Pilgrimage to Beauty

I recently returned from an amazing family vacation to Sedona, Arizona.  Along the way we stopped at the Petrified Forest, Painted Desert, and Grand Canyon.  Let me tell ya....it's one grand canyon :)  While at the house my family rented we were surrounded by the breathtaking red rock mountains.

The southwestern drive was accompanied by none other than a few podcasts (my family could barely contain their excitement while tuning in...oh wait...that was me :P)  One of the podcasts, A Pilgrimage to Beauty (Catholic Stuff You Should Know), was especially pertinent for us.  Amongst lighthearted jokes, the topic was finding God and truth in the world, people, things that are around us starting with things of beauty. We are pilgrims searching for beauty.

The scenery and landscape were awesome on a purely visual level, but to stop there would be a disservice to the Infinite Creator.  The beauty of the world leads us to the truth, the truth that there is a God bigger than us that is constantly living and working through us.  In reality, this is the pilgrimage I am always on no matter the backdrop, where it be red rock canyons or the flat plains of the Midwest.

Another thing that was shown to me on this Pilgrimage to Beauty was the importance of water, in particular Christ as Living Water.  Living in the Midwest, I take for granted the crucial role of water, as in H2O, but spending a week in the desert really helps reality to manifest itself.  While reflecting upon this idea throughout the week, the idea of Jesus Christ as Living Water surfaced in a real way for me.

The Grand Canyon, too magnificent to be sufficiently described in words, was carved out by running water.
After a long day hiking on the trail, I needed lots of water to function.
Any growth and vegetation is dependent upon water.
What is needed for bathing? Oh yeah...water.

I recognize that these are incredibly obvious assertions, but it is very often that I neglect to acknowledge the crucial significance water has upon my daily life. Also, I all too often make the even graver mistake when I take for granted the importance of Living Water in my daily life. Jesus Christ as Living Water, cleanses, refreshes, and hydrates my soul every single hour of every day in the form of grace.  Originally this was started at my Baptism, but is renewed every time I go to church and cross myself with the holy water, a tangible reminder of the power Christ beholds. He has the strength to carve out my life into something more amazing than my wildest imaginations could dream of. I just need to have a little faith, let the floodgates open, and the Lord will do His water flowing thing.  Then maybe, God has His canvas ready to shape the grandest of canyon.  Talk about letting God guide that pilgrimage to beauty.

Here's to pilgrimaging to our most Beautiful Creator and enjoying the splashes.
cheers.

AL.

Guatemala: Dia Ocho

WOOO! We made it through the whole week and shockingly only the smallest snippets of my experience are being captured here on el blogo (I do not believe that the is accurate Spanish...).

My week in Guatemala was quite possibly the week I laughed more than I ever had in my whole LIFE.

Of the 14 other ladies I was travelling with I knew only a couple very well.  We had a couple a pre-trip meetings (with homework involved!) that happened to go down at 8 AM on two Friday mornings sooo needless to say we weren't exactly chatty, but this was definitely NOT a foreshadow of our week together (thank goodness).

I learned so much from these women.  We became so close, so fast.  I heard from one of my friends (not on the trip) that travelling with others inevitably has the power to make you all incredibly close because you see each other excited, tired, stressed, happy, sad, and a wide variety of other emotions.  You are spending all waking (and non-waking) hours together and in that lies a unique and priceless opportunity for friendship to grow into something beautiful.

the beginning of a beautiful friendship

This was especially the case with my friend, Alex.  We knew of each, you know that situation (particularly prevalent at Rockhurst). Immediately, we were assigned right next to each other on the flights and also shared a room throughout the week.  She was a senior this year, so this was a golden opportunity to get to know her!! And is she incredible :)  One specific way that she impacted me was her ability to laugh.  She laughs at herself, at others, and the simple joy in situations.  It is so cool.  Alex is gifted in making others feel so welcome and comfortable.  Joy trails wherever she goes.  I learned many other things from this awesome lady, but I would be going on and on and on and on (get it? haha).

Anyways, Alex will be returning to Guatemala in August to dedicate her first year post-grad to serving the people in San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala.  Another beautiful quality she possesses is her love and willingness to adventure where ever God leads her.  Since she will be volunteering for a year, she has a fundraiser to help with things such as housing, flights, etc.  If you can help her out in anyway, even if it's just prayers that would be AWESOME.  Click on over to Help send Al to Guatemala!

So here's to laughing, trailing joy all the places you go, and those who dedicate themselves in the service of others, especially my good friend, Alex and all the ladies I traveled with, you all taught me more than you know.
cheers.

AL.

Guatemala: Dia Siete

There were four girls (in addition to myself) in Guatemala who are also in Alpha Sigma Alpha with me. As a chapter we have adopted a little Guatemalan girl, Adriana.  We sponsored her financially which mainly goes to support her education, or really where ever the family needs the money to go.  

We were fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to meet her on Friday.  She was adorable and somewhat shy. Some things she shared with us:

Her favorite animal is a chicken and their family has 12 of them.
She wants to be a teacher when she grows up.
She likes to read.
Her favorite color is sky blue.
She has a older brother and a younger brother, Dennis.
Adriana turned 8 years old on April 11th.

The part of this incredible visit that touched me the most was when Adriana's mother voiced how much our donation meant to them and helped their family.  She also mentioned that Adriana prays for us, her sponsors, every single day. This really hit me. The sponsorship only costs all the members of our chapter 2 dollars...that's it.  While I knew we sponsored her, I had no idea of the impact it was truly making. I am beyond grateful that I received this opportunity to meet her and begin to add Adriana and her family to my prayers. 

Another huge lesson I learned from this visit was when her mother handmade 6 woven baskets for each of us as a thank-you gift for our financial contribution.  This was a completely unnecessary gift, but was certainly a testament to the overwhelmingly generosity of the Guatemalan people.  Despite the little that they have, they are always ready to share or to gift with others. It was an important reminder for me to refrain from being stingy with what I have. The choice to be generous is one I neglect to make too often.  I am very grateful for this chance to see generosity in action and doing good in the world, making it a little more beautiful, essentially letting the flowers bloom through the dirt.

So here's to letting the world be painted with the beauty of generosity and recognizing those beautiful painters, like Adriana's mom.

cheers.

AL.

Guatemala: Dia Seis

On day six, we smashed bigger rocks with hammers to make smaller rocks in order to have materials for concrete (yes, indeed you should watch out because a rock smasher is on the loose). We continued twisting alambras around rebar and also filled buckets with dirt to be packed and become the floor. Today we were not working on the health clinic addition, but went a little further up a mountain and were assisting in construction of a house for a family of six.

It was a fun project in which new experiences were in fresh supply, that's for sure.  My little nugget of reflection for the day came when my rear was on a rock hammering another rock into tiny rock pieces.

I came to a unparalleled awareness as to where raw materials come from.  I have forever taken for granted where the things you need to get a job done originate, and in this moment I received a nice ole slice of humble pie. I developed a deeper appreciation for utilizing what you have and not making assumptions that you will have everything that you need, when you need it.  The people of Guatemala, especially those at the mission, are very resourceful.

I learned so much more than I can sum up in this quick summary, but I now feel I have more profound respect for those who work in construction, for those you make use of everything they can, and for those who work with raw materials. I hope to put this appreciation to use by trying be more conscious of where the things I have come far and how they made their way into my possession.  I am so grateful that God granted that I have this experience in humility and that it came in such an interesting fashion.

So here's to savoring the humble pie while it's hot and appreciated the everyday ways God surprises me.
cheers.

AL.

Guatemala: Dia Cinco

Woooo coming in hot with dia cinco! ...I am thoroughly aware that you are on the very edge of your seat because all of sudden the Guatemalan week is no longer going to take me all year to blog about. I am as well on the edge of the not-so-comfy futon (of course due to anticipation NOT due to the springs sticking in my rear...promise.) Three days in a row of blogging is a shocking and exhilarating fact for us all...all 5 readers (myself included.). hey hey shout-out Mom, Dad, Tor, and Allison :)

Wednesday was really fun. Our morning assignment was at the health clinic to continue work on the mission's project of extending the clinic facilities to include a place for families of patients to stay while their loved one is receiving care (similar to Ronald McDonald House).  This project equals construction work for the volunteers to help with!! Hold back the snickers, boys...all 15 females in our group took this on like champs.  Sawing rebar, cutting alambras or wire, and tying it all together with pliers in hand like we have done every day of our lives...well...almost.  It was hard work, very hands-on, and unlike anything I had ever done before.  The conversation and laughs had during our first attempts still are making me smile right now as I am typing this. One of my favorite things about this trip was having completely new experiences everyday. Always keeping it fresh in Guat, the usual...

Anyways, while twisting metal wires around the rebar (refer to pictures to actually understand what we were doing, because my description is significantly less than stellar) and slowly becoming decent (well somewhere between ehhhh and decent at least) there was an abundance of time for my brain to run away with thoughts (definitely one of its favorite pastimes).  But first some quick background, for some reason our group truly gleamed onto the Spanish word for these metal wires, alambras. I think this started because we were not totally sure that what we were working with was actually wire and did not know how to translate it to English...not to worry though we eventually made the connection.  Oh where were we....oh yes the actual thoughts (and substance of this post) I was having...


The alambras fascinated me.  Some features in particular caught my attention. First of all, it was very malleable (at least before it was rained upon and became rusty).  Secondly, they appears incredibly simple and not all that strong, but in fact these wires were crucial for the structure of this building we were constructing.  Thirdly, they were us.  I mean that in the way that as of right now in my life, I am so beyond blessed to be in such a malleable, unrusted state.  I am attending a university that is giving me knowledge that can be used to make the world a little bit better of a place.  I am young, brimming with energy and passion. I have freedoms now that I may never have again.  Also, the possibilities of where God can be leading me are pretty much endless, endless malleability.  In addition, although my contribution, now and in the future, may be simple, it can also be necessary as the wires were for the structure of the building.  Each one contributed to the bigger end goal. All of us have something incredible to offer the world, I just need to let God take control of the pliers and start twisting and turning me into something way better than I could ever be on my own.

Aldair, he taught us so very patiently

So here's to enjoying the alambras state of life, the malleability, and letting God twist it up.
cheers, friends.

AL.

All photo credits: Alex Meyers