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Reflections from the Mission Field

Youth pilgrims seek and serve Christ in Belize

Joe Hensley

The theologian Richard R. Niebuhr once said, Pilgrims are poets who create by taking journeys. In June, I, along with my coleader, Amy Duggins, had the privilege of accompanying eight youth poets from St. Luke's on a pilgrimage journey to Belize. (Naomi Ansano, Jessica Henry, Sally Hodges- Copple, Keith Haynie, Jr., Abby Lassiter, Elizabeth Short, Harris Short, Maggie Young) Our mission was two-fold: to seek signs of God in the places and people along our way and to serve at the Holy Cross Anglican School. The school serves the children of San Matteo, an impoverished shanty-town near San Pedro, a popular tourist destination on the Caribbean Sea. Some of the holy places we visited were a coral reef, ancient Mayan ruins, and St. John's Anglican Cathedral, the oldest in Latin America. We also took prayer cards from members of the congregation and remembered those requests in these holy places. Our youth recorded some of their reflections in posts to our blog. I'll quote some of their thoughts here to reveal just a bit of the poetry that was created through this amazing journey. Thanks to everyone who supported us with their prayers and by contributing to our trip. Thanks be to God for guiding and guarding us every step. I know that this trip was life-changing for the pilgrims, but I also hope that their witness will provide some inspiration to all of us.

Joe Hensley


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