Lessons Learned and Lessons to be Learned

So I am leaving augie in just a few days to go home for just 2 weeks then im off to Fiji. I place that as I learn more about I realize just how little I know. I am nervous excited and just plain giddy about leaving for a place that I know so little about. This may seem strange to those who have never been thrown into something that they dont understand and dont know what to expect but I love those situations. This reminds me a bit about the time I went on a mission trip to Puerto Rico. It is to date the furthest I have been away from my family which wasnt a big deal because I was with my church including 2 of my best friends Rachael and Travis. However, what I didnt know going into this trip was that I would be going to a drug and alcohol rehab center for men over the age of 18 and that Rachael and Travis wouldnt be going with me. I was told this after I was in Puerto Rico and was all settled in to the place that I would call home for the week. I was terrified. I didnt know what these guys would be like. I didnt know if they would be dangerous. I didnt know if they would even speak english very well. But im so glad that I did it. It was one of the best experiences of my life. The men there were amazing. Most of them were there because they got on the wrong path at some point in time and now they wanted to fix it. It taught me to not judge a person before I got to know them. It taught me the simple things in my life that I take for granted can be so important. Like when we bought them a microwave, some popcorn, and some candy. When they wanted microwave popcorn they were making it in a toaster oven. It cost my group a few dollars each for these men to be so happy about something as simple as a microwave. Or how one of the men, they called him freckles, he cooked for use every day. He didnt know much english but he did find out that one of our leaders was on the atkins diet. He saved the leftover fish so that it would fit into her diet the next day. He wanted to make sure the she had something to eat and didnt have to bring her own with. I felt so inadequate for the things that I did there. We did some painting and cleaning but what was more important was the guys. They taught me some spanish and made me realize how great my life is. They cared about me and I think that is what was important. Im putting some pictures up of these men they were amazing and what I learned from them was more important than any microwave. So I guess what im saying is that im glad I dont know anyone who has been to Fiji to give me a perspective. I will learn something for myself and I cant wait.


Jon and Me. He was an amazing person


The whole group with the Puerto Rican flag that the guys all signed and gave to us.


This is of the guys after we gave them the microwave. The one kissing it is Freckles.