Why are you here?

One of the first questions we were asked at team training today was, "Why are you here? What made you choose to do this?" I had been asked this question multiple times by my parents, friends... even by strangers at church. "Jaime, this is a great thing you're doing... but why?" Every time someone asked, I seemed to find a different answer and never had a definite answer to the question. I realized today that it's okay to have multiple answers to this question. I don't think that I know the answer to the full extent yet, and I may not really know until the end of the summer.  All I know is that I am here because I was called by God to serve. So here I am, in all His glory, serving him and those in need. I can already say after my first day that it is the best decision I have ever made.

I was the last to arrive at the airport last night, and the introvert in me was screaming when I walked up to the 11 other people I would be working with this summer. Now, only a little over 24 hours later, I have 11 wonderful new friends, mentors, and companions. We are all from different parts of the country but are connected by one, strong passion... Christ. A new friend, Shannon, mentioned a quote today that sums it up perfectly. It says, "It is beautiful to see God in nature, but it is even more beautiful to see God in other people." For once, I am at peace that I am not the strongest Catholic here. I have so many wonderful things to learn, and so many wonderful people to guide and strengthen me along the way. I have prayed the Liturgy of the Hours three times now and have to admit that I am a little confused. One day at a time. I went to weekday mass for the first time, and it's amazing how whole I felt the rest of the day. Beginning your day with Jesus is always a great start.

Today we focused on team building. It felt like R.A. training with a spiritual aspect added to it... could that get any better? I felt very much in my element discussing how games connected to the work we'll be doing with the teens, and how it connected spiritually. It's funny how much it connects with being an elementary school teacher. After training we went to a local family's house for dinner. They made German sausage, sauerkraut, roasted potatoes, and peach tea... unsweetened of course. The town we are training in is called Muenster and has a very strong German background. She also made German chocolate cake... yummmmm. The family lived next to a wheat field and the biggest tractor I have ever seen was out there farming. We all had to take pictures of it like crazy tourists. :)

One of the things I am most thankful for is that there are multiple runners here. A few of us ran after we got back from dinner, and then proceeded to do an ab workout followed by squats and lunges. I am psyched to have workout partners for the duration of the summer!