Wonder Voyage 2008 Summer Blog

Ben is a student on the pilgrimage voyage.

Today we spent another 2 hours finishing the service project we started yesterday. The result was a giant mountain of black trash bags full of pine needles. The nuns were very pleased with our work, as were we.

After cleaning up and eating lunch, we headed out to Woodland Park area to explore a small section of the Pike National Forest. After a very short hike, we came upon huge red rocks. It was a challenge trying to find the right way to go about climbing the rocks, but when we finally found the way up, the view was spectacular! Some people found there own way to the top, while others needed a hand. After a bit of contemplation at the top, I realized that the rocks were like our faith, it can sometimes be a challenge to truly believe, but if you do, life will truly be spectacular.

We finished off the evening by grilling hamburgers and playing some games before heading off to bed.

Our tiny team from Church of the Redeemer started off our week in Colorado by serving the nuns at the Benet Pines retreat center. We raked pine needlesand put them in large trash bags. Kristy said it was a never ending job of cleaning the forest floor! Claude and Jason, our Wonder Voyage guide, lucked out and got to use chainsaws to cut up logs for firewood. The nuns said that they were very impressed at how much we got done in such little time. We had fun working together but I’m sure I’ll be sore tomorrow!

After lunch we headed up to the 14,000 foot summit of Pike’s Peak. We were all a bit nervous as we drove up the steep one lane dirt road and I could feel myself getting short of breath as we neared the top but the view was totally worth it. On the way down, we stopped at a cool rock formation to write in our journals. I really enjoyed that time and the scenery was amazing! I felt like a tiny ant on this world as I stepped on to a rock that overlooked miles and miles of Colorado. It was very peaceful and an amazing feeling looking upon God’s awesome creation.

I am having an great time and I want to thank the people that helped us to get here and everybody praying for us.

Our San Antonio journey along the river continued on Monday with a journey to the south side of town and a play day at Mission Road Developmental Center.  This facility provides housing and services for children and adults with mental retardation.  Our team divided up into groups and each group participated in the activities of the summer recreation program.  Arts and crafts, swimming, Bible study, and life skills were just some of the things that the residents participate in each day.  Each student was able to bond with at least on child, and the smiles and laughter were overflowing. We marveled at how we were welcomed by the residents unconditionally, and we were challenged to live our own lives that way.
 
We stopped along the San Antonio River again to spend some time at the Espada Aqueduct.  The group was reminded that the river of life and love that God can fill us with still needs to be directed; just like the residents of the early missions used aqueducts to control the direction and flow of the river, God provides us with “human aqueducts” like mentors and pastors to help us flow in a life of faith.  Many of the students took the opportunity to speak about the ways in which they need guidance and wisdom as they move through this season in their lives. 
 
We are looking forward to the opportunities God will provide for us this week to not just take in living water, but also to overflow with it in ways that impact the lives of others.

Our team this week in San Antonio is from Church of the Apostles in Coppell, and St James Episcopal in Dallas.  We are focused on the water of life, and here in San Antonio our daily excursions always seem to include the San Antonio River…the very lifeblood of the city.
 
After we attended a Holy Eucharist service at St Luke’s Episcopal Church, we headed into the downtown area to serve the ministry of the St Vincent de Paul Society.  This organization serves the homeless, hungry and downtrodden at the SAMM emergency shelter.  Three times a day, 365 days a year, the Society serves nutritious meals to those who are less fortunate.  The students spent the entire afternoon preparing and serving meals as well as doing some pantry cleaning and reorganization.  Our entire goal today was to be a blessing, to “bring refreshment.”  The team was a blessing to the staff of St Vincent de Paul by taking care of some chores that had been on the back burner for a while. They brought refreshment to the clients of the shelter,  not just by bringing a hearty meal and a cold drink on a hot day, but they also blessed them just by listening and hearing their stories.
 
In the words of Alex, one of the students, “Personally, I liked it.  I talked to people, helped them with their trays, and helped clean.  It was really interesting hearing their stories.  They all have dignity, and they all shared how important it was to prevent addiction.”  It is our prayer that we will continue to bring refreshment wherever we go this week.

Saturday, our first day was very exciting.  At 6AM we met up with the other part of our team from St James in Dallas.  We drove toward San Antonio, and  eventually we met up with Molly & Ryan, our Wonder Voyage directors, at the Snake Farm. 

We went inside, and saw all of the snakes; I’m personally afraid of snakes, so when I got the opportunity to touch one, I was scared. 

After the Snake Farm, we drove the rest of the way into San Antonio, and settled in at the university where we are staying.  In the evening we went to the beginning point of the San Antonio River.  That was extremely cool.  I visualized back to the beginning of the city and just imagined a family that had just found the beginning of this river that would become the beginning of this city. 

I keep on using the word beginning because God created our world out of water.  God was hovering over the waters in the BEGINNING, and then He created our world.  So water is basically everything, and being at the beginnning of a city is an awesome feeling. 

Later on, having my feet washed, with this same water, by MY OWN youth pastor who I look to for anything…having him on his knees, washing my feet, was an amazing feeling.  Even better though…Saturday was just the beginning…