Immersion

Our youth leader is very adamant about our youth doing a mission immersion experience in the El Paso area this next year. This type of mission trip allows the participant to fully submerge into another culture. It gives one the opportunity to serve but also allows the participant to see and experience the total culture, both the pleasant and unpleasant.

I went to the web site today of my favorite Christian singers/composers, Rich Mullins. He was killed in an automobile accident in 1997. I watched one of the videos offered on the site. The video showed stark poverty as his music, a tune called "Peace", created an interesting ambience. I saw deep poverty. People were living in shanties. Children wore rags. What I saw on their faces was something all together different. They were happy! Last week I was walking in the mall, and I saw the faces of hundreds of angry and haughty youth. They were overweight, wore designer clothing, had anything they wanted yet were miserable.

I thought this morning that perhaps in that immersion experience in El Paso, those (including myself) might relocate what we seem to lose through the distractions in our society. We may reconnect with God; realize that its PEOPLE not THINGS; learn how to live again; etc.