Reflections

After our long journey, we are now safely home! It felt wonderful to be back in the states and to be greeted by family and friends at the airport! It was an emotional time for Brian and I as we reflected on the week behind us and it felt satisfying to deliver everyone to their parents safe and sound.

I don't think we will soon forget the exhaustion our bodies feel from 5 days of strenuous labor, the kids wearing their new Scots jerseys with grins on their faces, Mo Mo, Tulo and the rest of the wonderful people of San Juaquin, soccer games barefoot in the rain (torrential downpour), the Peace Corp Volunteers (Cassie, Chris, Jarred, and Morgan), "piedra", "arena", rice and beans and the wonderful food prepared by Cassie's host mom, and the court that we were able to finish for the kids.

I am amazed at the connections you can make with people who don't speak the same language, and how quickly (in just a week) you can feel so close to them.
There are so many memories we will take with us and many things we have learned as well.
We have learned to be appreciative of what we have and how fortunate we are because of where we were born and all the opportunities that go along with that.
We have also been able to reflect on the things that are truly important to us in our lives away from the business of the day to day and the clutter of material things.
We have lived, "It is more blessed to give than to receive".

I can't help but feel as though each member of our group, who left just 9 days before, have been touched in some way by our experiences and by the people we met. As someone mentioned to me this past week, "I think 10 boys may have traveled south but 10 young men will be returning..."

Thanks for taking this journey with us! Buenos Dias!