Jerusalem 2023. Pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
Hello! My name is Mackenzie Colbourne-Tennant and I had the blessing of joining the other young adults chosen by the Anglican Church of Canada’s General Synod to make our pilgrimage to the Holy Land this last May.
While the physical journey began for me in the early hours of May 1st as I scrambled to make sure that I hadn’t forgotten anything and that I was sure to make all my connecting buses as I made my way to the airport, the mental and spiritual journey that I would and am still embarking on surrounding this experience began long before with several stages of prayer, and discussion, both on my own, as well as with through the other pilgrims, and our group leaders. Friends and family were excited for me, asking all manner of questions about where I’d be going, what I’d be learning, and how I was feeling. Some questions were easily answered, some I could only answer once I had spent a few days journeying through the Holy Land, and some that I have yet to find the answers to even still, but one question I found most challenging: How would this journey affect my faith?
Entering this journey all those months ago when I applied to join this Pilgrimage of Young Adults, unsure of whether I’d be accepted or how I might even afford to go if I was, but trusting that if it was in His Plan for me I would soon find out I would have likely told you that I expected it to change how I engaged with my faith practically in my day to day. At the time I was very confident in my understanding of not only my personal faith and practices but also in my very intellectually rooted understanding of how faith and Christianity are dynamic in communities across the world and that its beauty comes from how despite our cultural differences and language barriers we are all bound together by God’s love and grace. It wasn’t until I arrived in Israel-Palestine, that this notion became more than fact to me.
As an Anthropologist and a reconnecting First Nations Indigenous woman in Canada, I am a firm believer that our connection with the land offers us a root to those who have come before us. I also believe now having seen the landscape that Christ once walked upon, albeit altered now by time and the hands of man, the Love and Grace of God remain dynamic and flowing through communities and cultures. Though I have no ancestral ties to the land we visited, in speaking with those who live there and hearing their stories, I learned how they see the Lord and our connections through us.
One such experience was when we as a group made our journey to the Wadi Qelt to see and meditate in the Wilderness.
Having grown up in a rural area outside of North Bay, my notion of wilderness was a long shot away from the landscape we observed. It was in observing the rolling landscape of sand and stone, seemingly barren of life that I gained a new perspective not only on common passages in the Bible but also on the levels of faith that are necessary to traverse such spaces. Despite what I, an outsider might’ve first thought, we were informed that the great Wilderness while dangerous, was not truly as barren as it seemed, and instead had pockets where life thrived. It was in these pockets, we were told, that Shepherds would bring their flocks and to navigate the landscape safely the Shepherd had to place faith in not only their navigational skills but also in their surroundings.
Learning this had such a profound effect on how I now choose to travel through life. While I may not know yet exactly how this trip has changed me for the better, I do know that this experience served me as a great reminder of the faith I must place in the Lord. He made the seemingly endless wilderness, fraught with its many dangers, but He did not leave it without safe havens where those who hold faith in what they know to be true about the land. Just as he did this, I now feel affirmed that no matter how deep into the wilderness I am brought throughout my life, I too might be offered haven through faith in Him and all that he has created.
This journey and my growth would have never been possible were it not for the generous contributions of community members and groups such as the Lois Freeman Wilson Fund of the World Student Christian Federation Canada. When I initially applied to potentially join the Youth Pilgrimage, I was unsure of how I might afford such a once-in-a-lifetime experience, as I was already doing my best to support myself as I finished my undergraduate degree. Through the generous grant offered to me by the Lois Freeman Wilson Fund, I was able to ease many of my financial worries surrounding attending this Pilgrimage, and instead dedicate myself to focusing on my faith and growing in Fellowship with my fellow pilgrims. I cannot thank the Fund enough for its help in making this journey possible for me and I hope that it can go on to help many others in their faith-growing journeys and experiences as well.
