Emergency in El Salvador

"On Sunday, Nov. 8, a low-pressure cell dumped almost as much rain on central El Salvador as Hurricane Mitch did over four days in 1998. El Salvador was already in its rainy season. The storm went largely unnoticed in the Canadian and U.S. media because it coincided with Hurricane Ida.

Just as Andrea de Jesus Parada, her four children and two grandchildren were preparing to go to sleep, they heard a noise that sounded like a helicopter hovering over the house and then cries for help. Mud and stone began to pour into the windows and doors. As they hurried out of the house, Parada called one of her granddaughters. “‘You hold from my neck,’” Parada told her. “I felt stones and mud hitting my body,” Parada said. The mudslide carried them along for almost a block before Parada could feel the ground beneath her. She was able to walk to safety with her granddaughter, guided by feeling the walls of the houses in the dark. All around them, people were crying in panic and terror, Parada said.

Parada told her story to Irma Solano and Antony Sanchez, MCC representatives to El Salvador in mid-November. They were in Verapaz to evaluate the damage caused by massive flooding and mudslides that killed at least 85 people in Verapaz and more than 140 people in the country."

Taken from

Mudslides wash people, trees and houses away in El Salvador

By Linda Espenshade

MCC News Release

What are we doing down here?

MCC Guatemala and El Salvador is committed to supporting local partner organizations that work at community development through projects focused on Education, Relief, and Peace and Justice. The Connecting Peoples program is just one of the examples of how these general categories are put into practice "on the ground"; the Connecting Peoples program is considered one of MCC's key peace building initiatives as it works to build bridges of understanding and commitment between different cultures and groups. However, we are doing a lot more than just connecting people down here! In Guatemala and El Salvador, MCC is supporting projects that focus on: education of women, youth, and children, food security and income generation projects, capacity building, HIV/AIDS, sexual health and gender equality, emergency preparedness and disaster response, peace and justice education through arts and recreation, psycho-social recovery, and much more! Over the next couple of months, we will be highlighting the various projects that make up MCC Guatemala/El Salvador to show just how we work at community development - these are just a few:

Communinity development through EDUCATION

Caring for the environment workshop in Nebaj with partner organization Q'anil

Students at Bezaleel school in Altaverapaz work at builiding a basketball court

Teaching children in Panabaj about dental health with partner organization ANADESA

Community Development through FOOD SECURITY AND INCOME GENERATION PROJECTS

Women of Panabaj practice making fruit salad for visitors that partcipate in ANADESA's eco-tourism project

Community cooperatives in San Marcos work at constructing a green house and trout reproduction system as part of the food security program of partner organization Caritas

reconnecting

"Guatemala gave me a completely different outlook on life in American culture and how to avoid getting distracted by what is the 'norm' in our culture. Guatemala changed my values and my beliefs. I no longer wish to buy the latest thing, or see the latest movie. My friends and my family have become much more important to me, and I value them much more. Guatemala, first and foremost, showed me what life should be like, where I should put my concern and my attention. I have become much less involved in the 'Buying, Wanting, Lethargic' life that I used to live and more the "Giving, Acknowledging, Loving"

Enlace 2009

It is always a pleasure to hear from past participants once they have returned home and are back in their reality. The hope is that once back in the context that if familiar to them, participants continue to process the experiences they had here and that they can somehow connect these experiences to their world at home. That is what makes things like this blog and email updates so important; they provide a way for us to reconnect and to remember what we shared here and to challenge us to not forgot. They challenge us to continue working at connecting with people in hopes of making a difference in our world, be that the world in Guatemala or the world in Pennsylvania or Ontario.

Thank you to participants from this year's Enlace group (Keenan) and the MCC Meat Canner group (Tim) for sharing your thoughts with us! Please feel free to keep sending them our way!

"A general observation I would make is the fact that hospitality had a major impact on all of us. The smiles and greetings and welcoming attitudes that we all received were both humbling and exciting. We went as a canner team representing MCC and the thousands of volunteers that give of their time and money to help people both near and far whom we do not know. It is humbling to be received with such appreciative hospitality, knowing that the gifts of the people make a great difference. The excitement comes from leaving our home country, some of us for the first time, some of us having visited other countries before, experiencing another culture and lifestyle, and realizing that the media does not always portray the "real" story.

We visited a community located in the mountains seemingly far away, especially in terms of the city lights, transportation system, and what most in the developed world could consider "the middle of nowhere." As we walked the "road" to San Juan Curenas we were escorted by the people who live in the area. They greeted us with a banner welcoming us as friends. We had never met our hosts before, yet, they knew the name Mennonite Central Committee, and the reputation of the people who have served and represented MCC went before us. Even though I perceived our physical bodies to be present in "the middle of nowhere," we really were not. I ask myself, "How can I perceive myself to be in the middle of nowhere if I am welcomed with open arms, invited to a community meeting of introduction, hosted in a home for a meal, and then invited to walk to another home to see where they live?" Granted, we could not speak the language and needed a translator, but there is patience and time for that.

What is our responsibility in the world? When do we find the time to be with our neighbors? When and where to we learn that people who live in other lands or are from different ethnic groups should be humanized instead of de-humanized? This starts within our hearts, our minds, our souls. Our faith-based relationship with our Creator and Savior who desires a relationship with us, is our example to establish relationships with people we don't know. I continue to be encouraged by the relationships and work that MCC carries out.

I hope that the staff and volunteers who work for MCC in the USA and Canada can remember the great importance of relationships with people. To also remember that we serve people in our world, created by God, who do not care about the politics associated with who has the final say on program and how the money is raised or who is in charge of whatever. Once they receive a gift of blessing that meets a need benefitting the core of their physical existence, their smiles ought to melt our hearts as we realize together we can change the world, one Christ-centered and God inspired relationship at a time."

MCC Meat Canners

O God, when I have food,
help me to remember the hungry;
When I have work,
help me to remember the jobless;
When I have a home,
help me to remember those who have no home at all;
When I am without pain,
help me to remember those who suffer,
And remembering,
help me to destroy my complacency;
bestir my compassion,
and be concerned enough to help;
By word and deed,
those who cry out for what we take for granted.
Amen.

- Samuel F. Pugh

MCC Global Family Tour

What is Global Family??? That is what I was wondering myself when I heard that an MCC group wanted to visit Global Family programs in Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala. What I found out is that Global Family is an exciting program that is helping make education possible for individuals and communities in countries all over the world. What fun I had working with this inter-generational group of 10 for a quick, six days in September. We visited various Global Family sponsored programs in the area of Altaverapaz (featured in the post "What's Happening in Altaverapaz) and I think I can say, that we all learned a lot! Thanks to the new SALTER's, Luke Penner and Paige Reuber, for joining us on the trip!

Taken from the Global Family website
http://www.mcc.org/globalfamily/

"Through Global Family, MCC's education sponsorship program, you help make creative, community-based education available to children and young adults. For more than 70 million children, going to school remains a dream, just out of reach. Their days are filled with working for survival or with domestic chores. Students who achieve education gain confidence and skills that enable them to improve their lives and their communities. As a sponsor, you receive two updates annually, including stories and photos of the program you're supporting. Will you join Global Family in making the dream of education come true?"

Walking down (and up!) to the community of Santo Tomas Xacalta, where we heard the following meaningful testimony to the value of education:

Maria Caal, 35, lives in Santo Tomas Xacalta, a rural Kekchi community located two hours away from Coban, the capital of the Alta Verapaz Department in Guatemala. She has been part of one of the 6 literacy groups that Fundameno is running and that are supported by MCC’s Global Family project. During a recent group visit, Maria shared the following: “Before, we indigenous women used to stay at home the whole day cleaning house, cooking, and taking care of our children. Our world was so small and our voices were soundless. But when we started to study and to learn how to read and write first in Kekchi and then in Spanish, our world became bigger. Now we are taking on other roles and we are aware of the needs of our families and the whole community. We have a say and our perspectives are being heard. We are able to participate in discussions and proposals in order to address the different needs in our families and communities; this is how education is transforming my life."

MCC Meat Canners Learning Tour

"intentional time to recognize that the world is not just"
"working daily on your perceptions of what you have"

"shaping opinions, ideas, direction"

students at one of the children's centers we visited;
each welcomed us with colorful signs and a song

In late August, I had the pleasure of meeting the MCC Meat Canner guys and spending a week traveling with them in El Salvador. We had a whirlind tour that included visiting four different chidren's programs, ANADES, MCC's partner organization, the communities of Torola and San Juan Cureñas, and the monument of the massacre that took place at El Mozote. We met and heard the stories of many individuals, adults and children alike, who have received the canned meat and other forms of MCC relief. It was a great opportunity for the group and myself to learn about the work of MCC in El Salvador and how this work has impacted families and communities.

children eating pupusas made with the canned meat

new friends in La Torola

lunch with community in San Jose Cureñas

greenhouse we helped work on that will benefit
health center and community in La Torola

http://www.mcc.org/canning/

Enlace 2009

THE SOUNDS OF MOURNING
Outside the sounds of mourning awake to the awkward daylight.
Amidst the fog and early movement a chorus of stray dogs bark with industrial timing;
biting and snarling at the violence and distrust of humanity which is engraved in the very bones they knaw.
The rapid rhythm of the corn mill erupts in the damp air as if the stone of the mountain still holds the echoes of gunfire in its sad memory.
A rooster crows, marking like Peter, the universal cold shoulder of denial which left this innocent country abandoned and betrayed.
Yet, somewhere, a country baseline is heard, pulsing up and down across the fertile countryside resembling the eternal heart of Guatemala,
beating despite the ache and trauma of it past, present, and future.
-John Wideman (Enlace 2009 leader) August 11th 2009

host brothers Akul, Nebaj

art activity with children in Panabaj, Santiago Atitlan

weaving day Akul, Nebaj


working on greenhouse for youth committee in Akul, Nebaj

recuerdos
being challenged by Hector
story session with John and Ghost Runner
discussion with youth at Mennonite church
getting ripped with Brendon
Margarita and her profound comments
being attacked by braiding children
working on the greenhouse
Don Pedro's stories in the cemetary
"buen provecho" from Tomas at least 3 times a day
you're safe and sound with me
trout and mushrooms
futbol in San Marcos
Juan Pablo and his amazing songs
crazy hiking day
swimming in Atitlan with Diego and Juan Jose
carrying soccer posts through the town
the walk of our lives: carrying 20 tress on our backs up a mountain
Addy's devotional
dancing and singing together at the bonfire

working together on a weaving project with new friends from Akul, Nebaj

Jenny and the puppies

more art in Panabaj

LOVE YOU ENLACE 2009!!

Enlace is a program sponsored by MCC Ontario (http://www.mcc.org/ontario/enlace/). The 8 high school participants and two leaders, spent almost 5 weeks in Guatemala from July to August, studying Spanish and learning about the history and context of the country, followed by time spent living and working with communities in Nebaj, San Marcos, and Santiago Atitlan. To read more about their experience here, please check out the group's own blog: http://enlace2009.blogspot.com/

Upcoming Events

The Connecting Peoples program is getting ready for another busy 3-month period, as we look forward to the months that correspond with summer in the North; upcoming events include:

Enlace MCC Ontario July 21-August 20: This is the fifth Enlace group that MCC Ontario has organized in partnership with MCC Guatemala. The group will be spending a week working with the CASAS program in Guatemala City, studying Spanish and learning about the history and context of the country. The following three weeks will be spent working with MCC and various partner organizations in Nebaj, San Marcos, and Santiago Atitlan.
www.mcc.org/ontario/enlace/

Meat Canners MCC Akron Work and Learn Team August 28-September 5: This group from Akron, PA, will be visiting partner organizations and communities in El Salvador that have received canned meat and other MCC support such as school supply kits, etc. The time will be spent meeting with the community members, helping with a small work project, and learning about the context of El Salvador and how these communities have benefited from MCC support.
www.mcc.org/canning/

Global Family Program MCC Akron Learning Tour September 17-23: Visiting Guatemala will be the last stop for the Global Family representatives who will also be visiting programs in Nicaragua and Honduras. The primary goal of the trip is to visit and meet Global Family partners, students, and teachers who receive Global Family scholarships and to also learn more about the work MCC is doing in the region. The group will be visiting two different schools in the Altaverapaz Department of Guatemala, as well as spending some time visiting with communities in Guatemala City.
mcc.org/globalfamily/

who we are and what we do

A lot of you have had the pleasure of meeting many of us face to face, working and learning with us during your time here. The MCC Guatemala/El Salvador team is just great, if I do say so myself, and I have not only greatly appreciated, but genuinely enjoyed collaborating with them in the work I do as Connecting Peoples Facilitator (they definitely have made my job a lot easier!!) Below is a short description of what each worker does, plus some other fun information about each of them.

Chris and Rebeca Strong - Metapan, El Salvador
Chris: My official job title is youth pastoral accompaniment. How I do that is through monthly meetings/Bible studies with the youth from the 5 communities/churches that I work with directly. Likewise, we get togehter a second time every month to either play games, do some cleaning/recycling in the community or a trip that the youth would like to take. I also help organize and lead our youth retreats and get our youth involved in the yearly service weeks that the Connecting Peoples program puts together.

How long have you been with MCC: 2 years

High and low of your job and/or living in Guatemala/El Salvador: High - Hanging out with the youth where they live and getting to know them. Low - Knowing that when it comes to the work that needs to be done with the youth, I'm just doing what amounts to the tip of the iceberg

One thing you miss from home: Sorry, I've got more than one: family, Wheaties, graham crackers, and flushing toliet paper down the toliet instead of putting it in a waste basket

Rebeca: My job title is Family Accompaniment. My position consists of working with 6 churches, giving parenting classes at each of them. I also lead women's circles at each of these churches. With children, I work on giving them workshops on peace and justice and how to better their relationships with others. Finally, I also work with a group of youth, accompanying them, leading service projects and monthly reflections.

How long have you been with MCC: 2 years

High and low of your job and/or living in Guatemala/El Salvador: High - Working with different churches in different communities; having flexbile hours to be able to do home visits and just hang out with people; hearing people's life experiences; doing service projects like recycling or street cleaning with the youth. Low - A lot of traveling. Becuase it is a new position, it has also been challenging getting people interested in the projects.

One thing you miss from home: my parents

Jordan Penner - Altaverapaz, Guatemala
My position is part of the SALT program (1-year MCC program). I work in the library of a middle and high school that recieves support from MCC and Eastern Mennonite Missions and which provides a very valuable education as a very small price for Q'eqchi' (indigenous Mayan group) people who historically have not been provided with very good educational opportunities by the Guatemalan government. I work in the library tutoring students, helping with everyday library tasks, being a mentor and friend for students, and encouraging students to read and think critically, especially in regards to current events.

How long have you been with MCC: 10 months

High and low of your job and/or living in Guatemala/El Salvador: High - Whenever I get the chance to work with students on current events or issues that affect them or help them understand the larger issues that affect the whole world. Also when a student asked me, "What is the bourgeois?" (I really like modern history). And helping students with Algebra (I really like Algebra). And when a student asked me, "Why doesn't the earth fall?" (I really like astronomy). The last one, for your information, is a lot harder to explain than you at first realize when you consider that the Earth is moving really fast (and not just around the sun) but that there really is no up and down (or falling or rising) in space. I'm still working on keeping my answers as simple as possible. Low - The first three or four weeks after I arrived at my placement, I saw the sun once, for a second or two. I also got sick and was not used to taking bucket showers in the cold, and was eating way too many plain tortillas and noodles for my meals. Ones feet are NEVER dry.

One thing you miss from home: chocolate chip cookies

Adriana Koehn - Guatemala City, Guatemala
If you are reading this, you probably know first hand what my job is becuase I have probably worked with you in some way in the past year. Officially, I am the Connecting Peoples Facilitator which means I work with all you great people from Canada and the United States in planning, organizing and leading your trips when you come to Guatemala/El Salvador to learn about the work MCC is doing here and to connect with the people here (north-south connections). I also work at organizing similar activites for locals (south-south connections) and do things like keep this blog up to date, etc. :)

How long have you been with MCC: 14 months

High and low of your job and/or living in Guatemala/El Salvador: High - Getting to meet and connect with a wide variety of people, not only here in Guatemala/El Salvador, but also from North America; being part of their learning and growing experiences. Being able to travel a lot and see so many different beautiful parts of the country and participate in the learning that groups experience - all becuase it is my job! Another high is definitely the opportunity to work on bettering my Spanish and living in another country, both of which have been life goals of mine. Low - All of the traveling can definitely wear me down, plus having 3 month periods that are really crazy busy followed by 2 or 3 slower ones can make me feel like I'm on a rollercoaster sometimes. I also don't really like being called the "mom" of groups - haha!

One thing you miss from home: being able to walk around outside after dark and not being worried about my safety; my family and friends; and definitely, sushi!

Irma and Antony Sanchez Solano - Guatemala City, Guatemala
Antony and Irma are the Country Representatives for MCC Guatemala and El Salvador. They are from Colombia but have beeing working in Guatemala for the past 5 years with their two daugthers, Nataly and Melany. We were all very happy when they recently decided to extend their term here for another 4 years! They are in charge of so many different things that it would be difficult to fit all of it in this little space. They are are bosses, but also are friends and family here and we greatly appreciate all of the work they do for each of us!

Nataly recently graduated from High School and will starting medical school in Colombia in about a month. Melany will be starting 9th grade in the fall here in Guatemala City.

Irma
How long have you been with MCC: 5 years

High and low of your job and/or living in Guatemala/El Salvador: High - The diversity of people, especially those living in the rural areas. Low - The culture of gossip that is so prevelant here. Also seeing that the people are not able to really identify how they are feeling; they will say they are always happy when really they are struggling with a lot of difficult issues.

One thing you miss from home: family and food

Antony
How long have you been with MCC: 5 years

High and low of your job and/or living in Guatemala/El Salvador: High - The feeling of community and family that we have in the work we do. Low - The violence and insecurity that is the reality of living in Guatemala.

One thing you miss from home: family

Nataly
High and low of your job and/or living in Guatemala/El Salvador: High - All of the learning about the context and culture of Guatemala that I have been able to experience here. Low - the closemindedness of some people.

One thing you miss from home: family and culture

Melany
High and low of your job and/or living in Guatemala/El Salvador: High - All of the learning experiences I have had here. Low - The violence and feeling of being scared.

One thing you miss from home: family and food

Nate Howard - San Marcos, Guatemala
I work in Sibinal, San Marcos with the San Marcos Diocese on a food security project. Specifically we are accompanying four farming communities that suffer from high levels of malnutrition. The program's focus is on small business development and the formation of small producers associations; the program is in its' third year.

How long have you been with MCC: 2 years and 9 months

High and low of your job and/or living in Guatemala/El Salvador: High - Weekends in Yalú with no responsabilities, time to read, write, and drink coffee. Low - The moments of loneliness and missing my family.

One thing you miss from home: College football fall Saturdays, 18 holes of golf in the morning with my dad, afternoons and evenings to flip between games, with a special interest in Notre Dame, and late night walks with my dog to destress after Notre Dame's frustrating performance.

David Janzen - Nebaj, Guatemala
I spend most of my time in small rural villages in the Ixil region of the Cuchumatanes Mountains. My work focuses on developing and supporting youth leadership; creating community-based organizations of youth and young adults; and working with leaders and organizations to develop small community projects in health and education.

How long have you been with MCC: I arrived in Guatemala last August and am finishing up my term this coming August.

High and low of your job and/or living in Guatemala/El Salvador: Highs - Seeing the energy and creativity of the youth I work with, living immersed in the lively and colorful indigenous Ixil culture, and working amidst the marvelous natural beauty of the Guatemalan Highlands. Low - The rainy season.

One thing you miss from home: Other than my family, I miss my dog, Lewis, the library, and pond hockey

Rachel Schmitz - Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala
I am working with ANADESA (Asociación Nuevo Amanecer de Santiago Atitlan). I help support ANADESA's various programs and work mostly with the children's afterschool program and the woman's co-operative. I organize and facilitate seminars for both programs. Also, I help out with ANADESA's eco-tourism program coordinating group visits and translating for ANADESA's educational tour.

How long have you been with MCC: I am a SALTer. I arrived in Guatemala in August 2008 and moved to Santiago in October 2008. Right now I am finishing up my term and will be leaving at the end of July.

High and low of your job and/or living in Guatemala/El Salvador: High - Having the unique experience of living in a small, indigenous community. Getting to meet lots of different people from the States and Canada and helping them connect with the people in Santiago. Low - Being far away from famiy and friends and missing out on special events back home.

One thing you miss from home: Some of my favorite foods like sushi, salads, good Italian food, and water/italian ice!

Tobias Roberts - Santa Clara, El Salvador
Toby works in 5 different rural communities supporting community development projects and working in HIV/AIDS education and prevention. He also accompanies 15 families living with HIV/AIDS.

How long have you been with MCC: 2 years and 4 months

High and low of your job and/or living in Guatemala/El Salvador: High - Being identified with a movement, being part of a community searching for their life and liberation; the intimacy that comes from that. Low - Feeling too busy and not being able to focus on just one thing at a time.

One thing you miss from home: family

Beth Peachey - Guatemala City, Guatemala
I work with the Guatemalan Mennonite Church Conference in a program called Mennonite Arts and Recreation Academy. The acronym in Spanish is AMAR, which means "to love". We provide music classes (guitar, keyboard, choir, basic music theory) and recreational activities in three Mennonite chuches in and around Guatemala City. We also do a weekly music class at a preschool run by one of the churches, and I teach singing classes for one of the youth groups.

How long have you been with MCC: 2 years and 7 months

High and low of your job and/or living in Guatemala/El Salvador: High - Being able to see people learning and growing. Low - smog from cars and buses

One thing you miss from home: pickles

We Love Canadians

Rockway Mennonite Collegiate is located in Ontario, Canada and decided for the first time this year to send a group of students to Guatemala to work with MCC. The "test group" :) was here from March 14-28 and spent time visiting communities in Santiago Atitlan, San Marcos, and in Nebaj. We were excited about the opportunity to take a group to Nebaj since we had not done so in a number of years. Rockway worked with the MCC partner organization Q'anil, which works with youth on a variety of issues such as health education focused on HIV/AIDS prevention, cultural preservation, care for the environment, etc. The experience was very positive and we feel good about having made this new connection with Rockway. It is always encouraging to hear feedback from groups once they have returned home and even more so from a group that comes down here for the first time. The following are excerpts taken from a debriefing the group had with Rockway's principal upon their return.

"this is one of the most significant and life changing 15 days we have ever experienced"
"relationships, community, poverty, faith, joy, violence, welcome, beauty, care, questions"
"being surprised by joy in the midst of poverty"
"understanding the benefit and downside of global connections"
"the reality of violence in peoples' lives"
"we were pushed and stretched to do things we could not have imagined beforehand"
"relationships with families, peers, and kids"

Amanda Snyder was one of the participants in the group (pictured above on left). She is to thank for a few of these photos as well as the following thoughtful reflection that she shared with her church upon her return to Canada.

I want to keep remembering every moment in Guatemala. I want to remember the cold showers and the candlelight and the outhouses and even the beans and tortillas. I want to remember the children’s smiling faces and the hugs from my host family and the words of welcome from so many people. To do this I keep telling stories and showing pictures because I don’t want to forget this, I can’t forget this. But I can never seem to explain it right to anyone who has never been there. I can’t explain the laughter as we tickled the kids and how it didn’t matter that the only words we could say to them was hello and to ask their name. All that mattered to them was that we were there and that we cared enough to come and play soccer with them or sing songs for them or do crafts with them. I want to explain how it felt to be hugged and kissed by almost every member of a church community during the “passing the peace of Christ” section in the service. I want to explain the looks on the faces of the families as they told us of the deaths they had witnesses and the losses they will always carry with them. I want to explain how it felt to climb a mountain for three hours and then stand at the top looking over a village and then to be suddenly immersed in a cloud where you could hardly see anything around you. I want to explain how it felt to hike an active volcano and then roast marshmallows on the hot lava. I want to explain how it felt to work together with Guatemalan youth on various service projects. I want to explain how it felt hearing stories of youth our own age who had witnessed so much violence and feel unsafe in their own neighborhood. I want to explain the looks on their faces as they told us this. Yet somehow it never comes out right and it will never put the proper picture in their head because it is something you have to experience on your own. Something you need to see with your own eyes and feel with your own heart to understand or at least to begin to understand because I know that I still only understand a tiny bit of how they live. So my advice is go and do and see in order to experience lives so unlike our own. It is easy to sit on our couches at home and watch it on the news or in movies but sometimes the easy way isn’t the best way. I think that this is something everyone should do, in order to begin to realize how lucky we are here and to appreciate what we have. I’m going to leave you with a quick story and quote from our trip. We had just hiked the volcano and were in the process of hiking back to where our vehicle was parked. We were on the top of a mountain overlooking the volcano we had just been on top of. And we were sitting on the grass looking out at the most beautiful site. A man we had met while on the trip who had come along on the hike told us all to sit down and breathe and experience the peacefulness fully. He said, “let God open your eyes and see the beauty in the ugliness”. So I challenge you to see the beauty in the ugliness but don’t try to do this alone. Let God and let your family and friends help you on this journey called life.

Thanks Rockway! It's true, we do love Canadians :)