I am officially home!
While adjusting back to life in North Carolina wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, I greatly miss my friends in Cookson, Oklahoma and the other mission interns.
My time of "regrouping" in NY was tons of fun! I heard so many wonderful stories!
As I head back to college, I know that no one will ever truly understand how much this summer meant to me, how much it has affected my beliefs, how much I have been changed, how much I have grown. I will never be able to express with words those things, for it is "that feeling" that burns inside of you.
My Cookson Hills family will forever be in my heart, but I know that one day I will go back to visit them too. I mean...how could I not?!
So, while this chapter of my life has come to a close...I will begin to write a new chapter. And although this new chapter may not involve stories of mice or murder, I know it will involve serving people. We live in a world so full of hunger....hunger for food, for peace, for love, for justice. Whether we are Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, or whatever else we want to label ourselves as...We are ALL called to make this world a better place.
So, as the famous Gandhi said, "You must be the change you want to see in the world."
Peace to you.
Hasta Luego!
Meredith
Monday, August 11, 2008
Friday, August 1, 2008
Bitter Sweet Symphony
Where has all my time here at Cookson gone?? I now have less than 24 hours here! One word=INSANE!
This past week has definitely been one of the best weeks here.
A group from Trinity UMC in Nebraska came to Cookson for the week.
They built a new ramp:
Colleen!
Yes, I have actually done some work while I've been here!
Anna playing the piano in the Senior Center:
Someone trying to be funny:
I went to the Cherokee Heritage Center for a second time. Our tour guide was very animated:
Beautiful sunset:
Group Picture:
I've always hated the feeling of having to leave people you get close to when you know you'll probably never see them again or at least won't see them for a long time. I guess I've been faced with that feeling a lot this week.
Tomorrow I'm leaving bright and early to head back to New York. This summer has been jam packed with some amazing experiences and people that I'll NEVER forget. I have been forever changed by the people of Cookson and the mission teams that have come through.
I'll never forget putting those mothballs in my trailer, the smiling faces of the children, eating lunch with the seniors, swimming in the lake with Anna, hearing the stories that touched my heart, getting to know the staff of Cookson, laying under the gazebo and looking at the stars, or riding down Highway 82 with the classic rock station blasting and the wind flowing through the car with Darrell.
While leaving is hard to do sometimes, I know that I will always have these memories with me.
Meredith
This past week has definitely been one of the best weeks here.
A group from Trinity UMC in Nebraska came to Cookson for the week.
They built a new ramp:
Colleen!
Yes, I have actually done some work while I've been here!
Anna playing the piano in the Senior Center:
Someone trying to be funny:
I went to the Cherokee Heritage Center for a second time. Our tour guide was very animated:
Beautiful sunset:
Group Picture:
I've always hated the feeling of having to leave people you get close to when you know you'll probably never see them again or at least won't see them for a long time. I guess I've been faced with that feeling a lot this week.
Tomorrow I'm leaving bright and early to head back to New York. This summer has been jam packed with some amazing experiences and people that I'll NEVER forget. I have been forever changed by the people of Cookson and the mission teams that have come through.
I'll never forget putting those mothballs in my trailer, the smiling faces of the children, eating lunch with the seniors, swimming in the lake with Anna, hearing the stories that touched my heart, getting to know the staff of Cookson, laying under the gazebo and looking at the stars, or riding down Highway 82 with the classic rock station blasting and the wind flowing through the car with Darrell.
While leaving is hard to do sometimes, I know that I will always have these memories with me.
Meredith
Monday, July 28, 2008
We Are Only Human
Okay, okay...I know what you're thinking: why haven't you updated your blog?!?!
While my time at Cookson is coming to a close, they have definitely been keeping me quite busy here. So, I haven't had much time to write!
My parents came last week! We visited Oklahoma City:
Cowboy Museum:
As we were driving, we saw a few signs for the National Shrine of the Infant Jesus of Prague. So, we let our curiosity get the best of us and checked it out:
We visited the Memorial:
We tried Vietnamese food:
I have no clue what I ate there...I told my Dad it was a mind over matter kind of thing for me. My parents enjoyed it though.
I went to a Pow Wow!
The drummers:
My parents and I toured the Cherokee Heritage Center:
They used to pile the base of a tree with clay and set it on fire to get the tree down instead of chopping it down. Very ingenious.
Our tour guide demonstrating how to use a blow dart:
Cookson Hills Center began to give out school supplies to children this week! Monday was insanely busy! Because we didn't have enough supplies donated though, we had to buy quite a few items.
My parents and I ate at Sam and Ella's Chicken Palace. While it was decorated with a chicken theme, it was actually a pizza place.
Gas in Cookson keeps going down...I think it's about 3.59 now.
Spider web at the gas station:
Colleen and I worked on her VIM (Volunteers in Missions) Board:
I'm going to miss the Oklahoma sky. It's so open!
So that was last week! There is a more to come for this week!
Peace,
Meredith
While my time at Cookson is coming to a close, they have definitely been keeping me quite busy here. So, I haven't had much time to write!
My parents came last week! We visited Oklahoma City:
Cowboy Museum:
As we were driving, we saw a few signs for the National Shrine of the Infant Jesus of Prague. So, we let our curiosity get the best of us and checked it out:
We visited the Memorial:
We tried Vietnamese food:
I have no clue what I ate there...I told my Dad it was a mind over matter kind of thing for me. My parents enjoyed it though.
I went to a Pow Wow!
The drummers:
My parents and I toured the Cherokee Heritage Center:
They used to pile the base of a tree with clay and set it on fire to get the tree down instead of chopping it down. Very ingenious.
Our tour guide demonstrating how to use a blow dart:
Cookson Hills Center began to give out school supplies to children this week! Monday was insanely busy! Because we didn't have enough supplies donated though, we had to buy quite a few items.
My parents and I ate at Sam and Ella's Chicken Palace. While it was decorated with a chicken theme, it was actually a pizza place.
Gas in Cookson keeps going down...I think it's about 3.59 now.
Spider web at the gas station:
Colleen and I worked on her VIM (Volunteers in Missions) Board:
I'm going to miss the Oklahoma sky. It's so open!
So that was last week! There is a more to come for this week!
Peace,
Meredith
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