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Prayers of gratitude and intercession

  • When I was 12 years old, I was charged with the duty of secretary to our parish youths office. From that time on, I served the church, locally, nationally and internationally.

    My engagement with Mennonite World Conference (MWC) has shaped who I have become as a church leader, husband and father, so I share my story to bring a challenge to the youths of today.

    “I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,…your young men shall see visions” (Joel 2:28). 

    The prophet depicts a theme of teamwork for both spiritual and physical development in congregations. I challenge youths to bring their strength to help build the church. In turn, churches can incorporate interactive activities to keep the youths motivated to associate with the church.

    My election as national secretary of the youths for Kenya Mennonite Conference (KMC) led me to my first MWC trip, to Paraguay in 2009, for the second Global Youth Summit (GYS) where I represented the young adults of KMC.

    From these engagements, I gained skills in listening. I learned to offer guidance, a skill which placed me in a position to mediate on several youth courtship processes.

    At GYS, I was nominated to be the Africa representative on the youth task force MWC created to envision the Young AnaBaptists (YABs) Network. We worked together to create a blueprint for this worldwide movement for Anabaptist young people. It involved travelling to meetings which really improved my public relations skills and ability to work with other people with different backgrounds.

    Liesa Unger.

    I learnt a lot from listening to other people’s ideas – a lesson which has been very instrumental in my current church and community activities.

    The next challenge was my appointment as the first staff mentor for the first YABs committee. My position was charged with connecting the YABs with the entire MWC family. At times it was challenging, as I had to learn to accommodate everyone’s views to ensure smooth and productive meeting sessions. However, the fellowship in MWC gatherings is healthy: it is more of family get together that bridges the gap between young and old.

    Throughout my engagement with the YABs and wider MWC family, I learned that young people face almost the same challenges across the continents. We need a forum for sharing and horizontal learning. MWC creates this space for interaction. It has remained an asset to my work in church with the youths.

    Another instrumental skill I got from serving is event planning. Currently, I lead my diocese on planning various events. With the skills I gained, I was able to take the lead role on logistics for MWC’s Renewal 2027 event in Kenya 21 April 2018.

    Young people, I urge you to share your gifts. This will help you build your talents in the house of the Lord. We need to bear one other’s burdens and in this way fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2).

    —Ayub Omondi Awich is a member of Boya Church in Ahero Parish, Kenya Mennonite Conference. He is married to Dorothy Achieng Omondi for 10 years. They are blessed with two boys (Moses Adongo, John Terry) with a third child on the way.

  • Recipe: Huevos pericos (Colombian scrambled eggs)

    Although I’m not good at cooking, I organized a typical Colombian breakfast to share with my host family. Guided by recipes my parents sent from Colombia, I discovered that things made with love are delicious.

    My host family loved this simple meal of huevos pericos (scrambled eggs with onion and chopped tomato – my host mom’s favourite), fat pancakes made from my father’s secret recipe (a hit with my host sisters and brother), and arepas (made with wheat flour, butter and salt). Hot chocolate directly from Colombia accompanied the rest of this breakfast that transported us south.

    It was a perfect morning to share Colombian music while we ate, compare pancake recipes with my host mom, and, most importantly, to eat with the family around the table and enjoy each other’s stories.

    A little piece of Colombia came to visit us as we ate in pajamas, showing the trust that exists between family.

    —A Mennonite World Conference release. Natalia Vaca is a member of Iglesia Menonita Ibagué in Colombia. She participated in Mennonite Central Committee’s IVEP program in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, 2017–2018.

    Huevos Pericos (6 people):

    12 Eggs (2 per person)

    2 medium onions

    2 large tomatoes

    1 Tablespoon oil

    1 teaspoon salt

    1. Process the onions and tomatoes in a blender until they are well chopped.

    2. In a large pan, heat the oil and start to fry the stew that we just made with onions and tomatoes.

    3. In another bowl, beat the eggs and salt so that everything is well mixed.

    4. Once the stew is warm, put the eggs in the same pan and stir until they are set.

    5. Serve hot to enjoy better.

  • Bogotá, Colombia – “The gospel connects us all no matter where we are,” says Laurey Segura. She lived out this realization as a teacher and youth worker with the help of Young Anabaptist Mennonite Exchange Network (YAMEN), a joint Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) and Mennonite World Conference (MWC) program which allowed the Costa Rican Mennonite to serve in Cambodia for a year over 2016–2017.

    “I was hoping to help a lot but instead, I feel that they helped me the most,” says Segura. Instead of being like an extended vacation with moments of fulfilling service, YAMEN “was also mostly a process of changes, for which I am grateful,” she says. “It was not easy but I learned a lot about myself and my perspective of life changed – in a good way.”

    “I learned to love my neighbours, to serve the Lord Jesus, to serve the community without thinking about a reward in monetary terms,” says Felizarda Atanásia Filimone from Mozambique who served as a youth worker with Creciendo Juntos at Monte Horeb Mennonite Church, Soacha, Colombia.

    Life’s difficulties can lead to despair, but serving in the YAMEN program with Podcasts for Peace in Managua, Nicaragua gave Colombia Mennonite Brethren Jhon Alex Martinez Lozano hope “that there is a church that is at the service of people regardless of race, colour or stratum.” He learned about hospitality in a deeper way, and that “there is no distinction between people; we are all treated well.”

    Before she entered the program, Filimone felt as though she had lost faith. Through YAMEN, “I was expecting a change in my life; I envisioned inner peace and spiritual growth.”

    The challenging moments in Segura’s cross-cultural year of service taught her to “have [faith in God] as your hope in difficult times. Despite the good or bad things, we are being formed and these experiences will become good memories, future stories and good lessons.”

    Through her service with Youth Equipped with Skill of Internship Center, Develop Our Village Economy in Phnom Penh, “I learned how important it is to make disciples and to stand by them before, during and after as a mentor and brother or sister in the faith,” says Segura.

    Advice for those considering YAMEN service?

    “Smile always, speak of God’s love…and talk about your country,” says Filimone. She urges people not to be ashamed of what they don’t know, but to respect and learn from others, especially those from other cultures. Future YAMENers should “share with family, friends and participate in youth meetings in the church. Seek God whenever you feel distressed, look for a friend to trust and talk about your concerns, so you do not feel alone.”

    “Trust the direction of the Spirit of God in a way that reflects the life and teaching of Jesus, the unity of peace and reconciliation,” says Filimone.

    —Article by Danielle Gonzales and Karla Braun

    A Mennonite World Conference and Mennonite Central Committee joint release.

     

    Pray for these participants embarking on YAMEN in 2017–2018:

    Name (home country):

    Serving in:

    Jesika Gomez (Bangladesh)

    Zimbabwe

    Saray Reuk (Cambodia)

    Zimbabwe

    Sina Long (Cambodia)

    Bolivia

    Sokuntheary Samreth (Cambodia)

    India

    Soleab Loun (Cambodia)

    Mexico

    Cyriaque Djenaissem (Chad)

    Burkina Faso

    Damaris Guaza (Colombia)

    Honduras
    Diana Martinez (Colombia)

    Nicaragua

    Jhon Fredy Chocue Parra (Colombia)

    Bolivia

    Diksha Masih (India)

    Honduras

    Easter Masih (India)

    Colombia

    Victor Manova (India)

    Zambia

    Blasius (Bobby) Himawan (Indonesia)

    Cambodia

    Daniel (Dante) Tobing (Indonesia)

    South Korea 

    LohChu (Julian) Peng (Indonesia)

    Colombia

    Bill Odeny (Kenya)

    Cambodia

    Diana Onyango (Kenya)

    Ukraine

    Phoebe Omuhinda (Kenya)

    Cambodia

    MinYeong Jung (South Korea)

    Kenya

    Duangmala Chonealoun (Laos)

    Cambodia

    Bohlokoa Lesesa (Lesotho)

    Indonesia

    Joyce Beaton (Malawi)

    Indonesia

    Salome Sawatzky (Mexico)

    El Salvador

    Sarahi Gonzales (Mexico)

    Ecuador

    Santos Martins (Mozambique)

    Colombia

    Keila Morales (Nicaragua)

    Bolivia

    Benard Eriau (Uganda)

    Nigeria

    Mainza Hanzukule (Zambia)

    India

     

  • Recipe: Mole Coloradito Enchiladas 

    As a Mexican-American, one of the most comforting things about living in Colombia was how similar my Mexican culture is to Colombian culture. My Colombian host family was very interested to learn more when I told them my family is from Mexico. 

    My host mother gladly helped me cook Mole Coloradito Enchilada, one of my favourite dishes my mother and grandmother made when I was a child. It was a good thing because preparation took almost 3 hours! 

    Before we started cooking, we had to search for the ingredients, since things like chiles are not common in Colombian homes. We finally located the chiles in the large indoor market called Paloquemao.

    Danielle Gonzalez mole

    I love the smell of the chile roasting on the stove and the stinging warmth of its sharp smell rising to my nose. The best part of this dish the Mexican chocolate in the sauce that gives it a sweet, smooth flavour to balance the Ancho chiles (poblano).

    I was excited to share my culture with my hosts through making my favourite food.

    —A Mennonite World Conference release by Danielle Gonzales. Danielle participated in SALT (2016–2017), an exchange program of Mennonite Central Committee, in Colombia as web communications coordinator for MWC.  

    Click here to see the recipe in English: http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/mole-coloradito-enchiladas/

  • Serving in an area of the world relatively close to your home country where the dominant language is the same as your own might seem relatively easy. But Young Anabaptist Mennonite Exchange Network (YAMEN) participants who hail from Latin American countries and are serving in other countries in the same region are seeing differences first-hand.

    YAMEN is a joint program between MCC and Mennonite World Conference, a global community of faith in the Anabaptist tradition. An important part of the program is making connections between Anabaptist churches in different parts of the world.

    YAMEN workers come from countries outside of Canada and the U.S. and do their service work outside of both of those countries.

    Here are the stories of some of the Latin American YAMEN participants:

    Erica VanEssendelft)

    Juan Torrico Soliz – Bolivian serving in Mexico

    Juan Torrico Soliz, 21, comes from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, and is serving in Mexico City as a hospitality assistant at Casa de los Amigos, where he also lives. Prior to moving to Mexico, Soliz studied Tourism and Hotel Management and worked at a daycare.

    One of the biggest shocks for him was moving to a city with 21.2 million people. Greater Mexico City dwarfs his hometown which is home to just over one million people. It was also challenging for him to adjust to a more structured day.

    “Lunch here [in Mexico City], depending on where you work, is one to two hours long, but in Bolivia everything would close down at lunch. Here, I’ll eat lunch between 3 and 4 in the afternoon, but at home, I’d eat around 12 or 12:30. The schedule during the day is so different, and it was really hard to get used to,” Soliz said.

    Like the others, he had odd encounters in his mother tongue.

    “In Mexico, a straw to drink out of a cup is popote, but in Bolivia it’s bombilla, In Mexico bombilla means lightbulb, so it just makes for some funny interactions,” Soliz said with a laugh.

    He is one of the few YAMEN participants who isn’t living with a host family. Still, he says it’s important to seek out people locally to build relationships.

    “Even though I’m not living with a host family, I think it’s important to find a balance between finding support in your host country and talking to family,” he said.

    Rebecca Smucker)

    Juliana Arboleda Rivas – Colombian serving in Bolivia

    Hailing from Quibdo, Chocó, Colombia, Juliana Arboleda Rivas is serving in Santa Cruz, Bolivia in Stansberry Children’s Home.

    Rivas said pastors in her home community noticed the passion she has for service and encouraged her to do YAMEN.

    “It’s been a very rich experience. I don’t have words to express the happiness that I feel. Happy happy happy happy,” she said with exuberance.

    “I knew it was going to be different, but I was ready for anything. My name is Juliana, the brave woman ready for challenges.”

    Rivas said she has learned key lessons along the way.

    “I’ve learned about teamwork, the value of service and the love and dedication you give without expecting things to change,” Rivas said. “I’m happy to get to know people who enrich my life.”

    Andrew Claassen)

    Jhon Alex Martínez Lozano – Colombian serving in Nicaragua

    Jhon Alex Martínez Lozano comes from the town of Basurú in Chocó, Colombia where he worked in a gold mine, volunteered with the Mennonite Brethren church in town, and studied radio journalism. Through YAMEN, he serves as a community assistant with an organization called Podcasts for Peace in Nicaragua’s capital Managua.

    Lozano was concerned his Colombian ethnicity would be a barrier to integrating into the community.

    “Before coming here I was worried about racism, that maybe there’d be discrimination because I’m Colombian and because Colombia has been vulnerable to drug addiction and trafficking,” he explained. “There have been a few times where people have talked to me or brought that up, but it hasn’t been bad.”

    In fact, Lozano was warned about working at Podcasts for Peace because of the area’s reputation for crime.

    “I don’t walk around with fear worrying about who is going to hurt me or rob me because I feel like I’m with family there,” he said.

    “One day I was talking with a family in Acahualinca and I was telling them about it (the public perception of the area) and the family told me that they wouldn’t let anything happen to me, so that helped me feel a lot more secure and safe.”

    Lozano said YAMEN allowed him to explore his faith further and in different ways, and taught him to interact with people he’s never related to before.

    “My time here in Nicaragua has been a time for God. I’ve learned a lot and I’m going to keep learning,” Lozano said. To learn more about YAMEN, visit mwc-cmm.org/yamen.

    Article by Rachel Bergen

     A Mennonite World Conference and Mennonite Central Committee joint release.

  • New York, USA – Right outside the window from my desk at the MCC UN Office on the 10th floor of the Church Center for the United Nations, I can see the UN entrance and the Kenyan flag, which unexpectedly brews the feeling of patriotism; I am learning to appreciate my country more when I am not in it.

    Back home, I attend Eastleigh Fellowship Center, a Mennonite church within the capital, Nairobi. My parents are both leaders in the Kenyan Mennonite community. Growing up, the notion of peace was strongly embedded in me and this informed my decision to pursue international relations as a field of study in university.

    In 2015, I completed undergraduate studies in international relations at the University of Nairobi where I discovered an interest in diplomacy and how it can be informed by theology; that is, how I can apply biblical values and Anabaptist principles to diplomatic strategies in a politically charged environment. So when I came across the MCC UN Office intern placement in MCC’s call for new IVEP participants, I concluded it would be the perfect placement for a Mennonite from the Global South seeking to make a difference in world affairs.

    I had spent four years learning about the UN in great detail, but there’s a big difference between learning about an institution in rhetoric and in practice. In the MCC office, I’ve discovered advocacy work isn’t as pretty as I had thought it to be. It requires a lot of research and coordination amongst ourselves: Doug Hostetter, director and my supervisor, Kati Garrison, program and advocacy associate, and Emma Cabana, Mennonite Volunteer Service intern. At our Tuesday one-hour staff meeting, we have rotating staff-led worship and all give updates on what we are working on. As a new intern, I chose country-specific priorities including DPRK (North Korea), Israel and Palestine.

    Challenges

    I am new to advocacy work and so attending meetings of NGO (non-governmental organization) working groups on Israel/Palestine and the Security Council was uncharted waters, full of challenges

    1. Limited experience

    International relations, as a field of study, only gives you an overview of how the international system works. Delving more into it, I had to reconcile the information I had obtained from my studies with information on the ground.

    2. The feeling of oblivion

    In the working groups, consisting of well-informed representatives of NGOs, I would often feel unable to contribute anything, not by choice but because I’m still learning the content. But, the more I attended meetings, the more I understood.

    3. Integrating into existing relationships

    Working at the Church Centre for the United Nations was more communal than it was professional. Integrating myself into the close networks among organizations and their staff was challenging; but I learned to form my own relationships and merge them into the larger community.

    The whole experience working at the MCC UN Office and within the UN community has been frustrating, enlightening, fulfilling and rewarding both professionally and spiritually.

    On a professional level, I’ve learned a great deal of how advocacy work permeates the international agenda. Thus equipped, I will now be able to seek ways of locally applying the knowledge I’ve acquired to help my church, community and country in furthering peace and humanitarianism.

    As a Mennonite, I know peace is intrinsic and that it should be pursued through nonviolence. The greatest challenge has been trying to incorporate these beliefs into a politically motivated organization. When certain countries want to use violence to curb conflict, MCC and some other faith-based NGOs have worked hard to offer nonviolent ethical alternatives for peacebuilding. . Though difficult, working within the MCC UN Office has taught me that reconciling my beliefs as Mennonite with the challenges of international politics is possible.

    —Moses Osiro of Kenya is the IVEP/MWC intern at the MCC UN Office (2016–2017).

    Seeking Latin American applicants for the 2018-2019 MWC/IVEP internship at the MCC UN Office

    Applicants must be a member of a church affiliated with the MWC, be single and 25–30 years of age. They must be fluent in English, committed to peace and justice in international affairs and have had university-level studies in international affairs, political science, sociology, history, theology or related disciplines. They must have personal practical experience in humanitarian, interfaith or justice/peace work at the local, national or international level.

    The candidate will complete an IVEP application form from an MCC office in the candidate’s country. The application deadline is in October 2017 for the 2018-2019 internship.

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  • Pursue peace

    This year our theme is centered around one of the Shared Convictions as Anabaptist-related churches within Mennonite World Conference: The Spirit of Jesus empowers us to trust God in all areas of life so we become peacemakers who renounce violence, love our enemies, seek justice and share our possessions with those in need.

    1 Peter 3:8–12

    yabs_fw_en_0Download

  • Bogotá, Colombia – Taking a risk and trusting in God are sure ways to grow in faith. For Marisela Dyck and Xavier Chen, serving with the Young Anabaptist Mennonite Exchange Network (YAMEN) program in 2015-2016 was a year of lessons in relying on God.

    “During my service I learned that looking for God every day is the best thing that I can do to make myself feel better emotionally and spiritually,” said Dyck, from the Iglesia Anabautista Menonita Unida de México.

    YAMEN, a joint program between Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) and Mennonite World Conference (MWC), is for young adults, ages 18–30, who are not Canadian or U.S. citizens. The participants must attend an Anabaptist church in their own country or serve an Anabaptist organization.

    “When I’m looking for God, he tells me that he is with me in every situation, easy or difficult, and that I should wait and trust that he will show me his will and that I should put everything in his hands.” Dyck served in South America, in the daycare of an organization which ministers to at-risk women.

    Back at home in Mexico teaching 10-12 year-old children, Dyck lives into the lessons she learned. “With what God showed me this year, he took away my fear of failing when I do service.”

    Chen also worked with children – in Peru and Colombia – through which he experienced God’s faithfulness. “During every moment of my YAMEN term I kept relying on God. I prayed and asked him to guide me to his way. Now, my faith and thoughts to God are stronger than before. To trust and rely on him is the unchangeable way to have a fruitful and blessed life.”

    Now, when he is serving in his home congregation of the Fellowship of Mennonite Churches in Taiwan, Chen tries “to see from different viewpoints, because there are many possible ways to approach the situation with empathy and understanding for the feelings of other people.”

    The goals of the YAMEN program are that participants will develop leadership skills, grow spiritually and personally, and gain cross-cultural knowledge and experience.

    “Something important that God showed me is that the main point should not be the service itself, but the relationship one has with him and that you should let God work through you to bless other people. God will give you the strength and wisdom that you need,” writes Dyck.

    Chen’s experience taught him humility. “I had very high expectations for my term: I would give myself to people in need and I believed I could do it perfectly.” Instead, standing outside his comfort zone, he often felt he had nothing to offer. “It’s not applicable to act the way as before; to face any new thing with humility is the correct choice.”

    The YAMEN program continues to grow young leaders for the benefit of churches around the world.

    2016-2017 YAMEN participants:

    Name (home country):  Serving in: 
    Tirzah Hea Halder (Bangladesh) Nigeria
    Juan “Beto” Alberto Torrico Soliz (South America) Mexico
    Ariane Ribeiro de Souza (Brazil)  Ukraine
    Cecile Sanou (Burkina Faso) Uganda
    Kimleng Chung (Cambodia) Nicaragua
    Sokea Im (Cambodia)  South Africa
    ChunLei Xun (China) Colombia
    Jhon Alex Martinez Lozano (Colombia) Nicaragua
    Juliana Arboleda Rivas (Colombia) South America
    Laurey Segura (Costa Rica)  Cambodia
    Johanna Sommer (France)  Laos
    Dina Molina (Honduras) South America
    Marlly Aceituno (Honduras) South America
    Nathanial Hembram (India)  Colombia
    Marsellina “Selly” Marliona Wamebu (Indonesia) India
    Primadinar Sekar Ratri “Dinar” (Indonesia) South Africa
    Tamarscha Pradhini Putri “Dhini” (Indonesia) Colombia
    Jason Were (Kenya) Cambodia
    Sonephan Lakongseng (Laos)  Honduras
    Felizarda Atanásia Filimone (Mozambique) Colombia
    Susma Rasaili (Nepal) Cambodia
    José David Dávila Godinez (Nicaragua) El Salvador
    Gabriel Goddard (South Africa) Colombia
    Rastone Hamapande (Zambia) Cambodia

    A Mennonite World Conference and Mennonite Central Committee joint release. Article by Kristina Toews.

  • Almost a year ago, a step onto a plane was the first into a whole new world of not only learning many new things, but meeting a bunch of inspiring people. In February 2016, my first year as a member of the Young Anabaptists (YABs) Committee started. A little nervous, a little apprehensive, but a whole lot excited, I stepped into the plane that would take me to Semarang, Indonesia where the Mennonite World Conference (MWC) Executive Committee, staff, regional representatives, and of course, the YABs Committee would have their annual meeting.

    In Indonesia, where I met all these people who will organize the next MWC Assembly, I encountered Anabaptists who live in a world where Christians form a minority, but still they build a church as big as a soccer arena where they can come and celebrate with thousands of people on Sunday. It was a bit overwhelming for a girl who is used to church gatherings of 30–50 people, but amazing to see.

    The MWC Young Anabaptists (YABs) Committee in 2016.
    Photo: LIFE TV (Indonesia)

    A second time I stepped into an airplane this year was to meet up with the European Mennonite national conference leaders. Again, I was a little nervous since I would be the only young person there, representing of course the YABs of Europe, but also the global family. I thought I would feel like the odd one out, but never before have I met so many adults who were so welcoming and interested in what I do. They inspire me to continue on the path I am following, to keep working in this great Anabaptist world-wide community.

    While these were the big events I’ve joined, the work of a YABs committee member is mostly through skype, email, Facebook and Instagram. During this year, I met many people online whom I would love to meet in person one day. And who knows, we might. For example, at the MERC (the Mennonite European Regional Conference) in 2018, or at the first Renewal 2027 event in Augsburg this February, or even in Indonesia at the next Assembly in 2021.

    This Renewal 2027 event, at which all the YABs committee members will participate by giving a short sermon on Matthew 28, will remember the 500th anniversary of the beginnings of the Anabaptist movement. During this day, there will not only be testimonies, but also music and singing from the international songbook and the possibility to meet Anabaptists from all over the world! We would love if you could join us in the celebrations: you can sign up here.

    A year ago, I stepped into a plane with one thing in mind: wherever I would go, the Lord would always be with me… and he brought me further into this wonderful international Anabaptist community. I can’t wait to see where he will bring me the next few years.

    Blessings, Jantine

  • Less than a year ago, I hadn’t the faintest idea that I would be in Indonesia this February, let alone have four new friends from four different continents. But that’s what happens when you engage in your global faith community: you end up in places you never expected –physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally.

    The five of us – Jantine Huisman, Makadunyiswe Ngulube, Dominik Bergen, Ebenezer Mondez and me – weren’t sure what to expect at the MWC executive board meetings in Indonesia as part of our new roles on the Young Anabaptists (YABs) Committee. Thankfully, we have previous YABs committee member Tigist Tesfaye Gelagle as our guide and mentor on this journey.

    Our first meetings in Indonesia can be summed up as orientation and planning.

    The first two days, we learned a lot about the history and vision of Mennonite World Conference and how YABs fits. We valued the history lessons on how our identity as Anabaptists has been shaped by the past. We learned about the recent development of YABs and how it has evolved since beginning as a Global Youth Summit planning committee in 2001.

    Not only did we learn about MWC and YABs, we also learned to know each other and how to work together cross-culturally, something that we will be continually growing in over the next five years.

    Once we were somewhat oriented to our role as the young adult arm of MWC, we started planning and making a rough task blueprint for the next five years. We tweaked the previous YABs committee’s blueprint to match our vision and goals, but five main focus points of the YABs committee remain the same: networking, fellowship, capacity building, decision-making and Anabaptist identity.

    One major initiative to cultivate and promote fellowship among young Anabaptists is our first annual YABs Fellowship Week, which will take place June 19–26, 2016. Patterned after World Fellowship Sunday, the purpose is to foster a greater sense of koinonia (fellowship) among young Anabaptists around the world through prayer and the sharing of stories, songs and Scripture. Materials are available online for youth and young adult groups to utilize for YABs Fellowship Week.* Our vision is for young Anabaptists to share prayer requests and pray specifically for their brothers and sisters in different countries, as well as connect through worshipping with the same resources, and utilizing social media as a platform and means of communication.

    What’s exciting about being a part of the YABs committee at this stage is that we have a good structure in place, but it’s still in the formative years when we have the opportunity to shape it and continue to widen the sphere of influence for young adults in the global Anabaptist community.

    Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram (@younganabaptists) as we work to strengthen the network of young Anabaptists around the globe!

    Larissa Swartz, North American YABs representative

    *For more information about YABs Fellowship Week, how you can be involved or for any other questions about the work we do, please click here or email yabs@mwc-cmm.org.

     

  • Sindy Novoa Caro lives in Bogotá, Colombia, where she belongs to the Casa de Oración church, a Mennonite Brethren congregation. In 2010–2011, Sindy served with YAMEN in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, as a teacher´s assistant in a school for children living near the garbage dump. Since her return to Colombia, Sindy has been helping to coordinate a local support network of former, current and new YAMEN participants and people who have been part of MCC’s International Volunteer Exchange Program. Sindy works for Corporación Belcorp as a zone leader for catalogue saleswomen.  Earlier this year, she spoke with Jana Meyer, an MCC worker in Colombia about her experience.

    How did the YAMEN experience affect your outlook on the world and on the church?

    To know people who live on what they find on the street and yet continue to smile on life made me recognize how privileged [I was] to have water, three meals a day, the embrace of a mother or father, family time during the weekend and shelter at night. I got to know the value of someone who hasn´t been able to bathe but who wants your hug and who needs you to tell them that there is a supreme being who loves them and wants to care for them. Back in Colombia, I work in a different way with the people around me. Before. I might have only cared about someone´s economic situation.  Now in my current work where I have to interact with a lot of people, I´m more interested in who they are as a person, how they are doing. 

    How might life have been different if you had not done YAMEN?

    I would be going about my life with the same lack of awareness that many in the world have. Many think that the world owes them something, that the world should be grateful for their existence, that daily blessings are a result of their efforts—not as a result of God´s mercy.

    How did you grow in your relationship with God?

    Although I was in a place far from my country, not knowing anyone, I never felt alone. I always felt God´s support and guidance. Every day was an opportunity to learn from God, to understand what God wanted from me during this time.

    How did you grow in your vision for the church in Colombia?

    I learned that the work of taking the gospel to others needs to be done in a holistic way. It’s not possible for people to hear that God loves them and seeks them, if they have not eaten for days, if there is no education for them or if an entire society rejects them.  How can I presume to talk to them for 15 minutes and then leave?  God wants us to come as Jesus did: giving up our blessings and offering them to the world, teaching by example and supplying physical, emotional and spiritual needs.

    What is your vision for YAMEN?

    I would like to see different young people from Colombia take on this program, motivating themselves to do something for their brother or sister without worrying about the sacrifice, letting themselves be led by God.  I would like to see us building relationships with our Latin American sisters and brothers and those in countries we might not be inclined to go to otherwise.

     

    2012-2013 YAMEN Participants

    Patricia Calvimontes Arevalo, of Bolivia, serving in Guatemala;
    Vichara Chum of Cambodia, serving in South Africa;
    Fang Deng of China, serving in Indonesia;
    Glenda Aracely, of Guatemala serving in Bolivia,
    Humberto Lagos Martinez of Honduras, serving in Cambodia;
    MeiLing Dueñas of  Honduras, serving in Nicaragua;
    Prashant Nand of India, serving in Indonesia;
    Cindy Tristiantari of Indonesia, serving in South Korea;
    Galuh Florentina of Indonesia, serving in Cambodia;
    Heri Purwanto of Indonesia, serving in Bolivia;
    Youa Xiong of Laos, serving in Bolivia;
    Maria Aranda of Nicaragua, serving in Honduras;
    Paola Duarte of Paraguay, serving in Mexico;
    Shammah NakawesI of Uganda, serving in Indonesia;
    Festus Musamba of Zambia, serving in South Africa;
    Olivia Muzyamba o Zambia, serving in Indonesia.

     

    Young Anabaptist Mennonite Exchange Network (YAMEN!) is a joint exchange program of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) and Mennonite World Conference (MWC). The purpose of the program is to foster cross-cultural learning and service for young adults from the Global South.

  • Anabaptist youth from around the world learn and fellowship together at summit

    The three-day Mennonite World Conference (MWC) Global Youth Summit (GYS) at Messiah College, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, USA, concluded Sunday, 19 July 2015, with a strong desire to impact the world by sharing their gifts.

    Under the theme “Called to Share: My Gifts, Our Gifts,” 42 delegates and more than 400 participants discussed what they wanted to offer the global church. For three days, they gave gifts of presence, stewardship, service, empathy, creativity, knowledge, leadership, the ability to accept different opinions and use technology, among many others. They also spent considerable time discussing how they could use those for the kingdom of God.

    “GYS delegates are already doing good work in their respective churches and communities,” said Rodrigo Pedroza, Latin American representative and chair of the Young Anabaptists (YABs) committee. “But after three days of cross-cultural interaction and exploration of biblical texts about gifts and callings, their confidence and understanding of sharing has grown.

    “Now, their task is to share this message and energy,” Pedroza said.

    “We hope that their church leaders will support them to grow in their spirituality and leadership capacity. The gifts from the different generations in the church will be a powerful testimony for the kingdom of God.”

    This offering of gifts to the church was highly appreciated by the MWC Koinonia delegation consisting of MWC incoming president Nelson Kraybill, treasurer Ernst Bergen, and general secretary César García. “These gifts, surrendered into the hands of God, will transform the world.

    “Never forget that while you need the wisdom of those older and more experienced than you, revolution starts with young people,” said García. “Jesus was young. So were Jesus’ disciples. And they turned the world upside down.”

    A time to reconnect with Anabaptist teachings

    While delegates focused on discerning how to use their gifts for the global church, many activities offered participants opportunity to learn more about their Anabaptist roots and the global church.

    “We want GYS to be a place where participants grow in spirituality, especially in their understanding of Anabaptist teachings and the global church,” said Lani Prunés, North American representative to the YABs committee.

    “We do this by giving participants a lot of opportunities to hear and discuss how we live out our faith around the world.”

    Workshop subjects ranged from interfaith and cross-cultural engagement, using social media without sacrificing authentic relationships and exchange programs, to case studies on living out peace and justice in different parts of the world.

    Concerts, sports and games, a collaborative art project, drumming and dance showcases, and movie nights enhanced the cross-cultural experience.

    The Young AnaBaptist hosted a booth at the Global Church Village where they provided Assembly Gathered participants with more information about the GYS experience.

    GYS highlights

    Wycliff Ochieng Otieno, GYS delegate, Kenya

    The best thing about the GYS was meeting different people from around the globe and learning as a group, where we could learn more than what we could as individuals. From what I learned about the theme “Called to Share: My Gifts, our Gifts,” I will work with young people in my home church so they realize that they have unique gifts and they can use them to build the kingdom of God by sharing what they have with the entire community.

    Marisabel Castillo, GYS participant, Costa Rica

    The best thing about GYS for me was worshipping God together in different languages but one mind and one God, just as Jesus called us in Luke 10:27 to love him with all our hearts, soul, strength and mind. Another important thing was to learn that as we get together and respond to God’s love, we could start seeing how much, not how little, we can do in our church and community.

    Kelvin Jimenez, GYS participant, Puerto Rico

    During GYS, I remember one specific workshop in which we were sharing our challenges that our respective countries face. It was very impactful to understand how diverse our settings and struggles are. Yet, we all seek guidance and wisdom from the same source, our God. We all base our hopes in Jesus and his message so that we can be light in the midst of darkness, community in the midst of segregation and love in the midst of the suffering of our world.

    Jantine Huisman, GYS delegate, the Netherlands

    My most memorable aspect of the GYS were the conversations at the dining hall, where it was possible to join whichever table and meet people from various countries and backgrounds. Sometimes these conversations turned from superficial getting to know each other to deep and open discussions on topics like divorce, homosexuality, remarriage, woman pastors and problems in our churches. Although we did not always agree, there was always a sense of respect and understanding. I bring home a sense of shared problems, the feeling of not being the only young Mennonite in the world and optimism that there is a bright future for Mennonite churches all over the world.GYS resulted in broadening my understanding of others and their convictions. I learned more in three days than I sometimes do during a month of my normal Dutch life. I already look forward to the next conference in six years!

    Nita Purwidaningsih, GYS delegate, Indonesia

    We not only had a great fellowship during the event, but I learned to have a sense of belonging to the global family through praying for other continents and supporting conscientious objectors in South Korea. GYS was a reminder for me that we need to take care of one another, and at a time when we can’t reach out to them directly, prayers will reach them.

    Coming from the host country of the next Assembly, what do you want to say about Indonesia 2021?

    Indonesia is a culturally rich archipelago with three Mennonite conferences, each distinctive in their way of worshipping God. At Indonesia 2021, you will see God’s beautiful works through nature and culture and the Anabaptist community in Indonesia will also be blessed by learning from you.

    Elina Ciptadi-Perkins is a copywriter and communications consultant. She is an Indonesian Mennonite who lives in Singapore with her family

    This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier October 2015