21 April 2008

Questioning India


As many of you know, I spent 9 months volunteering with Mother Teresa's Sisters in Calcutta India. After a month or two of living in India, I started longing to get away to the countryside for a break from volunteering!

A quick gander through the Lonely Planet, and I discovered the Cable Car in Darjeeling. Basically, you climb into a metal bubble, suspended from the top by a cable- and it whisks you along at a fairly quick speed, hundreds of feet above the ground! "With an exhilerating drop to begin, the Darjeeling Cable Car whisks you hundreds of feet above the luxurious Rangeet Valley Tea Plantations, allowing for breath-taking views."

I was immediately sold. After convincing several friends that life was not fully lived without the Cable Car experience- off we went to Darjeeling, India! After a 7 hr train journey, and 4 hr winding jeep ride (complete with passengers throwing up along the way)- we arrived!

Ready for adventure, we stopped to ask the Hotel Manager a few questions. When he heard we were going to ride the Cable Car, he got very serious, and said "You really shouldn't ride that. People die quite often. Just last summer a few tourists died.*" My heart sank a little as I began to see the Cable Car was not in my future!

Happily, we found many other adventures in Darjeeling- like a zoo, a morning sunrise over the Himalaya's, and crazy strong cinnamon. Now looking back on the trip, I have realized the moral of the story. Smart people ask questions!
Our motto for The Village is "Real Questions, Real Dialogue, Real Faith." In order to have real faith- a faith that is our own, we must ask questions and enter the dialogue! As you may know, we have recently instituted a Question Box at Village: a place where you can ask any question about our Catholic faith- and every week we will answer one of your questions. Visit http://www.findthevillage.com/ to see past Questions!

What question do you have about our Catholic faith?

__________________________
Village News

Next Sunday
Join us next Sunday from 5-6:30 for our second night on “Spike TV Meets Lifetime”- distinct callings. We’ll have more time to talk about what it means to be Men and Women of God!

Dinner and Some Bible: Thursdays 7-8:30
Stop on by St Thomas this week for Dinner and Some Bible. We’ll be eating some great food, and then reading some of the book of 1 Peter. It’s going to be a swell time- come hungry!

Service Car Wash this Saturday
Join us Saturday 4/26 from 4pm-6:30 for our Village Car Wash Fundraiser at the TCF Bank on the corner of Plymouth and Nixon. Proceeds go towards sending Village Volunteer Bridget Fil to Africa next month!! RSVP to Beth by Wednesday if you are able to help.

Other News
-“One can only find oneself in the sincere gift of self.” Are you ready to “Respond to Grace”?? Turn in your Teen Leader Application for Spring-Summer today!
-Our next GUS meeting is **this Friday** April 11th- Volunteers, please arrive by 6pm to setup.
-The remaining $155 for the Steubenville Youth Conference is due today, see Betho if you didn’t bring it tonight.

*Visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3205314.stm for news documentation of the accidents!! Eeekgads.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is swearing a sin?

fake said...

"Young men and women, Acsept the Lords call. For no grater love is there than to follow the footsteps of Christ." -BXVI

Anonymous said...

Beth! You always have the best pictures! Maybe someday they'll make those things safer and we can all go ride them together!... as a Village Social... in India :)

Anonymous said...

To the first comment: If you mean using the name of God to show anger or surprise or the like, then yes. Using the name of God to ask for help, on the other hand, assuming it's serious enough, is commendable.

To the second comment: Rock on Papa B!

To the third comment: Where DO you get all these pics? If we do go to a social in India, we'll have a guide, Father Selvam! :-)

To Beth: Awesome Village on Sunday!

Anonymous said...

For the first comment: I think it is a sin if you swear excessively and if you use God's name in vain.

For the second: Ditto as Mr. Peters the Younger

And third comment: That would be fun, let's go on a social to India and get great pictures!!!!!! :D

DucInAltumBeth said...

Woot- the next social is set then, off we go to New Delhi!!

Anonymous said...

Hip Hip Hurray! :P

p.s. where is the carwash meeting?

Anonymous said...

I believe the carwash is going to be held at the corner of Plymouth and Nixon near the TCF Bank. :-)
Hope this helps!

Anonymous said...

Awesome, super-windy car wash! :-)
Hope it helps Bridget a lot!
Cya'll tomorrow!

Anonymous said...

To the anonymous bloger,
"thou shalt not take the Lords name in vain"-That pretty much says it.

It's good that you have asked this question as I am sure menny others have before. But is ansur to your question on swearing: Yes.

If you want to avoid the near occasion of swearing, also rid any such "vulgar" words from your vocabulary. words like the D,S,F,J,C,B,words. etc.

Lastly, Don't be worried abotu haveing to say somthing when mad. Silence can often show the strongest disappointment.

Thanks for the question,
chuckdude.

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