Wonder Voyage 2009 Summer Blog

The team from St. Martins arrived today and they hit the ground running.  After the team went through customs and grabbed there luggage, we did some brief introductions and then headed of to a great little sea-side resturant.  We had a great view of the ocean and then took a final glance of it as we won’t see it for the next few days. 

We then went and had a brief meeting with the Bishop of Belize, it was brief because there happen to be a funeral going on at the Cathedral. That afternoon we arrived at our amazing little base in the jungle. The team had been awake since 4am and were ready to hit the sack but before we did, we had a quick orientation, a great Belizean dinner and then headed off to bed. 

Tomorrow we wake up early to head to the ruins of Tikal where you will get to hear about it from one of the youth’s perspective.

We have landed! The airplane ride was quite long but we stayed entertained. After meeting our guides, Cheryl and Shawn, we took the 3 hour ride to Firenze (Florence).

Florence is the most beautiful city I have ever seen. We are staying in the gorgeous convent of St. Elisabettas. The gardens are filled with turtles, fish and birds. The chapel is simple and serene.

After settling, we hiked across the city to the Duomo, the 4th largest cathedral in the world, with a painted dome ceiling. We then saw the baptisty whose doors told the story of Jesus life. Dante was even baptized there. We learned the story of 2 artists who competed to design the doors. The loser would eventually design the Duomo.

Tired we stumbled back to bed. Italy is much more than expected.

Every now and then I read or hear of something that motivates me to push on. A story of someone overcoming adversity or beating the odds always stirs my soul. Today I got the privilege of experiencing such a story first hand.

One of the members of our team has recently had ankle surgery and has been forced to use crutches to get around. We set out for a 4 mile hike to Taggart Lake feeling a little sorry that our friend would miss out. 60 minutes later as we sat enjoying an incredible view at the lake we were shocked to see her cruising in on her crutches! Not only did she make it to the lake, but she completed the full hike – much of which was uphill.

Every person that passed her on the trail was in awe of her determination and will to complete what she had started. Oh God may I find the strength and courage to press on when the challenges of life surround me. May I finish the race with the same vigor I saw today in my fellow pilgrim.

Today, like each day on this journey, we began with a time of prayer led and directed by the students. Using the Book of Common Prayer they choose the “spiritual tone” of the morning.

Our journey today led us through an exploration of the spiritual roots of
Juneau, its culture and geography. After an extensive tour of the city and Douglas Island we headed to our fist appointment of the day – the Russian Orthodox Church. The caretaker of this beautiful building is a 5th generation Tlingit Indian and Orthodox Christian.His father was one of the first Indian Orthodox priests.After learning the history of this
place,some great stories, and had some Q and A we headed to our next challenge – the Mt. Roberts trail.

The hike represented one of this teams first physical/mental challenges.At 3 miles long, 1800 vertical feet and boasting narrow passages…this
adventure challenged the entire team.Upon our arrival at the top we
watched a movie about Tlingit life and culture while learning a few
phrases.After we were done the team took a tram down, had a quick look
downtown and departed once again for the Shrine.

We enjoyed a quiet evening together reflecting on the day, what we saw and
experienced.

This morning the pilgrims from St Albans in Washington DC started their first full day on the Sabbath by celebrating the Eucharist in the local Church of Ireland parish. Being greeted by the locals the pilgrims already began gathering stories of their experiences.

In the afternoon the pilgrims embarked on a wild adventure hiking the cliffs of Giants Causeway. Avoiding the tourists, the pilgrims made their way above the world famous site to an overlook where they heard the Celtic legends of Fin MacCool and his son Oisin, after which they hiked for miles along the cliff face in search of an Iron Age site that once held a castle.

The theme of reconciliation is something dating back to Irish Celtic times, and as the pilgrims traversed these ancient sites they were reminded today how cultural clashes in their own lives can sometimes require reconciliation as well.

Flight delays and bad weather behind them the pilgrims from St Albans in Washington DC arrived in good spirits to Belfast N Ireland. The theme for the week is reconciliation and our home for the first few days, the Corrymeela Community in Ballycastle, is a great place to start.

Corrymeela is an ecumenical, award-winning, community that focuses on bringing peace and reconciliation to N Ireland. The pilgrims arrived to their new home greeted with a warm lunch and a quick tour.

Afterward they headed out on a short walk to the beach where the journey of pilgrimage began as they reflected on areas of reconciliation in their own lives.

By now the team from Holy Comforter is probably making their final descent into Charlotte, NC. My lack of internet access made publishing final update difficult. I would still, however, like to describe our final full day.

Our last day brought us to the diocesan [a word much harder to say than it looks] house in San Jose, the capital. There we were able to meet with Father Hector and the St. John’s mission team from Charlotte. The Eucharist in particular stood out to me: it was nothing any of us were used to.  The room that we sat in was an unfinished common room (which later doubled as the dining room) with no decorations or paint on the walls. The Bishop performed the service, sometimes slipping into Spanish during certain prayers. For the message, he had several people in attendance share about their experience in working missions. All was very informal and unofficial- and touching. Here we met together to learn how God had touched lives in a tiny unfinished room in downtown San Jose. The Lord’s Supper came to symbolize our week together: different and unexpected, and full of God’s presence.

Dear Madeline,

Our time in New Orleans has come to a close, but there are so many cool things to remember.  One of those things is how well we all blended together into one unified group.  We worked hard, played hard, and prayed hard.  We cleaned, sorted, organized, re-organized, pulled, hammered, shoveled, cut, mowed, chopped, bagged, and sweated. Some of the work we did was really tedious; some of it was really hard. We saw some unique things here in the city; we talked to some incredibly kind and very grateful people.  We ate an enormous amount of good food, and through it all we sought the face of God.

Our last day in the city was one for fun and exploration.  We went to the Wax Museum in the morning, and we rode on the Steamboat Natchez on the Mississippi River in the afternoon.  In between, we explored the French Quarter shopping and, of course, eating. In the evening we shared the moments of the trip that had impacted us the most. It was a special time.

Today we had to say goodbye…that’s sometimes the hardest part of a trip like this.  After a week of sharing space, meals, work, laughter and tears it is really hard to say goodbye, but we must.  If I had to pick a favorite part of the week it would be hard.  God was with us all the time. My favorite part was the laughter.  Even when it was super hot and we were really tired, we were still laughing alot.  I think that sound of joyful laughter is really music to God’s ears.

I’m sorry that you were unable to come with us to New Orleans, Madeline. I think your prayers for us helped us to have such an amazing week.  I know the students from St Lukes are really exicted to share their stories and pictures with you. Thank you again for lifting us up in prayer.  I hope that you will join us next time on the adventure. 

Molly

Our team from Holy Comforter arrived safely and set out for exploration in the historic settler’s town of Jackson, Wyoming.

After sampling the famous local pizza shop the team wandered about town getting acquainted with the community while.

They then set off for their home away from home for the next week – tent cabins on Jackson Lake in the shadows of the snow-capped Teton peaks.

We shared dinner around the fire and then bundled up tight for a cool night in our sleeping bags.

On our first full day in Alaska, we were still suffering from some jet lag but that did not stop us from having an enjoyable day.

In the morning we participated in a community service project: moving firewood from the hilly forest to a truck and then re-stacking it in a shelter.
The retreat center uses wood through out the winter months and was in need of manpower. We worked up a appetite for lunch – which was ready and awaiting our arrival.

Later that afternoon we went fishing.I caught the only fish which was promptly thrown back.The experience was a good one.

The youth prepared a meal of veggie and chicken stir fry with ice cream for dessert. We topped off the day with an outdoor service an enjoyed a beautiful sunset.