I want to reconnect to the source of spiritual bliss I witnessed among the rural laborers of my native state of Karnataka, India. I plan to spend five weeks among the Coorg region coffee laborers and an additional three weeks with family. I hope to enjoy a refreshing, renewing and replenishing break from the duties and office of Bishop.

There is something about the spirituality of the Coorg rural laborers that allows them, despite living in poverty, to live with a deep sense of joy. I knew them as a young pastor and became reacquainted this year while accompanying youth from the U.S. on a trip to India. I found in them the same peace this year that I experienced 30 years ago.

I believe they have something to say to me that I can bring back to the people of New Jersey. As the spiritual and temporal leader of United Methodists, I am on a quest to reconnect to the bliss of spiritual grounding in my everyday activity. I want to be the spiritual leader for my constituency. The demands of the job, though, can be spiritually draining. As a Bishop, my day-to-day activities run at a frenetic pace filled with meetings, deadlines, and crisis intervention. How can I sustain myself as a Spiritual Leader given the demands of the office? How can I draw from a deep well of spirituality so that I can lead others to want to drink from the same?

I need to drink from the well of renewal. Spending five weeks among the Coorg region coffee laborers will allow for such refreshment. Having grown up in the area, I speak the Kannada language and thus will be able to converse freely with them. Through this quest to reconnect to the source of spiritual bliss, I will experience a replenishment of the soul and thus be better prepared to lead. The conversations I anticipate having with the Coorg region workers will surely remain in my heart and mind. I will also bathe in the bliss of spending time with family, especially our granddaughter, Nyla.