Preparations: Jenna

There are many things I need to let go of, both figurative and literal, in order to fully respond to God’s call to me. However, there is one that I believe is the most important. One thing that I always struggle with is being self-conscious. I am constantly worried what other people think and how they see me. Do they find me annoying? Am I being too shy? Do I seem weird? All these thoughts will cloud my mind and I think I need to be able to let go of this feeling of constantly being judged. I know that my fellow YLAers will not be judging me and neither will the new people we meet. In fact most people will be too focused on worried about being judged, like me, that they won’t have time to be the ones doing the judging. I need to let go of these worries to fully immerse myself into this mission trip experience. If I can let go of the nagging thoughts I will have time to listen to God.

Another thing I need to let go of is my cell phone. Now I haven’t seen everyone else's blog posts but I imagine many of us will say this one, and if the didn’t say it they probably thought it. I was going to deny the fact that I’m stressed about having to leave my phone behind, but I don’t think it’s that uncommon. We don’t like leaving our phones because we feel it is our only connection back. We don’t want to miss drama with our friends, and truly the worst thing that could happen is our snap streaks ending. To really hear God’s call to me I need to leave it all behind. All the stress, drama, nagging thoughts, and snap streaks. I am willing to be vulnerable and go into this new experience, new state even, with an open heart and open mind.

- Jenna, St. Paul's, Natick

Preparations: Libby

God has blessed me with the wonderful gift of talking. However, while I am in Arizona and Mexico, I am going to have to try to leave my chitter chatter behind and tap into another gift that God has given me: listening. My job on this trip is to listen to the stories of the people I will be meeting. It will be different for me to be on the other side of the conversation but it might be a breath of fresh air for the person on the other side doing the talking, sharing, and storytelling. I think it will also give me a breath of fresh air to hear what the people have to say. I have a feeling we’ll be talking more with adults who will be more experienced with many more things than I, and therefore, have a lot more to say than I. Because of that, I am very excited to turn off my voice and turn on my ears. I am eager to hear what they have experienced and bet they will be excited to have such a focused audience, me, to tell their stories and share their experiences with. I do hope they will share because I am very willing to come forward and look them in the eye and incline my ear to them ready to go on a new adventure with them through their magnificent and wonderful stories. I am excited to embark on this journey bringing with me my blessed gift from God: listening.

- Libby, Trinity Church, Concord

Preparations: Alison

Mis esperanzas y oraciones para el viaje de YLA: I am EXTREMELY excited for this trip. Learning about the world is my favorite, favorite, FAVORITE thing to do. I listen to hispanic pop music and watch Telenovelas in my free time to learn about the spanish language and the culture. I live for historical anecdotes, and our founding fathers (especially Alexander Hamilton) are my heroes. I enjoyed learning about the details of the U.S. government this year through my amazing history class in school. I now appreciate being able to understand the conversation, however frustrating it can be, in the current hostile political climate of our country. I have also learned about Native American history this year, and shed tears at the horrific ways people of my own beloved country have treated an entire race of people, who are and should be considered as a valued part of our nation. Additionally, in the past year I have learned and grown so much spiritually because of the Youth Leadership Academy. I am ecstatic to travel as a member of this incredible group. In a nutshell, I feel this trip is perfect for me.

However, I still have much to learn. Learning at home or in a classroom is one thing, but truly experiencing is quite another. In my life, I have mostly stayed on the East Coast of the U.S. I live in a safe and sheltered community where I receive a great education and have a good home life. On this trip I’ll be stepping out of my comfort zone. I’ll be seeing areas of our country and Mexico which I do not know very much about and have never been to. I will be experiencing new temperatures (Arizona in August!), people, and places. My goal for this trip is to immerse myself fully in the experience- to take everything in without making judgements or assumptions, expand my knowledge, and gain a new appreciation for experiences that are different from my daily life. I don’t know what God’s call for me is yet, but I know the only way it will appear is if I keep my eyes, ears, mind, and most importantly, my heart open to the world. I so appreciate everyone who has supported me to be able to go on this trip. Having my friends, family, and congregation behind me encourages me to make the most of this wonderful opportunity. Pray that I may reflect on my experiences but never focus inward so that I may aid others in their journeys and stay connected to the present moment. Pray that God may keep my fellow missioners and I safe in our travels and guide us and those we meet. Pray that doors may be opened, bridges built and conversations started between our country and Mexico. Lastly, please pray that we may serve as an example for those in Arizona and Mexico as New Englanders, Americans, Christians, and as caring souls who are eager to learn and help in whatever way we can.

- Alison, Church of the Good Shepherd, Acton

Preparations: Val

As our trip is coming closer I am beginning to worry about many things; like what should I bring, what clothes, will I pack too much, what if I forget something, what if I pass out,etc. I am the type of person who likes to control everything and I get very anxious when I am not. This is something I'm trying to work on because being a leader doesn't mean you're in control it's about being able to listen to and help others. When we go to Mexico and Arizona my main goal is to leave all my worry and stress behind me, also to let others lead me and just enjoy our trip. What I am hoping to gain from our pilgrimage is just being in the moment, I like planning everything and when that happens to me I tend to not enjoy my time instead of being happy about where I am and who I am with. But something that I must remind myself while we are there is that I am a guest in the places of worship we are going to and my service is to listen and just observe what is going on. I'm very excited to go to a place where I have not been before. It's also very exciting to go with a group of girls who are the strongest, smartest, sweetest people I have ever met. Being able to travel with people you truly love and care for is such an amazing thing. And I can't wait!!

- Val, Christ Church, Medway

Preparing for Mission Pilgrimage

August 4, 2017, members of the diocesan Youth Leadership Academy and their adult companions head off for a week of mission and pilgrimage to Las Fronteras, learning about life in the Arizona/Mexico borderlands and tribal lands , organized in parthership with the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona. They will explore issues of borders, boundaries, walls, bridges, paths, strangers, family, protection, and hospitality.

As our young leaders prepare for the trip, amid the packing, they have been asked to reflect on something they will need to leave behind in order to be more present to what God has in store for her or him on the trip. Over the coming weeks, look for their reflections here.