Looking back on our Cross Cultural, it is obvious to me that our group was blessed with a wide variety of opportunities experiences.
-visiting rural towns in Guatemala such as Coban
-worshiping with school children at the Mennonite boarding school, Bezelel
-living and learning from host families in Guatemala City and Puebla
-visiting ancient sights such as Teotihuacán or Tikal where ancient civilizations grew and flourished
These diverse experiences have all reflected the face of God in perhaps a different way than we were expecting.
At this point, I can only understand and appreciate a part of the deeper meaning behind this experience. Greater understanding of my experience will develop as I reflect on the memories of this past semester. Memories of new friends and host families will reinforce the bondsbetween the global family. With these new insights, I as well as others from my group are given the opportunity to stand in solidarity with our new brothers and sisters in Guatemala and Mexico. To learn from the stranger and start living out a life of gratitude that was modeled this semester. Together with friends and family both here in Harrisonburg and around the world we can learn from one another and work towards reflection God's kingdom.
As a response to our learning and experience in Mesoamerica and the call that our group continues to feel from God in our lives, members of our Cross Cultural were given the opportunity to write a Commitment Statement which states ways that we plan on changing our own hearts and lifestyles as a way of living in solidarity with others that we met this semester. Here are a few of the life style changes that I either want to continue or start as a response to my experiences on Cross Cultural....
Inreach:
1.) Take time daily for silence with God
2.) Extend grace to myself
Outreach:
1.) Participate in community volunteering opportunities
2.) Tithing 10% of income
3.) Keeping in contact with friends and church family from Paraguay and Mesoamerica
4.) Write letters of thanks to influential people in my life
5.) Invite others over for meals and the opportunity to practice hospitality
Symbolic Gestures:
1.) Read spiritually stretching material to remember the importance of not becoming spiritually stagnant
2.) Keep physically active so that I may have energy and spirit to serve and learn
3.)Connect with nature and respect its gifts
These are a few tangible ways that I commit to following in the intention of changing my own heart and mind as a response to what I have seen and experienced this semester. I shares this list so that I may be kept accountable and that together we may grow and learn.
Photo taken at camp last summer that symbolizes for me future growth and learning that only God knows and understands.
