EYA Chaplain: Emma Rankin; Blog One, June 21, 2020

My name is Emma Rankin and I am a student from Duke Divinity School. During our spring break, I remember one of my friends coming over. She told my roommate and me that the campus was switching to online classes due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A few weeks later we were emailed stating that we might not be able to do our Field Education for the summer. When I read that email I was disheartened because I was ready to take what I have learned and put it into practice. And not just the things that I learned from Duke but also the things I learned as an intern at the Wesley Foundation two years before my admission to Duke. 

When I received an email that we would be able to do our field education for the summer I was excited. However, my excitement also came with some bitterness. I knew that my field placement for the summer was going to be remote and all of my interactions would be through zoom meetings. I know the importance of relationships and how zoom meetings are no substitute for face-to-face interactions. As I start my time as the EYA Chaplain at Church and Society I am excited to see how I will learn and grow over the next few months. For me, it is a privilege to be able to work with the people I will work with. To hear their stories and get to know them as people is an honor. God calls us into a community with each other. God calls us to weep with those who weep and to rejoice with those who rejoice. 

The work that I have been doing these past few weeks has reminded me of the work I did in my internship at the Wesley Foundation at LaTech. This past week I was able to talk with the EYA interns one-on-one through zoom calls. It was wonderful to engage with them in an informal way. Devotionals and programming meetings are needed and necessary, however, I do know it is important to know who people are outside of that context. I want my time with the interns to be filled with God whether we are specifically talking about God or if we are talking about art. I hope that I can take the things that I have learned from that internship and apply it to my field placement this summer. I also pray that I live in the moment with the people I am with and don't live in the past. God moves in us all. God moves in the earth. All we have to do is let God guide us in the ways we need to be guided. May this journey for me be one of great joy and, if needed, tears. 

Grace and Peace,

Emma Rankin