The empty lot next to our modest hostel accommodations was on fire. Or, more accurately, the large industrial excavator in the middle of that empty lot was on fire – engulfed in black smoke and flame. This time last year I had just arrived in Taipei with three other chaperones and 16 teens. We had just schlepped our bags through the steamy back streets and narrow alleys of a seedier part of town only to find that we would be bunking next door to the city’s next “911” call (or whatever the equivalent is in Taiwan). I rounded up my charges and we found a 7-Eleven to buy “dinner” before crashing. Never before have I been so tired. Jet-lagged, running a fever, and then this.
Luckily when we returned the fire was out, the smoke had cleared, and our hostess cheerfully assured us that there was no reason for further alarm or concern. We found our way into our rooms – two large semi-private spaces split neatly in half by a platform loft about 4 feet off the ground. Mattresses were scattered haphazardly on the floor and on the plywood of the loft. I stepped over an unnaturally large spider, found a mattress, pulled a sleeping bag over my head, and fell fast asleep sure in the knowledge that as tired as we all were, no trouble could possibly come of my 16 youths.
Later in the trip we would find accommodations that made this seem like the Ritz and we would have adventures that made this seem tame in comparison. We were pilgrims, off the beaten path and far from home, and we were in search of an encounter with the Holy. A year later I continue to hear stories of how that trip and experience touched and engaged the lives of 16 young people (and four adults too) and what will be gained from being a pilgrim is only just beginning to emerge.
For our own missionaries, youth from St. John’s and Holy Apostles, serving the mission of God in White Earth this week, I expect that similar things are afoot. I expect that the unexpected stories, the unplanned adventures, and new encounters are planting seeds of lasting significance in their lives and in their faiths. I hope we will inquire about all of it when they return. If you see Madeline, Cooper, Rachel, Lucy, or Johannah this summer or fall, be sure to ask them about the stories of what they saw and did while away. Chances are you’ll hear something that could impact your own faith, and in listening, you will deepen theirs.
