Alright guys, because I don't want to call it stupidity, I guess I'll call it bad luck and chalk it up to the fact that it is Friday the 13th. I have had some pretty rotten luck :)
1. I was "unlucky" enough to pack liquids in my carry-on (and play dough which apparently resembles plastic C-4, who knew, obviously not me...)
2. Almost missing a connecting flight and having to run to catch it just in time.
3. Leaving my boarding pass in the bathroom.
4. Leaving my retainer at home
5. Need I say more?
On the plus side, Honduras is beautiful! We all arrived safely to the San Pedro Sula church where we were warmly welcomed :)I am excited to visit a waterfall today and worship with a congregation near La Buena Fe tonight! I have been amazed by how beautiful the simplicity of Honduras can be. I look around me and feel rejuvenated.
We are headed to Orica tomorrow so Internet may be hard to find.
My previous goal was greatly tested yesterday. I prepared all week before leaving and still came completely not ready for the experience. So again, the only thing to do is let go and let God. I just bought toothpaste at the gas station, no surprise, God provides.
My friend Laura has been here for the past week and has amazing stories to share! Check back to here about her amazing experiences at the Honduras Youth camp!
Thanks for reading!
Joelle
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Track 1: Day 1 - Letters from Nicaragua
Dear Mom and Dad,
First of all, WE MADE IT SAFE!! (Alright, now onto the details...)
We left Kansas City at about 6:00am this morning (Wednesday) after a night of about 30 minutes of sleep (the excitement was just too much for most of us to handle). The plane ride was uneventful and most of us slept through the first flight to Atlanta (which meant no cookies or drink). The flight to Nicaragua was bitter sweet as we were all excited, anxious, and nervous to get there and finally experience everything we had been
preparing for. :)
We finally arrived to Managua, Nicaragua, shed the winter gear and threw on shorts and sunscreen (I know what you're thinking... rough life right?!?). After we got our passports stamped, we loaded our luggage, and our adventures on the ground had finally begun...
The 30 min. ride to the hotel in Masaya was a bumpy one (Nicaraguan drivers are fast and seldom stop for pedestrians). We saw so much, just in the first 30 minutes some things the same, but mostly all surroundings different. Don't worry...we arrived safe and sound to the Hotel Masaya, unscratched and starting to view
our worlds from a different perspective.
We got all settled into the hotel and the accomodations are more than we could have hoped for... Beds, air-conditioning, showers and bathrooms! With low expectations of what was to come, this was a comforting surprise.
Wait.. there's more!! After a long day of travel, it didn't stop there... we went to the office of Alcance Nicaragua to meet the wonderful staff we have all heard so much about - They are great and really seem to know what they are doing. We had a great lunch, learned more about OI, went to exchange US Dollars into Cordobas and finished the afternoon off with visiting the market and having smoothies in the park...
We went back to the office and played cards and dominoes. Everyone here is really cool and we are all getting along really well - lots of laughter and divertido (fun). Yes, I am learning a little bit of Spanish... It was a lot, but what a cool and life-changing first day.
After what seemed like the longest day eveeeer, we turned into the hotel for a good nights rest. Safe and sound!!
Hasta Luego (Until next time...)
Your favorite kid in Nicaragua!
First of all, WE MADE IT SAFE!! (Alright, now onto the details...)
We left Kansas City at about 6:00am this morning (Wednesday) after a night of about 30 minutes of sleep (the excitement was just too much for most of us to handle). The plane ride was uneventful and most of us slept through the first flight to Atlanta (which meant no cookies or drink). The flight to Nicaragua was bitter sweet as we were all excited, anxious, and nervous to get there and finally experience everything we had been
preparing for. :)
We finally arrived to Managua, Nicaragua, shed the winter gear and threw on shorts and sunscreen (I know what you're thinking... rough life right?!?). After we got our passports stamped, we loaded our luggage, and our adventures on the ground had finally begun...
The 30 min. ride to the hotel in Masaya was a bumpy one (Nicaraguan drivers are fast and seldom stop for pedestrians). We saw so much, just in the first 30 minutes some things the same, but mostly all surroundings different. Don't worry...we arrived safe and sound to the Hotel Masaya, unscratched and starting to view
our worlds from a different perspective.
We got all settled into the hotel and the accomodations are more than we could have hoped for... Beds, air-conditioning, showers and bathrooms! With low expectations of what was to come, this was a comforting surprise.
Wait.. there's more!! After a long day of travel, it didn't stop there... we went to the office of Alcance Nicaragua to meet the wonderful staff we have all heard so much about - They are great and really seem to know what they are doing. We had a great lunch, learned more about OI, went to exchange US Dollars into Cordobas and finished the afternoon off with visiting the market and having smoothies in the park...
We went back to the office and played cards and dominoes. Everyone here is really cool and we are all getting along really well - lots of laughter and divertido (fun). Yes, I am learning a little bit of Spanish... It was a lot, but what a cool and life-changing first day.
After what seemed like the longest day eveeeer, we turned into the hotel for a good nights rest. Safe and sound!!
Hasta Luego (Until next time...)
Your favorite kid in Nicaragua!
Arrival in the Philippines
Kumusta or Hello from Manila!
After a day of delays and a long day of flying we are finally in the Philippines! We were ready to leave and on our way from KC to Minneapolis on Thursday the 12th when the Pilot came on and said we had to turn around because of difficulties. We were met with fire trucks surrounding our plane to make sure everything was ok and then taxied back to the gate to de-board the plane. Unfortunately, our flights got rescheduled for the next day and we were put up in a hotel for the night.
We woke up early the next morning on the 13th and were ready to begin our journey that lead us here! Our team was met by Wayne Rowe at the hotel and we were excited to finally meet him! It is around 1:15 am here and we are all checked into the hotel and ready to catch up on some much needed sleep. We check-out tomorrow and head to Cabanatuan City to meet the OPI staff and have dinner with them.
Team Asia looks forward starting our adventures in the Philippines and building relationships with the people here!!
Stay tuned for our next update!
SIFE FOR LIFE
Team Asia
After a day of delays and a long day of flying we are finally in the Philippines! We were ready to leave and on our way from KC to Minneapolis on Thursday the 12th when the Pilot came on and said we had to turn around because of difficulties. We were met with fire trucks surrounding our plane to make sure everything was ok and then taxied back to the gate to de-board the plane. Unfortunately, our flights got rescheduled for the next day and we were put up in a hotel for the night.
We woke up early the next morning on the 13th and were ready to begin our journey that lead us here! Our team was met by Wayne Rowe at the hotel and we were excited to finally meet him! It is around 1:15 am here and we are all checked into the hotel and ready to catch up on some much needed sleep. We check-out tomorrow and head to Cabanatuan City to meet the OPI staff and have dinner with them.
Team Asia looks forward starting our adventures in the Philippines and building relationships with the people here!!
Stay tuned for our next update!
SIFE FOR LIFE
Team Asia
Friday, January 13, 2012
Nicaragua: Expectations and Planning
Even though we arrived in Nicaragua yesterday, the real preparation and learning took place today and will continue these processes over the next few days as well. We broke into our seperate groups and started to dig deeper to the resaons why we traveled so far to Nicaragua and what our expectations were. Track 2 was a little different for a few reasons, but the main being we have been through the beginning process before and are taking our learning to another level. By no means are we better or know more than the others, we are just at a different phase in the process. We listed out what we wanted to accomplish for when we travel into these communities (La Prusia and El Tunel) and the methodology we would use to get these results. As a group we want to continue our efforts to speak as much Spanish as possible even though not all of us are at the same level. Another goal is to build individual relationships with the community memebers and get to know them on a much more personal level.
The afternoon consisted of both groups traveling to one of Nicaragua`s historical sites, "Coyotepe" which is an old military fort that was used during the early 1900s and eventually turned into a prison for political prisoners. Coyotepe was controlled by a number of parties since the 1900s and released its final prisoners in 1983. Since then the government has given Coyotepe to the Boy Scouts of Nicaragua, who have big plans to restore the fort into a museum so that the history is not forgotten. We took a tour of the prison at Coyotepe, which just happens to be underground. It was very dark and eerie walking through the old building but there is so much unknown histroy behind the building that is still unknown because official documents were never recorded.
Track 2 finished the day with a dramatization of what could potetnially happen when we make our first visit into the communities tomorrow. There is a lot of work that needs to be done but we do not want to focus solely on work and lose sight of the people we are working with. It will be our challange to successfully learn from the people as well as complete our projects at the same time. We are fairly confident in our abilities and are eager to begin this journey over these next few days. Track 1 ended the day with the background story of Alcanse Nicaragua (OI Staff of Nicaragua) and more discussion about what the future holds. There is a lot of excitement to get started but still some anxiety for what the future holds. Everyone seems eager to learn and willing to accept what the Alcanse staff throws their way. The future is bright and we are all taking the first steps to a world without poverty.
Justin Wallace
The afternoon consisted of both groups traveling to one of Nicaragua`s historical sites, "Coyotepe" which is an old military fort that was used during the early 1900s and eventually turned into a prison for political prisoners. Coyotepe was controlled by a number of parties since the 1900s and released its final prisoners in 1983. Since then the government has given Coyotepe to the Boy Scouts of Nicaragua, who have big plans to restore the fort into a museum so that the history is not forgotten. We took a tour of the prison at Coyotepe, which just happens to be underground. It was very dark and eerie walking through the old building but there is so much unknown histroy behind the building that is still unknown because official documents were never recorded.
Track 2 finished the day with a dramatization of what could potetnially happen when we make our first visit into the communities tomorrow. There is a lot of work that needs to be done but we do not want to focus solely on work and lose sight of the people we are working with. It will be our challange to successfully learn from the people as well as complete our projects at the same time. We are fairly confident in our abilities and are eager to begin this journey over these next few days. Track 1 ended the day with the background story of Alcanse Nicaragua (OI Staff of Nicaragua) and more discussion about what the future holds. There is a lot of excitement to get started but still some anxiety for what the future holds. Everyone seems eager to learn and willing to accept what the Alcanse staff throws their way. The future is bright and we are all taking the first steps to a world without poverty.
Justin Wallace
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Nicaragua: First Impressions
The Nicaragua Winter Term is a partnership with Outreach International(OI) to visit their site in Nicaragua. Unlike many "mission trips" that people go on, the goal of this trip is to learn, not to fix. Students got to meet with OI staff members in Independence yesterday to get a very brief picture of what OI does and how they do it. We learned that they use a process called Participatory Human Development(PHD) to help people help themselves. The idea behind the process is that the people need to have an active role in their own development as a community for it to be a sustainable change. You are not helping people in the most effective way if you go into an area, tell them what to do (or do it for them), and leave. The change needs to come from within the community itself. Now we are off to Nicaragua to get a tiny peek at this process in action. There are three groups of students: Track 1 is students making this trip for the first time; Track 2 is students making this trip for the second time or with previous experience to prepare them for a more in depth look at poverty and the PDH process; Track 3 is a student and chaperone who have been on this trip more than two times.
After an early morning and a couple of planes, we arrived in Managua early this afternoon. We dropped Track 3 off at a bus station to begin their journey into Nicaraguan culture, and will see very little of them. Tracks 1 and 2 then got our first look at Nicaragua in the city of Masaya. We took a brief look at the market and went to a city park, and got to experience being a minority group, a new experience for many of us. Even in the few hours we were in the city and meeting together, people are already being pushed to the edge of their comfort zone, preparing us to learn, experience, and have our eyes opened. Tomorrow we have more training and orientation on poverty and the work of Alcance Nicaragua, the organization here that works with OI to help communities. No one knows quite what to expect, even the few of us who have been here before, so we are keeping an open mind and trying to be prepared for the experience of a lifetime.
Anna Cleland-Leighton
After an early morning and a couple of planes, we arrived in Managua early this afternoon. We dropped Track 3 off at a bus station to begin their journey into Nicaraguan culture, and will see very little of them. Tracks 1 and 2 then got our first look at Nicaragua in the city of Masaya. We took a brief look at the market and went to a city park, and got to experience being a minority group, a new experience for many of us. Even in the few hours we were in the city and meeting together, people are already being pushed to the edge of their comfort zone, preparing us to learn, experience, and have our eyes opened. Tomorrow we have more training and orientation on poverty and the work of Alcance Nicaragua, the organization here that works with OI to help communities. No one knows quite what to expect, even the few of us who have been here before, so we are keeping an open mind and trying to be prepared for the experience of a lifetime.
Anna Cleland-Leighton
Monday, January 9, 2012
Zambia SIFE Winterterm
After 22 hours of flying SIFE Team Africa has finally arrived in Cape Town, South Africa! We are excited to spend two days exploring Cape Town before we pack up and head to Zambia where we are anxious to begin our project work.
We are honored to again be partnering and traveling with Jac and Sherri Kirkpatrick of HealthEd Connect as well as board member, Cherry Newcombe.
Waka Waka,
M@W8
We are honored to again be partnering and traveling with Jac and Sherri Kirkpatrick of HealthEd Connect as well as board member, Cherry Newcombe.
Waka Waka,
M@W8
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Letting Go and Letting God: Preparing to Travel to Orica, Honduras
It seems rather hard to believe that in just 8 days I will be leaving the country and heading to a place I’ve never been before.
My name is Joelle Wight and I will be traveling to Orica, Honduras this Winter Term.
My journey to Honduras started around a year ago when the young adults from my area began to plan a Mission trip. Through the Community of Christ, our group has been offered many opportunities to serve in Honduras. Our team leader, Luke Young, and trip coordinator, Rob Borkowski, began formulating the general idea of the trip and after they sorted out the basics they met with two church employees to begin discussions of the actual possibility of the trip. The church employees, Arthur Smith and Apostle Carlos Enrique Mejia, suggested Orica as our destination.
The church in Orica is newly formed and highly motivated. Currently they worship on a slab of concrete. We are going to Orica to assist them in building a house of worship. More importantly, however, we are going to build relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ. To complete this objective we first had to raise funds.
Our task was to raise 20,000 dollars to cover travel and building costs. Originally, that seemed impossible to me, but we met our goal through fundraising and generous assistance from the community. We baby sat, cooked meals, served a dinner, and hosted a volleyball tournament. The people of Honduras are more than capable of building their own church, however, through our fundraising efforts, we have been able to help them in their goal.
Not only did I have the preparation for the trip itself, but I, along with fellow Graceland student Rebekah Lloyd, had to get the trip approved as a Winter Term. Luckily, Max Pitt and Pat Hoffman were very willing to help us in this task.
For me, personally, this trip is about mission. In the Community of Christ we are called to community. We are called to realize that God made each individual unique, and as a result, every individual is of great worth. It is because of this that I personally feel so strongly about traveling to Orica to build relationships with the people I will encounter there.
I am incredibly blessed to have this opportunity, but blessings often times come with new anxiety.
My worries start long before I even board a plane. I worry that I won’t get everything done in time. There is so much to plan and pack, and thus, so much to forget.
I am very worried about being relatable to the people in Orica. Will they understand my humor and conversation style despite the cultural and lingual barriers? Will I understand them enough to form friendships?
I worry that I will not have the patients I need to be present in the moment. Control is my middle name, and I have anything but when it comes to this trip. I will be experiencing so many new things and I fear that will take me away from the real experience.
Luckily, along with my worries comes even more excitement. I get to explore a new country and make new friends! I get to participate in building a church from the ground up! And most importantly, I get to have an experience that will most definitely shape me for the rest of my life!
I leave in just 8 short days and that seems like not near enough time, but, as my departure draws near, I will continue to try letting go, and letting God.
I can’t wait to share this experience with you!
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