Greetings and welcome to my blog where I hope to share my year in service as a member of the Young Adult Service Corps (YASC) in Mthatha, South Africa. YASC is a part of the Episcopal Church’s Mission Personnel Office and gives young adults the opportunity to engage globally in international mission work. In September I will be leaving for Mthatha, South Africa where I will spend a year working with the Itipini Community Project, a part of the African Medical Mission. I am excited and humbled by this opportunity to immerse myself in new communities where I will be exploring themes of community, reconciliation, love, mission, and partnership in my own life and in the life of the Anglican Communion.
This quote from Lila Watson helps guide my approach to the coming year that will be spent as a missionary of the Episcopal Church. So too is John 13:34-35 where Jesus says, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
I probably never would have guessed that I would be a missionary and still sometimes cannot believe that this is where I am headed next. However, the time I have spent with my fellow YASCers at our discernment weekend in Florida, our two week orientation in Toronto, and my growing understanding of the Episcopal perspective on mission have helped me to see that this year is about partnership. This year will be about recognizing that we are working together to understand our lives and our stories, and to do so in love. I have a feeling that this year will teach me much about mutual liberation and what it means to live out Christ’s command to love.
As I prepare to for my time in South Africa, I am currently in the midst of fundraising, getting my visa, and spending time with friends and family. I know that this journey would not be possible without the support of my wonderful parents, my family, my friends, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, the Sewanee community, and the many individuals who have brought me to this decision that has been twenty-three years in the making. With little more that a month before I make my way to Mthatha, I look forward with great hope and openness towards a year that will be unlike any other. A dear friend reminded me of a quote from The Little Prince that sums up much of what I feel, "I have not much time. I have friends to discover, and a great many things to understand!" This year I will be leaving many friends, but also know that they will share in this time of great discovery and new understanding with me.
Peace be with you, and let us walk together.
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