{"id":31292,"date":"2017-01-09T10:57:43","date_gmt":"2017-01-09T15:57:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=31292"},"modified":"2017-01-11T09:14:28","modified_gmt":"2017-01-11T14:14:28","slug":"coptic-christian-community-embraces-service-learning-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2017\/coptic-christian-community-embraces-service-learning-group\/","title":{"rendered":"Coptic Christian community embraces service learning group"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A slum in North Africa became home last summer to a group of Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) students led by Professor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.emu.edu\/personnel\/people\/show\/jrm2249\">Johonna Turner<\/a> and her husband, Julian.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31318\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31318\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2017\/01\/coptic-christian-community-egypt-embraces-service-learning-group\/global-urban-trek_0002_emu-singers\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-31318\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-31318 size-medium\" src=\"\/\/emu.edu\/now\/is\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2017\/01\/global-urban-trek_0002_EMU-singers-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"global-urban-trek_0002_emu-singers\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2017\/01\/global-urban-trek_0002_EMU-singers-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2017\/01\/global-urban-trek_0002_EMU-singers-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2017\/01\/global-urban-trek_0002_EMU-singers.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31318\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oksana Kittrell (first row from left), Rachel Sturm, Brittany Williams, Tae Dews and Noah Haglund (back row) along with other Trek participants sing worship songs in a cave church during a community program. (Courtesy photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThey survive off of garbage. The things that we throw away, that we do not take into consideration, they take it and they recycle it for survival,\u201d said student participant Tae Dews. Although the neighborhood looks, well, trashed to an outsider, \u201cto the residents of this community, it is full of hope and beauty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Five undergraduate students, a graduate student, and two recent graduates joined the Turners and several other travelers from around the country on the trip, a <a href=\"https:\/\/globalurbantrek.intervarsity.org\/\">Global Urban Trek<\/a> sponsored by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. The EMU contingent shared an apartment with 12 other people \u2013 yes, 22 total in the flat \u2013 for six weeks.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"highlight highlight-right\">\u201cAs Christians, we\u2019re often anxious to find spaces where we can go in and be the hero &#8230; Sometimes your most powerful impact is made by coming alongside someone who\u2019s already started something.\u201d\u2014Julian Turner<\/aside>\n<p>The program began with a one-week orientation in Bangkok, followed by six weeks in North Africa. Three other groups also served in United Nations-designated \u201cslum communities,\u201d where students give up the American mainstream in favor of spiritual discipline, learning from the urban poor, and discernment about future service opportunities.<\/p>\n<h3>Experiencing a different life<\/h3>\n<p>One of the most difficult tasks they faced, says Johonna Turner, was reciprocating the hospitality of their hosts, a Coptic Christian community. Not to mention their faith in God, joy and dancing.<\/p>\n<p>Noah Haglund, a sophomore peacebuilding and development major, recounts speakers stacked upon speakers outside of their apartment, where people danced through the night to celebrate births and weddings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were fasting from excess,\u201d says Haglund, who taught English to unschooled boys working as recycling sorters. With limited clothing, technology and diets, the group focused on celebration and spiritual practices.<\/p>\n<p>From the trip\u2019s beginning, an eight-hour delay at Dulles International Airport, followed by a 12- hour flight to Beijing, followed by a 13- hour layover before the flight to their orientation in Bangkok \u201cbrought all of us closer together,\u201d says Brittany Williams.<\/p>\n<p>Johonna and Julian Turner became InterVarsity\u2019s first black Trek directors after a Washington D.C. church contact \u2013 who became an InterVarsity coordinator \u2013 invited them to apply. Julian says their diverse group drew surprised comments from residents, who were only familiar with white Americans.<\/p>\n<h3>Witnesses to love and joy<\/h3>\n<p>Julian and Johonna pointed out that the Coptic community provided more of a learning than missions opportunity for their students.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs Christians, we\u2019re often anxious to find spaces where we can go in and be the hero,\u201d says Julian. \u201cYou don\u2019t always have to be the person starting something. Sometimes your most powerful impact is made by coming alongside someone who\u2019s already started something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Turners were joined by a support staff including graduate student Matthew Nyce and recent graduates Shirley Steward-Jones and Jolee Paden.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31319\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31319\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2017\/01\/coptic-christian-community-egypt-embraces-service-learning-group\/global-urban-trek_0000_rachel-brittany\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-31319\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-31319 size-medium\" src=\"\/\/emu.edu\/now\/is\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2017\/01\/global-urban-trek_0000_Rachel-Brittany-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Rachel Sturm (left) and Brittany Williams volunteered at a summer camp for children during their six weeks in Egypt. (Courtesy photo)\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2017\/01\/global-urban-trek_0000_Rachel-Brittany-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2017\/01\/global-urban-trek_0000_Rachel-Brittany-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2017\/01\/global-urban-trek_0000_Rachel-Brittany.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31319\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rachel Sturm (left) and Brittany Williams volunteered at a summer camp for children during their six weeks in North Africa. (Courtesy photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The students spent their days volunteering at a hospital, center for children with disabilities, community education center, daycare, or artisan women\u2019s recycling cooperative.<\/p>\n<p>Williams did physical therapy with children with cerebral palsy. Lacking money to purchase wheelchairs, mothers carried children, whether toddler or teenager, on their backs to the center. \u201cThat really hit home to know that a mother\u2019s love is so strong, to carry her child,\u201d says Williams.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAgape love,\u201d is the concept that Rachel Sturm says she\u2019s taken away from this trip. Her friendship with a colleague taught Sturm that \u201cliving in such a poor area, you have to be happy by loving God and loving your family and your peers. Otherwise, you have nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To learn more, read the group&#8217;s blog posts <a href=\"http:\/\/globalurbantrek.intervarsity.org\/blog\/2016\/north-africa\">here<\/a>. Applications are now open for the 2017 <a href=\"https:\/\/globalurbantrek.intervarsity.org\/where-go\">InterVarsity Global Urban Trek<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A slum in North Africa became home last summer to a group of Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) students led by Professor Johonna Turner and her husband, Julian. \u201cThey survive off <a href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2017\/coptic-christian-community-embraces-service-learning-group\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"more-link\">... read more <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">about Coptic Christian community embraces service learning group<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31317,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5589,12503,17562,5593,14145],"tags":[14214,6795,16985],"feature":[17427,17426,17241,17422],"class_list":["post-31292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bible-and-religion","category-cjp","category-digest","category-intercultural","category-peacebuilding-and-development","tag-cross-cultural-program","tag-diversity","tag-johonna-turner","feature-emu-home-page-feature","feature-myemu-feature","feature-news-feature","feature-news-landing-page-main-feature"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - 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