Amazing

I would like to thank everyone for the support and prayers while I am here in New York City. I cannot begin to put into words how amazing it is to be here with other people that have the same or similar passions that I do. Hearing people's stories and sharing my own, we all come from different walks in life, but we were all led here. This has and is going to be a completely transforming experience and I have never in my life felt so strongly that I am doing what I should be doing, without a single doubt in my mind, heart, or soul, this is where God wants me. It is both amazing and humbling.

On Sunday, June 17th Pastor Jenn and Pastor Dave at Westminster UMC commisioned me as a way of showing support from the church that I went to growing up and where I first learned what it meant to "serve" through my experiences on Volunteers In Mission trips. (my official commissioning is on July 15). Here's a picture of Jenn and I:



And here's a picture of Mom, Uncle Jimmy, Aunt Sherry, and Gaggy (grandmother):

Finally

Well, I'm finally in New York. My life has been so busy up until now that it doesn't seem real that I'm actually here. We met as a group for the first time yesterday at dinner. There's 2 MIRYAP's(Missionary in Residence of Young Adult Programs-they are leading us), 9 Mission Interns(my program) and 8 US-2's(2 years in the U.S.) After dinner we got our schedules and although we do have down time, we are going to be very busy. My "down time" usually consists of being with a small group of people b/c I'm extroverted and get rejuventated by being around others. However, I may actually need my own down time during these three weeks.

Yesterday, as part of introductions, we picked a quote and explained while we liked it. I picked one by Mahatma Gandhi that means a lot to me because it describes my restlessness, my desire to not be sitting around dreaming and thinking about injustices in the world, but actually doing something about it. I feel that God has call me, has been calling me for a while and I can't ignore it anymore. The quote was: "Be the change you want to see in the world." And with that I will quote Mother Teresa: "In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love."

Love and Wisdom

This is something that my friend Lisa emailed me:

"Love and wisdom without the good of use are nothing; they are mere ideal entities, which are only realized when they are employed in use....Therefore when love by means of wisdom is put to use, it actually exists, because it is realized in action. These three are exactly like end, cause and effect; the end is nothing unless by means of the cause it is realized in the effect."
True Christian Religion 387

What is the "Mission Intern" program?

So everyone is asking me what this program I'm doing is all about. So here goes...

The Mission Intern Program is a leadership development and social justice opportunity for young adults (20-30 years old) through the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church.

The three-year program is divided into a 16-month international work/study assignment and a 16-month action/education assignment in one's own country. It is an opportunity for young people to hear the prophetic voice of communities and individuals around the world who are working for systemic change and to apply that experiential learning to their home context. The program encourages participants to learn about and live out the transformative gospel of Jesus Christ while working as grassroots organizers and/or advocates in areas of conflict resolution, peace, education, environmental justice, economic development, indigenous rights, and women's and children's issues. (Both above and below description is from www.gbgm-umc.org)

The Mission Intern Goals are:

1) To commit to a ministry of presence, which supports marginalized communities working for peace and justice.

2) To learn through experience, the day-to-day effects of systemic oppression on local communities, both internationally and nationally.

3) To actively participate with local organizations working for social justice.
To learn to live the gospel of Christ by connecting with people who model creative social witness.

4) To enrich your faith by learning with others, interreligiously and ecumenically, experience the liberating power of God.

5) To bridge the experiences of different communities so as to better facilitate communication and cooperation between peoples seeking justice in a global context.

6) To witness in one's local church and community about new ways to envision mission as a global church.

7) To develop yourself as a leader, prepared to be a prophetic voice in society and committed to holding the church accountable to God's calling.

8) To form a covenant community of young adults committed to demonstrate through word and action the importance of Christian presence within and support of global movements for social change.

9) To engage in faith based action for justice and disciplined theological reflection in order to better integrate social justice into Christian faith and learn to live a new definition of mission.