MegBeck

About half way into our trip, Father Joseph presented to us the question, "Why are you here?" I thought a lot about that question in the days that followed, and each day seemed to present a slightly different answer. We discussed in detail our final conclusions of the trip on our last night together over drinks, and really delved into the question, "why did God choose the nine of us to come to Africa?" Each student had a well thought out response, admitting that the trip brought them outside of their comfort zones and taught them how to love others on a whole new level. Until that question was posed I had yet to really consider why I was chosen as the "chaperone" of the trip. I inquired back in October about any trips in need of a chaperone. I stated eagerly that I would be more than happy to go along, as I had no family or responsibilities tying me to Ave other than work; and most of all, because I love traveling and serving people, even though I had neve...

Walking into my 2 bedroom apartment in Naples, Florida after returning home from Uganda, feelings of sadness, gratefulness, relief, and nostalgia all swirled together in my mind. My dog Panda, jumping up and down to greet me was a wonderful feeling, one I had been waiting for all day, but as she eagerly jumped up to lick my face I instantly remembered hundreds of orphans in Masaka, swarming our van and greeting us with smiles and laughter, and I longed for those children even more than the whimpering gladness of my five year old faithful friend. The first thing I noticed upon walking inside my apartment Saturday afternoon was that the temperature seemed freezing cold. I went to the thermostat to check, and it was set at 78 degrees Fahrenheit, just how I left it. I went to the bathroom and looked at myself in a mirror for the first time in two weeks; yikes. Greasy hair and blemishes stared back at me. There in my bathroom was a toilet that flushed and a shower head with hot water waitin...