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On August
17, 2008, 38 young adults from around America, including myself,
met in Chicago to gather for one week of orientation prior to
leaving the country for a year of voluntary service. All who
were present had applied and were accepted for the ELCA’s
Young
Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program. YAGM is dedicated
to young adults answering a call to global service and who desire
serving God and others in an international setting.
The program
was started in 1999 with only ten volunteers serving in the
United Kingdom. Since then, the program continues in the United
Kingdom but has expanded to India, Argentina and Uruguay, Mexico,
Slovakia, Jerusalem/West Bank, Kenya and South Africa. Although
we are all placed around the world accompanying different communities,
we are all rooted in Christ and encouraged by the same spirit.
At
the beginning stages of my discernment process for YAGM, I was
feeling determined and enthusiastic to go in to make a difference
in my placement and community, bring a fresh outlook and new
perspective. But as the orientation taught us in Chicago, service
is not always doing something with the goal of changing something
or someone to what we think is right, it’s not about going
in to a new environment trying to get as much done as possible
with the little time you have. While trying to make a difference
is definitely not a bad thing, the manner in which it is done
is very important. The YAGM program is very clear in teaching
“accompaniment.” As missionaries through the ELCA,
we have agreed to accompany those at our placements, to work
beside them, form relationships with them, and understand and
learn from their way of life while at the same time, sharing
our experiences and insight in a humble and Christ like way.
Currently
I am serving in Edinburgh, Scotland at Bethany Christian Centre.
This is a recovery centre for men struggling with addictions.
The Centre holds 17 men at one time and it is recommended they
stay at least six months to one year as they journey through
a 12-step Christian recovery program. Although I have only been
here a little over a month, it has definitely been an adventure
turning the issue of alcoholism, gambling, and drug addiction
into real faces and daily life struggles of the men at the centre.
It has been one of
my greatest joys, as well as one my biggest struggles to serve
God in this way. I say this because the majority of the men
who have completed the Bethany program and leave the centre
clean have done so because they have come to know Jesus and
believe in the freedom that God gives (2 Corinthians 3:17).
It is the most amazing thing to see someone transformed in this
way through Christ. At the same time, there are often those
who do not find that freedom and many times relapse. Not only
is this painful for the individual who made the mistake, but
it also is hard for those who have become involved in their
life and path to recovery.
Nevertheless, as
I look at the life of Jesus in relation to Bethany Christian
Centre and the YAGM program, I am encouraged. The gospels are
filled with miracles performed by Jesus. But just because he
fed the 5,000, doesn’t mean the people didn’t become
hungry again the next day. It is the love that Jesus showed,
the power of his miracles, and the time he spent with all types
of people that lasted and brought people closer to him. And
just as Jesus’ acts of love have lasted, so will those
performed at Bethany and in all the placements through YAGM.
It has been an incredible
experience to be part of a group of innovative young adult Christians
through the YAGM program. And it is awesome to share the same
enthusiasm serving God and diverse populations as we step out
of what is familiar, simply seeking to live life and love as
Jesus did.
I will
be serving at Bethany Christian Centre until July 2009. Please
keep the centre and the rest of the YAGM missionaries in your
prayers. If you would like to continue reading about my experiences
in Scotland, feel free to read my blog at: www.blairjean.blogspot.com.
Peace and God Bless.
Submitted By:
Blair Fingland
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Manchester, Mo.
October 14, 2008
“Like
good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another
with whatever gift each of you has received.” 1 Peter
4:10 (NRSV)
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