 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2002 (XXXX 5) |
This past summer I was blessed with the opportunity to lead twelve Young Friends on a spiritual journey in Alaska. Recognizing the need for a wider Quaker youth fellowship, Alaska Friends Conference invited PYM Young Friends to travel with their Young Friends on a journey of community-building, service projects, faith and practice, and adventure! We expected to have a wonderful time and meet new people; we never expected that every day would be wonder-filled, or that we would all be so profoundly moved by our experiences with the land, the communities, and the Spirit. One Young Friend observed: “Some people thought they’d find many differences between PYM kids and the Alaskan kids, but over the two weeks, we really didn’t notice many at all.”
We climbed a glacier, cleared brush at the Yearly Meeting wilderness site, saw grizzlies, visited a native fish camp, and ate moose nose with Athabascan elders. We learned a Sufi prayer and sang every day. We gazed into the eyes of the divine, prayed and worshiped daily, and held business and committee meetings. One Alaskan Friend was reminded of how much she misses the sacred community she knew as a Young Friend herself. Another said our presence had brought healing to the Meeting, and thanked us. On two occasions people who had experienced past conflicts were led to reconcile, and their love was a gift to all of us as we traveled in this ministry
A PYM Young Friend explained, “It’s hard to put into words all the good that this trip has done for me. I think I can honestly say it was one of the most fun things I’ve ever done, and I’m never going to forget it.” Another added that it was “two of the best weeks of my life.” One Young Friend tenderly shared that she actually saw that of God in people, for the first time. In the company of wilderness and one another, we discovered that “natural mysticism” which reveals the mystery of life (Teasdale).
Many youth agreed they want to go back to their Meetings in PYM and AFC and try to build a stronger community of Young Friends there. We ALL agreed that Alaskan Young Friends need to visit us next summer!
As way opens for future opportunities, let us count our blessings, and answer the call to ministry with our youth. Many thanks are due to the families, the Meetings, the Chace Fund, AFC and PYM for the essential financial support that made this trip possible. May the blessings of God rest upon you.
Helen Fields
Youth and Outreach Coordinator
Brandywine Region of Friends (PYM)
Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:18 AM