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Dear Friends
We have safely returned from our pilgrimage to Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands, where we partnered with Education Equals Hope (E=H). Through this collaboration, our intergenerational team of pilgrims was blessed with countless meaningful encounters, experiences, prayers, relationships, and moments with God.
We invite you to join us for our Pilgrimage Forum on August 23 in Ellis Hall from 10:20–11:05 a.m. Come hear firsthand how our pilgrims experienced the presence of the living God throughout this journey. Listen as they share about the community they built at Buen Pastor, serving alongside families, visiting and cooking in their homes, partnering with their Mountain Ministry, and witnessing God's creative beauty in the Galápagos Islands.
As the Youth Minister, it has been a privilege to lead this pilgrimage alongside an incredible team and a remarkable group of pilgrims. Doing ministry with young people is one of my greatest joys. I thank God for the opportunity to walk alongside them and to serve here at All Saints'.
It is my job to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ, and I can confidently say that there is Good News of Christ in Ecuador! We witnessed God's goodness in countless ways. His love, joy, acceptance, belonging, and freedom, through the Holy Spirit, were made visible in the way people loved and cared for one another. The fruits of the Spirit were present in conversations despite language barriers, in games played on the streets, around dinner tables, through opportunities to serve, and in the gracious invitations into people's homes. We experienced how the Holy Spirit moves powerfully when people enter into authentic relationship with one another.
To experience that, however, we first had to settle ourselves in the place where we were. Recognizing, learning, and understanding our surroundings allowed us to become fully present and experience the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Through the many orientations we participated in, our minds and hearts were grounded in who we were, where we were, and how God was already at work in that place.
We learned about the culture, its history, and our place within it. As Americans, we carry a different reality than many of the people we encountered. That does not make us better, nor does it make them less than us. We are all created in the image of God, and God does not measure our worth by our possessions. Rather than ignoring or feeling guilty about what we have, we are called to receive our blessings with gratitude while recognizing the realities others face.
As followers of Christ, we are invited to take one step further not only by acknowledging what others experience but also by being open to receiving the gifts they have to offer. I am not speaking of material gifts, but the gifts of the Spirit: love, belonging, joy, acceptance, hope, and faith. Often, those who seem to have the least materially become our greatest teachers in what it means to trust God and love one another.
More importantly, we are not called to observe people from a distance; we are called to enter into life with them like Christ did. Fully. That is where relationships are formed, compassion grows, and Christ meets us all. When we are willing to both give and receive, we discover that God is already present, transforming everyone involved. Although many of the people we met may not have all the material possessions we think make us safe and secure, they continually sang the hopeful song of Christ, "Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia", through every circumstance of life. That was one of the greatest gifts they shared with us.
Their joy, faith, and dependence on God challenged my understanding of what it truly means to trust Him. Learning their history and recognizing our role as Americans entering their community helped me better understand both them and myself.
The people of Buen Pastor speak about God with a confidence that is contagious. They speak as though He is the closer you want taking the final penalty kick in the World Cup. There is no doubt, only hope, trust, and expectation. They believe that God is already present in every situation and that He is faithful to accomplish His work through our lives.
Imagine living with that kind of joyful hope. Imagine praying with the confidence that God is already with you in your circumstances, that He already knows the outcome, and that because of His faithfulness in the past, you can trust Him with the future. It is the deep assurance that God is the One who steps forward to take the final shot, and He never hits the crossbar. Our role is to sit at the edge of our seats, watching, praying, rejoicing, and trusting in the One who is always faithful.
"Immanuel"—God with us. Always.
This is only a glimpse of the many fruits that came from our pilgrimage. Come join us at the Pilgrimage Forum to hear the rest of the story of God's works!
Luke Nolfa
Email- lnolfa@allsaintsatlanta.org
Youth Ministry Phone Number
470-590-3471
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