Carroll College Campus Ministry

Re – Entry, God Is Enough

I found returning to the United States and Helena much harder than I expected. I was overwhelmed by consumerism, options, and technology. I went to Costco with my wife the day after I returned and all I could see was a bunch of people saying “I want, I want, I want…” kind of like that little girl on Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. It is now four days later and I still feel overwhelmed by our culture. Coming home from Guatemala has left me with one most obvious lesson and that is “God is enough”. The poor have very little and when things get worse they always know they have God and that is enough. That is an amazing thing to see, and lesson to learn. They are happy because God is enough. In my opinion, we seem to have surrounded ourselves with distractions from this truth. We somehow believe that our next purchase, or our next relationship, or our next vacation is what is going to make us happy. Our kids want the newest next thing that is going to make them happy. We so easily forget that God is enough. The truth is that happiness is found in love and in giving that love to others. This is the type of love only Christ can provide. It is freely given and cannot be taken away from us. It is the true source of happiness. This truth is the only explanation I have for my experience of the poor being rich in spirit, and the rich being poor in spirit. As I feel consumed by our culture, I pray that I do not fall into needing the next thing, but instead remember that God is enough and to live in Christ love and give that love to others.
Patrick Harris

Back in Montana

The change from being in Guatemala for almost two weeks and coming back to the states has not been easy. I am still adjusting to life here in Montana. Since I have departed from other members of the group, I have totally felt alone and on my own. There is no one else around me who has experienced and seen the things that I did. I almost feel scared, but at the same time, I feel such a beautiful peace within me that I cannot really explain. I am not sure why I feel this way, but I think it would be safe to attribute it to the wonderful people of Guatemala. I think that they showed me such a beautiful way of life; a life of simplicity and holding a high importance on God, even when there is no reason to be joyful. Before this trip, I thought I had a good idea of what was important in life, but now that I have had the experience of immersing into the Guatemalan culture and living so simply, I think I have a much better understanding. From this understanding, I believe that I am becoming a much better person in more ways than one.

Although I experienced culture shock going to Guatemala, I am experiencing just as much here in Montana. Whether it is walking through the mall in Bozeman, sitting through my little sister’s high school graduation, or just relaxing on my bed, I can’t stop pondering about Guatemala and how much difference there is between the two cultures. My mind keeps drifting back to the people in Guatemala and their living condtions. I cannot stop thinking about what they are all doing at any given moment and what is going on at the clinic and school. I fall asleep thinking about my brothers and sisters there. I will always have a special place in my heart for everyone that I saw or met. Not a day will go by that I will not think about Guatemala and everything that the people down there need and what they have taught me. I really hope to return to the Mission in Guatemala someday and continue on with the foundations of the relationships which I have began. In addition, I hope this amazing group and I can go spread the word about how important it is to work towards social justice.

Transition Home

So I knew that this trip was going to hit me hard when I got home, but I didn’t know what that meant. The Saturday after getting home, I felt brain dead. People would talk to me, but I would only catch half of what they said. I had very little emotion and hardly anything to say. I would just stare off into space. Then, when I went back to work on Sunday, I wanted to tell my stories to everyone who complained about something; they would complain about their food not tasting just right, or wanting 5 refills of soda, or that our beer menu wasn’t entirely accurate. The US and Guatemala are so different, and it’s painful to see the world we live in here and how materialized and unthankful we are. That may sound a little harsh, but it’s sadly true. I know this world would be a better place if everyone could have the experience we did in Guatemala.
So now what? Did you know that for just $300 a year you could sponsor a child to attend the school La Asuncion? That includes room and board! And Sheila, the clinics director, is constantly scrounging for money. You can also purchase an ONIL stove to place in a poor persons home for only $100, or you can plant 50 trees for $50. There are so many ways we can help these people. So spread the word and help us spread the light of Christ through showing compassion and love for the poor.
Thanks everyone who has been following our blog, it’s been so nice to be able to share our experiences with you.
“If you pray, you will believe; if you believe, you will love; if you love, you will serve.”
-Mother Theresa
God bless!
Kelsey Rohm

A Weird Transition

Ok well I get to be one of the lucky ones and write a second blog. I first want to start by thanking all of those people that have been keeping us in their prayers. This experience has been life changing and challenging for every person down here, and I don’t say that lightly. What we have seen, experienced, and shared with each other has brought a range of emotions. We have shared laughter and joy to tears of sadness. Many questions have assailed our group that we have not been able to find the answer to. In spite of this our trip has been a success. In a little over a week we have learned not only to love the people down here, but also love each other and ourselves and see Christ in all. The transition however from this world of poverty in Santo Tomas to the states however is where I want to dwell on in this blog.
The last two days we have spent in Panajchel. I have never had so much disdain for such a pretty town. This is the ultimate tourist attraction. The lake is real close and there are dozens of little shops where a person could get anything that they desired. There are many Europeans and Americans walking around. Many of the people also know way more English than in the upper Mayan regions. Despite all of this beauty I am frustrated. I have been living in a poverty stricken region where even though I was treated and fed like a king I could still feel a sense of kinship to the people living there. I desired with all of my heart to treat them, as Christ would want me to. Many of them became my friends. I can see their faces and remember our conversations and even though it was difficult at times to see the level of poverty, but I could get through that in the relationships that I created. Here is a different story. The markets are filled with vendors that are trying to sell their wares. The line between was is hand-made and factory created is blurred. It is more difficult to see that my money is being put to a family that actually needs it instead of going to some corporation that is exploiting these people. The poverty is still present, but no one wants to talk or let you get to know them. They will follow you all over town just to sell their wares and part of me wants to buy them because it might help them. Another part wants to be left alone because all they see me as is a way to make some money. I guess this is the dilemma that everyone in our group is dealing with.
The transition therefore is hard. I personally would like to be back in the mission because this touristy mode is difficult for me. However it is getting easier. At first I shut down and just wanted to forget this place and get back home, but now I can see the stark contrast and it is good that I can get a chance to understand the different faces of poverty here in Guatemala. This scares me in a way because I don’t want to forget all of the things that I have learned and just get comfortable with entering back into my own life. I guess I will rely on God to make sure that this experience has helped to transform my heart in full that I may be able to see and respect the poverty that is present in all of the world and not just when it is starkly in front of me. I seriously hope that I get the chance to return here after I graduate from college and put in a year of service. There is so much work that needs to be done and I want to be part of that. Much love to all of you who have been in my prayers and thoughts. I can’t wait to share all my experiences with you and tell you of all the people that I have fallen in love with down here.
George Lund

Visiting the Church of a Martyr

Hello!
Everyone is still doing great and our travels are going well. We are now in Panajchel near lake Atitlan. This is about a three hour drive from Santo Tomas. On our drive yesterday we passed through many towns and villages and made a stop in San Lucas Toliman at the mission of the Diocese of New Ulm, MN. We listened to the pastor, Fr. Greg, tell us about their coffee project and how it helps the farmers to receive fair wages. We bought coffee while there and were also given free bottles of honey that is made there.

Panajchel is much different than life at the Mission. This is a more touristy area where people are willing to barter on the streets for just about anything. One of the things I was most looking forward to here was our trip across the lake to Santiago Atitlan. We were suppose to drive there yesterday but because of a flat tire on our bus we got a late start and had to cut that destination out due to rain and fog. This morning we crossed over by boat to visit the church that was once a mission of the Diocese of Oklahoma City. This is the church where Fr. Stanley Rother was assassinated in 1981 for his work in providing refuge and protecting the Mayan people from attacks on their land and their lives.

Visiting this church is very humbling. So many scenes in this church portray the suffering of the Mayan people in this town and also their love for Fr. Rother. Since we have been here we have heard a lot about the violence that has taken place and the people who have acted by faith to protect and care for others. During those years it would have been so easy for these people to leave for the safety offered by living in the U.S. but they chose to stay and many died for that choice. Fr. Rother was not the only one to lose his life as a result of the violence in Santiago, a deacon and some religious women were also assassinated there.

The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City has begun the canonization process for the martyrdom of Fr. Rother for which three conditions must be present: 1) The person who committed the assassination must have had the motive of killing the victim only because of the victim’s faith.
2) The person who was killed must have accepted to die for the faith. and 3) The death of the person must have been violent. After visiting this church I have no doubts this man deserves to be called a martyr. As our group spent time in the church it seemed that this is a place that draws one into prayer and into a desire to want to understand the suffering of others.

Below is a prayer I found this afternoon after wanting to learn a little more about Fr. Rother. Tomorrow we are off to Antigua for part of the day and then to Guatemala City to conclude our trip. Thank you for your prayers, once again.

Peace, Colleen
____
Heavenly Father,
source of all holiness,
in every generation you raise up
men and women heroic in love and service.

You have blessed your Church
with the life of Stanley Rother,
priest, missionary, and martyr.
Through his prayer, his preaching,
his presence, and his pastoral love,
you revealed Your love and Your presence
with us as Shepherd.

If it be Your will,
may he be proclaimed
by the universal church
as martyr and saint,
living now in your presence
and interceding for us all.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen

authorized by Archbishop Beltran of Oklahoma City on the 25th anniversary of Fr. Rother’s death

More photos from the road.

What To Do?

Hello Everyone!
Day 7, our final day at the Mission, has come here in Guatemala. It has found all of us in lots of different places… some sick, some with sunburns, some tired, some drained but all with incredible experiences from the last 7 days. Last night, in our reflection, we talked about how we are having a hard time explaining what we are doing down here to people back home. No we are not building houses, installing water-purifying systems, or doing any thing that you can physically see. But we have built relationships, met new people, stretch our minds, questioned our lifestyles and choices, tested our faith and grown deeper in our compassion and understanding for the truly impoverished people of the world. This experience has been a lot to take in, a lot to see, overwhelming to processes. Something hard to explain or understand if you have not seen with your own eyes the unbelievable living conditions, smelt the garbage and dirtiness everywhere, walked the streets of town, felt the ridiculous humidity and heat and rode in the back of a pick up truck with 8 other people up a windy, bumpy dirt road. No doubt all of us will take a long time to processes all we’ve seen and felt and I know that everyone of us will be changed by this experience, going home a different person, someone who has seen a part of the world most don’t get to encounter. This emersion trip has forced us open our minds and hearts and build relationships with people that we wouldn’t other wise get to make.

Each one of us on this amazing experience can offers something different to carry out the work of the mission. Whether it’s being a financial supporter, an advocate, someone who spreads the word of the mission, some who comes back and volunteers for an extended period of time or anywhere in between that. My hope is that no matter where I fall in that line that, no matter where any of us fall in that line, that we may never forget the beauty, heartache, smiles, joy, love and incredible faith that we have seen here.

We were talking to Alex, a Carroll grad who has been volunteering down here at the school for 11 months. Confused about what to do to make an impact here he said something that has really stuck with me and helped me in my struggle to find my place in all of this. He told us go back to Carroll, do all this fundraising and give money to the mission and all its projects but don’t do this alone, do it along with pray. Praying for the mission, for the people of Guatemala is the most important thing. Its what unites us in our faith, its what gives hope and its what, most of all, Guatemala needs. I think a lot of time I underestimate the power of prayer and the impact it can have. So I ask of all of you reading our blog to add a little prayer for the people of Guatemala, the clinic, the mission, the school into your daily prayer. Just something small, a little prayer and hopefully united in our faith and hope Guatemala will flourish.

God Bless! Jill

True Giving

Hola!!
Wow! It has been a major blessing to be down in this country and to have the opportunity to immerse myself in this culture. I have never been in a third world country like this and the experience is truly eye opening.
I could go on and on about the things that have touched my heart, troubled me, given me joy and impacted my life but in this short blog I want to touch upon just a few of these experiences.
On Thursday we went to the small village of Palacal to celebrate mass with the people. These people have absolutely nothing and live in little shacks and yet when we walked into the church I saw a simplistic but beautiful church. The church had amazing tile floors and was by far the most beautiful building in the village. It was obvious that these people had put their priorities into their church. Celebrating mass with these people put a whole new meaning on mass for me. In America mass becomes a habit, an afterthought, something we do every week and take for granted. Never does it seem like we put Mass and our parish at the top of our priorities. I know this rings true for me and I found that having mass every day at Carroll has been something I have taken for granted. It was a beautiful reality check for me to see what Mass and the celebration of the Eucharist means to these people.
After Mass was over these people brought out tons of home cooked bread, pop and bottled water for us. This is a luxury that no one in this village ever gets. I also know that these people really couldn’t afford what they gave us but they put us first, not thinking about themselves but instead their only desire was to give us the best they could. How many times do we in America drop everything for complete strangers? How many times are we willing to give strangers the best we possibly can, maybe even more then we can afford, simply because they are another human? These are two of the many questions I have been reflecting on the past couple days.
Over the last month I have been reflecting on this scripture passage and I think I finally hit a true understanding of it when I spent time with these villagers of Palacal. “Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but [also] everyone for those of others.” Philippians 2:3-4 These people who have nothing, many living off of a dollar or so a day, gave us a meal that they themselves would have never had. They are true examples of what it means to love as Christ did.
I have seen a lot of problems and a ton of need here. These people really can use our help. To send a kid to school it costs 300 dollars for the entire year, this includes room and board for the kid. They need our help but in the midst of the poverty and issues I have seen beauty. I have seen Christ and thanks to these people I have had my own life put in check.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Pray that our hearts may continue to love as Christ does and that our eyes may continue to be opened to the realities Christ wants to teach us. More importantly keep the Guatemalans in your prayers. These are beautiful people who have blessed and touched each one of our hearts. If you find you haven’t given everything, consider giving to these people and this mission… trust me when I say it’s worth it!
Talk to you all back in the States!!
God Bless,

Jacob Harrison