Excursions

The nearly constant refrain I am hearing lately is, "Better you than me." This is getting a bit tiresome. Mostly because I have a hard time imagining a better occupation for myself than the one I am in. I think only taste-tester for Godiva could beat this out.

Now I know the main reason I am hearing this refrain is due to the quantity of special events I am coordinating in the next 18 months. An international pilgrimage to World Youth Day begins the marathon. A trip (in the works) to New Orleans to continue helping to rebuild the city after Katrina. A service trip to Central America in the summer of 2009. In between are the normal events of youth groups, Bible studies, retreats, Living Way of the Cross, girls' ministry events, and so on. Yes, the schedule is bizarre. Yes, it is nearly overwhelming at times. Yes, I do question my sanity periodically. (However, my mother always says, "If you're crazy and you know it you are a step ahead of the rest of the world who still thinks they're normal."

Ultimately though, these trips, pilgrimages, and service trips are life changing for the youth, those we help, and frankly, me. The young people we cart off in caravans of minivans learn that they can change a life. They learn that there is a place for destruction and place for resurrection. They learn to see God in devastation, strangers, and the simple act of sharing a bowl of jambalaya. They learn to be God in the strangest of circumstances as they swing crowbars to remove dry wall or help a fellow pilgrim carry their pack. They find new challenges and insight for their own spiritual journeys. They find new directions for their lives.

And yes, I often find myself leveled by nasty colds or utter exhaustion at the end of these trips. Yes, I say as the last youth is carted home by much better rested parents that I can't imagine doing the trip again. But without fail, sooner, rather than later, I start having that pull back into the wilds.

My heart is restless. And I know it will remain so until it rests in God (St. Augustine). And I know that in the wild, unpredictable excursions we take our youth on, we will find God and we will find places to rest our hearts in God. And we will return, because we leave a bit of our hearts behind us.