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Summer 2018
Provincial and Regional Coordinators at Coordinators' Conference, Riverside, California, April 2018.
As I flew into the small Ontario, California airport, I was eager to see my colleagues and meet with an IVEP partner of 6 years. We were ready to take on the week with local foods ordered, discussion questions prepared, and an afternoon set aside to visit with the people of Madison Street Church. Our group gathering for the IVEP Coordinators’ Conference represented 6 Canadian provinces, 4 US regions and 2 national staff. High on our priority list was the desire to share ideas and best practices with each other. As there are always new IVEP situations that arise, it’s helpful to have ideas and advice from those who have seen similar situations in the past. The other priority was to connect with the local IVEPer, Suvojit Mondal of Bangladesh, and his place of work, Madison Street Church. One of the most inspiring parts of the week for me was listening to the Madison IVEP team articulate how IVEP was changing their congregation for the better. While it certainly didn’t happen overnight, people gradually became more open to hosting, more open to learning, more open to connecting and building a meaningful relationship with this IVEP participant. From that relationship came the opportunity to learn more not only about the IVEPer’s home culture, but also learning to articulate aspects of our own culture as an unbiased interpreter. Since you were not all able to visit Riverside along with our group, I leave you with this video link. How are you connecting with others and learning as a result of IVEP?
Blessings on the journey,
Andrea Geiser
Participant insight: connecting spirituality, work and peacemaking
EunHee Jang accompanies and learns from Bernard Marshall, resident at Garden Spot Village.
EunHee Jang from Republic of Korea, South, explores the connections between spiritual growth, peacemaking and the relationships she has formed while undertaking the tasks of daily life as a Pastoral Care and Life Enrichment Intern during her IVEP year. Read more here:
Host insight: I would recommend this experience
Élisabeth Franco and Zacharie Leclair with Deborah Nehring.
Zacharie Leclair writes: My spouse and I have had the pleasure of acting as a host family for Débora Nehring during her service as IVEP participant in Québec. The connection with her was especially easy, all the more since Débora is a Portuguese-speaking Brazilian and my spouse is a fluent Portuguese speaker. Read the full story here:
Partner insight: it will be a tough parting in July
Alexis Chindebya drives a pony and cart in front of his garlic patch at Green Field Farms Headquarters.
Why, I wondered, was Green Field Farms Co-op teaching an IVEPer how to make horse drawn farm equipment? That particular skill is in scant demand these days. I was talking to Aden Yoder, Green Field Farms’ director of operations, to find out how this placement for IVEPer, Alexis Chindebya was working out. Click here to find how it did work out.
Alumni insight: IVEP changed my life forever!
Dania, left, and Cheryl, her best friend during her 2003-04 IVEP year
Over a decade ago Dania Del Valle came to Canada, shy and nervous about trying new things. The love and encouragement she received from her host family and coworkers brought out the best in her and in the process she discovered she had 34 moms!
Find out more about her story
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Zury Lemus Vega (left, Honduras) and Stha Mpofu (Zimbabwe) at UN headquarters participating in CSW62 - the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
Great Lakes IVEPers, from right, Mizinga Choompa (Zambia) and Alexis Chindebya (Chad) with former President Jimmy Carter and other worshipers at church.
Emmanuel Mahendra (right, India) with residents and coworkers at Elkhart County Clubhouse.
The Ontario IVEPers plus two IVEPers from Montreal hiking in Algonquin this May.
The prayer cards at mid year conference. A reminder of orientation and how far we have come.
Winnipeg IVEPers Natalia Vaca (Columbia), Julia Khair (Palestine), and Nono Ndlovu (Zimbabwe)
The Who's Who of IVEP
IVEP U.S.
National Coordinator AndreaGeiser@mcc.org
Central States SharonNelson@mcc.org
East Coast KimDyer@mcc.org
Great Lakes BrookeStrayer@mcc.org
West Coast KrystalKlaassen@mcc.org
IVEP Canada
National Coordinator KathrynDeckert@mcccanada.ca
Alberta MaryLynnRetzlaff@mccab.ca
British Columbia JessicaWarkentin@mccbc.ca
Manitoba KatieLaban@mccmb.ca
Ontario CathWoolner@mcco.ca
Saskatchewan KayteeEdwards@mccs.org
Quebec Jean-CalvinKitata@mennonitecc.ca
It is a peace program that works, not in a big sweep, but one small ripple at a time, each ripple enlarging with every expanding circle.
– Doreen Harms (IVEP administrator 1949-51, 1955-58, 1968-91)
