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Safe Arrival Back in Erie

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We have arrived back in Erie! After a week full of encountering new people and reflecting on our experiences at the Father McKenna Center, we have all returned safely to our home base.

Thank you for following along with this blog of our trip. The implementation of our knowledge into our daily lives will not be an easy task, but we are well prepared to take it on. We all have learned so much through our experiences this week and are excited to share and show others what respect for human dignity truly means. Homelessness is an extremely complex problem in our country, and we have all struggled to grasp what the best response on our part should be. At the end of this trip, I have come to affirm that complex problems do not have easy solutions, and that solving huge problems like hunger and homelessness involve more than one person or one ABST group. However, the power of one is still strong and present everywhere- we experienced that through meeting amazing and inspiring individuals this week.

Last night we walked along the MLK memorial, and one particular quote really stood out to me in relation to this week. I think it is the perfect end to our initial ABST adventure. We slept on the ground, we worked hard, and we lived simply this week. Through stepping outside of our comfort zones I believe we were truly able to transform ourselves and gain a deeper understanding of homelessness.

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience. But where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

Peace,

Sara

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