Living in a Small Town or visiting

Being back in Shannon for the past week and a has reminded me that Shannon is truly a small town. I give a couple of examples of this small town.

1. i needed to have the trunk on my car fixed because it wouldn't latch. So I went down to the local "auto shop" also know as Al's and got an appointment for today. I dropped my car off at Al's before church, I asked my mom well what do I do. She replied with well you park the car outside and leave the key in it. So I left the key in my unlocked car and proceeded to go to church. When I got out of church I went over to tell them that I also wanted them to take an general look at the car. Not only had they started the work on the car but it was no problem at all to say take a look at the car. After which I went home and about an 1 and a half later they called me to say my car was done. When I went to go pick up the car I stopped to get the key for my car, and Ruth ( our neighbor and wife of the owner Al) asked about what I was going to be doing in Texas. Once I finished with the conversation they got me the key and I was on my way. I am sure they will send the bill to my house, but didn't even have to fill out a single bit of paper work.

2. Another sign that I am from a small town is our local Shannon Cafe. I have been around for a week and a half and am now back to a "regular". This means that I must say hello to the people at the tables in the front as I walk by to the back, it also means that Jan the waitress knows that I want lemon with my water and even knows what I want to eat on some occassions. Not only do I get the regular status but it is dirt cheap to eat there. For example last week when I went to breakfast after Wednesday Mass with mom the two of us ate for a mere $6.87. Mom had two eggs, bacon and toast while I had two eggs, bacon, toast and hashbrowns.

It really does make me laugh that these things really do still happen in small town America. I do have to say that I am sure people who have never been around a small town would be baffeled by the regular happenings in Shannon ans other small towns acrosss the US.

Speaking about CYFM

Tonight I spoke at St. Wendelin's Ladies Society about my experiences at CYFM. It was great to be able to share just a little of what I experienced over the past year. I am starting to really process so of the experiences that I have had.

One of the best things that I have gained in the past year, is how to live with others in community and how to interact with teenagers.

I have a new Job

For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe! plans to give you a future full of hope. Jeremiah 29: 11

Walk Down This Mountain

CAM is winding down so we must Walk Down this Mountain with our hearts held high, follow in the footsteps of your maker... In the words of Bebo Norman's song Walk Down this Mountain we find that we all must come down from our Mountain and continue on with the rest of our lives. We are changed by the experiences that we have on service trips and retreats but we must also return to the real world in which we live in.

We have started to come back to the reality that we know as everyday life. We had our VBS talent show today. It was wonderful to see the kids singing and being so excited to tell there parents about how they had learned to fish from Caitlin or that Jesus was their Savior (VIVA) but then the talent show ended and the kids went back home to their famalies and the teens realized how much they had learned from those little kids. Walk Down this Mountain with you our hearts held high....

The Outreach group added finishing touches to the many homes that manual labor had worked on during the week. Once that was done they Walked Down this Mountain with their hearts held high... at the work they had accomplished.

The Manual labor crews left their sites with some sense of accomplishment because of how much they saw accomplished at their worksites. Now walk down this Mountain with your heart held high....

In theological reflection group we reviewed the week and all that we had learned about how people may live differently than us but they are still living or how much we take for granted on a regular basis. To remember our group we took a picture of us around the Jesus candle that lit our way all week. It was a beautiful moment until Mike Pappa's hair caught on fire. Then we had return to reality to put out the smoke. :) Walk down this mountain with your heart held high...

So as we start to say our goodbyes to one another and to the people of Harlan Co. We must Walk down this mountain with our hearts held high, follow in the footsteps of our maker and remember we have offered our broken cup and inturn are leaving with it much fuller because we served our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Walk Down this Mountain by Bebo Norman
It's a better place Standing high upon this mountain I've seen your face Full of the light that holiest height can showBlessed hand is why you you've givenBut you've been given all you'll ever needTo knowChourus:So walk down this mountainWith your heart held highFollow in the footsteps of your makerWith this love that's gone before you And these people at your sideIf you offer up your broken cupYou will taste the meaning of this lifeHey heyWell it's a common groundAnd I see you're all still standingBut just look around and you'll find The very face of GodHe's walking down into the distanceHe's walking down to where the masses areChourusThis lifeWe're standing in a place of peaceAnd this is how the world should beHow the world should be(Walk down this mountain with your heart held high)How the world should be(Walk down this mountain with you heart held high)How the world should be(Walk down this mountain with your heart held high)How the world should beChourus-music fades-Hey hey

Appalachia Send Off

Pack nothing.
Bring only your determination to serve and willingness to be free.
Do not hesitate to leave the rest of your world behind. Be concerned only with the needs I place before you – to love tenderly, act justly, and walk humbly with me, your God.
Begin now, quickly, before you have time to second-guess yourself and create doubts in your mind. I will be with you. I will send the fire of the Holy Spirit to warm and encourage you.
You will face both simple and great challenges during your journey. But I will guide you safely through them all. And the stories and experiences you share with one another will make you strong and wise.
Some people may judge you, but others will see what you do and follow in your steps. At times you will grow tired, consider giving in, and want to step away from the people who surround you. And it will be difficult to know how to love one another.
Some of you will feel completely changed, while others will feel as though nothing is different. Some of you will think even your closest friends could never understand your experiences. But some of you will find new friendships in unlikely faces and old friends as understanding, faithful, and true.
Hold close together. You may at times feel lost or confused, but continue to speak to each other about my love for you. Remind each other of who you are. Share my love and keep sharing all that you have become with one another.
It is one of many beginnings.
Do not go back.
I am with you.
CAM 2006

Modified from Passover Remembered

Let the journey begin.
Today 8 Shepards left the CYFM parking lot around 12:30 with 80 people on a trip to Harlan Co. Kentucky. What this prayer is saying is wonderful. It is telling us to not worry about having all the right tools for the trip and knowing what to expect but rather to just experience the trip and let God take care of the details.
About 7 hours after this adventure began we landed for the night in Harrisonburg, VA, to spend the night. A couple of quick sidenotes.

* Joey after you threatening that you would go to Kentucky to do kitchen Palanca and that I could not find room for you to stow away in the cargo van despite that there was room I hope that next year you get your application in so that you can go to Kentucky in one of the Shepards.

* Pokey haven't you gotten past sucking your thumb?

* Our ducklings have been duck-napped and I think this is something that might carry on all week.

COP (Capuchin Outreach Program) 2006

Capuchin Outreach Program
This was the second service week of our volunteer year. During the day you go out to different ministry sites in the Hudson Valley area and do service and then at night you come back and theologically reflect and socialize with each other. One of the main goals of COP is to make the connection between service to others as part of your faith.

I got the opportunity to work at Mustard Seed this week. Mustard Seed is a place run by these two nuns, Sr. Pam & Sr. Fran that works with migrant kids. They have a place for these kids to go in the summer to interact with other kids, learn, play and just be kids. I really could not have asked for a better site this week. I got the opportunity to plan a week of camp. Plus I got a tan from being in the pool all week.

Rita joked that I looked like I had gone to the Caribbean for vacation instead of working. I told her that it wasn't my fault that the kids all wanted to be in the pool, and needed to have adults with them.

One of the most rewarding experiences this week was teahcing Melissa how to swim. On Monday she would scream and hold on to you around the neck and not let go. Then Tuesday we got her to be in the water with her floaties on. Wednesday she was kicking and putting her head into the water. With the help of Ali on Thursday we got Melissa to put it all together and swim by herself. She was so excited to show everyone what she had learned.

This picture has, Kevin on my left and Melisssa on my right. Kevin was my little helper, he was always willing to do whatever needed to be done.

I truly love kids and it is so important for them to feel loved and have a place where they can be kids and enjoy the simple pleasures of the summertime.

One final thought on COP. I enjoy doing week long retreats and service projects because you get to know the teenagers much better. Yes Teresa you are one of the ones I enjoyed being around as well as my teens at Mustard Seed.

Hit the Deck!

Today began with a 4:30 am wake up call and a 5:00 am departure from the Red House. You ask why would you be up that early on a Thursday morning, well the reason is that the Moore family took us white water rafting today.

I had never been rafting so I was not quite sure what to expect. We arrived at the outfitter, and all got in our wet suits. Then we pilled on to a bus complete with our paddles, helmets, and PFDs to the put in site.

After arriving to the put in site we got our commands for paddling, like all forward, or all backward, or my personal favorite HIT THE DECK!(where you could fall out of the raft so you hunker down on the inside of the raft) and were put into the Hudson river.

I was sitting toward the back of raft and so for quite awhile I managed to stay pretty dry as Pokey and Carolyn got drenched up front. Although we did switch it up and I too got pretty wet. Also during the rafting tirp we got to do a little swimming and jump off a large rock. It was about 10- 15 feet in the air.

Our trip was pretty tame but we did paddle through some decent size rapids and even had a couple commands of Hit the deck. After about 5 hours of rafting we came to the end of our advenrture. Our guide did an excellant job and gave us some rougher water along the way.

On the way home we stopped at Panera Bread for dinner. One little catch, we needed to do community prayer. So we all shared about where, and through whom we had seen God that day in our rafting experience. It was neat to share our community prayer experience with Pat and Carolyn. They got an inside look at our Lay Assistant communtiy.