How does Nicki's pilgrimage to Greece compare with our pilgrimage yesterday. What stands out to you from what Nicki shared with us? Can you relate to her feelings of anxiety she had before the trip and her sense of accomplishment and excitement over completing the trip?
Hearing Nicki Graham today was really wonderful. She first started out by telling us all the places she went. Later on she really went into detail about how she felt before the trip. If I was put in her shoes I would feel the same anxiety I think that she felt. Because going on a trip that far a way and not really knowing most of the people can be challenging. When Nicki talked about feeding the homeless and going to that church service and having a whole hour of silence really stood out to me. I really think if I went on a trip like this, these things would pull me closer to God, just like they did for her. I think our pilgrimage compared because we each got to experience something new we had never done, and with people we don't even know very well. I really do think Nicki is right about, being with people and sharing your feelings for such a long amount of time and worshiping with them can draw you closer. Hearing Nicki really made me want to get out and go on a mission trip with others that are not that close to me, to help myself grow as a person and with God.
ReplyDeleteNicki Graham's pilgrimage to Greece was very interesting to hear about. Our pilgrimage is similar to Nicki's in that we both went somewhere unfamiliar to us to learn about God and Christianity. Nicki mentioned the hour of silence the pilgrims had at the river, much like our peace found while walking through the labyrinth, reaching the center, and walking back out. Nicki's description of how close everyone became really stood out to me. The pilgrims took a journey together for a common goal, ultimately becoming close in a way like no other. While Nicki probably felt more accomplished and proud after her pilgrimage to Greece than how we felt after our pilgrimage to St. Mary's and Sewanee, I think I can understand how she must've felt after the trip.
ReplyDeleteA pilgrimage is a spiritual journey which is meanful and helps you connect to God. Nicki Graham went on a pilgrimage to Greece on a Church Trip. On her Pilgirimage she folowed in the footsteps of the Apostle Paul. Paul is known as one of the most influencial men who spread Christianity. In Greece, Nicki visited many places that Paul had been and she experienced many of the things he did. She said that it was amazing to be in such a meaningful place and it made it easier to relate and feel the importance of God. Our class went on a Pilgrimige to Sewannee and although there were many differnces in our journies it is suprising at how they could share so many similarities. On her Pilgrimage as well as ours we visited spectacular breath taking places and saw amazing things, we had such real experiences with God which opened up our minds. This shows that you do not have to go far away on a Pilrgrimage to experice God's presence and feel connected to him in a new way.
ReplyDeleteWhen comparing Nicki’s Pilgrimage to ours, they are similar and different in many ways. One way they were similar was we both experiences were trying to make us forget about all the other things happening in our lives’ and to focus on learning new things and enjoy the time we get with our friends. One difference was Nicki’s was an overnight and away from her family experience and ours just lasted a few hours. From what she shared with us, one aspect of her experience that stood out with me was that she and the rest of her group she traveled with all agreed they because closer friends and closer to God and they did expect for that to happen; the unexpected connection of friendship.
ReplyDeleteI thought that it was wonderful how Nikki was able to go to Greece. I love traveling so the idea of going and walking in the footsteps of Paul, on the other side of the world is fascinating to me. I loved that the focus on their pilgrimage was bonding with God and fellowship with one another verses going tourist once they arrived. It seemed as if she genuinely enjoyed the experience and learned a great deal about religion in the process. She mentioned the comparison of believing that you are walking with God verses the knowledge that they were walking where Paul walked. I also found my theme in that she had to believe that god would protect her verses know that Greece isn’t a safe place. Overall, it was neat to get a pilgrimage perspective from someone closer to our ages.
ReplyDeleteIt was very interesting to hear about Nicki's pilgrimage, seeing as I was supposed to be on it, also. While the trip itself seemed to have been incredibly beneficial to her and the other pilgrims, the work put into actually funding and preparing for the trip was also excessive. There were fundraising events such as an auction, a large dinner, bake sales. There was also more a personal preparation for this trip, including, but certainly not limited to, confirmation class, small group gatherings, picnics, and pilgrim prep class. All of this pre-trip work definitely proved to have paid off in the spiritual gain experienced by the pilgrims.
ReplyDeleteIn comparison to our pilgrimage as a class, there were definitely differences in the two. Ours was far more casual, but, with enough effort, could be just as beneficial. Nicki and her group followed the footsteps of St. Paul through a foreign country, and we simply visited Sewanee and St. Mary's for a day. That being said, there were definite advantages to having such a short, concise pilgrimage. We could really focus all of our attention for that short period of time, whereas the Greece pilgrims were too tired to do so for 10 days. While I was supposed to have gone on that pilgrimage, it was meant to be that I stayed here in Tennessee.