Preparing for the trip

It's here - the summer field education time is upon us! As a student in the Divinity School at Duke University, I am required to participate in field education at least twice throughout my three-year Master of Divinity Program. Not only is this a spiritually enriching opportunity to gain some practical ministry skills, but I've heard it's a lot of fun too! This summer, I have the opportunity to travel to Mexico to spend 10 weeks learning the Spanish language, experiencing the culture and the people, and working in the Methodist Church.

The trip is broken into three "phases." Phase I begins this Thursday morning (at 4AM!!!) when we leave the RDU Airport for Mexico City. I will be traveling with a small group of faculty and students from the Divinity School and partner United Methodist Churches. This group will travel in and around Mexico City, visiting places like the Basilica of Guadalupe, the Pyramids in Teotihuacan, several Methodist Churches, health clinics, a rural mission in Huitzapula, and yes, even Acapulco!

Phase II begins June 5 as three of us will be dropped off with our host family in Cuernavaca where we will be living for the next three weeks. That next Monday (June 7), we begin language school at the Instituto Chac-Mool where we will improve our Spanish langauge skills. I've heard Cuernavaca is a GREAT place with so much really neat stuff to do. I'm looking forward to language school as well as the "after-school" activities like salsa dancing and tortilla making!

Upon leaving Cuernavaca, our work with the Methodist Church "officially" begins. While we will be worshipping with the church on the weekends during our weeks of language school, we will leave Cuernavaca to stay in Tulyehualco from June 27 - August 8.

I'm so excited to have the opportunity to make this trip. I know I will learn a lot and I am excited to share it with you. Enjoy!