Hello Mayflower friends and welcome to my blog!
When Reverend Sarah Campbell heard that I had committed to a year of faith-based service in Argentina through the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's "Young Adults in Global Mission" (YAGM) program, she became excited not only for my sake but also for the sake of our whole congregation. She hopes that by sharing my experiences with the Mayflower congregation, I will inspire other members (especially youth and young adults) to pursue similar faith-based service opportunities. So, I have created this blog as a tool for sharing my personal experiences in Argentina as well as for spreading awareness about the faith-based service opportunities available to Mayflower members.
In the near future, you can expect to read details about the following programs (and more!):
- Young Adults in Global Mission
- Lutheran Volunteer Corps
- St. Joseph Worker’s Program
- Young Adult Service Communities (UCC)
- UCC Summer Communities of Service
To provide you with some more background information about what I'll be doing in Argentina, here is the article I wrote for August's "Ship to Shore" :
From August 2012 to August 2013, I
will engage in a year of service with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s
(ELCA’s) “Young Adults in Global Mission”
(YAGM) program. The mission of
YAGM is to develop globally-formed leaders of the church through international
social justice work. This year, 57 young
adults will travel to eight countries and work in a variety of placements
including orphanages, human rights organizations, schools, churches, and health
care providers. Although the group of 57
will have diverse experiences, what all placements have in common is that they
will advance God’s dream of peace and justice on earth.
I will be working in an L’Arche
community for people with cognitive disabilities in Buenos Aires,
Argentina. I will participate in daily
life with the residents, support them in achieving their goals and maximizing their
self-sufficiency, and share a spiritual lifestyle with them. On Sundays, I will lead Sunday school
activities for children at a Lutheran church 20 minutes away from the L’Arche
home. I have no doubt that my year in
Buenos Aires will be a rich opportunity for learning, spiritual growth and
giving.
In order to make my work in Buenos
Aires possible, I need to raise at least $4,000, and thanks to the Mayflower
Foundation’s generous grant of $3,000, I have now nearly reached that minimum
amount. Thank you for your support
Mayflower! As my part of the deal in
this partnership, I have committed to using my experiences to inspire other
Mayflower youth and young adults to engage in similar faith-based service
opportunities. Keep an eye out for my
blog and Ship to Shore updates in the near future. ¡Hasta luego! (See you later!)
Thank you for reading!
You can expect to see my next entry sometime after I arrive in Buenos Aires (August 23rd).
God's Peace!
Lisa
