By, Claire Bartleson
The mission trip to Holden Village is one that I won’t soon forget. We met so many interesting and different people with such different stories as to where their lives have taken them and how their experiences have shaped them that it has really made me examine my life and where I’m heading mentally, spiritually and emotionally.
The best part of the trip for me was being cut off from the outside world. It was tough at times but it was great not to hear cell phones ringing! It felt as if nothing else mattered at that time other than what I was doing. I didn’t have to worry about being somewhere on time, returning phones calls, getting assignments in or going to work. I was truly relaxed.
I now see why slowing down in life is important. While at Holden I really took time to look at what was around me. Waking up every morning and walking outside and seeing these huge mountains was incredible. I don’t think people take enough time anymore to really notice the beauty that is around them everyday.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Three Moments from Seattle/Holden
By, John Robinson
From all the experiences that I had from the Holden Village / Seattle trip, three moments will stay with me always.
First, the homeless center in Seattle. I had never been in a shelter like that before. In my mind, I always pictured a shelter such as this one as being slightly unkept, with a lot of "lost souls" roaming around. The reality is that the center houses many individuals who are just like you and me; yet due to situations beyond their control, they have lost everything. One "resident" of the house had actually worked with the Seattle Supersonics in their media department. He told of how at one time he had stayed in the Hilton Hotels throughout this country, living the higher profile life of someone associated with the NBA. He dropped names of the superstars he had rubbed elbows with at the time which included "Downtown" Freddie Brown (knowing I was from Iowa), and Wes Unseld (my favorite player when I was young!) The guy knew his basketball and he was articulate; and yet due to circumstances beyond his control, he is now living in a homeless shelter. BUT, he said he remains very optimistic about his future and he is not giving up. I guess I could all learn about life from him.
The second moment / thought that I come away with was the view of the mountains and how small we all really are! Waking up to mountains that reach up 8,000 feet really does humble a person! We really aren't much when we really look around this country, planet, universe. But, as Jim and I worked on the front deck of a hydroelectric plant, I also recognized the abilities that we have been given. This hydroelectrical plant just amazed me! Someone had to draw up the plans, someone had to construct the equipment, someone had to put it all in place over the small river... all in this very remote location! This smaller facility gave Holden its electrical power and it was very impressive.
Finally, the Sunday morning church service in Seattle. Before the actual message, we were read the Ten Commandments slowly and quietly. If the world is to survive, we all need to hear and reflect on what these commandments are saying. Strangely enough, that was the moment which will define my trip for me as I look back at all that I experienced.
Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to take this trip.
-JR
From all the experiences that I had from the Holden Village / Seattle trip, three moments will stay with me always.
First, the homeless center in Seattle. I had never been in a shelter like that before. In my mind, I always pictured a shelter such as this one as being slightly unkept, with a lot of "lost souls" roaming around. The reality is that the center houses many individuals who are just like you and me; yet due to situations beyond their control, they have lost everything. One "resident" of the house had actually worked with the Seattle Supersonics in their media department. He told of how at one time he had stayed in the Hilton Hotels throughout this country, living the higher profile life of someone associated with the NBA. He dropped names of the superstars he had rubbed elbows with at the time which included "Downtown" Freddie Brown (knowing I was from Iowa), and Wes Unseld (my favorite player when I was young!) The guy knew his basketball and he was articulate; and yet due to circumstances beyond his control, he is now living in a homeless shelter. BUT, he said he remains very optimistic about his future and he is not giving up. I guess I could all learn about life from him.
The second moment / thought that I come away with was the view of the mountains and how small we all really are! Waking up to mountains that reach up 8,000 feet really does humble a person! We really aren't much when we really look around this country, planet, universe. But, as Jim and I worked on the front deck of a hydroelectric plant, I also recognized the abilities that we have been given. This hydroelectrical plant just amazed me! Someone had to draw up the plans, someone had to construct the equipment, someone had to put it all in place over the small river... all in this very remote location! This smaller facility gave Holden its electrical power and it was very impressive.
Finally, the Sunday morning church service in Seattle. Before the actual message, we were read the Ten Commandments slowly and quietly. If the world is to survive, we all need to hear and reflect on what these commandments are saying. Strangely enough, that was the moment which will define my trip for me as I look back at all that I experienced.
Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to take this trip.
-JR
Phoenix Group - Monday
The following is from Amanda Kafer's journal for Monday, March 19th. Amanda is a Waldorf student from Forest City, IA.
Monday 3-19-07
Today was a lot of fun. Waking up at 5:50 was a stretch for me. We ate and got going pretty quick. Today I got to go to a food bank and work with my fellow Waldorf students, as well as some of the Sheriff’s inmates of Phoenix. They were really cool. We boxed food and prepared it to be boxed by the next groups that would come in. We got a lot of work done, and it was cool to see the work it takes to feed people who need the help in that area. We spent most of our day there then got to shower at the YMCA (finally after two days without one) then finished out the day with the rest of our Waldorf group. It was a great day for me. (my hands and arms hurt from the work though). :)
Amanda
Monday 3-19-07
Today was a lot of fun. Waking up at 5:50 was a stretch for me. We ate and got going pretty quick. Today I got to go to a food bank and work with my fellow Waldorf students, as well as some of the Sheriff’s inmates of Phoenix. They were really cool. We boxed food and prepared it to be boxed by the next groups that would come in. We got a lot of work done, and it was cool to see the work it takes to feed people who need the help in that area. We spent most of our day there then got to shower at the YMCA (finally after two days without one) then finished out the day with the rest of our Waldorf group. It was a great day for me. (my hands and arms hurt from the work though). :)
Amanda
If that were me...
The following was written by Waldorf student Angela Boris from Columbia Heights, MN.
If that were me…
Everyone has a story. Looking back on my week in Phoenix, I decided I needed to tell my story about it. There are many emotions that come into my head. First of all is a small sadness. I am sad that Spring Break is over, sad that just when new friendships were being built it had to end, and sad that I can no longer stare off at the mountains in the distance and just be in awe. Our last night in phoenix, I sat outside and just though about everything that happened there. There are parts of me that was expecting something else, parts of me that were frustrated and parts of me that just wanted to go home. I realized however that I learned many lessons of this trip, and here is what I have to say.
This trip was an experience. Not just an experience of a new state, a new city and new people, but an experience of sleeping on floors, being patient when all I wanted to do was get going, to keep pushing myself to fill one more box, hammer one more nail, or paint one more section when all I wanted to do was leave, because I was hot, sweaty, sore and tired. It was an experience of meeting people I would have never probably met, not just fellow students and professors from Waldorf, but just people. We had the experience to work with inmates doing community service hours. These people taught me the simple lesson to not judge someone before you get to know them. I know we were all skeptical about working with these people, but at the end of the day we all had new friends.
It was a lesson about how lucky we are. I kept thinking, if I was born somewhere else, if I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, that could have been me. Everyone has a story, and I am glad that I got to hear peoples that I would have never expected.
The one thing that comes to my mind when thinking of this trip is sacrifice. Sacrificing time, energy, showers and a bed. It just amazes me sometimes how selfish people including myself can be. There were days when I know we were all thinking lets hurry up and get done so we can leave. I remember being so mad that our plane was delayed going to phoenix, and I was so hungry when we got there. Thinking about that now, some people don’t even have a house, don’t even have anything to eat. I was hungry for a few hours, while some people are hungry for days on end. It is all about perspective, and we are all so lucky.
Looking back, I realize that its not about how many records we broke at the food bank or of we got done with all our jobs. I had the wrong attitude. It was about giving something of myself, ourselves, with nothing except blisters and memories in return. For most of us on this trip, we weren't here to give fully of ourselves. Its not about getting thanks or looking good in a resume. These are simple little things that humans should do for each other. Its not about just the physicial work we did, but the attitude and heart that goes into it.
I have never seen a group of college kids so willing to go in, work and get a project done. Everyone I was with on this trip had a drive and a passion, and I am grateful that we experienced this together. Let’s challenge ourselves to look beyond the world we live in, outside our little boxes. Lets not be judgmental. We all have a story to share, and we all have a story to listen to. My sister played a song for me one time, and it sticks out in my head now. It is about how we cant live without life’s simple luxuries, and yet there are people out there with no home, no food, no body. It is a song about getting other peoples stories. We are all so lucky and blessed, and lets never forget it. Now go out there in the world, the world beyond Waldorf, Forest City and home. Thank you all for the wonderful experience. Here is that song, it helped me and I hope it helps you too.
If That Were Me
"Where do they go and what do they do?
They're walking on by.
They're looking at you.
Some people stop, some people stare.
But would they help you and do they care?
How did you fall?
Did you fall at all?
Are you happy when you are sleeping underneath the stars?
When it's cold is it your hope that keeps you warm?
A spare bit of change is all that I give.
How is that gonna help when you've got nowhere to live?
Some turn away so they don't see.
I bet you'd look if that were me.
How did you fall?
Did you fall at all?
Is it lonely where you are sleeping in between parked cars?
When it thunders where do you hide from the storm?
Could you ever forgive my self-pity?
When you've got nothing and you're living on the streets of the city.
I couldn't live without my phone.
But you don't even have a home.
How did we fall? Can we get up at all?
Are we happy where we are on our lonely little star?
When it's cold is it your hope that keeps you warm?
Where do they go and what do they do?
They're walking on by. They're looking at you.
They're walking on by. They're looking at you.
Angela
If that were me…
Everyone has a story. Looking back on my week in Phoenix, I decided I needed to tell my story about it. There are many emotions that come into my head. First of all is a small sadness. I am sad that Spring Break is over, sad that just when new friendships were being built it had to end, and sad that I can no longer stare off at the mountains in the distance and just be in awe. Our last night in phoenix, I sat outside and just though about everything that happened there. There are parts of me that was expecting something else, parts of me that were frustrated and parts of me that just wanted to go home. I realized however that I learned many lessons of this trip, and here is what I have to say.
This trip was an experience. Not just an experience of a new state, a new city and new people, but an experience of sleeping on floors, being patient when all I wanted to do was get going, to keep pushing myself to fill one more box, hammer one more nail, or paint one more section when all I wanted to do was leave, because I was hot, sweaty, sore and tired. It was an experience of meeting people I would have never probably met, not just fellow students and professors from Waldorf, but just people. We had the experience to work with inmates doing community service hours. These people taught me the simple lesson to not judge someone before you get to know them. I know we were all skeptical about working with these people, but at the end of the day we all had new friends.
It was a lesson about how lucky we are. I kept thinking, if I was born somewhere else, if I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, that could have been me. Everyone has a story, and I am glad that I got to hear peoples that I would have never expected.
The one thing that comes to my mind when thinking of this trip is sacrifice. Sacrificing time, energy, showers and a bed. It just amazes me sometimes how selfish people including myself can be. There were days when I know we were all thinking lets hurry up and get done so we can leave. I remember being so mad that our plane was delayed going to phoenix, and I was so hungry when we got there. Thinking about that now, some people don’t even have a house, don’t even have anything to eat. I was hungry for a few hours, while some people are hungry for days on end. It is all about perspective, and we are all so lucky.
Looking back, I realize that its not about how many records we broke at the food bank or of we got done with all our jobs. I had the wrong attitude. It was about giving something of myself, ourselves, with nothing except blisters and memories in return. For most of us on this trip, we weren't here to give fully of ourselves. Its not about getting thanks or looking good in a resume. These are simple little things that humans should do for each other. Its not about just the physicial work we did, but the attitude and heart that goes into it.
I have never seen a group of college kids so willing to go in, work and get a project done. Everyone I was with on this trip had a drive and a passion, and I am grateful that we experienced this together. Let’s challenge ourselves to look beyond the world we live in, outside our little boxes. Lets not be judgmental. We all have a story to share, and we all have a story to listen to. My sister played a song for me one time, and it sticks out in my head now. It is about how we cant live without life’s simple luxuries, and yet there are people out there with no home, no food, no body. It is a song about getting other peoples stories. We are all so lucky and blessed, and lets never forget it. Now go out there in the world, the world beyond Waldorf, Forest City and home. Thank you all for the wonderful experience. Here is that song, it helped me and I hope it helps you too.
If That Were Me
"Where do they go and what do they do?
They're walking on by.
They're looking at you.
Some people stop, some people stare.
But would they help you and do they care?
How did you fall?
Did you fall at all?
Are you happy when you are sleeping underneath the stars?
When it's cold is it your hope that keeps you warm?
A spare bit of change is all that I give.
How is that gonna help when you've got nowhere to live?
Some turn away so they don't see.
I bet you'd look if that were me.
How did you fall?
Did you fall at all?
Is it lonely where you are sleeping in between parked cars?
When it thunders where do you hide from the storm?
Could you ever forgive my self-pity?
When you've got nothing and you're living on the streets of the city.
I couldn't live without my phone.
But you don't even have a home.
How did we fall? Can we get up at all?
Are we happy where we are on our lonely little star?
When it's cold is it your hope that keeps you warm?
Where do they go and what do they do?
They're walking on by. They're looking at you.
They're walking on by. They're looking at you.
Angela
Today is where your book begins...
The following was written by Waldorf student Rachel Anderson from Postville, Iowa.
The past week in Phoenix, Arizona was an amazing experience for me and everyone else involved! First of all, it was my first time flying along with a few other first time flyers so that was exciting, second of all I got to share a great experience with fellow Waldorf people. It felt so good to know that we helped many people less fortunate than we are.
While working at the food bank, each day we broke our own records! I felt that the group got along really well even though we all complained about sleeping on the hard floor in a sleeping bag all week but in the end we could all agree that it was worth it. I gave devotion to the group to think of for the rest of the week and that was a verse from the song "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield.
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your innovations
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
The message was that today is where your book begins the rest if still unwritten; each of us has a page to fill. I strongly believe that the Phoenix group filled many of those pages as we headed to work each day! We all got to meet people that we probably would not have met if we didn't go on this trip. I'm grateful for the experiences that I shared with everyone on the Phoenix trip!
Rachel
The past week in Phoenix, Arizona was an amazing experience for me and everyone else involved! First of all, it was my first time flying along with a few other first time flyers so that was exciting, second of all I got to share a great experience with fellow Waldorf people. It felt so good to know that we helped many people less fortunate than we are.
While working at the food bank, each day we broke our own records! I felt that the group got along really well even though we all complained about sleeping on the hard floor in a sleeping bag all week but in the end we could all agree that it was worth it. I gave devotion to the group to think of for the rest of the week and that was a verse from the song "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield.
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your innovations
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
The message was that today is where your book begins the rest if still unwritten; each of us has a page to fill. I strongly believe that the Phoenix group filled many of those pages as we headed to work each day! We all got to meet people that we probably would not have met if we didn't go on this trip. I'm grateful for the experiences that I shared with everyone on the Phoenix trip!
Rachel
Simple Ways of Life
By Nicholette Mausser
When I was at Holden Village, I learned the simple ways of life people live. These would be things like:
Doing compost with their garbage and separating everything.
The meals that they eat
How they sort all the different materials that they use in all different situations and how they conserve things.
How everyone gets along and lives a simple life.
I enjoyed Holden Village immensely. It was so peaceful there. All the praying helps you get in touch with yourself and helps you to find what your true calling is. I enjoyed it very much, it helped me relax and appreciate the things and people I have in my life. I would work there but I would need to have someone with me, like a family member or a friend. I am too close to my family, that I wouldn’t be able to go a long period of time with out talking to them. It is a great place to get to know your inner self and to do something if you are not ready for the work world.
When I was at Holden Village, I learned the simple ways of life people live. These would be things like:
Doing compost with their garbage and separating everything.
The meals that they eat
How they sort all the different materials that they use in all different situations and how they conserve things.
How everyone gets along and lives a simple life.
I enjoyed Holden Village immensely. It was so peaceful there. All the praying helps you get in touch with yourself and helps you to find what your true calling is. I enjoyed it very much, it helped me relax and appreciate the things and people I have in my life. I would work there but I would need to have someone with me, like a family member or a friend. I am too close to my family, that I wouldn’t be able to go a long period of time with out talking to them. It is a great place to get to know your inner self and to do something if you are not ready for the work world.
Simple Things
By Nicole Moklestad
For me, I felt like I have come back much more relaxed. I always say to enjoy the simple things in life, etc. However, I really feel that I have a better understanding on how to respect the simple things in life and really appreciate them-- that’s what I’m going to try to embrace from the wonderful service trip
For me, I felt like I have come back much more relaxed. I always say to enjoy the simple things in life, etc. However, I really feel that I have a better understanding on how to respect the simple things in life and really appreciate them-- that’s what I’m going to try to embrace from the wonderful service trip
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