Blogs

May 18 2025

This afternoon we returned from our week long trek higher in the Himalayas. What a trip that turned out to be! Our hike took us from the beautiful village of Agora up to Dodital, a small lake high in the...

May 17 2025

By Elise Jantz Pistols crack. The scent of gunpowder floats through the air. Scarlet blood spurts out to stain our fearless leader, Professor Solomia Soroka, and we stand witness as Romeo murders Paris, then himself. Welcome to the Verona of…

May 17 2025

By Maggie Lapp On Thursday the group took a day trip to Oxford. As the self proclaimed biggest fan of the Harry Potter series, (though not the author of the books,) I was excited to visit the campus that inspired…

May 16 2025

By Lily Herrera The one word I want to use to describe today and for the past few days is fulfilling. This morning, May 15, I gave a devotion in front of the Mennonite Disaster Service year long volunteers and…

May 16 2025

Today was a recreational day with host families. While some students went to Los Chorritos de Villalba, the students from El Barrio de la Plata went to La Playa Escambrón in San Juan. It was a day of rest and…

May 15 2025

Camila Pérez-Diener The day started off at 9 am at Betania, a private Mennonite school right outside of Aibonito Puerto Rico. We were planning to do some work around the school that was intended to be done on Monday, but…

May 14 2025

By Judith Rangel Visit to the Legacy Museum On Saturday, May 10th, we visited The Legacy Museum in Montgomery. It was a meaningful and unforgettable day that will stay with me forever. While Mexicans/Latino stories were not discussed often, I…

May 13 2025

By Summer Cuatepotzo Perez Impactful. Speechless. Astounded. Disgust. Anger. Confusion. Sadness. None of these can describe how emotionally overwhelmed I personally felt, my physical response- tears. You ask… where in the world did you experience this? Or what happened that…

May 13 2025

Barbican Centre. Performers are taking a bow after almost three hours of singing. By Victor Vegas In the evening of Wednesday May 7th, the Arts in London crew had the privilege of watching a performance of G.F Handel’s oratorio Jephtha…

May 12 2025

Today was a travel day that ended up being so much more than that. We started our morning bright and early — bags packed and ready to go by 8:20 a.m. After breakfast, we headed to Casa Pueblo in Adjuntas,…

May 12 2025

After staying up late last night, doing laundry, and getting everything packed and ready to leave, it was now finally time to depart San Juan. It was a melancholic feeling to have to leave so soon since we had just…

May 12 2025

Today we spent our time with our host families. We joined them at morning church. I (Pame) went with my host mother and her sister to their Evangelical Church called Betania Church. Today they had a service regarding Mother’s Day...

May 11 2025

By Parker Sullivan   Today, May 9, was another productive work day and the end of our first work week with MDS. Each of our three groups were working at the same separate sites as the rest of the week....

May 11 2025

Today was our first full day in Aibonito, and we had the opportunity to explore the town through a scavenger hunt activity. We started our morning at Casa Museo Federico Degetau, where we learned about one of Puerto Rico’s commissioners...

May 11 2025

Today was the last day of staying at Salesianos, a Catholic retreat in Aibonito. In the morning, we visited Hospital Menonita de Aibonito (Mennonite Hospital of Aibonito). In small groups, we toured the hospital with the chaplain. We started in...

May 10 2025

We’ve been spending a lot of time on foot here in Mussoorie/Landour, walking at least 15km a day typically. Partly this is by necessity – feet are still the most efficient form of transportation on these steep slopes! And partly...

May 10 2025

After 4 days on the plains, we finally headed up into the hills. We left Chilla & Rajaji and made our way to the city of Dehra Dun, state capital of Uttarakhand, where we visited the Forest Resources Institute. This...

May 10 2025

We’ve spent three days now in and around the Hanifl Centre. The Centre itself is on a quiet, rural end of the Mussoorie ridge, and feels quite removed from the busy market street a 40 minute walk (and 3 kms)...

May 09 2025

By Jacob Stotzfus This Monday, the Arts in London group went to see the Romeo and Juliet Ballet in the Covent Garden Royal Ballet and Opera House. Full of extremely talented dancers and actors on a massive stage and impressive set,…

May 09 2025

By Naomi Klassen “On our first full day in London, while all of us were only slightly jet-lagged, Solomia and her husband Arthur led us in a walking tour of the city. This was a great chance for the group...

May 09 2025

This morning we began earlier than previous days, most of us groggily getting ready and grabbing a quick breakfast before waiting for our ride at 7:15 am. Unfortunately, some of our members were sick, so they had to stay back...

May 08 2025

By Evelyn Perez As I sit here today reflecting on my experience so far in Selma, I want to share that I’ve explored and learned many life-changing stories. Every place we have visited holds very rich and valuable voices. If...

May 06 2025

By Jaden Harris Today marked our first day of service during our trip. My group – which consisted of Hillary, Lily, Jazmin, 2 other MDS leaders, and myself – were tasked with helping the Tolbert family with repairs to their…

May 05 2025

We’ve spent almost two days in this area where the Ganges River comes out of the mountains and journeys across the plains. The Ganges’ role in bringing life to the whole of north India (through depositing mineral-rich silt in its annual…