BOX CITY 2012!!

Had such a good time planning and coordinating this event. Thanks too all the volunteers who chaperones, made dinner and stayed out in the cold for us!! Check out the NJ Herald Article!

New Jersey Herald - Box City gives face to homelessness

Guatemala, y guatebuena... :-)

I spent 8 days in Guatemala... Nothing like any place I've ever been. Not like Ecuador, or Mexico. I was received in the tiniest little arport in Guatemala by Armilda and Benjamin Alonzo. This was the journey: I drove to a plane that took me to a taxi which took me to a 6 hour bus ride. We then took up truck up the side of a mountain. I ended up in the last house on top of a mountain outside of Chiquimula,: I drove to a plane, that took me to a cab, that took me to a 6 hour bus ride, that put me into a pic

Guatemala.

The following days I climbed even higher on the mountain...

I saw la carabana de zorro which is when motorcycles come from all around Central America and drive from Guatemala to

Esquipulas for a mass. Thousands of motorcycles came from all over, and I saw them the whole trip to the city and throughout the day. After going to mass with the whole family we went to eat, to

the zoo and to see the cristo negro that has hundreds of miracles connected to it.

We went to a zoo, but the

best part of that was that I had time to spend with baby Jesslie Liseth Alonzo!! She's only three months and she's precious!

The rest of the week I spent in the village of San Juan Ermita, El Zarzal, and another just outside of concepcion. There I learned how to make tamales (the real way), how to make bread inside of a big rock, and tortillas!

One of the neatest experiences in these eight days was going to a small aldea called SOS.. this was not a village like the others I had visited. It was beautiful, with Spanish style Guatemala hosts about 10 villages for children throughout the country. In Guatemala, if a mother passes away and there is no Aunt able to care for the child(ren) then they are placed in a village such as this.houses (not Guatemalan). There were playgrounds and gardens everywhere. This 14 house village was home to about 200 children.

It was beautiful. To just live simply for a week. The family I was with lives even MORE simply when I am not there. I would love to spend much longer than a week there. What else can I say? I loved it and it made me so happy. :-)

I was in the paper!!

Look at this~! Patricia, Raf and I with a group of teens put together this community event. We had a poet, musical performances, and delicious pot luck dinner.

Oh that sucks...

How many times a day do we say that?

Today I was driving down the road and saw a mini trailer that went off into a ditch. All the wood inside fell out and it was raining. I just said, "oh, that sucks..." and I kept driving. I then began thinking, why didn't I stop? Did I think I could do anything? Was I rushing? Did I not want to get wet in the rain? Or did I just not want to?

How many times a day do we say or think that? It's like our society and our upbringing teaches us to be empathetic, but not how to do something about it. Everyday I see someone drop something, or I see a commercial of babies with swollen bellies, or I see someone calling someone an ugly name. I say, wow that sucks, and that's where it stops. I never help the person pick up their books, nor do I donate money to the cause.

I don't know why either... but let me think about it and maybe I'll learn a little more.

Day of Service

We went to Snyder High in Jersey City. Check out the article from The Herald.

Nearly 50 of us took a bus over to Jersey City and painted murals and completed crafts. Our students shared their thoughts about brightening up an older school building and what it was like to meet some of the students from the school.

to feel appreciated...

It's more than just feeling appreciated, it's believing the things that people offer up for you. My co-Americorps and I just finished up a couple weeks ago with a BIG conference for about 200 teens (that's big for me!). I've never planned a program or event for that many people, and it went so well. One or two tweeks that I can make and a little more fun and this conference would have been perfect. I was really proud for this being one of the first things I work on as an Americorps member.

My supervisors were constantly telling all of us what a great job we were doing and that we had such good contributions. It was nice to hear, but in the back of my head thought that was just cause they're my bosses... So I went on working the same.

Last night I went to a board meeting and gave an update. One of the board members sat up and announced to the board exactly what my boss had been saying the whole time. I don't know why, but that was very impressionable. He told me that how I put crazy thoughts onto paper and organize them is a key skill. I'M SOO UNORGANIZED IN MY LIFE!! I never knew I had that skill!!

I don't write all this to talk my self up and show off. More so to keep myself humble. To have someone point out your strong points in an informal setting (when they don't really HAVE TO) is very powerful and can change the way they feel, work and treat others. I now feel accountable and I want to keep doing just as good as before.

Think about it and do it for others please.

our first fruits...

So I went to church the other day and they talked about tithing.. something I was never really taught the tradition of. We talked about a bunch of different things, but one of them being giving our first fruits. It's a powerful thing that God asked people in the bible to give their very first 10% of earnings. To give that much with a chance of nothing in return could be very scary.

But on the other hand, so many times when we give to others we give what we have left over. Our left over change, out left over time, etc. It made me step back a minute and think what I do? Do I give my very best to serve those around me and other services? Is everyone meant to do that?

It's curious how automatically my mind goes straight to, "well what makes me a better person?" Maybe neither is better... I find that both are necessary in my agencies. We need people who give their everything all the time, but there's also a place for those who choose to give their "extra time" once and a while.

I think it's time we stop expecting so much of people and instead offer them a time and place to change.