This pre-trip work is for the Indigenous Learning Experience (ILE): “Weaving Justice and Peace in a Wounded Land”. This ILE will introduce you to the lived experience and historic wisdom of our Indigenous siblings who have an impeccable record of living with the land as co-sustainers of what our Creator entrusted us with (Genesis 1 and 2). You will also learn about the worldview that undergirds our Indigenous family’s unique ability to live in fellowship with all created beings, understand and utilize the natural healing properties of creation, and engage in restorative practices that produce healing for the land and our relationships.

During this ILE you will learn Indigenous ways of living with the earth that are holistic and integrative. You will begin to see that we are in a reciprocal relationship with the plants, animals, and the land. At Eloheh, this understanding is called the whole “community of creation.” This ILE will illustrate how our service to the whole community can be integrative with how we approach life—all things that come from God through the earth, when kept in harmony, can heal us and foster shalom.

These pre-trip assignments will equip you to receive all this learning experience has to offer. They will lay a critical foundation that prepares you to enter into our time together with the proper posture, and these assignments will also get you up to speed on a number of the issues and concerns we'll be addressing. These assignments are required for your participation, so please make time to complete them all!