Posts by OrbitingTheSun

i have spoken with a number of you already about my journey this winter, but i thought i'd share the story with all of you before i leave this thursday.

this fall i was asked by one of the professors at my school to go with her on a mission to guatemala.

her proposal sounded very interesting, but i didn't think i would be able to go because of my family's financial situation (my widowed mother has been paying my tuition and my brother's tuition while we both attend private institutions).

OrbitingTheSun

((((( EVERYONE )))))

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

You all are so thoughtful, that is why I'll miss you
folks so much. I'll be thinking of you and looking
forward to sharing my experience when I return.

*Smiles For Valis*
Thank you for that information! I printed it and will have fun
mumbling those Mayan phrases to myself on the plane ride.

36

Goodbye, Everyone!

by OrbitingTheSun in

jw
friends

i have spoken with a number of you already about my journey this winter, but i thought i'd share the story with all of you before i leave this thursday.

this fall i was asked by one of the professors at my school to go with her on a mission to guatemala.

her proposal sounded very interesting, but i didn't think i would be able to go because of my family's financial situation (my widowed mother has been paying my tuition and my brother's tuition while we both attend private institutions).

OrbitingTheSun

I have spoken with a number of you already about my journey this winter, but I thought I'd share the story with all of you before I leave this Thursday.

This fall I was asked by one of the professors at my school to go with her on a mission to Guatemala. Her proposal sounded very interesting, but I didn't think I would be able to go because of my family's financial situation (my widowed mother has been paying my tuition and my brother's tuition while we both attend private institutions). I told the professor that I would love to travel abroad eventually, but I did not have enough money saved to pay for a $1000+ trip in the next month. To my surprise, she already knew about my situation (from my Spanish composition professor) and was prepared to make an exception for me. She told me that the other students going with her were all at introductory level Spanish and that she needed someone with advanced Spanish speaking ability to translate for them and encourage them to interact with the people. If I was willing to do this, I could go on the trip for only $600 and receive credit for my work. I was thrilled to hear this idea because I love to teach and I love to travel even more!

So--now that you know how I got to go on the mission, I should probably tell you what I will be doing in Guatemala. My school offers traditional study abroad experiences, but we also have volunteer programs where the students travel abroad and have some sort of responsibility within the community. The reasoning behind these missions is that the only way to understand a culture is to immerse yourself in it. As a science major, I will be working in a hospital and doing environmental research in different areas. The others going on the trip (there are 9 other girls coming along) will be working in an orphanage and in a school. I am really excited about having the opportunity to bring goods and gifts to the people and learn about their lives and culture. Throughout our visit we will also be travelling to landmarks like the Mayan Ruins in Tikal and the colonial architecture in Antigua.

There are two aspects of this mission that I really believe in: 1) inculcating the spirit of compassion in young people and 2) doing so without a religious message.

Not to undermine the work of missionaries around the world, but people should be willing to travel and contribute without proclaiming the "good news" or promising impoverished natives that loving Jesus will somehow improve their lives. It is better, in my opinion, to be open-minded and show them that they matter regardless of their beliefs, and that their indigenous cultures are beautiful just as admirable as Western Culture (if not more so).

I will be returning at the end of January. I'll miss you guys, but I'll make sure to gather lots of stories and pictures to share when I come home! Goodbye for now, everyone!

Lots of Love, Orbit

17

Picture of RT, Scarlet and me

by Vivamus in

jw
friends

last wednesday, i had the pleasure of meeting random_task and scarlet.

two adorable and sweet people, and im happy to have met them.

OrbitingTheSun

Yay! Strike 9 is up again. Beautiful weather and beautiful faces, it doesn't get much better than that. Good times

60

What Are Your All Time Favorite TV Shows???

by minimus in

jw
friends

i loved taxi and i love the sopranos.

OrbitingTheSun

As for shows with minorities, I absolutely LOVED The Cosby Show, What's Happenin', and Good Times

20

Who Could You Trust in the Congregation

by JH in

jw
friends

.

were there some people in your congregation that you could say anything to them, and you were sure they wouldn't stool to the elders?

how many people in your congregation could you really trust?

OrbitingTheSun

Whether or not it is intentional, the WTBTS hinders the development of trust among brothers and sisters in the congregation. They consistently send subversive messages conditioning the "flock" to render absolute allegiance to the organization above all of the people they are close to. By creating suspicion and fear within the congregation, the "flock" is easier to control and less likely to unite against the WTBTS.

With this said, I only really trusted one person in my congregation--you might know her as the poster LauraLisa. She was the only one that genuinely cared about me and shared with me what was in her heart instead of what was in the WTBTS literature. Thank you, Laura, for being true!

17