Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Manitou Cliff Dwellings - More than a field trip

Lauren had a field trip to the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. I had the opportunity to go with her (Thanks, Julie). We watched a movie about the lives of the Native Americans in this region, painted a piece of pottery, toured the cliff dwellings, and walked through a museum. I am not really a big fan of field trips, but I liked this one, and I learned a lot.

Lauren painting her pottery
Lauren's masterpiece
Grinding corn - The women would grind corn for 6-8 hours a day!!
Their homes were tiny and cold!!
My girl
One of the things that was most interesting to me was learning about the lifestyles of the Native Americans. The tour guides would talk about how hard their lives were and how thankful we should be that we don't live that way. I agree with him, but he referred to their lifestyles as a thing of the past. Having visited Africa 3 times, I know that is not the case. The people that we partner with are living this life every day. Throughout Africa and other parts of the world, women are cooking for hours each day over a fire to provide one meal of pap, or rice and beans. 10 people are living in a one-room hut. Women are walking miles to get water that is usually disease-filled to cook with and drink. The lifespan in many countries is in the low 30's because of preventable and treatable diseases. Women carry their babies all day on their backs in order to do all the work that needs to be done. There were so many similarities. I was surprised to see how shocked some of the other moms were of the living conditions of the Native Americans, but even more surprised that they had not made the connection of the many people that still live this way today. This keeps me going. This burns inside of me. I cannot allow this to continue. I must do what I can to make a difference. It is all a matter of perspective and I was thankful for this reminder through a simple field trip. Have you considered how you can make a difference. For me, it is Africa. For you, it may be in your own neighborhood. I challenge you to make a difference. If you are looking for a way to be involved check out our website beyondsurvivalonline.org. We are doing orphan care, church planting, and sustainability projects. My life is forever changed and I wouldn't have it any other way.


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