the journey begins...

It was an early morning at the Farmhouse.  Some of us got more sleep than others.  We're grateful to Alex and Candace for getting up before the dawn and delivering us safely to SEA/TAC.  The four pilgrims are now together and on our way!  

We've got a brief layover in Las Vegas.  Doug is happy to be in the state where he was born.  So, for him this is a pilgrimage within a pilgrimage.

L'Arche Tahoma Hope - Some of the many that hold us in prayer.

This is a picture of our community of L'Arche Tahoma Hope from our community weekend last weekend.  What a great time together. 

Wanted to share; In talking with Doug this evening about our trip he mentioned he should wear his vest. I pondered what he was saying not really getting it, then it dawned on me, we are walking a pilgrimage and Doug wanted to make sure we would be safe so he was wondering  if we had packed our orange safety vests.  I am in good hands, each of us have a gift to share and together we are better. 

Queretaro Community Members Bios

Couldn't find another way to post these bios.  These will be our hosts for the next 8 days. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6jF1FYQzWGdUjB2ZmcyTXFySmF6bVZMM0JmMmdpTXEtS1Jz/view?usp=sharing

More Community Members

Hello! My name is María Isabel Peñaloza Fonseca but my family and friends call me Isa. I am from Huimilpan, a town near Querétaro.

I am in El Arca because I have a desire to know more about people with disabilities. I have always noticed them in the street or with their families and I would see their smiles and their joy in any place.  I wanted to know more about them and then I realized that I could bring something to them. So I started looking for options and with the help of some people, I learned about a place called “El Arca” where people with intellectual disabilities lived. I had the opportunity to start working and living in the community 10 months ago and I’m liking it a lot and feel this maybe my vocation…

In El Arca, I am a live-in assistant living with four people with disability, each with their own gifts and very different from each other: Moisés, Iván, José y Bertha. I also live with Johanna who just arrived from Germany.

We are looking forward to your visit with great joy. Hasta pronto! 

Hello, my name is Johanna Kannieß. I am a volunteer from Germany.                                                              

At this moment I have been in Mexico for three weeks, but I want to stay a whole year. I’m 20 years old.

My job in El Arca is to accompany mainly Bertha, but the other guys as well. I also have to clean the first floor and check on the two dogs, Daniela y Daniel. I am still in the adaptation phase and because of that, my task will change. For example the first month I work in the house (el hogar) and the second in the workshop (el taller) to get to know everything.

 I like sports like jogging, Taibo and swimming. I love music, hence I play the guitar and cello, but I can’t sing. I like dogs and therefore I am really happy that we got the friendly dogs in El Arca. I love to travel and get to know other cultures and languages, one of the reasons why I am here in Mexico.

This year I have finished school. In Germany we have a different school system; therefore we finish school older than in the USA.

After my year in Mexico I want to go back to Germany and study civil engineering.

At the moment my Spanish is not very good, but it has improved since my arrival. However I speak English, so we won’t have big problems with the communication.

I am looking forward to meeting you,

Johanna