Participant insight: Life experiences motivate to share Jesus' love to vulnerable people

Cui Cui from China, top right, at her host mom Vickie Klassen's home, with friends and family gathered for dinner. Vickie is second from left in the bottom row with her arm around her daughter Rebecca. 

Greeting clients at the front desk and guiding them to access the services they need, providing literacy support to newcomers from Syria – daily life and work for Cui Cui is different in a California city compared with what she knew in a small town in northeast China.

Cui Cui writes about the ups and downs of her first months as an IVEPer, about when her welcoming and supportive boss moves to a different organization, about a death in her host family, and about the relaxation and refreshment she experiences in a retreat for West Coast IVEPers.

Through it all, she finds that “God wants me to learn and grow in these situations. When I encounter difficulties, God always leads and guides me in his way in different times, different locations and environments. He’s guided me to meet people who can help me, give me advice and ideas.”

Cui Cui has found that her experiences in life have helped form her vision and fuel her passion to share Jesus’ love to vulnerable people to help them be independent and happy.

Cui from China, Intern at FIRM, Fresno, California

IVEP host insight: Open communication is an important part of living together well

Liliane Thiessen, in red, shares an apartment in Abbotsford, B.C., with Maria Paula Suarez, front left, from Colombia. Here they enjoy a meal out with friends.

Liliane Thiessen writes, I have been rooming with Paula, an IVEPer from Colombia, for a couple of months now and it is going great! I am not much older than Paula, and living as roommates, instead of the more traditional host parent set up, has been a good opportunity for me to be involved with the IVEP program. Sharing the apartment works well, as we get along and it is in a perfect location.

We worked hard to start off our living situation on the right foot by intentionally talking to each other about what living with each other would look like. We took time to say both the things that we enjoyed about living with other people and also the things that might annoy us about living with other people. This helped us to avoid conflicts before they started.

Maria Paula Suarez, from Colombia, is a pastoral intern at Ebenezer Mennonite Church, Abbotsford, B.C.

IVEP partner insight: MCC, IVEP, Hungry World Farm - a fruitful partnership

Maiga Muga, from Tanzania, ready to plant seedlings at Hungry World Farm, Tiskilwa, IL

With an eye to the many facets that make up an IVEP placement, Cal Zehr, Director of Hungry World Farm, writes of the strong partnerships between organizations with similar missions and values, partnerships that leap into action many months before a placement begins.

While the process of selection of IVEPers in their home countries is going on, Hungry World Farm and other partner organizations are preparing a learning plan to put into effect when the IVEPer is with them, as well as reaching out to local churches to explore congregational involvement and hosting opportunities, thus building fertile soil for the IVEP year. “The whole ‘IVEP experience’ creates partnerships of growth for the IVEPer, our organization, and congregation,” Cal writes.

Maiga Muga from Tanzania shares Hungry World Farm’s passion for healthy soil, food and bodies. His participation adds to the richness of the experience at Hungry World Farm’s demonstration and learning farm.

Written by Cal Zehr, Director, Hungry World Farm, Tiskilwa, IL

IVEP alumni insight: Serving in a multicultural context

Novuyo Ndlovu, left, participates in Peace Day Celebrations 2019 with MCC staff and alumni Ratna Arsari, Ana Xiong, Nouka Moua, and Andrea Unzicker

As an IVEP alumna, Novuyo Ndlovu from Zimbabwe reflects on how her experience at The Meeting Place, an Ontario church, helped move her out of her comfort zone and prepare her for the role she now holds as an Exchange Coordinator in Laos. Building relationships is key. Building relationships and understanding across widely different cultural contexts is a challenge that takes time and perseverance, especially when you stand out as visibly different.

Novuyo concludes: “One important lesson that I have learnt through my experiences is that it is important to value diversity and different people from different cultures as it brings in ideas that add uniqueness to a team. As I continue my journey, I hope to keep learning and to continue sharing my culture with other people.”

Novuyo Henrietta Ndlovu, originally from Zimbabwe, is Exchange Coordinator in Laos

The Who's Who of IVEP