Packing Starts with Unpacking - Rev. Lee Yates

Shirts, pants, socks and unders – Toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush and deodorant –

We start with the basics, for any trip, but some trips are different. As we prepare to take students out of their comfort zone to see what God is up to around the globe, we want to make sure our students are prepared which actually starts with unpacking.

It is important when visiting someone’s home to be respectful and humble. It is important to understand the culture of the home you are visiting and not assume every family operates just like yours. HELM is thankful to have Global Ministries and Week of Compassion as partners in this work. They model the relational ministry that builds up the Body of Christ and help us avoid good intentions that can still lead us astray.

Over the past few years, we have been getting better and better at equipping our undergraduates, our Leadership Fellows, for their third-year travel experience. Our partnership with Global Ministries allows their staff to provide training before we leave and have someone with us as a coach and guide while visiting another country. HELM is also constantly tweaking our leadership training resources to make sure we prepare students to engage the full diversity of the Church and world.

This past year, we launched the first cohort of Global Theological Fellows. These are seminary students and others in the ordination process who spend a full academic year studying together before traveling internationally. We began with conversations and self-reflection on the intersectionality of identity and how the various influences in our lives shape how we see and engage the world. We moved on to an exploration of colonization and its impact on the world and our modern church. We learned about the challenges of the global church and how culture, religion, and politics can collide. We now turn out attention to learning more about the Philippines, where we will visit in June. We will learn about their culture, history, and how the Church has taken shape and changed over time. We will prepare students for culture-shock that can be present when visiting new places and equip them to be centered and present in the midst of change and the discomforts that can come with travel.

We are also taking notes at every step of the way, knowing we will do this again – knowing we want to get better at this work. We know that the students we accompany on these trips and through their educational journey are stepping into times of exponential change and a world that is shrinking so quickly that we cannot keep up with the diversity of needs, gifts, and news stories that are generated. While we prepare students to serve locally, we know that they must also think and lead globally.

To prepare them for this work, we invite them to think about who they are and what biases they carry. We invite students to think about who others are and see them more deeply. We invite students to center themselves in their faith and open their hearts to all who God will bring into their circle. We prepare them to unpack the past so they can evaluate what they need, acquire new tools, and step into new spaces and relationships with curiosity and compassion.

We also know that this new generation of leaders brings gifts of their own to the church. They have things to teach us. As we journey together, we give thank for the students that God places in our care, the congregations that support and care for them, the good stewards who fund this ministry, and the amazing partners who guide us along the way. For the many who make up the Body of Christ and the transforming work of this church, we give thanks!