Hey Everyone. Chicago was fantastic. Turns out I wasn't just working with Young Adults only but also not just with Lutherans either. The Chicago Ecumenical Missionary Training brought young and older missionaries from the P.C.U.S.A.(Presbyterian Church of the USA), the R.C.A(Reformed Church of America), the E.L.C.A.(Evangelical Lutheran Church of America) and lonely old me from the Episcopal Church. During this training I met both young and old missionaries serving from one year up to three year committments. There are a couple of families among these missionaries who will be starting a new life with their children. I think that is amazing but I can't help but think about how the children feel about spending three years or more of their life in another country. Some of the kids I talked to have already spent some time with their parents as a missionary family in other parts of the world. God truly indeed does call all people in whatever walks of faith to serve his people among the earth.
The orientation in Chicago consisted of training on a variety of topics. Topics included were interfaith experiences, living in and understanding new culture, bible study, and of course security training over all the scary things we hear about on the news (this was my favorite topic of discussion). Security training included being trained by a retired lead secret service agent to President Reagan and to President Carter. (I think we had more fun listening to the stories he had to tell about them than the scary parts of the training.)
My boss David Copley also came for a day and we discussed the specifics of my upcoming departure and work in Ecuador. We also talked about what my fellow YASCers did at training in Toronto and he brought me a daily prayer book for us to read while abroad. The book, entitled Praying Our Days is written by former Presiding Bishop Frank Griswald. I though it was a great gift cosidering that apart from the work I will be doing while on mission, I will also use the year in reflection and prayer contemplating God's will for me in this life. Whether it be graduate school, law school, or seminary, after my work in Ecuador, I know the time in prayer with God will help lead my decisions through life.
It wasn't all classtime though in Chicago. When we weren't in class, we were out and about the city of Chicago. We had the weekends off so we took advantage of them. Whilst in Chicago, I took advantage of swimming in the Great Lake Michigan; watched the world cup from a pub downtown, went to the Lincoln Park Zoo, Oh! and accidentally wandered onto the set of Michael Bay's Transformers 3 and was politely escorted out. We even watched Michael Bay blow up a bridge downtown Chicago. The time in Chicago was incredible and I met some great new people. I reflected on what is to come and spent some time talking to people about where we stand in our lives and our journeys in our faith. The time spent was informative and fun. I met great people and had a great time in Chicago. We closed the two weeks with worship, and had a blessing and send off ceremony followed with a celebration party of karaoke and talent show. All in all, it was a great time. My next post will come to you from Ecuador as I arrive on the 2nd of August. It's only a short time away and then I will be writing to you from my new home and the new work I will be doing. Until then, may God's blessings be with you always and I ask you continue to keep me in your prayers. May the peace of Christ be with you.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Finally... At Long Last
At one o'clock in the afternoon on Sunday June 13, 2010, nearly 1,000 undergaduates from the college of letters and science representing numerous disciplines, friends gathered in the UCSB thunderdome, home of the Gauchos!! The scene was intense and loud and stuffy as we all gathered to process to commencement field. What a surreal day. That afternoon, I turned my tassel and joined the many alumni of the University of California at Santa Barbara. I celebrated the day with all my family and great friends! I could not have asked for more! After much hard work, (and a little messing around on my part), I parted ways with the university and graduated with a degree in Classical history and an emphasis in Greek and Roman Culture.
My past four years of college life has trained me to become an academic, a critical thinker, and has supposedly prepared me for a career. What does one do with a degree in the humanities? Especially a degree that says I am qualified to read and translate two dead languages. Go figure. I joke that I will become a Catholic priest for after all Catholic mass is still done in Latin in some places. But alas, that will never be for my faith has never been stronger nor better placed than with the Episcopal Church. Now, upon finishing a college degree, I will be taking that next step of my life. I will be going on mission to the Diocese of Central Ecuador for a minimum of one year as all you readers already know because that is the intent afterall of this blog: to follow my adventure along on mission.
How's fundraising going you ask? Still a weighty task and a long ways to go but its looking more encouraging. I have reached forty percent of my goal and its growing each day! My own diocese cannot be more encouraging. Being from a very small diocese financially, we are mighty in our faith and can not be more proud to send a representative to the global Anglican Communion.
Next week, Thursday July 8th, to be more precise, I begin my two week missionary orientation in Chicago before leaving for Ecuador. Although I will not be with my fellow Episcopal missionaries (they were trained earlier in May while I was still in school), I know they will have prayers for me and they will be there in spirit. In fact, one missionary, Travis, is leaving for his placement in South Africa the day after I arrive in Chicago! He's the first of us to leave! How exciting! Good luck Travis! Keep in touch and my prayers are with you!
My training will be conducted with missionaries from the Lutheran Church. Our churches have shared a friendship spiritually for quite some time now. I will however have a day or two of training with my boss from the National Church's office, the Reverend David Copley. I am looking forward to the next great adventure and it begins in Chicago. Keep reading and I will have more to come and a new post whilst I am in Chicago. Until then, take care and God's peace and blessings be with you!
My past four years of college life has trained me to become an academic, a critical thinker, and has supposedly prepared me for a career. What does one do with a degree in the humanities? Especially a degree that says I am qualified to read and translate two dead languages. Go figure. I joke that I will become a Catholic priest for after all Catholic mass is still done in Latin in some places. But alas, that will never be for my faith has never been stronger nor better placed than with the Episcopal Church. Now, upon finishing a college degree, I will be taking that next step of my life. I will be going on mission to the Diocese of Central Ecuador for a minimum of one year as all you readers already know because that is the intent afterall of this blog: to follow my adventure along on mission.
How's fundraising going you ask? Still a weighty task and a long ways to go but its looking more encouraging. I have reached forty percent of my goal and its growing each day! My own diocese cannot be more encouraging. Being from a very small diocese financially, we are mighty in our faith and can not be more proud to send a representative to the global Anglican Communion.
Next week, Thursday July 8th, to be more precise, I begin my two week missionary orientation in Chicago before leaving for Ecuador. Although I will not be with my fellow Episcopal missionaries (they were trained earlier in May while I was still in school), I know they will have prayers for me and they will be there in spirit. In fact, one missionary, Travis, is leaving for his placement in South Africa the day after I arrive in Chicago! He's the first of us to leave! How exciting! Good luck Travis! Keep in touch and my prayers are with you!
My training will be conducted with missionaries from the Lutheran Church. Our churches have shared a friendship spiritually for quite some time now. I will however have a day or two of training with my boss from the National Church's office, the Reverend David Copley. I am looking forward to the next great adventure and it begins in Chicago. Keep reading and I will have more to come and a new post whilst I am in Chicago. Until then, take care and God's peace and blessings be with you!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
4,2,1...Go!!
Hey Everyone!
It's incredible how fast time truly flies. The title to this post are three numbers that I will now explain:
When I began writing this blog, it was one o clock on the dot. The number four represents the four weeks exactly to the hour when I will be wearing that black gown and cap, stole, and 2010 tassel, walking down that aisle to receive that blank piece of paper that represents my work these past four years at a university. Because the University has to review all candidates for a degree, I won't even be seeing my actual diploma until six months down the road. What's even more interesting, is I won't even be the first to see it. I'll be south of the equator doing God knows what in the new adventure I will be undertaking. My parents will be the first to see my diploma and to be quite honest, I wouldn't want it any other way. After all, it was because of them that I did it and made it through. Because of their generosity, love, and dedication, I was able to receive a college education. I am so grateful and indebted to my parents for their hard work in raising me and giving me the opportunity to go to school. My diploma they said, is my way of saying thank you to them. Mom and Dad, thank you for all your hard work and guidance for getting me through! I am forever endebted to you and I love you very much! Thank you for this opportunity; now what am I supposed to do with a degree in Classical History? (Any ideas?)
It is hard to imagine saying goodbye to a community that has become my home for the past couple years. I have met such wonderful people and have come to love the beauty of Santa Barbara and its rich history and people. I created a 'bucket list' of sorts at the beginning of the year on things that I still needed to see and do before leaving Santa Barbara. I still have a few on the list to accomplish. I welcome any and all new ideas as well as invite my fellow graduating friends as company who would like to join me on making our last few weeks here in SB the best!
The number four also represents the percentage toward my financial goal that I need to meet before leaving for my mission trip to Ecuador for a year. Because of these four individuals thus far, they are helping to make a reality come true! It is getting scary though on how I will make the goal of $10,000 a reality. It is simply a large number to raise, but in reality, it is not a lot of money to help sustain an annual living allowance. It's pittance and poverty. Living for a year in a developing country will be a most humbling experience. I will take on this new endeavor with humility and respect and will seek to learn about a new people and culture so different from my own and what I grew up with. I will continue my fundraising efforts with my home diocese in a few shorts weeks when I return home. I still have many meetings to attend, people to write to, and trainings galore before I leave. Please come say hi and goodbye before I leave to those of you who know me!
The number two represents the number of exams I have left in my undergraduate career as well as the final hurdles I must overcome in order to successfully complete my degree! Only two more exams, hard to believe with the countless number of exams I have taken thus far. I wonder if I will miss them? All I can say though is that when it comes to exams, I prefer written to multiple choice!
Finally, I have ONE (count 'em ONE!) paper to write (well, finish writing) this quarter before graduation day. The successful completion of these three tasks will ensure my graduation from the University of California Santa Barbara. I can remember thinking this day will never come, now I'm staring it in the face and it has come too fast. The irony of life. Something tells me though that the best is yet to come. I will always remember and cherish my time in college. The fantastic people, the great friends, raucous nights, social life, and great professors. There is nothing quite like college, but once through is enough for most people I'm sure. It's certainly how I feel. I do however have this feeling I will most likely go on to graduate school, but I'm told its another experience entirely and its further down the road if it does happen. For now, I'm content with parting ways with my undergraduate career and I am counting the days to the completion of college and to where the next exciting journey begins in South America! Continue to keep me company and I look forward to my next post!
Hasta Luego!
It's incredible how fast time truly flies. The title to this post are three numbers that I will now explain:
When I began writing this blog, it was one o clock on the dot. The number four represents the four weeks exactly to the hour when I will be wearing that black gown and cap, stole, and 2010 tassel, walking down that aisle to receive that blank piece of paper that represents my work these past four years at a university. Because the University has to review all candidates for a degree, I won't even be seeing my actual diploma until six months down the road. What's even more interesting, is I won't even be the first to see it. I'll be south of the equator doing God knows what in the new adventure I will be undertaking. My parents will be the first to see my diploma and to be quite honest, I wouldn't want it any other way. After all, it was because of them that I did it and made it through. Because of their generosity, love, and dedication, I was able to receive a college education. I am so grateful and indebted to my parents for their hard work in raising me and giving me the opportunity to go to school. My diploma they said, is my way of saying thank you to them. Mom and Dad, thank you for all your hard work and guidance for getting me through! I am forever endebted to you and I love you very much! Thank you for this opportunity; now what am I supposed to do with a degree in Classical History? (Any ideas?)
It is hard to imagine saying goodbye to a community that has become my home for the past couple years. I have met such wonderful people and have come to love the beauty of Santa Barbara and its rich history and people. I created a 'bucket list' of sorts at the beginning of the year on things that I still needed to see and do before leaving Santa Barbara. I still have a few on the list to accomplish. I welcome any and all new ideas as well as invite my fellow graduating friends as company who would like to join me on making our last few weeks here in SB the best!
The number four also represents the percentage toward my financial goal that I need to meet before leaving for my mission trip to Ecuador for a year. Because of these four individuals thus far, they are helping to make a reality come true! It is getting scary though on how I will make the goal of $10,000 a reality. It is simply a large number to raise, but in reality, it is not a lot of money to help sustain an annual living allowance. It's pittance and poverty. Living for a year in a developing country will be a most humbling experience. I will take on this new endeavor with humility and respect and will seek to learn about a new people and culture so different from my own and what I grew up with. I will continue my fundraising efforts with my home diocese in a few shorts weeks when I return home. I still have many meetings to attend, people to write to, and trainings galore before I leave. Please come say hi and goodbye before I leave to those of you who know me!
The number two represents the number of exams I have left in my undergraduate career as well as the final hurdles I must overcome in order to successfully complete my degree! Only two more exams, hard to believe with the countless number of exams I have taken thus far. I wonder if I will miss them? All I can say though is that when it comes to exams, I prefer written to multiple choice!
Finally, I have ONE (count 'em ONE!) paper to write (well, finish writing) this quarter before graduation day. The successful completion of these three tasks will ensure my graduation from the University of California Santa Barbara. I can remember thinking this day will never come, now I'm staring it in the face and it has come too fast. The irony of life. Something tells me though that the best is yet to come. I will always remember and cherish my time in college. The fantastic people, the great friends, raucous nights, social life, and great professors. There is nothing quite like college, but once through is enough for most people I'm sure. It's certainly how I feel. I do however have this feeling I will most likely go on to graduate school, but I'm told its another experience entirely and its further down the road if it does happen. For now, I'm content with parting ways with my undergraduate career and I am counting the days to the completion of college and to where the next exciting journey begins in South America! Continue to keep me company and I look forward to my next post!
Hasta Luego!
Sunday, April 4, 2010
So Close and Yet So Far...
Wow! What an exciting week. I can't explain the torrent of feelings rushing through me as I finish my last quarter as an undergraduate at the University of California Santa Barbara! And what a great start to my last quarter it was too! Not only are my classes fantastic, but I got my mission placement!! While I was sitting in my last upper division Latin class I will ever have to take again (Woohoo!), the national church in New York had called on my cell phone. I had forgotten to turn it off and so interrupted lecture, (the professor glared at me but all I could think about was what the phone call was about), and so I was forced to let it go to voicemail. AS soon as class was over I rushed to hear the message. Leaving the message was my future boss, Reverend David Copley of the mission office, calling to inform me that they will be placing me in Quito Ecuador to primarily, among other things, teach English as a second language to elementary and high school aged students at the Episcopal Catheral school in Quito! Imagine my surprise and excitement. What a way to start my last quarter back at school! Imagine, me teaching? What an adventure and I look forward to getting started. It's exciting and nerve wracking all at once to be finishing up school and starting a new adventure as an Episcopal missionary in Quito, Ecuador. Granted, its still a little ways off, I can't help but be excited for what the future holds in store for me. However, with this comes the reality of the whole thing. I now face the challenge of my end of the agreement and help the Episcopal Church financially support me while I am abroad. I am now charged with the difficult task of raising $10,000 to help offset the cost of the program. By means of doing this, we (the missionaries), are to look to our local churches and dioceses for help and invite to take part in this global ministry with Anglican dioceses across the globe. It will be a difficult task, but God would not have lead me here if it was not a task that was doable! Wish me luck as I start this endeavor and keep tuned in for more posts to come!
Friday, April 2, 2010
Beginnings of Missionary Call and Discernment Weekend in Jacksonville, FL
Discernment Weekend, Jacksonvile, Florida – February 04–09, 2010
The young adult service corps is an Episcopal service mission that focuses on sending young adults ages 21 to 30 around the globe to work in partnership with the Protestant Anglican Church in various provinces and dioceses. Mission work, as I have learned this weekend, means the ability to be flexible and work may include but not limited to: ministry, teaching, tutoring, working with young adults and children, working with disaster victims, assisting refugees, and much, much more. This weekend allowed me the opportunity to meet with and talk with twelve other passionate young adults who feel compelled and called by God to serve selflessly in impoverished, needy nations offering up their gifts and talents to love and serve others in a time of great need. Mission also allows the Anglican Church to work in partnership and collaboration and let the smaller, in need of help dioceses, that they are cared for and make them feel apart of the bigger picture that is the Anglican Church. Joining us this weekend was not only the staff of the Mission Personnel Office of the National Episcopal Church in New York City, which includes: Michelle Jobson, David Copley, and Douglas Fenton, but also two YASC alumna from the program named Cortney Dale and Mary (Last Name Needed) who both served on mission in Africa. Mary was placed in Liberia where she put her gifts of being a registered nurse to use and worked with health care officials. Cortney lived in Grahmstown working with children in an after school program tutoring, and also served as an American representative to a convent of Anglican brothers in Grahmstown. It was incredible to be able to get a full unbiased view from two alumna members of YASC to be with us and provide insight as we prayed, listened, and contemplated God’s calling for all of us to serve in mission. Also in attendance at the weekend was a psychologist by the name of Manny who lead discussions in small groups as we were challenged to answer the difficult questions that would most certainly affect us while abroad on mission. Such questions included our ability to handle stress, what strengths and weaknesses we possess that would help or hinder our ability to minister and serve, even questions about how to live a celibate life and cope with our need for intimacy, whether its just intimacy in regards to your relationship with friends, family, or with a sexual significant partner, while abroad. That question was difficult for me because I have many friends and an incredible family and it will be hard to not have them around all the time. We also were interviewed so that the program can better place us in regards to the gifts we have and will be put to best use. Also during the weekend, the candidates for mission lead worship every morning and evening to constantly remind ourselves the importance of our faith and to keep it strong and foremost as we serve abroad. We will receive our assignments (I’m hoping for Honduras or Columbia, or a Spanish speaking country in Central or South America) and official acceptance to the program in mid-march and will next meet with our training/orientation in June in Toronto. We will leave on our missions for one year, around August/September. I am very excited to take this journey and a little scared. I expect that to be normal and I also expect my fear to grow as it comes nearer and nearer to leaving. But I will put my faith and trust in God who is laying my path, and I will answer his call on me to serve his church abroad. I have many gifts to offer and they far outweigh my weaknesses and my fear and therefore will serve with great humility and to the best of my ability, a faith filled journey!
UNTIL THE NEXT ENTRY: TO BE CONTINUED
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