Austria Part Two

Austria Part Two

11-03-13

Greetings Brothers and Sisters!

It has been over a month since my last blog, and I believe it is time to write part two. So much has happened since then!

Let us start with the traveling. In the Month of October and now November, I have been able to go on the Poland Pilgrimage, enjoy Octoberfest in Gaming, partake in the Romania Mission Trip for 10-Day break, visit Medjugorie and most recently, Interlaken, Switzerland.

First off, every single place I've gone to is different. Some of my trips have been very moving, while others have just been an all around good time. In this past month, I've definitely experienced more pilgrimage like weekends, and I would say it is for the better. If you've talked to me at all since I've been in Europe, you know that I've been working off of one mindset, which is, “do whatever calls you to love the most.” It has been a benchmark for me, all the while not always being easy. A good example of this was Poland.

The Poland Pilgrimage was a tough one for me to go on, one because of the cost, and two because of the expectations, but it proved to have some real worth. Would I suggest it as a must, as so many people told me before I came? Actually, not really, but that is not to say it was not good. I enjoyed the country, the different places of spirituality, and the general prices for goods/souvenirs, but it was not my favorite weekend. I had a tough time with certain things. I will say this though – It definitely called me to love, and for that, I was grateful.

The following weekend, I stayed back in Gaming. On Friday, October 4^th, we celebrated the Feast of St. Francis with a BBQ and on Saturday, The Kartause held an Octoberfest celebration, inside the school's grounds. I don't like Beer, but it was still fun. After that weekend, we had Midterms, and then when that was all done, I was off to Romania.

Romania Mission was quite an experience, and though it ended up being much different than I expected, I was still very appreciative of the opportunity to go. My team was able to go to multiple orphanages and hangout with the kids, and we were also able to see the Romanian Culture firsthand. It was a trip I'll never forget.

When I returned from my 10-day Mission Trip, I went right back to planning my next trip, this time choosing to go to Medjugorie. My trip to Medjugorie was my favorite of the semester, and I would say it was largely because of the hospitality I received along with the peace I experienced there. Medjugorie is a pilgrimage place, known for apparitions of Our Lady, which have been going on since 1981.

My following weekend, I was able to go to Switzerland with five of my closest guy friends, which was great. We ended up going to Interlaken and Gimmerwald, which are both in the Switzerland Alps. We went hiking while there, and finished the trip by stopping in Bern, Switzerland, to see their light show. We weren't really sure how the weekend would hold up, but it turned out to be really sweet.

This semester has been great, and I'm looking forward to the rest of it. Please pray for me, and know I'm praying for you! God Bless!

“He died for me, so I will live for Him.”