Uruguay
In these last few years that I’ve been involved with Mennonite World Conference and particularly the Young AnaBaptists (or YABs) it has been awesome to connect with people from around the world and be enriched by their perspectives and ways of living their faith. This has opened my eyes and shown me Jesus in a way I hadn’t seen him before.
Today I want to share with you a testimony of how I’ve seen God move in a special way.
In Uruguay, we have beautiful beaches, and most Uruguayans love to take time off during the summer to go to the beach.
This is a time to unplug and rest, but also a time to party for most of the young people. And in church it is also a great time to do something cool with our youth because the pressure to go partying is huge.
So, we organize summer camps – one for the teenagers and one for the young adults of our Mennonite conference. Every year, around 40 teens and almost 100 young adults attend our camps which happen at a campsite right next to the beach! (This is awesome, as we can go to the beach at least twice a day.)
This is now the second year that I’ve led these camps with a friend, and it’s been a huge blessing.
Deep and nourishing chats
During the camp, I had several very deep and nourishing chats with some of the participants, which were often a great blessing to both of us.
One conversation in particular stood out for me. A girl came up to me one afternoon and asked if she could speak with me. I agreed and we sat in the grass in the shadow of one of the trees. She shared with me part of the story of her life and how she’d lately been very hesitant to accept Jesus as her Saviour because she didn’t feel ready. After hearing the messages at the camp, talking to our guest speaker and some others she had concluded that the gospel is much simpler than she thought, and she wanted to make the step to accept Jesus into her life.
I had the huge privilege of helping her make that prayer! And around a month later I received an invitation to attend her baptism. It was such an honour to be a part of it.
Another amazing experience was in our youth camp. On the first day the guest speaker conveyed the importance of sharing what we’re going through with others. Through an interactive activity he showed that everyone is being challenged, that it’s ok not to be ok, and to share this with others for support. This was super nourishing for everyone.
Sharing with others for support
In particular, I was amazed by how a small group of boys of around 13-14 years old immediately took action. All participants had to get up at 7:15 in the morning for morning sport. But from that day on till the end of camp, they got up at 6:00 a.m. They prepared their maté, talked about their challenges, and then discussed ways to build each other up and achieve their goals.
Seeing the fruits of all the previous work is amazing because before the camps, the entire team felt opposition. I faced a lot of challenges, struggling again with things I thought I had already won. But thanks to Jesus who kept inviting us to see all that he was about to do!
I think a verse that reflects pretty well what we experienced during this time is John 10:10: “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life” (NLT).
Through this challenging time, I was able to see a glimpse of the rich and satisfying life that God has prepared for our youth and young adults and also even for myself.
—Valentina Kunze is the Young AnaBaptists (YABs) representative for Latin America. She is a member of Konferenz der Mennonitengemeinden in Uruguay.
This article is adapted from the speech she presented at Renewal 2024, “Transformed, together we live Jesus” 6 April 2024 in Brazil.
