Guatemala: Seeing the Country

After such a hard week of work, the kids (and the adults!) were more than ready for a chance to relax and see more of the beautiful country. As there were a few long bus rides, we did get to see quite a bit as we drove through the highlands towards Lake Attilan. We also enjoyed the much briefer drive to Antigua. All too soon, the weekend ended and we were bound for the airport extremely early on Monday morning.

Here is the email from Saturday:

We just had a wonderful day. The kids enjoyed long naps in the bus on the way to and from Lake Atitlan (3 hours each way).  They will also have spectacular photos to share of the beautiful lake and surrounding volcanoes.
The boat ride across the lake felt a bit like a roller coaster, but the kids really enjoyed it.  We saw a church that played a role during the "dark times" before heading to a great restaurant.  A few teens ventured to try the more typical Guatemalan food, but many stuck with safe chicken sandwiches.  Happily full, we headed out to wander through the street vendors and to a shop that had beautiful paintings.  
Then it was back to the boat to cross the lake and back on the bus for our ride home. Now the kids are relaxing and enjoying a few games before dinner.  We still hope to get them settled fairly early so that we can have a fresh day tomorrow in Antigua.  As it is Andres' home, we are excited to see the city through his eyes - and he knows all the best places for food, shopping, and sight seeing.
The week has flown by; it is incredible to believe that we only have one more day here.

And Sunday:

Today was the day in Antigua.  We enjoyed a more traditional breakfast before loading into the bus.  Thanks to Andres, we were able to see some special sights including an outdoor art exhibition at a hotel that also could boast of one of the best views of Antigua.
We then headed into town where we went to another hotel that is built around the ruins of the old city. We also attended mass at the hotel in the church that was built into or rather around the ruins of the old church.  Then it was off to the coffee plantation before lunch.  
Lunch was a wonderful meal.  With our stomachs full we ventured out to the jade factory.  Andres introduced us to his father who also happened to be our guide. We learned quite a bit and a few of us found our glyph in the Mayan calendar for our birthdays.  We are a group of bats, snakes, jaguars, fish, and more!
From the more refined experience of the jade factory, we headed to the colorful chaos of the markets. The kids really had fun trying to barter for the best prices.  Many will have just as much fun trying to fit it all into their bags.
What they don't know is that we will be meeting to head to breakfast at 6 am.  Monday morning traffic in the city is awful, even by their standards so we need to allow over 2 hours for a drive that took about 30 minutes when we arrived.

Guatemala: Saying Goodbye

I am always so impressed with the children at the school. The skits, acrobatics, dances, and songs that they present to us when we arrive and on our last day with them are always so beautiful and insightful. 

Again, I'll summarize the day with the email:

This morning we spent a bit of time in the elementary school classrooms. Then there was another assembly for the kids to yet again impress us with their acting, dancing, and musical skills.  They danced a traditional indigenous dance that translates best to "happy little pony dance."  Your teens were a huge hit by dancing a routine and then doing a jump rope routine for the kids.  They also invited the children to join them and at that point it was chaos. The children were so excited to jump rope.
As entertaining as the morning was, the noon hour became rather intense. We were challenged to a game of soccer.  Those kids were tough! I hate to say it, we lost to the 6th grade boys.
After the game, it was time for a well deserved break and we headed to the library for lunch.  Lunch was followed by a bit more time in the garden area with machetes, pick axes and garden shears.  
During our time in the garden, the girls got some of the workers and the police officers to sing. It was quite the cultural exchange.
When we concluded our time at the school, we made a quick stop at the bank before returning to the retreat center.  This evening will be fairly quiet as the adults will have a meeting to make sure we are all on the same page for the weekend and after our evening reflection we will have a short meeting to share that information with the kids.

What I loved about this day was the opportunities the teens had to interact with the children, the police officers, and a few staff throughout the day. While the work we did was necessary, it is the stories and experiences we bring home and share with other that offer the greatest service to the children and people of the garbage dump community.

They live in a culture which either denies their existence or minimizes their humanity. By giving voice to their stories and their lives, we are honoring their humanity and acknowledging their inherent and inestimable value as God's children. Therein lies the true and most valuable service. They give us a great responsibility. Whether we honor that remains to be seen.

Guatemala: An Easier Day

After working on the cement roof, it was a welcome reprieve to know that our next day would allow us to spend our mornings in the classrooms and nursery rooms. Here is a bit of an editorial - if you are traveling on a service trip to another country it really is incredibly wonderful to have even a small grasp of the language. It shows respect and honors the culture. It also is incredibly practical. I've spent the last year polishing up my Spanish and the studying helped. Hopefully by next year, my conversational abilities will have improved even more.

Here's what I sent to parents:

Subject: Machetes and Pick AxesWell, I believe today's subject caught your attention.
Yes, your teens used machetes today. And pick axes.  And no, they did not cause bodily harm to anyone.  Our afternoon was spent clearing the yard area of the classrooms that we helped roof yesterday (more on that below).  To remove the tall grasses and massive weeds, they gave us more formidable tools that what we would likely see lawn care professionals use Stateside.  They got the job done though.
The morning was spent in classrooms and nursery rooms.  The kids had a great time playing and learning with the children in the school and nursery. Many found that they had a better grasp of the language than they initially thought.
Now, I must confess, your kids are practicing jump rope routines while I am enjoying a reprieve with my feet up.  They are practicing routines and skits that will be part of the farewell assembly at the school tomorrow morning. The children will do a few more skits and such for us. In turn, we will show off our various skills and talents. As many of your teens competed in the Heartbeats jump rope group, they thought this would be fun for the kids to see. Thus we also had the adventure of stopping at a street side stall to buy rope. We plan on adding that to the donations to the school.

One downfall to the service trips is that they often aggravate my bad ankle. Ironically the first time I sprained it was on the first service trip I ever went on, an alternative spring break in college. It was also my first real leadership role in ministry. Two more sprains later, it periodically bugs me enough that I find myself  propping it up on a pillow with an ice pack (20 minutes on, 20 minutes off). Here too I find a few lessons. When I hit those moments when my ankle just won't let me do anything any more, it reminds me that I need to let myself be served and to do so with grace. That is not easy. After all, I see it as part of my mission and call to serve others. Letting others serve me just feels off. That's just my pride speaking. I need to listen to the humility coming from my left ankle more often.

Concrete, Concrete, Everywhere

Our day after orientation was a massive day of work. We were tasked with the construction of a concrete roof. It was quite the task to say the very least. Here's the email to the parents describing our day:

 I'll go into greater detail as to why our entire group has developed a lifelong aversion to concrete.  Yesterday we moved over 60 wheelbarrows of dirt, scores of barrow-fulls of stones, and countless bags of concrete mix.  Then we had to stir this immensely heavy mixture before gallons upon gallons of water were added and more mixing was required.
Once the mixture was created, we had to haul buckets of the wet concrete mix up a ladder to the roof. The empty buckets then had to be tossed down, caught, and put out to be reloaded.  After a few struggles to find a good system, the kids found a process that worked and they were able to get the classroom roof covered.  Of course we left the retreat center at 6 am so we could begin work by 7 am and did not return until nearly 6 pm.  However, you should be proud of the work that the teens did as it far exceeded the expectations of the school staff.
Needless to say, by the time we at dinner we were nearly falling asleep at the table.  Reflection was short and we shooed the kids to bed as early as possible.

It was wonderful to see the kids work so hard. What astounded me was the various individuals who trickled into the yard to assist. A woman, a parent of a student I believe, came to help. She was dressed as most were in the garbage dump community, worn shirt and shorts. Her shoes were simply the inexpensive flip flops that are seen for a dollar or two at supermarkets. She stood in the cement, hauling buckets and working harder than all the teens, chaperone, and myself. Periodically she would dip her feet in a bucket to wash the cement off as it would get very irritating. She chatted, smiled, and worked. In her was the face of God. 

Guatemala: Orientation Day

To begin, here's the email sent to parents from Guatemala with a summary of our day:

After a great breakfast we were able to experience the formidable rush hour traffic that is apparently worse on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays. I have no idea why those three days are the worst, but that is what we were told. We picked up two police officers from the city hall who escorted us all day before we headed to the school, Francisco Coll.  
As soon as we arrived the children had a wonderful variety show for us. A skit about life in the garbage dump community, tricks of coordination (somersaults, flips, hula hoops), indigenous dances, and indigenous music rounded out the morning.  Then we were walked through a few of the homes. Many of the residents were generous to not only open their homes to us, but to share their stories. The teens saw that entire families lived in spaces smaller than their bedrooms at home.  A family of seven counted themselves lucky to have the regular income of roughly $5 per day - a small fortune in Zone 7, the garbage dump area.
Once the home tours were completed, we were escorted to the nursery. The babies, age a few months to pre-school, were a great favorite with all the teens. We heard more stories of the creation of the nursery and school.  Then we were walked through the adjacent area of the recycling area.  This is nothing like what you might picture - it is filthy, chaotic, and the overwhelming stench of the garbage dump invades all your sense.
At that point we loaded back on our bus to drive to the cemetery. An odd destination, yes, but as it is on the cliff that gives you a bird's eye view of the garbage dump cavern, it was a good way for the teens to see the magnitude of the dump.
By this time we were all ready for lunch. Several of the kids helped Andres pick out the food that would make up our lunches for the week when we stopped at a supermarket. Then we went across the street to a park where we assembled our lunches of peanut butter sandwiches, chips, apples, cookies and iced tea. 
Our next stop was to return to the area of the garbage dump, this time to the Santa Maria center. There we heard stories from the Paso a Paso program. This is a scholarship program to help the children who finish at Francisco Coll continue on into high school and college. They offer tutoring and trade training. We also heard more about life in Guatemala City in general and the garbage dump community specifically.

As I knew what to expect from a previous trip three years ago, it was a day of memory and seeing what had changed. The nursery had been improved upon and the school was in need of more space. The people were still the most hospitable individuals I ever met. The smell still hit you like a physical force. The children still, like all children, want to sit next to the new people and yearn for their attention.

What was the most beautiful moment of the day was a conversation between one of our teens and the director of the Paso a Paso program. This teen had been adopted from Guatemala. The director asked about her background and over the course of a few minutes was in grateful tears not only that this teen's mother bravely gave her up, but that she was welcomed into a loving home and then felt called to return to offer what she could to her birth nation. The director, who struggles with the teens and young adults fighting for higher education as they emerge from the garbage dump, recognized and named the gifts of faith, education and the love of both the birth and adopted families. For those who witnessed the conversation it was stunningly beautiful.

Gratefully Home

Silence descended upon the blog while I was in Guatemala on our service trip with International Samaritan.

It was a challenging trip in many unexpected ways, yet immensely rewarding.  Over the coming days I will post what we did and my thoughts on the activities - they include a cement roof, machetes, nursery children, the garbage dump, and much more.

The trip gave me much to consider in how we determine who goes on a service trip, expectations of behavior, dealing with cliques, and other concerns that may be a growing trend in the teens.

As it stands, this is all for today, just a simple introduction. Watch tomorrow for a summary of our first day.

Here's a teaser - cement. Lots of it.

Remembering Why

Today is one of those days where I have to remember why I am literally giving myself a headache.

This is the day where all the paperwork for our Guatemala service trip is due. I'm getting packets of papers, most incomplete, turned in by parents and teens frantically running in the parish office door.  As I send out emails and tell them what is missing and how important it all is, yes, including having health forms & permission slips in triplicate, I feel the knot in my temples slowly and surely tighten.

All I want to do is go home and eat a large container of chocolate ice cream, preferably a variety with peanut butter.

As I have a conference call to be on tonight and am lactose intolerance, I will need to relax some other way. Likely with a cup of tea and a good book later tonight.

I just have to keep reminding myself of why this is worth it.

Guatemala is not an easy trip. Poisonous caterpillars, stomach viruses, less than ideal safety situations, and the general trials of travel make the week an exercise in patience and endurance. However, the rewards are immense.

I just have to stay focused on the positive - all the reasons why this is a very good thing. Even as I get yet another paper cut from the avalanche of paperwork.

Leggings, Guatemala, & Digital Communication

Today I am yet again reminded of the dangers of digital communication - email, social media, etc.

As we are getting within just days of our service trip to Guatemala, I had to send out information from the organization we are traveling with on this trip. In addition to some of their notes, there were answers to my questions. One is the ever charming fashion trend of leggings being pants acceptable for wear under all circumstances.

To be fair, I wore stirrup leggings back in the day of perms (I was in middle school, please forgive me). However, the accepted tops to go with said leggings were nearly to the knee sweaters and tunics. We were hot stuff, let me tell you. So while we girls were all aspiring to be Rachel or Phoebe or Monica, we at least saw that our rears were covered by our neon oversized t-shirts and color block sweaters.

Unfortunately leggings are back. We couldn't go for the fabulous twirly skirts of the 50s or the fun vamping of the roaring 20s? No? Let's bring back leggings but go for short shirts - that's a great idea (insert sarcasm)! As a youth minister this now creates modesty issues on a day to day basis. When heading to another country with different ideas of appropriate clothing, it can create serious safety concerns.

Thus this has been a subject that I sent another reminder about in an email today. I had mentioned that leggings were not allowed at our June meeting and in a previous email. As this email included the broader text from our travel group on what we should wear for work pants at the site, I just copied and pasted the whole section from the organization's original email.

If I can reference one popular TV series, I'll go for another. I know I sound like the Soup Nazi prior to this trip. The safety concerns force me to be more strict than usual.

Additionally, 8 of the 9 families sending teens on this trip are not regular youth group attendees. They have no point of reference for how I do things, my general attitude, tone of voice, or generally adaptable methodologies.  Thus, with this reminder I sent, a mother replied with all good intentions and in a kindly worded manner (thank you so much for that). She was concerned I was making assumptions about the expected behavior and that the fact that there are issues that, if violated, result in being sent home being reiterated to frequently.

Due to the electronic communication, my tone likely is a challenge to pick up in the email. Plus there was text I did not write. This reminds me of a couple things -

First, don't take those replies from parents personally. They, just like me, only want to ensure their teens are safe, happy, healthy, and growing in faith and maturity.

Second, always be conscientious when choosing your words in an email. Particularly when sending to those you are not familiar with how they will interpret your words or you theirs.

We Broke the Cell System

This past weekend was a little shin-dig in Indy called the National Catholic Youth Conference. Never heard of it? Well, honey! Let me share a few of the highlights:

• 23,000 teens swampped a city...and there were no riots. The wonderful police force who helped keep our kids safe were greeted with kind words, offered the trinkets (and hats, and moustaches) that the kids brought to trade.
• It wasn't a rock concert that brought in all those stage lights, sound systems and filled the stadium - no, it was a wonderful group of faith-filled adults sharing humor, music, and faith with the young Church.
• Those kids flooding between the Lucas Oil Stadium and the Indianapolis Conference Center weren't looking for trouble - they were looking to get the good seats at one of the fantastic workshops!
• Then there was Mass. On a Saturday night, 23,000 teens rocked LOS with entrance hymns (I think 4 or 5). Praised and worshiped God in the Word, Eucharist, and community. And spent hours happily Mass.
• Let's not forget when, under the specific instructions of Bishop Coyne, we all pulled out our phones, tablet computers, and so forth. We then happily Tweeted, emailed, texted, or Facebooked "Called to Glory!" And promptly flooded the towers in downtown Indianapolis. Oopps - what a way to go though!

But that's not the whole story.

• At an event where they had to fundraise or pay several hundred dollars to participate, I saw teens buying bagels by the dozen. Not to eat, but to give out in packages of six to the homeless people they had passed by.
• I watched teens offer seats to those with crutches, even if it meant they had to go and stand in the back of the room.
• I listened to the stories kids told after workshops of how they felt they encountered God.
• As someone in a long time military family, it warmed my heart to see kids making greeting cards to send to troops that are abroad when the teens could otherwise be playing in the games area.
• Teens shared trading items, snacks, bottles of water juice or soda.
• Teens lifted each others' spirits when exhaustion took hold.

There are times these days when things look dire and we may fall to the temptation of despair. However, these teens that descended upon Indianapolis reminded me of the great hope for our future. And the great hope of the now. For they are not the future Church. They are not the future of our nation or our world. They are the Church now. They are hope for us now.

Friday Thoughts

Since I nearly broke my wrist off a few moments ago attempting to twist the cap off my favorite beverage (Sparkling Ice Black Raspberry flavor), I have temporarily misplaced my concentration so here's a blog post instead on a few rambling thoughts.

It is pedal to the metal for final NCYC prep. I've got the kids and parents coming to a final meeting Sunday before out evening Mass. Handing out all sorts of final information including the packing list. The packing list really helps to make sure that those kids that tend to forget things bring the crucial items and those that overpack have the written limits.

I also highlight the idea of tips. The kids are good about this at restaurants (they pull out the tip calculators on their phones). Few though think of tipping the housekeeping staff and bus driver. It is customary to do this. The general idea is about $1-2 per person per day for housekeeping. So if you have several kids in a room, it will be a nice tip. Especially as kids tend to leave a natural disaster behind them each day and in the boys' rooms there will be that peculiar and yet to be identified...odor... The other tip is for the bus driver. There also the idea is about $1 per person, per day. I'm going to nab an idea from another area CYM and print envelopes for the kids with the date in one corner and the simple address "housekeeping" in the address field.

While I bring a couple of basic prepackaged snacks that the kids can take with them during the day like fruit snacks, granola bars, I encourage each family to pack another snack their teen can share with the others. This adds variety. Since we're in a hotel with microwaves in the room, I am also giving the kids microwave popcorn for at night to add to their stash of food.

On the personal side, I'm thinking of what I'm going to pack. As a vegetarian, I know that a problem for me at many of the restaurants and concessions stands will be finding vegetarian sources of protein (salads, vegetarian sandwiches are common). So I always make sure to have some bars with me that are high in protein. I also take chocolate covered espresso beans. Sad, but helpful. Two or three of those guys and I've got a second wind. My water bottle will also be crucial. I always have my pouch of first aid items, feminine hygiene products, and basic OTC medicines in my backpack. Between blisters and paper cuts a few band-aids are used just about every day.

I also would strongly recommend you plan on having Monday as a day to recover! NCYC is a fantastic experience, but with the chaos for over 12 hours with 25,000 teens and an average of 4-5 hours of sleep each night I usually come back exhausted. My dog loves the naps I inadvertently take while we're curled up on the sofa watching NCIS or L&O:SVU reruns after events like this!

Plans

"The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley."

~Robert Burns, "To a Mouse"

That, in a short and oh so Scottish way, sums up my week. All those little things and routines have fallen apart at the seams.

Without going into overwhelming detail about my less than relaxing day off on Monday, we'll just say it set things up well for what was waiting for me here in the office yesterday.

For the past few years I have taken a small group of teens down to New Orleans during winter break. We work with Catholic Charities - Helping Hands. I was notified via a voicemail yesterday that the organization would be shutting down, so our trip was canceled.

Thus I have spent all the spare moments of my day tracking down alternatives for lodgings and work sites. I have encountered many kind individuals, but unfortunately none have been able to help me out with this problem.

So like many moments in ministry, we soldier on looking for how to "Make it work!" as Tim Gunn says.

On the bright side, later tonight I get to go to a screening of The Way where Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez are to be present for a question & answer session following.

Hearing the Unheard

A few years ago I took a very small group of teens and chaperones (nearly equal numbers) on a service trip to Guatemala City with International Samaritan.

Let me set the scene. Picture the worst poverty you have ever seen first hand. Got it? Toss that mental image out the window because it probably doesn't hold a candle to the poverty of the individuals who live in the city garbage dump community. Think Slumdog Millionaire and you're closer to this reality.

I was rather squished into my seat on the flight down between some rather large gentlemen. Think defensive line for NFL...got it? Okay, that's where I was. These were guys who were former military were going down there to train with the police or Guatemalan military. We struck up a conversation and they were impressed I was crazy enough to be doing this. I didn't blink.

Then we get to the zone (that's what the areas of the city are called zones - there are two that are the garbage dump community). And my breath was taken away from me. First you are hit with the physical force of the stench of the dump. Then you are assaulted by the shacks assembled from scavenged material, sewage, dust, and devastation. Once you survive all that, you encounter the worst volley - the poverty of soul and hope in the people staring through their huts.

That is what the single greatest part of the service trip is. Recognizing that the little we do over the week or 10 days is inconsequential. What is so very crucial is the sense of hope and validation we brought to those people. They are forsaken by their countrymen who hold to a class system. We, the strange Americans, noticed them, they were heard, and they were cared for. It was not our wealth or our citizenship. It was not our clothes or our technology. It was our ears and hearts that they wanted.

They wanted their stories told. They wanted hope for their children. They wanted their voices to be heard.

In the Heat of the Moment

I was going to wait a couple of more days before diving into my reflections on this most recent WYD. Perhaps it was the quick trip to Trader Joe's in 100+ degree heat index that brought back far too vivid memories? Perhaps it was a 20 minute phone call with our travel group? Or perhaps it is the greatest truth of WYD...

Since we took such a small group, only 13 total, I most frequently deal with the, "Is it worth it?" question from people. In the years leading up to WYD 11 and in the weeks that have followed. There is no doubt in my mind that the answer is a resounding, if slightly exhausted, "yes!"

I will be the first to admit, this WYD was a particularly difficult struggle for me. I got sun poisoning on our first day in Rome (that was new). Then my ankles swelled up (looked like I had water balloons in my sandals) on the flight from Rome to Madrid. Then I got a migraine at the vigil (best way to cure a migraine - cool, dark, and silence - that was so not going to happen).

Thankfully I had an incredible group. The lovingly called my sun poisoning, "the plague." They offered to pour water on my ankles and take lovely photos to be posted to Facebook. When we were waiting for our luggage in Madrid they pushed me to the floor, stacked up a few backpacks and had me prop my feet up. A couple then kept poking my ankles and giggling, "They feel like Jell-O!" At the Vigil, where I sported a great sunburn and dust spattering to the point that the kids didn't recognize me when I came up to them after going to the bathroom, one girl drenched a bandanna to tie round my neck (mine was already dripping around my head). The kids made it okay for me to be flawed and imperfect. That was lesson number one - no one is perfect and the more imperfect you allow yourself to be, the greater the gifts that others are allowed to show.

But mostly I say it is worth it because of the moments -

The moment when I looked down from the altar at the catechetical site (I was an animator) and saw my whole group talking during Cardinal George's talk. I was annoyed. Then I nearly wanted to cry - they were all talking to come up with the wording for the question they wished to ask him and who would ask it. They were engaged. They were a community. They were church.

The moment when they didn't complain. When it was hot. When they were given the wrong food at the sandwich shop. When they were hot. When we had to walk an extra hour. Maybe they offered it up. Maybe they heeded my "no whining" rule. Maybe they did not see those moments as burdens. I saw them as blessings.

The moment when the girls invited me to walk through the Prado with them. I learned some things about art. I shared a bit of what I knew. I shared my love of sticky notes (who knew you could buy a little book of sticky notes at the Prado?) with another teen who bought the same items as me at the shop.

The moment in the Prado cafe where I enjoyed a cold soda and the mom in the group drank an espresso. She shared some of her concerns for her child and some of her own story.

The moment my sister-in-law and I sprayed my brother's feet with Febreeze. Then were still laughing when we went to dinner and could barely explain our mirth to the rest of the group.

The moment when the group helped encourage others on the Saturday pilgrimage walk by singing everything from Queen to MuLan to Spirit & Song.

For me, seeing the Pope is incredible, but it isn't the moment. Rather that moment comes when I see the joy of God in the youth and young adults. It is the moment when I see their strength, weakness, honesty, their hope.

For me, World Youth Day is about the people and those moments.

The Dust Has Settled

Quite literally. I pulled out the umbrella I took to Cuatros Vientros for the Vigil and a cloud of dust descended. Should have cleaned that previously.

I fully intend to share my reflections. However, today is just my second day in the office after being out of the office for a month (literally from August 2 to September 1).

Should you wish to hear what we did for our WYD pilgrimage, here's our website.

Now my biggest problem is deciding two things:

1. 
   
   Do I want to lead a group to WYD 2013 in Rio?


2. 
   
   If so, do I accept the offer from the diocese to lead the diocesan group? (Or, hopefully, co-lead with another minister, I'd take control of the young adults and she would take control of the youth.)

Hmmm...not too much time to decide. I want to be able to announce my decision by the October 2 family night at youth group.

As always stay tuned...

Less than 48 hours

Periodically I get odd looks from my brother. Even more than usual. It is probably due to the strange little "I-can't-believe-we-leave-in-less-than-48-hours" dance I do. If Jello-O could carry electrical current, that's what the dance looks like. Not attractive.

Basically my excitement has hit full force. I pulled out the suitcase (my dog is suitably depressed now). I'm sorting what goes into my suitcase and what goes into my carry-on. My iPod is being set up with new playlists and season 6 part 1 of Doctor Who. My Kindle has plenty of good reads. I've got cards and card versions of Trivial Pursuit, Scrabble, and of course the perennial favorite of Uno.

A few recommendations for your personal packing for WYD:

• Pack some clothes in your carry on. Trust me, fresh undergarments and a clean shirt will be your most prized possession if your luggage is lost.
• Also stick your toothpaste in - your seatmates on connections will appreciate it if you've been running for 24+ hours.
• Put all your chargers for your electronics in your carry on. If you have cell phones, iPods, laptops, Kindles, whatever - put the chargers in your carry on! My sister-in-law can attest to this should your luggage go astray.
• I recommend wearing glasses instead of contacts (if this applies). If security changes and your contact cleansing solution is tossed out by security, you'll be quite miserable in the often dry cabin air.
• Take water and a snack (or two) onto the plane. This way if you're stuck on the runway for a while or if turbulence doesn't allow for your meal to be served for quite a while you won't faint from hunger.
• Drink water! This helps with jet lag and with the heat we'll be facing, hydrating in advance is key. Take your empty water bottle through security and then fill it at the bubbler as we say back home (drinking fountain for the rest of you).
• I also keep lotion, hand sanitizer, Vaseline, and lip balm. That cabin is dry!
• Make sure you've left all that lovely contact info, itinerary, and so forth that you lovingly presented to your pilgrims and their families for your own family!
• Headphones/earbuds or ear plugs are helpful for those overnight flights.

I'm off to have some of the fantastic homemade salsa my brother is making. Enjoy your final prep. I may not post again until our group is safely in Rome!

Of State Agencies

Never is one consoled by back to back emails containing information from two state agencies/departments.

First there was the notice that a world travel advisory was put out by the U.S. State Department. Fabulous.

Second was the CDC's warning about measles in Europe. Fantastic.

More chocolate please! Another coffee!

Seriously, this brings up my advice on prep today. As much as it can annoy some in your group, I am sending nearly daily emails to the group. They contain everything from reminders to begin increasing water intake (best way to prevent dehydration and jet lag is to drink water before hand - even a week or two) to the medical and security updates.

The CDC's notice is a good reminder to make sure you have the medical information for your group. Even the adults traveling, myself included, complete the health history form that we use for teens. It is just a reference point so that we know about vaccinations, major medical conditions (asthma, diabetes, migraines, etc.), and can offer it to medical professionals if needed.

I also highly recommend that you have two emergency contact issues in place.

The first is that you have on one sheet of paper, the emergency contact person for each of your pilgrims with all that contact person's information (work, home and cell phone numbers). This applies to all in your group, including yourself. Give this list to all chaperones, your parish office, and keep one in your hotel room too.

The other is to establish a phone tree. This is useful when you have to communicate everything from something nearly unimaginable to the simple realities of canceled flights. Have the one person at the top that you call with the information. They then call the #2 person. #2 calls #3 and so on. If #2 can't reach #3, then #2 calls #4. Once #4 is reached, they continue to call #3.

I have never had to use either of these contact lists. I don't plan on ever having to use them. But unexpected things happen and it is best to be prepared.

P.S. Here's the CDC's general WYD announcement.

Shoes

Oh the difference of a liturgical year!

Last year this time I was debating with a lovely young woman from Wisconsin the relative merits of the two pairs of shoes I had in my luggage. This was a highly unusual conversation for me as I have little interest in shoes beyond looking appropriate. However, that was the crucial issue. Comfort and appropriateness.

Last year on the Saturday before Palm Sunday I was in a retreat center near Rome staying up far too late with new friend from around the globe. Eventually I had to tear myself away from the celebrations and head to bed. I had to leave before the sun would even rise.

I had to catch my ride to the Vatican.

Those of us from the conference who were to be involved in the Palm Sunday Mass had to arrive at St. Peter's in time for our various roles. I went in the first car with several young women from Africa who were ill prepared for the chilly 40-something degree weather we had at 6:00 am. Thankfully it did warm up by Mass, but I felt so sorry for them. While I was chilled, this Midwesterner could hardly complain.

Looking back I remember most strongly a few odd things.

1. 
   
   My feet hurt terribly. My legs were turning to jelly. When wearing heels and standing, walking, and standing in St. Peter's Square, you have no hope. Especially when the entire Palm Sunday Gospel is sung while standing in said heels.


2. 
   
   The security guy standing right by me. As we who were reading were in the second row, the security was right by us to stop anyone from rushing up to the Pope. The security person by me was a pleasant gentleman in his 30s or 40s. He cracked a smirk when I switched shoes during Mass (the jelly feeling left me questioning my ability to walk to receive the Eucharist). He smiled and pointed to his own comfortable shoes.


3. 
   
   Looking out and seeing thousands of people. To be in front of the crowd when you've been in the crowd so many times is a surreal experience. To look out and see where I was at WYD 2000, where I sat taking photos in 2003, and to be awed by the honor.


4. 
   
   Making sure I didn't trip because my youth group kids were having a sleepover to watch me at the Mass!

It was only after that I processed things like the Pope was there and listened to me proclaim the first reading. It was only after that I realized that the size of the crowd was likely in the tens of thousands. It was only after that it truly dawned on me that this was a once in a lifetime experience.

And it is only now that I can truly appreciate the exceptionally comfortable shoes I will be wearing to Mass this weekend.

Too early to say....

...But can I start warming up the phrase, "I told you so."

Whispers In the Loggia has tweeted that "strong buzz running that post-Madrid WYD will head to South America -- world's largest Catholic country: Brazil, Rio, July 2013."

Couple of things here - Brazil - fantastic. About time we head to South America.

July - fantastic again. With highs averaging in the upper 70s, it will feel cool in comparision to what we can expect in Madrid. Plus for the college kids going they won't have issues with rushing back to campus life or even missing a few days of classes.

July 2013 - Ay! Okay, that means that I will literally be starting to work on the next WYD before I've recovered from jet lag from this one! Whew!

I could use another cup of tea!

Recovery & Processing

No, I'm not going to start a dissertation on the Marshall Plan. The title does sum up how I am attempting to get through the 10th Youth Forum hosted by the Pontifical Council for the Laity and Holy Week.

I understand why the Council chose the week prior to Holy Week, Palm Sunday is World Youth Day. However, as a person employed in a parish, that is a rough time to be gone.

Despite it all, the forum was an incredible experience. I will be breaking it apart in the next several days. Here are a few snippets of information:

• 230 delegates
• 92 countries
• 33 international movements
• Some countries represented: Moldova, Croatia, Russia, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Israel, Uzbekistan, India, Indonesia, Palestinian Territories, Myanmar, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Madagascar, Zambia, Congo Brazzaville, Sudan, Rwanda, Australia, Ireland, Chad, Uruguay, El Salvador, and more.
• Our days began by 8 am and continued strong at least until dinner at 8 pm
• Cappuccino from machines in Italy will beat out 97% of US coffee house coffees, hands down
• Bran flakes no longer cut it, I want a croissant with that chocolate filling!

Tomorrow I'll start in on sharing some thoughts from the various sessions.

A Little Bit More

While this month is the typical business of Lent - parish mission, Living Way of the Cross rehearsals, special youth groups, additional small groups - a few more things have popped up on the radar.

I realized that on June 30 I will have completed 7 years here. That means this fall will be year 8. Given that I think in 4s (courtesy of the high school ministry), this carries some significance for me. I need to look at how things are going here. I sense there are places where I have allowed myself to get into a rut. This isn't inherently bad, but there are so many great resources and ideas out there to work with. Thus once I get through some things in the coming two-three months, I plan on spending June and July really examining the ministries, youth and young adult, with the leadership teams to see what we can do.

Also, I was given the great honor of going to the Pontifical Council for the Laity's 10th annual youth forum. This is adding to the general insanity as I need to work ahead of the game quite a bit so that the ministries can run smoothly while I am gone despite it being busier than usual.

Speaking of which, I have several emails about Way of the Cross rehearsals to get out, so it is time to sign off.