Welcome! ASBT 2016

Thank you for visiting our blog! We just wanted to share a little bit about ourselves before we begin blogging on our trip. Enjoy and we can't wait to share more once our trip begins!

Emily Muntean is originally from Akron, Ohio. She is one of the wonderful Campus Ministers at Gannon University. Her favorite food is chicken wings and her favorite movie is Good Will Hunting. Her hobbies include playing card games, boards games, and racquetball. Her favorite holiday tradition is having ribs, mashed potatoes, and sauerkraut for New Year’s Eve. She once spent a week living with a L’Arche community in Montreal, Canada in 2011. 

Donoven “Jeb” Chase is from Waterford, Pennsylvania. He is a freshman History and French major at Gannon University. His favorite food is country fried steak and his favorite movies are the Matirx, Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars. His hobbies include natural construction, gaming, and writing. His favorite holiday tradition is Leif Erikson Day. He also speaks a few different languages. 

Megan Davis is originally from Erie, Pennsylvania. She is a senior Psychology major with an English Minor at Gannon University. Her favorite food is Chinese and her favorite movies are the Harry Potter series. Her hobbies include singing, reading, and writing. Family dinners are her favorite holiday traditions. Megan also plays the guitar. 

Zackery Witt is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is a freshman Computer Engineering major at Gannon University. His favorite food is ice cream and his favorite food is Happy Gilmore. He plays hockey in his spare time. His favorite holiday is Christmas. 

Anna Swick is originally from Erie, Pennsylvania. She is a sophomore Social work major at Gannon University. Her favorite food is Tacos and her favorite movie is Perks of Being a Wallflower. Her hobbies include reading, drinking coffee, hanging out with friends, and watching Netflix. Her favorite holiday tradition is her family’s Christmas tree. Before coming to Gannon, Anna was homeschooled. 

Hello! My name is Nathan C. Demarest, and I am originally from Greenville, PA; which is halfway between Erie and Pittsburgh. I am an Early Childhood and Special Education Major with a Minor in Theology. I love food in general, but I am particularly fond of seafood and cheesecake (Not together though!). My favorite movie is tough to decide, but I love Star Wars, and I am very attached to Wall-E. My hobbies include making rosaries out of string, playing basketball, singing, playing guitar, and reading. My favorite holiday tradition is having my grandparents and uncles over for Christmas dinner with my family and eating homemade kolache on Christmas Day. One interesting fact is that I am aspiring to be a musician, especially playing praise and worship music. I’m very much looking forward to the journey to Toronto, getting to know my fellow travelers more, and living at L’Arche! Peace and God’s blessings to you!

Hi, my name is Kara Fisher and I am a senior health science major at Gannon. I hope to pursue a Masters in Public Administration after I graduate. I was born and raised in Buffalo, NY and I hope to move back after graduate school. My favorite food is peanut butter. I am also an avid coffee drinker and lover of country music. My favorite movie is Monsters Inc. My hobbies include spending time with my family, reading, and baking. My favorite holiday tradition is our family Christmas Eve party. My mom is one of seven and I have 22 cousins so we have a pretty big party! A fun fact about me is that I have been skiing since I was 5 years old.

What Was Our Week Like?

Hello loving family, friends, and followers!
It has been an emotional day in Hamilton as we approach the end of our journey. As a last reflection on our day, we have decided to each decided to share our experience of L`Arche with you all.

Hello, Allie here! This week has been one of the most eye opening weeks I have experienced. I have learned from everyone involved with this comunity and this trip. I have learned a greater sence of patcients, love, and understanding through the core members of the L`Arche community and I will be forever greatful for this experience. My heart will forever have pieces in the city of Hamilton in the community of L`Arche. Today I experienceed the most joy and sadness I have experienced in awhile. The sadness came from the departure from the home who graciously served me and another member of our group dinner for many nights of our journey! When departing, I went to say good bye to a member who rarely connects with other people, who I had grown close to. The moment he asked if I would return, I had to contain my emotions, because I knew how upset my answer of "No, I am going to Erie tomorrow" made him. Not only did this break his heart but mine. This was followed by my happiest moment, when another core member in our hosting house made us all laugh with her silliness and goofy nature! She is truely a light of love! She has taught me to love unconditionally and laugh everyday! I will miss L`Arche Hamilton beyond explination, but I would like to thank you all for being there for us in prayers and in thoughts and here every step of the way!

This is Maureen!  I can't believe that today is our last day.  I am filled with so many emotionst in this moment that I don't even know how to express them all in this post.  I am filled with saddness and guilt that we are leaving these amazing people after they have grown close to us and we have grown close to them.  I am also filled with excitment because I soon get to go home and share my experience with others and live out the lessons we have learned on this trip.  Because I have spent so much time in the past at the Daybreak community, I never thought that I would have such a special place in my heart for Hamilton after this week.  However, I will go home and always carry Hamilton
with me forever.  I would like to finish this off by saying thank you to all the people who supported
us and I would like to thank everyone at the L'Arche Community who welcomed us and accepted us into their hearts.  Their love and kindness will never be forgotten.

This is Laura!  All I can say is that I came here with my heart intact, but I'm leaving with it broken.  It is a good broken, though, because my heart is being put back together in a way that I never knew it would be.  And I have learned that the only way the Light can shine through anything is if the object is broken....

Megan here! There are so many things I'd love to say about this trip and just so little time. I have been changed on this trip in ways I never thought possible. I have been opened up emotionally and spiritually in ways I wasn't even aware existed. This has been one of the most memorable and life changing experiences I have ever been fortunate enough to live out. I need to take the time to express my gratitude and love to all of the wonderful people we met here that were so abundently welcoming to us. I need to thank my amazing team without whom this trip would not be the same. Last but certainly not least I need to give a big shout out to you our loving loyal readers. Thank you for supporting us on this journey.

Hello! This is Katherine. Like everyone else, I came to this trip with expectations that I didn't even know I was carrying that were broken as the week progressed. Of everything I experienced, I have to come back to one of the themes within my own life-- the meaning of relationship. Throughout this week, we have been in relationship with one another and with everyone we met at L'Arche Hamilton, Stratford and Daybreak, and in return for our willingness to enter into relationship, our reward has been ten thousandfold, as hearts were opened up to us in ways we couldn't have imagined. All I can say is thank you to everyone I have met this week.

Hello! Leigh typing. This week has been a total whirlwind, and my head is spinning so much that it's hard to settle my thoughts enough to type them into our blog. What I know with certainty is that I have encountered many beautiful, pure, raw, valuable, human things at L'Arche-things like love, community, kinship, music, solidarity. For a service trip, on which one assumes she will be giving, I did a whole lot of receiving. I hold many thanks for L'Arche and the people and memories it now represents for me. I cannot wait to spread the love I have learned here to the rest of my world!

Brandon here! I'm amazingly overwhelmed at the intensity of this week's experience.  I have no way to put into words how the overwhelming feeling of welcomeness we have received on this trip has offered solace to my soul.  The time spent with the core members has taught me many things, but the one thing it has taught me the most is in order to give you have to receive.  To be mutual is the key of acceptance. God Bless:)

Howdy everyone, Lily here! Boy oh boy has this week been a whirlwind, or what? In just one week, so much has changed. We've changed. I think that it's safe to say that we're all very different people than when we first arrived. I have learned so much from these people and about these people, and also about myself. I'm excited to go back to the "real world" and share what I've learned with the people I love. Love is the key to everything!




Thank you so much for all the support! We have had an amazing trip to L`Arche and we will forever be changed by this experience! We are going to spend tomorrow traveling to see Toronto and Niagara Falls before returning to the states! We will miss L`Arche will all our hearts, but we cannot wait to be back home safe and sound!!

Day at Daybreak

Maureen here!  I would just like to start off by saying that this is my third time here in the L'Arche communities here in Canada.  Each group I have been with have been so special and unique.  This group has been so deep, spiritual, loving, and caring and I can't imagine my last trip to L'Arche in the way with any other group.  So I would like to thank Katherine, Laura, Megan, Leigh, Ally, Lilly, and Brandon for the experience that I have had.
Today started of with a precious moment with the core members living in the house we are staying in this week.  Our morning was filled with singing, laughter, and pictures of love and happiness.  We then had a trying journey to L'Arche Daybreak.  Although it took us longer than expected, we arrived and started an amazing day.  I spent my time in the Day Program with some amazing core members and was thrilled to know that some of them remember me from my previous visits.  Others spent time at the club with the retired core members, the art studio, and the woodery.  We then had an amazing talk with a beautiful soul, Elizabeth Buckly.  She lives on the L'Arche Daybreak campus and is known as Queen Mum.  Her words brought us to tears as she explained L'Arche in her own special way.  We then separated to have dinner at our separate homes.  The love, welcome, and acceptance we all have felt throughout this week was continued throughout this visit.  We are all feeling incredible emotional about the inevitable departure that we will be going through very soon.
I think I can say on behalf of my entire group, thank you to all of you for the love, prayers, and support you have given us.  Thank you for following our journey so far.  Although it is coming to an end, it is not over yet, and I have a feeling that more emotion and wonderful moments are to come.  Stay posted for the heart touching stories :)

God Bless,
Maureen

Music and Prayer

Hi! This is Katherine. I want to start by saying that I feel that I have been given an amazing privilege by being on this trip. All of us have been welcomed into the homes and hearts of those we have met.

Today we were at the Hamilton Day program. We started by praying together and hearing the story of one of the Core Members. Something really special was that this Core Member later joined us, and I was able to see her beautiful personality shining through. We then broke up to make lunch, and, eventually, to eat a delicious meal of lasagna. Afterwards, people joined together to clean up. We had some free time then before the music therapist would arrive, so Laura went to the piano and began playing for us. There has been so much music during this trip, and I have loved being able to express that side of myself and connecting to others through music. I have found myself this week connecting to others through dancing and singing, and experiences like today when all of us have been able to band together to bring joy to others through our gift of music makes my heart sing! I will never hear "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" the same way again, and I know that others in this group feel the same way too.

After the Day Program, we went back to our houses for dinner, and then we went to The Ladies' Bungalow for prayer together as a community. Prayer with the L'Arche community is very special, because sometimes prayer can be pointing at pictures of loved ones that the Core Member wants to pray for, sometimes it's signing, sometimes it's said, but muttered into the person's hands, but it is always an honest expression of each person's faith. One of the Core Members was invited to stand up to light the candles on the center table, and my heart melted at the sight of this person's excitement at participating in prayer-- and I know this person to be quite the troublemaker! But when she was done, she turned towards me and crossed her arms, and she stood there until I crossed my arms back at her.

Today at prayer, we heard about how our brokenness allows the water to flow through the crack in the pot to water the flowers. This is an experience where all of us have felt our hearts broken by the people we have met so that our hearts can be put together again in a new way.

A Story from Laura and a Midweek Meltdown

Laura speaking here:
"I would like to share the incredible experience that I have had so far in L'Arche Hamilton.  I spend each evening in one specific home called the Ladies' Bungalow where we eat dinner and have daily reflection/prayer.  The very first time I stepped across the threshold of their home, they had a large homemade sign saying "Welcome Laura".  On top of that, they made me a card saying how happy they were that I could spend the time in their home, and they gave me two bags of "red" candy because red is my favorite color.

Obviously that was extremely heart-touching, but tonight actually brought me to tears.  After the one dear lady happily cooked my dinner and served me raw fish (I ate every bite), we had our evening prayer.  The first woman started her prayer by saying how thankful she was that Laura was there and that Laura could eat supper with them.  Then she prayed for me.  The second lady began praying, "God, thank you for Laura. And thank you that she is graduating in December because that is a celebration.  Thank you for letting us celebrate Laura."

When it was my turn to say my prayer, the tears flowed down my face and I could hardly speak.  The only thing I could say was how thankful I was for my time in the Ladies' Bungalow.  My prayer tonight is not a prayer of request, but it is a prayer of thanksgiving.  I came to serve these amazingly special people, and in return my heart has been showered with a new dimension of love that I never knew existed."

We have reached the middle of our week and the tears started flowing today.  Serving in a L'Arche home is an intensely emotional experience anyway, and add that we are already half way through has caused our emotional responses to intensify.  Much of our evening reflection was spent in tears of thankfulness that we are experiencing such an intense form of love.

Another source of tears has been the finality of goodbyes.  Each day we spend our time in different community settings--Stratford, Hamilton, Welcome Inn--and we know that we will not be back again.  However, the people we serve ask us multiple times when we will be back to visit again. And as we desperately search for the appropriate words, we find it heart-wrenching to tell these people we will more than likely never see them again.

Yet as we turn toward the downward slope of the week, our hearts are overflowing with happiness and love....and excitement that we have four more days of this incredible L'Arche experience.

Welcome to the Welcome Inn!

Good afternoon lovely readers, Megan here!

Today we spent an afternoon helping out with the Welcome Inn Community Centre. Welcome Inn is an organization whose vision is to be a place "where people from all walks of life work together to end poverty". They provide a number of wonderful programs two of which our group was fortunate enough to be a part of today. We split into two groups with one going to spend time with the seniors taking part in Welcome Inn's Senior Program. That program is dedicated to helping seniors stay independent and creating opportunites for friendship and community. The second group, which I was a part of, helped out at Welcome Inn's New Horizons Thrift Store. New Horizons is all about providing a more affordable shopping opportunity for people of all backgrounds.

Those of us at the thrift store helped organize and stock merchandise. Some of the items were very facinating. We found items like books that had personal messages previous owners had written and it was a very intense thing to have a moment of thinking about that certain objects history and what led it to being on the shelf in this store. We were very warmly welcomed there. Those who work/volunteer there were very greatful for our help. Frequently the employees commented on what a great job they thought we did. Their genuine appreciation was very heartwarming and touching.

Group two spent time with the seniors at the community centre. They helped ready the dining area for lunch. They socialized with the seniors there finding out about their lives and getting to know them and telling the seniors about themselves as well. Again the people were very welcoming and the interest they took in us was very sweet. The group also helped out with some fun activities the seniors had planned which included playing cards and bingo. The thrift shop crew made their way to the centre for lunch and also got the chance to meet the seniors and socialize with them. Very happy we got to do that.

I personally am very happy about the events of today. I really enjoyed learning about Welcome Inn and getting to help them out. It was a very interesting/refreshing experience to take a step away from our time with L'Arche and help out and get involved in a different way while we are here.

Please continue to follow our blog and as always remember to keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

Quotes of the day- Monday!

"Adulthood is learning that everyone is pretending"- Katherine

"L`Arche celebrates a celebration for a celebration"

Funday Monday!

Hola lovely family, friends, and fans!

So far we have been having an amazing experience in every situation we put ourselves in... you could say we are coming together as a team and a newfound family! :) We kicked off this morning by pouring our cereal and preparing for our morning prayer. One of the core assistants explaned her duties that she and the other assistants go through on a daily basis... To find out what they do everyday was an eye opener to us of how dedicated they really are!

From there we packed our lunch (Brandon and Leigh had.. quite an experience with making PBJ's) and headed out to L'Arch Stratfort to hangout with the core members at various homes in that general community. Each member on the trip after coming back together shared the love that they each felt at their respective homes and how we are each growing in appreciation of the core members lives and how much of a blessing they really are to each person's life they come into contact with! The faces of peace, joy, and splendor we get to see each day here is unbelieveable.
Oh, and we cant forget how Laura was slaying the piano and brighting the days of the core members through allowing them to sing and dance... and of course we joined in!

Upon arrival back at the Sherman house, the clan began reflection for the day through the principle of solidarity.. what an amazing teaching! It is all about being your brother and sisters keeper.. and that is what we all got to share through our individual experiences... it was frutiful for all of us:)

I think this quote sums up today and the overall meaning of our work here and what we are trying to do:
"Love isn't love until you give it away"

Thanks friends - continue to keep us in your prayers!
Brandon

Day 2 = Over

Howdy everyone!

Today was amazing! After Mass at St. Ann's, we had an awesome lunch and just chilled until it was party time! There was a huge party for the well-loved community leader, who was being promoted to the regional L'arche leader. It was such a beautiful celebration. Every single one of the Core Members was just so happy to be there and was excited about celebrating a man who affected their lives in such a great way. Not one of them was sad that he was leaving.

After the party, our group split up and went to our designated homes for dinner. Although we were in different places, we all encountered similar emotions. Everyone was just so happy, because the joy of the Core Members is just so contagious. They're happy about everything and everyone in their lives, especially us being there. They're just as excited about us being there as we are. They were so darn pumped for us to simply spennd time with them and eat a meal.

What happened today was meant to be, because tonight when we were reflecting on how to celebrate the little things. We learned from the Core Members to just celebrate every little thing in our lives. Now we have a greater respect for the things that we generally take for granted, like being able to easily communicate with each other.

We've only been here for two days and we've learned so much from each other. I can't wait to see how much more we learn throughout this week.
-Lily

Sunday Morning

Hello friends, family, devoted fans-

We've had a relaxing Sunday so far! We woke up bright and early and enjoyed breakfast with the Corps Members and Assistants in Sherman House. One of the Corps Members, a total trouble-maker, stole three of the team's noses. Never fear, the appendages were returned.

We ventured to the nearby St. Ann's Roman Catholic Church, a lovely church offering a lovely service. One of the Assistants accompanied us and oriented us more to the area of Hamilton.

So far we've been so completely welcomed here that it feels like we've spent a lifetime living with these wonderful people. The Corps Members in Sherman House possess lively and engaging personalities which remind us of the beauty of humanity.

Quotes of the Day February 28th, 2015

Laura- " They didn`t understand what was going on, but they understood happiness"
When talking about the core members and them not understanding why we were here.

Maureen- "she was wearing her nun gear... what is that called?"  Katherine- " A Habit?"

"Do you need help breathing, we have a paper bag or a milk bag?"

Welcome to Hamilton

 Hello Family, Friends, and all those supporting us on our journey to L`Arche.

This is Allie, and we all have reached our first destination, L`Arch Hamilton safely. This morning as we left Gannon in a more than slightly packed car, and started our journey northward to Canada, while jamming to an arrangement of CDs made by members of  our group in preparation  of the trip.
Upon reaching L`Arche we were welcomed with open arms into the house, where the core members and assistants were very excited to have us staying for the next week. They graciously showed us to where we would be staying, and we got settled in. We all experienced dinner with the members of the house, and following we spent time with the members of the house. During the time we spent with the members of the house, we learned  about each of the core members and their interests and what they do with their time in L`Arche. The members wanted to know what we did in Erie for fun, and we wanted to know what they did here in Hamilton.
We also discussed the cultural differences that exist between the two places which are not even three hours apart. One of the many things that we have learned about Canada is they sell their milk in bags and not jugs or cartons. We discussed language and speech differences, such as slang words, like click for kilometers.
After our fun discussion and many laugh, we settled down for a reflection and prayer. The reflection showed us how interconnected all the L`Arche homes are here in Hamilton, because many of the core members prayed for other members of the L`Arche community. The reflection was also about one of the members of the community and how they are an example of how others should live.
As an outside viewer, many of us thought it was a great way to keep the connection  in the community and I personally enjoyed this because when the house did personal reflection I was able to learn from the members of the community. Many people do not realize what they can learn from other, and this is a very important thing in life, learning from observing how others act and seeing the good in others.
After the house reflection, we all went to our sleeping area to do our group reflection. We discussed how we all got here to L`Arche Hamilton. Many of us find ourselves here because because of the people in our lives, many of us because of our families or those or are close in our lives.
We are all very happy to be here and excited to be partaking in the experience!

The Day Is Almost Here!

Hello this is Allie, again!

       Today was our last meeting before we leave for Toronto in two weeks! We are all very excited to be going on this adventure and the emotions are running high on anticipation.

       During our meeting we discussed our travel plans and packing. We also discussed the L`Arche Covenant for our trip. The covenant covers the basic rules for our trip and how we are going to function as a group. As we discussed the covenant, we found that for many of us, embracing simplicity will be the hardest part of our trip. We will have to shorten our daily routines and step away from the world of constant connection, but we look forward to embracing the change.

       We also talked to Father George about the history of L`Arche and how to live at L`Arche during our time there. Father George talked to us about his own experience and this gave many of us the knowledge we will need to move forward on our journey. He stressed the importance of letting the life of others change your heart and accepting the human aspect of L`Arche, which any of us will be experiencing for the first time.

        Many of us could relate about the human experience because last week we went to the L`Arche homes in Erie.  The homes were a great experience. The people welcomed us with open arms and many of them were very excited to share their lives with us.

         I personally was touched, because the people in the L`Arche homes had so many gifts and abilities and they were so willing to share them with us. They openly let strangers into their homes and shared al they were and their huge hearts with us. It amazes me, because this is something I myself struggle with. It was one of the best experiences I have had in my life time. 

        The past few weeks have prepared us all very well, and we are all very excited to get going to Toronto!

Our Journey Continues

Hello to all Family, Friends, and Supporters,

I just would like to start off by thanking you for all the love, support, and prayers you have already sent our way as we begin our journey.  We are starting to really get moving with our plans and before we know it, we will be headed to Canada!  At our last meeting, we actually go to go over what our itinerary will look like which was very exciting.  We also had a chance to explore and reflect on the L’Arche Charter.  This is a document that talks about the true pillars that L’Arche stands on.  We discovered their welcoming spirit, exceptence for all, and love for the outskirts of society.  I think I can say on behalf of all of us that this reflection made us even more excited to experience L’Arche for real very soon.

Our next step is to visit the L’Arche homes that are right here in Erie.  We will get to really see what our trip will be like with the amazing core members that live here close to us.  Stayed tuned for the details of this amazing experience!

Maureen

A Group Reflection

Hello again, I am Allie and Happy New Year from all of us to you!

A few weeks ago, we all met for a group meeting about our trip and we were all very excited that our trip is coming along! Before we know it will be March and we will driving up to Toronto! In preparation for our trip, we each did a reflection on our last meeting and we would like to share them with you!Here you will find each individuals thoughts and ideas from our last meeting on the Dignity of Human Life! Each individual was given the opportunity to give there post their own style!

Laura:

“With the meeting on Monday focusing primarily on human dignity, it was impressed upon my heart to take our service a step further.  It is easy to see the need for friendship of those living in L'Arche communities.  Our hearts are moved to offer our love and time to make a difference for them.  Yet we have so many people who are marginalized within our own small worlds.  I have made it a goal for myself (and I have challenged my team to do the same) to learn the names of at least two people who are essential for Gannon's success, but do not receive public recognition.   #humandignity #makingadifference”

Maureen:

“Hello! My name is Maureen Piccirilli and I am one of the Co-Leaders going on this amazing trip to L’Arche.  I am so excited that I am getting to know these amazing people that will be walking through this life changing journey with me.  Our time together so far has been beautiful and reflective.  Their insights wonderful and I look forward to all the future meetings we will have together.  In our most recent meeting we discussed the dignity of the human person through some quotes said by Pope Francis.  We discussed that each person, no matter how old or what their disability may be, has a dignity and a gift to offer.  This is one of the key concepts that we will discover through our journey to L’Arche.  These people are beautiful and talented and deserve the respect that would be given to anyone else.   They have gifts to share and if we take the time to look for them, we will realize that these gifts should be shared around the world.  I look forward to move forward with this group and to experience with them the amazing journey that is L’Arche.”

Katherine:

“I find one of the most challenging images for the dignity of the human person amongst those who live on the margins. Sometimes they are the children bullied in school, sometimes they are refugees of war or natural disaster, and sometimes they are those living with disabilities, but in all cases, they have something in common: someone doesn’t want them. There are some people we wish would just go away, and when I confront that desire within myself, I confront both a prejudice within myself, and the discomfort and vulnerability that comes in facing someone else’s pain and the call to be with that person and to share his or her pain—and joy.

Dignity is so often a word we use to refer to those who have gravitas or who have contributed something considered valuable to society. Yet the person who meets each day with joy because he or she is alive is also dignified, because that person is a witness that life has value—including for those living on the margins. What I love about the L’Arche mission the holistic view of individuals who have both good and bad qualities, and the insistence that every person has value. In recognizing human dignity, a revolution begins, and the people on the margins are brought into the center where we all belong.”

Lily:

“At this last meeting, I loved what we did. We chose quotes that spoke to us and shared them with the group. These quotes were from Pope Francis and were about human dignity. The quote that really hit me mentioned how we often see people with disabilities as less important and less “useful” than people without disabilities. The Pope said that we all have our gifts and that no gift is more important than another. This is so beautiful and true because everyone has something to offer, although it might not be physical labor or the ability to make money, that doesn't mean that it’s useless. Sometimes what this world needs most is simply someone who can just make people smile. God’s gifts come in all shapes and sizes, but never vary in importance. This message is the epitome of our group’s mission; to spread the importance of all human life.”

Brandon:

“The meeting that we had was such a great way to bring awareness to all of us about the respect of human life, and how dignity of a human is so much more than what we make it. It opened my eyes in a unique way to the fact that we all are not so blessed everyday to have what we have, and some people just aren’t equipped with the proper skill sets to advance in life.  Even in the smallest of circumstances, each life is not more important than another; it is hard to live that way I know! However, if we can look past ourselves and step out of our comfort zone, than I know this trip will be not just a service trip, but a humble service all together.”

Leigh:

“I greatly enjoyed our conversation on human dignity. Most things worth saying have already been said, so using quotes (especially such well-chosen ones) drove the point home. I felt closer to everyone after this meeting and enjoyed the fact that many of us were able to share personal stories which pertained to both the subject at hand and the purpose of our trip. I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to spend time with such a devoted and open group. Before this meeting, I was starting to feel a little nervous for the trip. Now, I have no doubts, and I can hardly wait for our trek to Toronto!”

Megan:

“I really enjoyed this second meeting with my ABST group. It's always great seeing them. The more time I spend with the group the more excited I get for this upcoming trip we'll be going on. Every time we meet I seem to learn something new about my group which is great. The activities our group leaders plan provide a great opportunity for us to open up to each other and get to know one another better since most of us were strangers before coming to this group. Our second meeting focused on the topic of human dignity. We did an activity involving quotes from our pope on that topic and we got to share what human dignity means to us. It was interesting to find that the group was pretty much in agreement with their views and beliefs on human dignity. It was nice to learn that we share similar views on this as well as other things we've discussed. It's definitely great for bonding us as a group.”

Allie:

“As a member of the group traveling to L`Arche, human dignity is one of the things I often have to things about, as do we all. We discussed the idea of service of presence at the last meeting and I believe it ties in with the ideas of human dignity and the rights to life as a whole. The idea of human dignity and the rights to life mean you value the individual for them more then what they can produce for you. And that is critical in our society. Our society has become obsessed with gaining and using others and they have lost the true meaning of human life. By enjoying the company of others and learning to understand what others are dealing with, that is how we become closer to one another. That is how we respect the human life for what is it is. As we discussed human dignity, we talked about how our differences are the important parts of us, because we all have challenges and struggles, but we must help each other through them. The differences must be respected because they are a part of human life, each individual is made in the image of God and therefore must be respected. I enjoyed this conversation, because I believe it brought us all closer as a group. We all have become more willing to share and experience this new adventure together as we embark farther on our ABST journey.”

We all will be meeting again soon, to discuss more about our trip to Toronto and cannot wait to serve the people of the L`Arche community!