My name is Josh Robinson and I am a middler student at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. I am Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) member from Dallas, Texas under the care of Grace Presbytery.
When I was a student at Austin College (Sherman, TX), I would give walking tours of the campus to prospective students and explain to them the importance the school placed on study abroad programs. "We can read all about tennis," I would say as we passed the courts, "but until you pick up a racket and put ball to string, you never can quite understand or appreciate what it means to play the game."
During college, I was blessed with the opportunity to travel to England and Scotland on a theater study trip. (17 shows at the heart of live performance was enriching beyond explanation.) After college, with my company I was able to travel to East and West Canada and Mexico. (Hawaii isn't international, but it counts too I would say.) And last year, during my first year in seminary, I was granted the opportunity to travel to Israel/Palestine. (By far one of the most educational and life changing moments of my life.)
Traveling to Israel/Palestine was the most transformative experience for me because while we did do some of the more touristy kind of things, we were intentionally placed in situations that challenged what we knew about human rights and social justice. We were able to spend time with leaders in the two countries who have devoted their lives to embracing human freedom and working towards peaceful ways of coexisting. But, we also encountered the human pain of decades of oppression and built up hostility.
Most importantly, we were able to bring these experiences home and share them with our friends and families and churches. These experiences have shaped my understanding of what it means to Seek Justice, Love Kindness and Walk Humbly with God (Micah 6:8). The way I understand forgiveness and reconciliation has enabled me to have a more colorful imagination in sermon writing and bible study.
This is what I expect from our trip to South Africa in January 2009. By far, one of the most influential books I have read in my life was Desmond Tutu's No Future Without Forgiveness. Tutu chronicles his own personal transformation and reflections from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in a post-apartheid South Africa. As this was actually the first book I read at seminary, it has aided in my understanding of how we as Christian leaders can do theology.
I would like to thank, in advance, those who will support our trip through prayers and with monetary donations. It is important that we go to South Africa to learn how God is still at work and, most importantly, to bring that message home to share with others. God Bless.
