto her faith like a lifeline.

On this particular night, as the world outside grew darker, she asked of her father a special request. Dad, can you please call my godmother. I want her to pray with and for me. Despite the fatigue that gnawed at her frail body, Mia Natalia’s eyes shone with a quiet determination. She believed in the power of prayer and the comfort it could bring.

Dad dialed, and I picked it up, heart heavy with the knowledge of Natalia’s pain. On the other end of the line, her soft voice, though weakened by illness, held a serenity that defied her circumstances. She asked could you pray for me, godmother? Without hesitation I began the prayer, voice was very soft, trembling slightly but filled with unwavering faith. She thanked the heavens for the gift of life, for the love of her family, and for the strength to endure. I prayed for comfort and peace, not just for herself, but for her family and friends who had shared this arduous journey with her. Her words were a testament to her enduring faith and her incredible capacity for love and compassion.

As the prayer continued, her father’s quietly listened, his eyes glistening with tears of both sorrow and gratitude. He saw his daughter’s face relax, the lines of pain easing for a moment as the soothing words of the prayer wrapped around her like a warm embrace.

When the prayer came to an end, Mia Natalia’s voice was filled with a sense of peace and contentment that transcended the pain of her physical body. She looked at her father and smiled, whispering, “I feel so much peace now, Daddy.”

That night, as Mia Natalia drifted off to sleep, she carried that newfound peace with her. It was a peace that had eluded her for so long, a peace that had come from her unwavering faith and the bond she shared with myself and parents as well. In her final hours, she had shown the world that even in the face of the most daunting challenges, faith could light the way and bring solace to the soul.

Mia Natalia’s journey had been one of unfaltering courage, unshakable faith, and boundless love. And on that night, as Natalia closed her eyes for the last time, she did so with a heart full of peace, leaving behind a legacy of hope and a reminder that, no matter the adversity, faith could carry us through the darkest of nights.

Her story became a testament to the incredible strength that can be found in the most unexpected places, and to the courage it takes to take that brave step forward, even when facing the greatest of obstacles. Mia Natalia was, and always will be, a shining example of bravery, hope, faith and love.

By the photos I have attached you can see that she assisted me in a field of cows during the St. Stephens’s Medical Mission 2019. Ordinarily when our mission teams came to La Ceiba, Honduras we usually brought our own children’s ministry team, who would work in this village of La Linea…..a remote village about 13 kilometers east of La Ceiba. 

During this last mission team 2019 just before the pandemic, we only had one young lady 13 years old who joined our team. 

Upon arrival at Holy Trinity Church Rev. Nery said Natalia could join our children’s ministry and yet Natalia was just a 10 year old child herself. Enthusiastically she joined our group and I literally trained her how to be a leader with the children of this remote village.

The children in La Linea could barely read Spanish let alone speak English.  Natalia assisted me teaching Bible studies to the children.  One day we all were sitting on shower curtains in the cow pasture.  We had just finished our Bible teaching and I ungracefully arose from the ground and Natalia said to me very sheepishly, “Miss Betty you have horsy Poop on your back”.  (It was so sweet, quiet, funny and nervously).  I said, “Don’t worry about it Natalia, I will wait until it dries and it will brush right off “.  She was a little embarrassed about saying it.  The horsy poop was actually part of a cow pie.

We have known Natalia since she was in her mother’s womb…….her mom and dad waited on her for about 8 years.  We loved this sweet girl, who had a precious sweet spirit. 

She is highly missed by everyone here at Holy Trinity Church and School. 

MICHAEL AND BETTYKASZER ST. STEPHENS MEDICAL MISSION