Reflections on a Y-Trip to Jubilee

The first day of spring break, 12 students from EMU loaded into a minivan and a car and headed to Georgia for a week of service at Jubilee Partners, an intentional community that works with refugees. Although getting lost seemed to be the fate of this Y-trip, we eventually arrived at Jubilee to begin a week of hard work, building friendships and great learning experiences. We began with a crash course in community living as 12 students crammed into one cabin. We learned more as we worked with a community of people committed to living simply.

For some, "living simply" might draw up images of living frugally or going without, but those at Jubilee showed that living simply (growing produce in their garden, having no health insurance, and sharing common meals, etc.) doesn't mean living without joy. Our group found joy in simple ways throughout the week as we mulched hay, put up fence posts, cooked together and walked the half-mile trek every morning to K-house, the common meeting building.

While at Jubilee we also listened to the stories of Don Mosely and his humble, yet extraordinary tales of his many international adventures and God's support throughout them. We listened as Blake told of El Salvadorians and their perspectives of God's word during times of war. As we listened during formal and informal sessions, we were challenged to consider more carefully how our future choices in careers and lifestyles affect the world around us.

During our week we had the opportunity to get to know many of the refugees at Jubilee, including five Liberian young adult siblings and a Sudanese family. By playing card games, listening to stories and sharing meals with these resilient people, we were able to create friendships with them. Some of the highlights included dancing (African and American) around the campfire and singing and listening to worship songs from all three cultures. We also had some African pepper soup, which they claimed would make us dream about Africa.

Our experience was highly enjoyable and we built good friendships within our group, but we also learned so much beyond just having fun. We learned a different perspective on what it means to live out our life as Christians. We benefited from our interactions with people from other countries. Most of all, we grew in our relationships with each other and with God. In giving a week of our time, we received far beyond what we expected.