Participant insight: Three inspirations from my pre-K class

Della Lamb/LaTrecia Thornton
IVEPer Hyojae Kwak from South Korea standing in front of her students in pre-K classroom at Della Lamb Early Education Program. ​

Ms. Jeanine is my English name for my 3- and 4-year-old kids. It means that God is gracious.

“Ms. Jeanine, I am happy.” This was said by a girl who was special to me in my classroom. She had the warmest heart but needed help with completing tasks on her own and expressing herself. Before I engaged in educating her, I had worked on building attachment with her. Every day at naptime, I would cover her with her blanket, tell her I loved her and remind her she was enough just as she is and that I would always be here. It helped her not only feel loved, but also reassured that she was in a secure place.

With our relationship firmed, I started to teach her how to be independent in a safe environment. The more she was free from doubt if teachers would be with her, the more she could pay attention to what she had to do. She eventually learned how to articulate her feelings, sit on the carpet without help, clean up after playing and much more. I was truly proud of her growth and my own growth as a teacher.

Hyojae Kwak, IVEP Participant 2021-2022

Host insight: A treasure and a hope

 Photo/Heather Smith Blaha
(L to R) Frances Ringenberg holding cat, Flannery, IVEPer Rufaro Manyureni from Zimbabwe holding cat Bruno with Ron Ringenberg.

I couldn't quite imagine what would someone trained in law from Zimbabwe could bring to the justice system of Elkhart County, Indiana. But we had space and were located very close to the Center for Community Justice, the location of the assignment, where both my husband Ron and I have connections. It certainly seemed reasonable to offer our home. Information was traded back and forth between us and Rufaro Manyureni. Some details emerged. We have two cats — Rufaro was hesitant about these beasts with claws. Cold weather and snow seemed intimidating but intriguing. The downtown area where we live, somewhat raucous with a steady stream of traffic and sirens, had challenges.

We are now four months into the experience and so grateful for what has emerged. Rufaro keeps a very full schedule with mediations in the courts and in the schools. She is also conducting conflict resolution training and meeting with victims and offenders to craft restitution agreements. Meanwhile on the home front, the cats have won their case, welcoming her as another attendant for the food dish and using their furry skills to win a new admirer. Rufaro has jumped in to help inside and outside the house, one day offering to rake leaves after work in the last light of post-daylight savings time. There was a strip of leaves by the driveway I figured would not take long, but as darkness grew deep and time passed, I finally searched for her. I found Rufaro out in the yard in complete darkness, raking the whole yard and now at ease in the neighborhood.

Frances Ringenberg, IVEP Host 2021-2022

Partner insight: A daily routine of celebration

Eastern Mennonite University/M Esther Showalter
IVEPer Omar Borja Perea from Colombia, back row in red hat, is pictured with past and current Spanish professors as well as conversation partners during a reunion event at Eastern Mennonite University.

Every year, MCC partners with the Spanish department at Eastern Mennonite University. The IVEP participants bring so much energy and life to our learning community. Each semester the students say that their time with the IVEPers is one of the highlights in their process of learning Spanish. The IVEPers main role is to facilitate conversational skills with the elementary and intermediate students.

When Omar Borja Perea first arrived on our campus, he didn’t have much to do. I told him to enjoy the quietness because soon he will be extremely busy. Soon after, he noticed that his schedule got full and he was ready to embrace the challenge.

At the beginning of every day, Omar showed up to his conversation sessions with a big smile. His grace and joy made the students comfortable and not afraid of starting the difficult journey of learning a language. If you were in our building, you could always hear all the laughter going on during the 25-minute sessions. On any given day, you could find Omar meeting with one or two students throughout the day. Occasionally he would have an open spot that students had not signed up for, but that gave Omar a chance to recharge and be ready to have a good time with his students again.

M Esther Showalter, IVEP Supervisor 2021-2022, Spanish Department at Eastern Mennonite University

Former host insight: One decade, 16 IVEPers, countless lessons

Photo/Laurie Hesed
IVEPers Noemi Lachmanov from Czech Republic (1999–2000) and Nitaya Jayeu from Thailand (1999–2000) on the organic farm that served as their placement in Grand Bend, Kansas.

We were an intentional community on 80 acres, owned by the Dominican Sisters of Great Bend, Kansas. Our family of five had lived there for 11 years, and we'd had several volunteers join us for varying lengths of time when I learned about IVEP through our local Mennonite church. We all discussed it and thought it was a wonderful opportunity to meet, live, work with and be in relationship with young people from other countries. We appreciated that we could write up who we are and enclose pictures, detailing the type of work that goes on at an organic Kansas farm, that people could choose to be with us, and we could embrace them. We had no idea how much our lives would be changed by these 16 IVEPers from 1999 to 2009:

1.    Mary Ann Fuertes from the Philippines (1999–2000)
2.    Noemi Lachmanov from the Czech Republic (1999–2000)
3.    Nitaya Jayeu from Thailand (1999–2000)
4.    Julie Anne Joy Ty from the Philippines (2000–2001)
5.    Obeth Rumabar from Indonesia (2001–2002)
6.    Zukiso Majuba from South Africa (2001–2002)
7.    Carmencita “Tamen” Mondaya from the Philippines (2002–2003)
8.    Melanie Tschannen from Switzerland (2002–2003)
9.    Margaretha Menufandu from Indonesia (2002–2003)
10.    Treasure Dlamini from Swaziland/Eswatini (2003–2004)
11.    Noemia Dinis from Mozambique (2003–2004)
12.    Sarlotha Mandosir from Indonesia (2004–2005)
13.    Bismar Masabi Cuellar from Bolivia (2006–2007)
14.    Phally Sok from Cambodia (2007–2008)
15.    Charles Dhliwayo from Mozambique (2007–2008)
16.    Matias Payano Encarnacion from the Dominican Republic (2008–2009).

Sixteen IVEPers over the course of 10 years deeply influenced us and gave us new insights into how unique our world really is.

Laurie Hesed, IVEP Host 1999-2009

The Who's Who of IVEP

IVEP U.S. 

National Coordinator  andreageiserleaman@mcc.org 

Central States abbyendashaw@mcc.org 

East Coast caitlinjones@mcc.org 

Great Lakes brookestrayer@mcc.org                

West Coast  adelaidahernandez@mcc.org