Looking Back and Moving Forward

When we first began dreaming and planning for this sabbatical journey, we started by listing out some of the values, hopes and goals we wanted to lean into during this time. We realized that we were receiving an extraordinary gift and privilege and wanted to be sure to maximize all that might be possible for us. Looking back now from the end of this epic adventure, we are grateful to see that we were, in fact, able to experience so much of what we had hoped for along with the impact on our lives that we intended. The details are already shared in the many chapters above, but a summary of some of those core values follows below.

Some of our first thoughts included exploring and immersing ourselves into cultures vastly different than our own, including social, political and religious contexts. We wanted to put ourselves far outside of our comfort zone. It seems the inability of people, generally and increasingly, to make space for worldviews other than their own is a source of so much conflict in our world today - especially our American political, social and religious arenas. Perhaps our experience, we hoped, might shed some light for us on the challenges and possibilities of having more practice at these "encounters with the other," and so that was a primary goal. Our itinerary through North Africa, East Africa, Turkey and even Portugal certainly pushed us further than we had even imagined. In addition to the countries we visited, we also met fellow travelers from many other countries along the way which expanded our range of experiences and worldviews even further.

One big takeaway for us was that the daily realities of conservative, Muslim majority contexts both gave us a much greater appreciation for the nuances of how other religions and societies shape the everyday life of their citizens and affirmed much of what we value in our own culture and country. To be clear, we do not in any way hold an "anti-Muslim" viewpoint, but rather better understand our Muslim neighbors (we hope) and more deeply appreciate the range of our freedoms, including freedoms of religion and of so many others that are a part of the fabric of our society. One aspect, similar to life here in the US, that we discovered was that religious, cultural and social realities play out differently in urban versus rural areas with larger cities often allowing people to embrace a broader, more diverse expression of beliefs, values and other personal choices than their rural counterparts. We especially saw this in Cairo, Casablanca and Marrakesh, Blantyre and Istanbul.

We also wanted to see some of the great wonders of the world, both human initiated and God created. Ancient historic sites like pyramids, temples, cathedrals, cities, art and architecture, remind us of the extraordinary capacity of the human mind and spirit, which inspired Miriam's longtime vocation in history. These marvels give us hope for the ways that we can collectively continue to rise to the challenges before us on our shared planet. And, speaking of the planet, our exploration of beautiful landscapes and diverse wildlife nurtured our shared love and advocacy for the environment. It turns out that committing to the hard choices and hard work of creation care becomes that much easier when you have a better appreciation for what is at stake.

Last, but not least, we wanted an opportunity to catch a glimpse of what the church is up to in other parts of the world and explore possible connections and partnerships for future FPC ministry and mission. For the past seven years, we have admittedly been more focused on clarifying and strengthening our local partnerships in Fort Collins and Northern Colorado. We hoped that this itinerary might help us thoughtfully and faithfully consider a bit more our global connections. We attended worship services in Egypt, Morocco and Malawi and met with mission partners in Egypt, Malawi, Tanzania and Portugal. We were inspired by the faithful and effective ministry of the global church, often in very challenging circumstances, and its gathering of joy-filled, welcoming and affirming communities of Christians from very diverse theological and cultural backgrounds. Denominational and doctrinal differences fade into the background when the focus shifts to nurturing community with meaningful relationships and a shared commitment to strengthen one another's spiritual, emotional and social lives.

We also walked alongside ministry partners who are striving to bear witness to light and love in a variety of important ways. Church leaders are being strengthened for their own pastoral care and ministry through continuing education and the support of long-term cohort groups. Entire communities are being lifted out of the cycle of poverty through the strategic and comprehensive intervention of reforestation, agricultural improvement, financial training and spiritual support. Ecologists are carefully monitoring changes in wildlife in order to help us all better understand impacts of climate change as we consider how best to responsibly live into our shared future.