There’s a lot to get done in anticipation for our upcoming trip to the border between Arizona and Mexico: last minute fundraising, planning outfits, buying sunscreen, packing my passport, and getting lots of sleep. Yet in addition to those necessary physical preparations, I need to remember that mental preparations are just as important. As I look forward to this pilgrimage, I need to first, be conscious of, and then, make an effort to leave behind my fears, doubts, and all of the “what ifs”. I want to find a way past my social insecurities; the fear that I won't be able to hold a conversation or properly respond to someone, and the doubt that I won’t be able to make any real impact on the people I meet. As well as overcoming my fears in regards to the trip itself, I also want to push aside any other preoccupations or worries about the future, and instead, be open to new learning experiences. I don’t want to think about the summer work I’ve just barely started, or the stressful time that will be my junior year in highschool. I want to focus on how I can best play a part in this journey, how I can be a positive influence on the world around me, and how I can be an effective component to spread awareness about the complex immigration crisis in Central America. I hope to clear my mind so I can fully experience, so I can attentively take in, so I can wholly open myself, to all this week has to offer.
-Mikayla, St. Chrysostom’s, Quincy and Brockton Covenant, Brockton