Wow - it's been a while!

Sorry to take so long to make a post. Our group has been out of touch for the week. I'm playing catch up now, so bear with me. I'll begin with our first day of travel (May 27) and get through the first week of our trip with the group from Duke. Hopefully, over the next few days I can get back to "real-time."

Travel days are always an interesting experience and today was no different. Our "encuentro" was with the Continental Airlines and the Newark, NJ Airport...which was not part of the original plan, but something you come to expect when traveling internationally.

Speaking of encuentro, I want to share with you about the name Encuentro. This is actually the name given to the first phase of our trip - with the Divinity students, faculty, and partners. The name is based upon a scripture lesson in Luke (24) - the wekk-known story of Jesus traveling the road to Emmaus with the two men. Jesus reveals himself to them and others as he arrives in the town.

In Spanish, the word encuentro can mean two things - the noun meaning an encounter of some kind or the verb that means to encounter or find something. This experience is meant to be an opportunity for us to encounter Jesus during our time together in Mexico, even in the eyes of a stranger, just like the experience of the men on the road to Emmaus.

Therefore, I thought it would be fitting to stick with the "Encuentro" name throughout the summer experience in Mexico. We will be encountering new and different (maybe even strange) cultural practices and traditions and even people. The name just fits!

One other notable thing from today is the book we're reading as a group, "The Future is Mestizo" by Virgilio Elizonado. Mestizo is the Spanish word for mixed or blended. Our group will use the book to facilitate discussion about the future of the American culture and the Mexican culture and how the two have and will continue to blend together in time. Of course, discovering the role of the church and our role as future pastors is significant as we journey throughout this experience.