No images? Click here Spring 2022 Staff insight: Nothing without perspectiveMCC Photo/Andrea Geiser Leaman On the last retreat I co-led with MCC’s international volunteers, we spent some time walking through a part of the city filled with street art. These commissioned pieces told stories of communities and cultures from around the world. Stories of justice, stories of faith and stories of surviving. Art is by its nature subjective, but I was surprised at just how many different interpretations and feelings these pieces elicited within our group. We spoke together at length, coloring in blank spaces on the wall with the realities of each of our individual stories. Later, we stumbled upon a mural in an abandoned parking lot which read, “Nothing Without Courage”. It struck a chord with me as well as a few of the other IVEPers. The IVEP year requires a great deal of courage to face the unknown. It is quite a risk to spend a year in service, living each day in a culture which is unfamiliar. Courage is not the absence of fear or struggle, but the choice to persist despite it. If I were to add a second mural, it would read, “Nothing Without Perspective.” With every new experience and opportunity to learn, our perspective is widened. We see more clearly the world around us, our place in it and the vastness and mystery of God. I find this process to be a deeply spiritual one. Abby Endashaw, Young Adult Program Coordinator for MCC Central States Participant insight: A smile from the heart MCC photo/Carol Peters I remember one occasion when someone told me, "keep smiling because it is your precious treasure." I immediately smiled at that moment, but then I kept the phrase in my mind. I tried to understand what that meant. During my service as an IVEPer, I have been living good and bad moments, and the challenge is how to manage them through Jesus' way. Stefanny Sierra Mendoza, IVEP Participant 2021-2022 Host insight: Time is flying by with our IVEPerPhoto/Joy Detweiler Our journey with IVEP began more than 30 years ago when Joy worked for Oaklawn in Goshen, Ind., and there was an IVEP placement at Oaklawn; a young woman from Brazil. At that time, we knew very little about the program. Later, in 2018, a family from our church hosted an IVEPer from Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos). Joy began working with MCC Great Lakes in April 2019 and learned more about IVEP. This lit a spark in her to possibly be a host at some point. IVEP was put on hold for a year due to the pandemic, so when it was reinstated, we said “yes” to hosting a young adult. Monica Raharjo was assigned to live with us. Monica was in her hometown of Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia waiting too. She had first applied for IVEP in 2019 when someone in her church told her she should consider it. Her assignment in the U.S. is with Mennonite Women USA doing digital and information technology work. Since most of the Mennonite Women staff works remotely, Monica was able to set up an office space at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary where Randy is employed. It's been fun having a young adult living with us. Our own children are just a few years older than Monica and they have welcomed her into the family. We’ve enjoyed several weekends away with our extended family and the highlight has been playing card and board games together. Monica is a fantastic player and she catches on quickly. We’ve lost many rounds of Uno, Sushi Go!, or strategy board games to her. Joy Detweiler, IVEP Host 2021-2022 Partner insight: Seeing God's gifts used in ministry Fairmount Homes Photo/Carol Swailes Jon Carlson - This is the first time Forest Hills Mennonite Church has had the opportunity to partner with MCC through IVEP. When we learned about Alex Kachkovskyi's background in congregational ministry and training in Biblical studies, we were excited to bring him on board as a pastoral intern. Alex’s experiences are diverse and varied, ranging from working in kids’ activities during the week to visiting the elderly and those recovering from illness. Alex has also taken on a significant role in our church’s media ministry, helping to post videos to our social media pages. As we continue to find our way out of the complexities of COVID-19, there will be new opportunities for Alex to serve and minister in the congregation. In April, he will have the opportunity to bring the Sunday morning message. This can be challenging enough for those of us who grew up speaking the language, so I am inspired by Alex’s courage to take on this challenge across language barriers. (Continued) Eugene Weaver - My supervisor at Fairmount Homes approached me last July and asked if I would be willing to work with Alex Kachkovskyi, an IVEP participant from Ukraine. I thought of the times in bygone years while I was serving as a missionary when pastors came to visit our ministry. As a young pastor, I so enjoyed learning from the experiences of these pastors in serving people. It reminded me of the account in the Bible of the apostle Paul ministering to and training Timothy. So, when asked if I was willing to work with Alex as a trainee for ministry, my response was "Yes!" I met Alex on Aug. 30, 2021, for the first time. Since then, he has very faithfully worked with me two days a week. I have enjoyed being a mentor to Alex. He is quiet, pleasant to work with and willing to help in all the chaplaincy tasks at Fairmount Homes, which include a lot of visitation with the elderly residents, reading Bible verses to them, having one-on-one conversations, listening to them and then offering a prayer for them. On the days he is at Fairmount, we have several group devotionals and Bible studies. Alex always comes well-prepared when he is leading the Bible study. (Continued)
Alumnus insight: I am not alone in this journeyMCC Photo My name is Thien Phuoc and I’m from Vietnam. From August 2017 to July 2018, I had the honor to do my voluntary service in IVEP, hosted by Mennonite Central Committee. I worked as an international intern at MCC United Nations office in New York City. During my year of service, I was fortunate to be able to visit the MCC Material Resources Center in Ephrata, Pa., and the workshop in Dayton, Ohio, as well as to see the famous meat canning machine in action while it was in Kansas. The day I visited the MRC in Ephrata, what amazed me the most was the people who volunteered there, just like me. They did everything graciously and with a smile on their faces, and when I asked, one merrily replied: "I volunteer here when I have free time." Thien Phuoc Tran Quang, IVEP 2017-2018 Central State and West Coast IVEPers together with their coordinators enjoying public art in Oakland, California East Coast IVEPers together with their coordinator biking in Washington, DC Christian Berambaye from Chad making a snow angel at Camp Friedenswald in Cassopolis, Michigan during mid-year conference Ritika Khati and Tri Sumarni enjoying ice cream at local ice cream shop in Elkhart, Indiana during mid-year conference IVEPers doing team building together at Camp Friedenswald, Cassopolis, Michigan during mid-year conference IVEPers going cross country skiing at Camp Friedenswald, Cassopolis, Michigan during mid-year conference The Who's Who of IVEP IVEP U.S. National Coordinator andreageiserleaman@mcc.orgCentral States abbyendashaw@mcc.orgEast Coast caitlinjones@mcc.orgGreat Lakes brookestrayer@mcc.orgWest Coast adelaidahernandez@mcc.orgIt 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) |