Wonder Voyage 2009 Summer Blog

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.

Wednesday morning began not with the buzz of an alarm clock and the  familiar scent of burning Pop-tarts, but with a grunt and an assembly  line. The food pantry at Father’s Heart was receiving an early  morning shipment of dried and canned goods, and it was up to our team  to sort through roughly 600 lbs of food and pack up bags of goods for  those in the community who regularly visited the mission. We formed a line, much like worker ants, and passed boxes of fruit juice, rice,  canned yams, and spaghetti up into the community room; here, a team of  students sorted perishables into gift bags. We managed to accomplished a day and a half of work – roughly 450 bags of goods – in only 2  hours! What a blessing!

​Tony and the ninth grade boys had a task of a different sort that  morning – cleaning out an old basement storeroom that had been  recently flooded with sewage run-off. The guys spent the morning ankle- deep in tar, smelly water, and old lumber (or was it decayed  furniture?), clearing the room out so that Father’s Heart could use  it once more. The guys got filthy, and possibly stared a tar fight with each other, but cleaned the room out in record time.

​After a subway ride across the city (we only got lost once –  stupid Orange line hieroglyphics), we arrived at Coney Island for an  afternoon of fun. The team chowed down on some chili dogs at Famous  Nathan’s and burned off steam horsing around at the beach. No serious  injuries, other than a massive handprint on Jordan’s back and some  rashes due to the infamous “let’s put sand down the back of all the  guys’ swim trunks” game. The rain clouds held off long enough for  our team to ride the Coney Island Cyclone and Ferris wheel together,  as well as pay a visit to the headless woman and Bessie, the cow with  two noses.

​Wednesday’s dinner could not technically be called food, seeing as  how the 9th and 10th grade boys were in charge of Stone Soup for the  evening. They attempted to create an evening of romance and Frito  Chili Pie, but apparently, misunderstood that CINNAMON is not on the  list of ingredients. One bowl full of soggy chips, uncooked beans, and  
dark grey meat with a curious flavor later, our whole team was dying  from laughter. Brent, one of the Wonder Voyage staffers, later  referred to the evening as a “noble failure” while eating a turkey  sandwich we bought him, to help wash the taste out of his mouth.

​The evening ended with a deeply stirring time of sharing and  repentance. Eric took the students on a walk to the park and invited  them to jot down a burden they no longer wished to carry upon a black  card. Upon returning to Father’s Heart, students were invited to cast  their burden/card into a pot and publicly share with the other  students the hurt or shame they were giving over to Christ; it was as  moving as it was painful, with many of our students baring their  hearts and exposing their insecurities to one another. After sharing, we took communion together as a group and took part in a foot washing  ceremony. What began as a time of pain and tears ended with  reconciliation, hugs, and a lesson on how to cook ground beef in the  boys’ common room.

For our fourth day in Ireland we were surprised with a nice “break” as we visited Waterford. After walking 5 miles the day before, it was a good time to relax and have fun. Everyone split up into groups of 3 or more and we all went our separate ways. Monica, Libby and I went in one group and checked out all the local shops.  

After having a fun day shopping, we were in for another surprise when Jason told us that the kids would be buying and making our dinner tonight for the leaders. So we devised a plan and ran through the store searching for what we needed. Our arms were all full to the top and a few minuets before leaving Libby dropped a glass bottle and it spilt everywhere. The manager said not to worry about it, so we got another bottle and checked out. It was a fun experiment and we all used our cooking knowledge to create a wonderful minestrone soup, bread, couscous and potato salad.

Today was our first full day at Cabot Shores in Cape Breton. We were all very tired from the jetlag, not to mention that we had a very long day from traveling. This morning we had breakfast at the retreat center and discovered that Jake really likes toast! We had the opportunity to meet some of the other visitiors (and their dogs) and found that a hammock had been set up (which I put good use to later).

After we ate, we went back to the house to embark on a hike through the woods. Among our discoveries, we found a scrapped Monarch car (with bulletholes in the back!), a tree with large growths on either side (we now call it “the butt tree”) and an enormous cliff, which we got to climb down to the ocean. We walked along the shoreline and collected stones to bring back to the house. For lunch, we went to a quirky little restaurant called the Clucking Chicken, which interestingly had a wraparound shelf covered in ceramic chickens! The food was great. Finally, the group went swimming on the beach near the retreat center while I relaxed on the hammock.

During lunch, we talked about why many of us felt so relaxed here. You’d be surprised how easy it is to just release your stresses and really let go. We realized that what was perfect about this location was that it was out of the way. Its very quiet, there’s no people to distract you, and you really get enough room to breathe and think and become one with your surroundings. As we explored the area today, I found myself feeling very aware and at peace with myself. I’ve never experienced anything quite like it.

As we embark on our week-long pilgrimage, I’m hoping that we will all become not just aware of Christ, but also aware of our true selves. By the end of this journey, I am sure that each of us will have a better understanding of who we are as people, what we want out of our lives, and what we need to fulfill our lives. Shawn mentioned how journaling really helped him to do this, and I am excited to see what discoveries we will make both as a group and as individuals as we document this trip.

We arrived yesterday in Cape Breton. We traveled from MA to Cape Breton taking a very small plane from the airport in MA, it only had one seat on each side of the rows! When we got to the airport in Montreal, we had to walk a long way to our baggage, then we waited for our plane. This was a bigger and nicer airplane and we were relieved.

When we arrived in Halifax we got 2 cars and started our adventure to Cape Breton. We stopped at a diner at the gas station called IRVING. Back on the drive we hit some thick traffic. Wendy dared us to get out of the car and dance.  Rachel and I took the dare even with all the Canadians staring at us. After three more hours of driving we went on a five minute ferry ride and looked for where we were staying, Cabot Shores. The place is nice and so is Shawn, our Wonder Voyage guide.

During this trip I want to explore something new. We all want to explore something new by doing something different and great on the pilgrimage. We are all going to have our ups and downs but I  think we will all come out of this as better people. We will find who we truly are  and the voyaage will help us find who we really are in God.

None of the kids were prepared to write today so I’m filling in. We have had a fabulous trip so far, and the weather has cooperated nicely. We have visited interesting local sights which seem to always have an ancient ruin like an abbey or a round tower. Yesterday we walked for five miles along the Barrow river from St. Mullins to Graiguenamanagh (Graig Na Manach).  There was a canal system running along the river and there were four active Locks on the stretch that we walked. Patricia got stung by a nettle plant which can really hurt. There is no poison ivy or snakes over here but watch out for the nettle. Luckily there is always a healing leaf nearby (forget the name) that helps alleviate the pain which lasts about 24 hours. Isn’t  God amazing?

In the evening, our hosts John and Sonia  prepared a pasta supper and led a  discussion in Irish history that was really interesting. The men retired later for a nice relaxing time and wrap session in the sauna (wow are we getting spoiled). Today, it’s off to Waterford for some much needed shopping, after days of hiking and walking. See you all on Sunday.

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.

Each hour we are here in Costa Rica is a learning experience. Our group has learned so much although the trip has just begun. Today we realized an important aspect that opened our eyes to so many different things. It was something Ive never thought about despite its importance and great value. Today we learned that we should not just sympathize with the people that we come in contact with here. That we shouldnt just give handouts and do some work and be done with it. We must feel for those who have less than us and let our actions reveal that mindset.

The travel was long but worth it as the team from First at Firewheel arrived in their new home, their base in Guanacaste, Costa Rica after stopping for a quick lunch on the drive from the airport. While there the team got their first experience of Costa Rican culture, a Tucan and some local food.

Throughout the week the team will be working in a local community named Copal, repairing a water-damaged roof, teaching some english lessons, visting with some special needs families, and doing some bible distribution. It will be a week full of ministry and adventure that is sure to move beyond loving others with just words to loving others with actions.

Day two is behind us, and what a day it was! We all got at least 9 hours of sleep, Jordan got about 12. After a good cold breakfast of cereal and milk, Sonia came with a plate of sausage and potatoes, which we promptly ate. After “breakfast 2” we walked into New Ross. The town has at least 4 cafes, and a pet store which sells chipmunks! While the group explored New Ross, I fell in love with Irish tea at one of the cafes. Boy did I drink tea (at least 11 cups!).

After New Ross, we returned to The Ferry and enjoyed a hearty lunch. I served tea (Jason, our guide, helped me get it right), and we just hung out. After lunch, we went to the Woodstock estate near the town of Inistioge. The estate and garden were quite beautiful, even if the house was in ruins (the mansion was burned in the Irish Revolution). We then walked into Inistioge, were we stopped at a pub and grabbed some drinks (soda and tea). The town was beautiful, situated right in the valley right along the River Nore. We also got some good pictures of the local farm animals (sheep and cows). On the way back to The Ferry, we stopped at a beautiful little church that, while is very small, blew us away in just how quaint it was. I was a little afraid to take pictures at first! Once that was over, we made it back just in time for chicken, peas, and 2 different types of potato dishes (all of which were very good). We all broke the ice with some sharing about ourselves, and ate a delicious dessert of cheesecake with whipped cream. The night dragged on a little until Hunter had the idea of Charades. It soon turned into a frenzy of shout-outs that made no sense at all, but were quite hilarious to listen to. It finally got dark around half past ten (or half-ten as our hosts say), and we went off to sleep.