Dear youth ministry friends,
As I gaze out my window on this beautiful New England afternoon, I relish in the Technicolor leaves, the crisp autumn air, and the cooling temperatures that all speak of the turning of the season. I love picking apples, carving pumpkins, and enjoying walks that don’t cause me to break into a sweat. Where I live, fall is a lovely time of year.
Where others live, fall speaks of something else. November is National Hunger and Homelessness month. As chilly winds start to blow, the air carries with it a whispering reminder: not everyone experiences seasons in the same way. For some, the impending arrival of winter means that food will become scarce, and warmth will be more difficult to find.
This pondering of mine begs a question:
How often do we take the time to consider and humbly explore where others live?
To be sure, we do so when planning mission trips or missional interactions for our young people. As we prepare for such experiences, the concept of truly listening to others can become, at best, a whisper on the wind. Often, amidst the hustle-bustle of planning— making sure we have enough chaperones and enough fundraising initiatives—the work of listening can become muted, and lost.
The best missional work is work that is less concerned with having all logistics in place, and is more concerned with relationship-building, and mutuality. This is contrary to the top-down approach to missional work, that the Christian Church has, to its detriment, often become known for. The YMI has worked hard to provide resources on how best to go about mission trip planning, and doing so with the goal of shedding “white savior” intentions, and embracing instead a teachable spirit. Please see our module called “Leading Transformative Service Days and Mission Trips” for details, specifically “Section 6: The Art of Mutuality in Missions,” which can be found here. How others live can only be explored when we actually turn from our own gaze, and what we relish, and instead turn towards others.
Where others live, the fall (and winter) are frightening times. Where others live, we can provide help. And. Where others live, things like interdependence and mutual compassion are in the very air (however chilly) they breathe. Those of us from a culture of plenty have a lot to learn from such communities.
As you continue in your planning for your youth ministries, I hope and pray these materials will be helpful. This work will be transformative for youth, and for all of us, as we endeavor to be humbled by the presence of God in all people. Blessings to you in this work.
With you on the journey,
Rev. Jill