Sojourning: Parables from a Life

Posted on November 11, 2014 by collegecomm

“Every happening, great and small is a parable whereby God speaks to us, and the art of life is to get the message.”
—Malcolm Muggeridge

Each year Gordon’s Global Education Office sponsors a photo contest for students in its many study-abroad programs. This year’s theme was “Sojourning: Parables from a Life.”

Rachel Reed’s winning photo, “Hound and Christ,” was taken in Toledo, Spain, “a city built on a rock alongside the Tajo River, influenced by Muslim, Jewish and Christian inhabitants over the course of thousands of years. Walking along the narrow, cobblestone streets of this medieval gothic city, I spotted an old hound relaxing by a sword shop: the dog seeking upward, the Christ image behind; separate worlds and separate times connected by gaze.”

Rachel, a senior elementary education and Spanish major, attended CIEE* Madrid. Runner-up honors went to McKenzie Watson ’15 (Aix-en-Provence, France) and Nathaniel Youndt ’15 (Gordon-IN-Orvieto).

McKenzie’s photo, “Outside the Tate,” was taken in front of the Tate Modern in London, where “street performers were sending giant bubbles all the way down the sidewalk beside the Thames. I realized that museums do not have a monopoly on beauty or its meaning.”

Nathaniel’s photo, “Not My Home,” was taken while he was sitting on the steps of the Church of San Miniato in Florence. “I was watching the sun set over this city of the Italian Renaissance, when one of the Benedictine monks came out of the church to enjoy the sight as well. I was reminded that I am not just a sojourner in Italy, but also a sojourner on earth.”

View all the entries online >>