An Excerpt from New Wonders: Lessons Learned at the End of a Long Winding Road, by Megan and Laurel Rohrer
10/22/14
Rio de Janeiro Brasillia
Megan
Yesterday the plan was to go to Sugarloaf and take a helicopter ride around the Christ Redeemer Statue. However, the weather was partly transfigured – meaning that the clouds were covering Jesus and the helicopters could not fly.
I originally did not want to go to Corocova because I thought it was silly to travel so far and only be able to see Jesus’ nose hairs. But the weather beckoned us to take the trip to Jesus’ feet.
Surprisingly after trekking to Copacabana and taking the shuttle to the statue it turned out to be smaller than I had imagined and the perspective provided a much more intimate encounter with Jesus.
I was stuck by the raised, sacred heart on the statue. I hadn’t noticed this feature in the pictures. It transformed what could be a foreboding experience into one that sought to remind you that God is love – despite all the judgement this traveler brought with them.
The long winding, cobbled road made me glad I had packed motion sickness pills. It also reminded me of the trip to Manchu Picchu and how the act of “getting there” can add to the wonder of the site. Is it the destination that holds all the majestic beauty, or is it also the remoteness and pilgrimage like voyage that is the wonder?
If this is the case, then my journey around the world to open my eyes to God’s wonders is bested by God’s journey through the pages of the Bible, through time and beyond death to remind me that in God’s eyes I am the wonder. You are the wonder and our relationships and responsibility in this world is the wonder.