Wonder Voyage 2009 Summer Blog

Hello everyone• This is our first day in Europe and we are just adjusting to the atmosphere. Our first stop was an authentic English[British] pub. Although some of us were adventurous when ordering our lunches, others of us were staying on the safe side[as in food we thought we knew from home!]. Even though this probably doesn’t count as a sign from God, a McDonalds balloon floated down from the sky and came to rest in my hand.
Anyway, the entire story was to tell you that we are slowly adjusting to the European atmosphere/culture (or maybe we are just admiring their accents!).

With this gentle introduction to the local culture, we are hoping that we can focus more on finding God, and not on the different culture(though that still is important). This is our first step to becoming pilgrims and not just loud Americans.Love you guys back home.

For today’s journey we drove up a steep mountain with the goal of reaching Pike’s Peak, a summit over 14000 ft high. There we observed a storm move right in front of us.

Once we finished making our way back down to the bottom and taking advantage of the thirty minute break, we traveled to historic Manitou Springs. We ate dinner at the Stagecoach Inn and several of us decided to. try a local delicacy:
Rocky Mountain Oysters!

Later that evening, we took compline beneath the stars in the pleasant Colorado air. The night was then shockingly interrupted by a huge banging noise. Some ran into the house, but curiousity got the better of us and a few of us ventured into the wilderness. Apparently, our neighbor Tim had thrown a rock at a dumpster to scare a bear who was nosing through the garbage. He proceeded to tell us the mountain lions were common sights around the area. Whether he was serious or not, we returned home much faster than we had come. After a day full of adventure, we turned in early in the morning.

Today was a day that no one expected. Initially, we pilgrims were closeminded about the idea of driving two and a half hours to the sand dunes, but we proceeded anyway. After a filling breakfast of scones and fruit we took off for our adventure. We passed the time with an intense game of “would you rather?” and other question games.
We first stopped briefly at the dunes’ visitor center for some information, and then we headed to the real destination. Seeing the enormous dunes from afar gave most of us a sense of discouragement: they seemed impossible to tackle. Starting the climb was treacherous, but in the end most of us were able to make it to the top with the help of God’s presence. The climb was definitely worth it, offering the view of miles of sand and distant mountain ranges. Our run down the dunes was even better- it was exhilarating sprinting with one another, sand flying behind each of our footsteps.

We piled into the van after cooling off from the hike, and stopped at a general store for ice cream. We planned on heading home afterward,
but Jan suggested we visit a nearby waterfall hidden in the mountain. Reluctantly, we hiked up to the site. Once there, though, we all haf a great titme climbing over rocks and the rapids of the stream, sitting by the falls, taking endless photos, and relaxing after a day of non-stop exercise. It was a perfect end to a perfect day to be able to come home to a mouth-watering lasagna dinner.

The flood after Hurricane Katrina left everything in the city of New Orleans changed. It has been four years, and many parts of the city are still in bad condition. But people don’t want (the Wonder Voyage team) to show them pity; no, they just welcome our help. None of the people we have met feel sad- the emotion that covers New Orleans is New Hope.

Miss Milly, whose house was ruined in the flood showed great compassion and appreciation as we gutted her house. In fact, she was working right alongside us for part of the day.

The emotion that slowly started to dawn on us was that she wasn’t sad; the feeling that she presented was more of a rebirth. The whole team was enveloped in this feeling, and pushed even farther to work harder.

When we finished for the day, the very appreciative Miss Milly returned to thank us and to wish us all good luck on our trip. Then something happened… We prayed as a symbol of belief and new beginning. At that moment gutting Miss Milly’s house seemed like the biggest thing in the world.

It’s been four years.Four years since the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina and yet today I had the opportunity to enter into a damaged home in the Lower 9th Ward, and it was as if the hurricane and flood had happened only yesterday.

I was able to witness the devastation brought about in the aftermath of the storm. Everything was covered in grime, and broken sheet rock.The furniture and kitchen appliances were thrown around like toys.

I saw the living room and could imagine a very comfortable, homey place for a family to gather. One bedroom had twin beds that could have possibly housed grandchildren. However, both rooms were turned into ruins and the family gatherings with grandchildren will never be the same.

I am unable to compare this situation with my life. I’m not sure that I would be able to have the courage to move on after everything I had known was lost. Today as we continued our tour of the Lower Ninth Ward, people smiled and waved, and their attitudes reflected a positive and hopeful attitude toward the future.

Today was a very adventurous day: us pilgrims got up early and set out for a hike. It was inspiring. The boys took an early lead, but we all encouraged Mrs. Brindza to carry on when the climb became rough. After much effort, we finally made it to our first destination: Lookout Point. The view was truly amazing. A single tree was growing out of a crevice on a massive rock that stood out from the mountain. This gave us the strength to go on (even though we all felt out of shape). We went on a little further to the fire tower which also gave us a great view.

Afterwards we ate sandwiches and journeyed back to the ranch for a quick nap. There we went on a crazy off-trail hike to the burnt acreage where a forest fire had blazed four years ago. We
returned itchy from the weeds and EXHAUSTED…

And we had to cook dinner for fourteen people. We will be sleeping well tonight… some snoring, some not!

Today we traveled back to Galway to have another go at shopping. A lot of people were selecting gifts for friends and family, as well as getting beautiful henna tattoos. At the end of our time in Galway we met up with an Irish story teller. She told us legends about heroes and folk tales about smart, powerhouse women, which we loved of course! We were surprised by our feelings as we returned to the monastery.

We realized how welcomed and at home we feel here. It will be sad to leave the beautiful nature and cool weather, but we’re excited to see our family and friends. This trip has brought us together as a family and we’re already planning to reunite before too long.

Tonight we had a candle light closing circle. We each voiced a moment of wonder and passed the candle to our person of wonder, someone who we felt more connected to during this trip. Hearing everyone discuss their moments made the epiphanies of the trip seem even more amazing. Our adult leaders brought some of us to tears with their sweet words of praise and encouragement. Thanks for making this happen, we know we couldn’t have come here and had this experience without you!

We spent our Sunday morning going to a Gaelic service at a small church in Inis Oirr. We also selected rocks to symbolize personal burdens that we wanted to cast over to God. The instructions were to carry it throughout the day so we could really feel the weight of the burdens that we carry on the inside. After lunch we had a choice of going on an exploration of the island or enjoying the beauty of the weather at the beach. Those of us who stayed on the beach went for a cold swim or played at the extensive playground. It was a day for calm reflection for some and for those of us who went on the hike it was a day of exhilarating adventure.

A group that had won a competition as well as a few others went on a carriage ride around the island. The views were even prettier at dusk because of the sunset. In the cold breezy evening we traveled quietly to a graveyard church that was built in the 10th century. We had a Taize service underground since the church annually gets buried by sand and is uncovered almost every year. As we left the temple we walked quietly to the pier to cast our burdens into the ocean and give them to God.-

Our 5th New Orleans team has arrived in the city full of energy and the desire to be a part of the rebuilding effort. While the team is from 2 different churches- St Peters  & St James – our spiritual focus this week is ‘We are the Body,’ so the goal for the week is to be one cohesive community.

Our first full day in town was a Sunday, so we filled the day with worship, adventure, and team building. We were warmly greeted at Mt Olivet Episcopal Church by Mercedes, one of the church’s oldest and longest-tenured members. Mercedes thanked the team on behalf of the church and the neighborhood for the work they will be doing this week. A New Orleans City Councilwoman who is a parishioner thanked us on behalf of the city. They  made us feel as if we’ve already made a difference and we haven’t even lifted a hammer yet!

If the afternoon is any indication, our week will be full of wonder and laughter. Our swamp tour highlight came when the captain of the boat lured a 9-foot gator ONTO THE BOAT! Amazing! Our evening game of  cabbage ball resulted in not many runs but tons of laughter.

As we contemplate the hard sweaty work that lies ahead for the week, we pray for the continuous building of community as we love and serve the people of New Orleans

Today we started the day visiting a local church. After a positive lunch experience of  quesadillas, enchiladas, and many burritos we went to see Biahop’s Castle. The castle was INSANE! This sixty-something-year-old man had built a full-blown castle all by himself, by gathering rocks from the San Isabel National Forest in honor of the “hard-working citizens of Colorado.” Gallantly, we climbed to the top of the highest iron tower. Ryan almost had an accident in his pants when a loud burst of thunder erupted in the distance as he was atop the tower. Many pictures were taken, many screams were heard, and many heart-attacks were had. The day was pretty fantastic.