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Sunday, August 4, 2013

My Russian Family


By Chris: Tuesday, July 30
Today I felt more than ever that the team is like my family. I mean, it makes sense. After braving the dark apartments of Lesozavodsk, cramming 17 of us into one tiny dining area, and not to mention an uncountable number of hours together, these people feel like family to me. We travel together, eat together, get exhausted and worn out, and even drive each other crazy sometimes. But all of that has made us all the more like a band of brothers and sisters. Today made me feel this in a new way.
            Throughout the trip different people have been feeling ill and missing events. Yesterday (Monday) Rachael and Matt had to be taken to the hospital for intense stomach pain (NOTE: they are fine now. They contracted some form of virus or food poisoning somewhere in our travels). Tyler and Yury, our translator from Vladivostok that spent time with us in Lesozavodsk, went with them to handle everything. I thought they would be back soon, but it sounds like they all have to spend a few days there.
Even when those of us remaining at camp are at full health, we are mingling with the other participants in the conference. This is nice and we are getting to meet new and amazing people, but I miss the family meals and bonding. We have not had much time together as a whole team and the missing members has made the family just seem broken and scattered.
            This really upset me today. It was difficult because I feel like part of our mission here is to just show the joy of Catholicism to the other young adults here; however, it is difficult to be joyful when it feels like the family is all out of whack. It hurts even more because there is nothing I can do to heal the sick members of our team. But through the bad feelings I realized how much I care for these people and how much I would be willing serve them just as much as they have been serving others.
            I hope that in the coming days we will be back to full health and be able to have some team bonding time during one of the days of camp. 

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