Wonder Voyage 2009 Summer Blog

Our week in Toronto has come to and end, and the pilgrims from Christ Episcopal in Pomfret, Ct have re-crossed the border and returned home.  We had  a really fun and uniqiue week here.  From the service projects at St Bart’s, to a Eucharist service at St James Anglican Cahtedral, to a Toronto Blue Jays game, to Toronto Island, to Little India, Greektown, and Chinatown, we have explored, worked, laughed, prayed and played in this culturally diverse city. The group grew closer together each day as they learned more and more about each other, and they lived out their time of pilgrimage with energy, humor, curiosity, and grace.The students were challenged and encouraged to live into their unique giftings, and to continue to love and serve God by loving, living, and serving in community. 

This group will soon begin its Young Adults in Church program, and our prayer is that they will join fully into the life of their parish by contributing their gifts as they continue on their journeys. They are all pieces of the mosaic which is their church, and we hope they will strive to be truly who they were created to be while being part of something larger than themselves.

Thus ends the Toronto blog.

Today we went back to St Bart’s Anglican Church where we went to fix breakfast the other day, but we didn’t have to go as early.  We helped out for part of the morning making the place look prettier.  We painted the walls in the inside parish hall, and we also painted part of the entryway outside. Some of us worked hard pulling weeds and making the yard look better, and we also picked up trash in the area.  They were so glad we helped that they got us pizza for lunch!

In the afternoon we went walking through Chinatown and the Kensington Market.  Then we took a subway and then we walked and walked until our feet hurt and our bladders were bursting, and we got to Little India. 

We went to a restaurant where we sampled different kinds of Indian food.  We all tried it, but I myself didn’t really like it. Then we took a Cable Car to Greektown where there was a street festival going on.  It was pretty cool.  There was lots of good smelling food and a lot of energized people. We walked and walked and got pizza and ate Baklava which is a Greek pastry with honey, nuts and lots of other delicious ingredients. We walked to the subway to end our long day’s journey back at the dorm where I sit and write this. 

Today we spent most of the day on Toronto Island on Lake Ontario.  There were so many scenic paths and interesting sights to find on the  island including a garden maze and amusement park. We played on the  beach and rented bikes so we could get a good view of the entire  island. As a group we enjoyed a picnic lunch in the shade (which made  
it feel much cooler than it really was.) Some members of our group  were brave enough to go in the water, but they got out about 30  seconds later. We were all tired when we returned happily to the  University for a barbecue dinner.

After dinner we were each given a letter from home. Some of us cried;  some of us realized our parents really care, some were simply happy to  hear from family. However the letters made us feel, they all had the  power to open us up with our emotions and help us connect. We  discussed what our parents wrote. Some of it was humorous, some of it  
was sad, and all of it came from the heart. The letters helped us  connect to each other and maintain a connection throughout the night.  All of the girls stayed up afterward and wrote letters back home to  our families. Our goal was to make sure that our parents know that we  love and miss them as much as they love and miss us.

The most amazing thing that has happened to me so far on this  pilgrimage to Toronto was serving breakfast to the homeless and hungry  people at one of the churches we visited. The church was St  Bartholomew’s Anglican Church. It is in the poorest area in all of  Ontario. The church feeds thousands of people every year through  donations of food and through many faithful volunteers. We helped to  cook, set up tables and hand out food, and then we cleaned it all up.

I was not looking forward to it at all because we had to get up at 4 AM so we could set up. I didn’t really know what to expect at first,  but I’m really happy I did it.  It was so strange to come into such  close contact with and have conversations with the kind of people who I’m so used to staying far away from on the streets when I’m back at  
home. Great experience.

The pilgrims from Christ Church in Pomfret Connecticut have arrived safely and settled in quickly at St Michaels College on the University of Toronto.

The team hit the ground running this morning, rising before 5am to prepare and serve breakfast with the feeding ministry of St  Bartholomews Anglican Church in Regent Park. This area is the poorest postal code in the entire nation of Canada, and this tiny parish  serves thousands of meals per month to the hungry. The pilgrims served  with great care and nary a complaint despite the early hour.

Our afternoon holds the opportunity for exploration in the city, but  first, a midmorning siesta to gear us up for whatever adventures the  rest of the day holds.