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20 Hours Later

We departed Gannon on a yellow school bus at 2:25am headed for Pittsburgh International Airport. It was cold, bitter cold in the early morning; however, the smiles of the teams (both AZ Border and Navajo) warmed up our hearts.
Our ride south on I-79 was cold inside the bus as many of us had our eyes closed trying to sleep and never falling asleep. We were blessed with a safe trip as our bus driver did a wonderful job.
Our flight was in the early morning out of Pittsburgh. As we flew west we were riding away from the eastern sunrise. In time the sun caught up to us and the Midwest was covered in a beautiful blanket of frost.
The arrival into Phoenix thawed us out of the cold of Erie. It was sunny, very warm, and beautiful blue skies. We had a 40 minute delay to get off the flight which only enhanced the anticipation of beginning our ABST trip!
As we exited the Phoenix airport we waited in line in a busing terminal for a bus to take us to a rental garage for our van. In the terminal it was enclosed and we could see the sunshine and feel the distant heat but we couldn’t reach for it. This was a gift as we had to wait patiently, even at the end of a long morning, to receive the sunshine of Arizona.
Dr. Taylor then drove us from Phoenix to Tucson and on this journey to our left and right was the distant mountain range which in a way guided us, acclimated us, and welcomed us to Tucson.
Our arrival to our place of stay, called Casa Alitas, was very welcoming. Gannon alumni, and brother of Diocese of Erie Vicar General Monsignor Lohse, named John Lohse, welcomed us with Casa Alita’s representative named Hugo. They gave us a tour of the house, which housed up to 20 people at a time in helping them assimilate into the US. In the backyard are pictures that the immigrants painted of Our Lady of Guadalupe, hope, and beauty. Also, numerous children’s bikes, toys, and games are out back. There is a history of charity here at Casa Alitas.
In the evening we went to mass at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church. The Gospel of Matthew was a message of mission for us as it read, “Jesus was led by the spirit into the desert.” We have just completed a 21 hour day from Erie to the desert of Tucson. Fr. Crino’s homily was on how our Lenten sacrifices remind us of our deepest hunger which is for Jesus Christ.
We ask for your prayers that we may grow in faith, hope, and love as we continue to come to know, to love, and to serve Jesus Christ here at the border of the United States and Mexico. Thank you for your support today in prayer and thought as we went
“From the Gannon Arch to Arizona!”
XOXO,
AZ ABST



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