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Mission as pilgrimage is about that transformation. It's not about fixing northern Uganda. You're not going to fix northern Uganda! It's not even about partnering with "northern Uganda." How can you partner with all of northern Uganda? Where do you begin? Instead, the pilgrim begins to know, to feel, that northern Uganda, with all its tragedy and terror, is a Christian story. That it is not just their story, but that it is our story.

Do Africans need to make pilgrimages to America as well?
I doubt whether many people from my village will be able to afford to come here. But when American Christians go to a village in Africa, it may not only allow them to see Africa differently but also allow Africa to see America afresh.

Most Africans see America through Hollywood or through the news about the war in Iraq. These Americans, people think, they are a war-loving people. But if they are able to connect with real individuals and to eat and drink with them, a new journey of mutual transformation might begin.

There is a Rwandan proverb, "Unless you hear the mouth eating, you cannot hear the mouth crying." You have to begin by eating together. Then you begin to realize that the dividing wall has been broken down, and we are no longer strangers.

Can short-term mission trips be understood as pilgrimages?
At their best, yes. But many short-term trips from America are based on a misleading sense of mission. They are based on a sense of power—that American Christians are going to do something for Africa, save Africa. Maybe it is America that needs saving, and this is a truth that can only be learned through a sense of pilgrimage.

You see, not every trip to a foreign land can be called a pilgrimage. Pilgrimage is a particular form of journeying that involves a number of elements, including encounter, reflection, transformation, and the readiness to be drawn into a new sense of community with those different from us. It is pilgrimage that gives rise to the church as a unique fellowship of people drawn from different nations, tribes, languages, and races.

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Emmanuel Katongole and his co-director of the Duke Divinity School Center for Reconciliation periodically post reflections on the organizations "Journeys of Reconciliation" section.

Katongole blogs at Africa Matters and has written articles on "wild spaces," "Speaking with an Accent in a World of Theological Blogging," "Reconciliation Amidst Violence and Racism," and "Postmodern Illusions and the Challenges of African Theology."

He is also senior lecturer at Uganda Martyrs University and founder of Share the Blessings.

Earlier Christian Vision Project articles on mission include:

The Mission of the Trinity | Singaporean theologian Simon Chan says 'missional theology' has not gone far enough. (June 4, 2007)

Christ, My Bodhisattva | Multinational businessman and politician Ram Gidoomal talks about 'translating' the gospel in today's world. (April 27, 2007)

Living with Islamists | A year in Pakistan gave me a glimpse of what Christian witness might look like today. (March 30, 2007)

On a Justice Mission | Thanks to William Wilberforce, we already know the key to defeating slavery. By Gary Haugen (Feb. 22, 2007)

A Community of the Broken | A young organization models what it might mean to be the church in a suffering world. By Christopher L. Heuertz (Feb. 9, 2007)

An Upside-Down World | Distinguishing between home and mission field no longer makes sense. By Christopher J. H. Wright (Jan. 28, 2007)

Christian Vision Project articles on culture are available on the Christian Vision Project website.

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July 2007, Vol. 51, No. 7