I recently returned from a family trip to New York City. It was my first time in the Big Apple. It was a blast! We did many of the touristy things one would expect. Being the government enthusiast I am, a tour of the UN building was at the top of my list of places to visit. Unfortunately, for me, the General Assembly was in session, so I’ll have to save that for next time.

One of the many highlights was our visit to Ellis Island. Inside the main building of the former immigration complex, the National Museum of Immigration brings to life the immigrant processing experience of the Island. More than 12 million immigrants arrived in the United States via Ellis Island. From the registry room to the medical examination rooms, the museum takes visitors on the processing journey, which for many immigrants lasted 3 to 5 hours.

In youth group we began a new devotional series by Fuller Youth Institute called, The Big Questions. We began the series by asking the question, “What does it mean to follow Jesus”? In a well-known story in Matthew, Chapter 4, Jesus calls out to Peter and Andrew saying “follow me, and I will make you fish for people. Immediately they left their nets and followed him”. Apparently, what Jesus said was enough for them to leave their nets and their identities to follow Him. At this moment though, even Peter and Andrew didn’t know what following Jesus looked like and where the journey would take them. They just said yes to following Jesus.

Walking through the halls of the main processing building on Ellis Island, I began to draw comparisons between the immigrants who entered that space and that of the feelings and emotions of Peter and Andrew in the story you just read. In both scenarios, no one knew exactly what lay ahead. In both scenarios, people left their careers and communities. In both scenarios, the unknown journey began one step at a time.