Tabor students travel the world over interterm
Staff writer
This year three groups of Tabor students spent interterm on travel study trips. Richard Kyle and a group of 36 students traveled Europe, Frank Brenneman and Aileen Ratzlaff took eight students to Southeast Asia, and Lynn Jost and 10 students visited Mexico.
The 21-day study tour of Europe had a historical and religious emphasis. The group visited historical, cultural, religious, political, and economic sites in The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, France, United Kingdom, and Ireland. They visited Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, London, Dublin, and Glendaloch.
As part of the trip, students had to read one or two books relating to either European history or religion and write a review, and keep a daily journal of the trip.
"We don't go as tourists," said Kyle. "We may see tourist sites, but these sites are educational. They learn things academically."
Not only do the students visit historic and religious sites and gain first hand experiences and impressions of these things, but they learn about other cultures, according to Kyle.
Elisa Hlad, a Tabor senior, took the class for a History of Christianity credit.
"Our main objectives were to experience the differences in culture and learn about the history of religion, political history, and artistic elements of the culture," said Hlad. "Being immersed in this type of culture for a month helped me reaffirm my appreciation for American culture being founded on Christian principles."
This was Hlad's second mission trip.
"Two years ago I went with a Tabor group to Southeast Asia and had an amazing time experiencing different cultures and seeing the world," she said. "I knew the Europe trip and the dynamic of group traveling was something I would enjoy. Europe is an artistically rich culture and I looked forward to seeing some of the masterpieces first hand."
Hlad was especially excited about this final Tabor trip and managed to meet distance relatives as well.
"Since I'm a senior and will be graduating in May, I thought it would be a great way to top off my experience and memories at Tabor College. In London, I was able to meet a second cousin of mine for the first time. She and her husband took me out for dinner. They would like me to come back and live with them this summer."
The trip to Southeast Asia was three weeks and had two objectives.
"Part of it was to travel in a country or place that was outside of their comfort zone," aid Ratzlaff.
The students were also learning about the communications, culture, and the world religions of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islamism.
"This was not a mission trip," said Ratzlaff.
It is illegal to prophesize in Southeast Asia.
"This was a trip to experience other religions and cultures," she said.
The trip started off in Singapore, and the students went on a jungle trip to Northern Borneo, and to the Malaysian Peninsula.
Brenneman lived and taught in Southeast Asia on a sabbatical trip through the University of Indiana, and the group visited the town he lived in and his home church.
The group also got to visit with Tabor alumni, Andy Owen who is living in Southeast Asia, Yin Chee, international Tabor alumni, and some people met on earlier Tabor trips.
In Penang the students saw some of the effects of the Tsunami.
Ratzlaff said the group saw a part along the coast where there were some things that had been leveled and a lot of notices for churches raising money for Tsunami relief.
They spent three days in Bancock and took a side trip to a river where they were able to take elephant rides.
The trip ended in Taipei, Taiwan when the group flew home.
Jost and his 10 students went to Guadalajara, Mexico. According to Jost, the purpose of the trip to Mexico was to participate with the life of the church congregations. It was a relation based ministry.
The group planned to work with two churches, one was a Mennonite Brethren Church, and the other churches name is translated to mean the Peacemakers Church, according to Jost.
The group stayed in the homes of the church members, did some outreach, and learned about the culture.
It was a great experience but the language barrier was a problem, according to Michelle Carlson, a Hillsboro resident and Tabor College student who went on the trip.
"You couldn't have any deep, serious conversations because of language," said Carlson.
When she began the trip, Carlson says she spoke only a few words of Spanish, and her host family spoke no English. By the end of the stay, both she and her host family had learned more of each others language.
"We met all our objectives," said Jost when asked about the trip.
The first objective was for the students to form a relationship with each other.
"The group interaction was very positive," said Jost.
The students didn't know each other before the trip, and Jost says they became a very close knit group, and did a lot of sharing.
"The relationships with some of the people will be lasting," said Carlson.
The trip's second objective was to revitalize the church, and according to Jost that relationship was reciprocal.
"The church was encouraged," said Jost.
The final objective of the trip was to have a positive impact on a person's faith.
"We like to know people were influenced in a positive way," said Jost.
The last day of the trip, the group's van driver and his wife made a commitment of faith, according to Jost.
"I believe we somehow played a part in that," said Carlson.
