Day Seven--Gloria

Today was our final day on the mission trip! Last night I made the grave mistake of telling Mike that he could go straight to stage 3 to wake me up, and I was awoken by a pillow to the head. We packed up our bags and threw a disturbing amount of condiments down the drain. We dropped David off at the airport, but not before he was able to share a Christian rock song in Gen Z slang. We made a stop at Shelter Island while Mike and Riley came up with a quick plan for the day ahead, and then headed to Balboa Park. I was astounded by the size of the park and we found lots to do. We visited the Botanical Building and Gardens and everyone except Riley and me was too pooped to explore it. I found an alarming amount of plants with leaves bigger than my face. We then found lunch and headed to the museum area of the park, and everyone was instantly drawn to the cannibal museum (except Riley and Kyle, who decided it was in their best interest to ride the train instead). We learned about how the label of cannibalism was often used as a justification for the abuse and colonization of many indigenous people, and also that Keith Richards snorted his father's cremated remains. Finally we returned to the van and headed to the airport. 

This trip has again surprised me with how meaningful it turned out to be for me. I made many new friendships and tried to focus on this trip's theme of connection. I often struggle with conversing and connecting with strangers, but on this trip I made an active effort to seek out new friends and I believe that I have deepened my faith through that connection. It was beautiful to hear so many people's stories simply through asking questions, and I think everyone on this trip deepened their sense of curiosity. These mission trips have come to mean so much to me, and this trip especially was very meaningful. In an incredibly busy time of my life, this mission trip has taught me to slow down and live in the present moment. It was wonderful to forget about all of my worries for a week as I engaged in service and fun with my fellow mission trippers.