Alumni

The First Mennonite Church community of San Francisco is so amazing. They are very supportive of the MVS program and put energy into building relationships with us. The church is a beautiful place to think in new ways about my Mennonite faith and build connections with people.

We all have filters based on who we are, where we come from, and our life experiences. We see the Bible through that filter. So, when you have people who have diverse filters relating together, we get a fuller understanding of the Bible and of God. We recognize the diversity of the global family of faith and the perspectives of the indigenous churches which enrich our understanding of God and what God calls us to do.

We need to fight the temptation that we are self-suffiecient and that we have all the answers and we learn everything just by talking to ourselves. Our relationship with Benin Bible Institute reminds us that we are part of something larger. It also helps keep us in a posture of curiosity and learning. Our relationship with Benin Bible Institute gives us a fuller understanding of who God is and what it means to faithfully follow Jesus.

Relationship is the foundation of everything. Wherever I go, visiting workers, I value the one-on-on in-person relationships. In building relationship with partners, I see God at work in various cultures, various contexts. Practicing two-way mission, we listen to our partners and receive invitation to join them in the work they are already doing.

We learn from our partners. And they are equal partners with us.

Why wouldn’t you do MVS? You get to live in a new city for a year or two. You’re not really paying for anything besides what you choose to. And, you get to take a break from whatever path you’re on and try something else. If it doesn’t end up being for you, then that’s fine and you can hop right back to where you were. But you might learn a lot about yourself along the way or find something new that you really love. I think that’s a risk worth taking.

Service Adventure is a good way to explore your own faith apart from your parents, and kind of like, what they’ve built for you. It’s really good to explore that and make your faith your own instead of just being you living your parent’s faith.

For all the other things we learned and unlearned and remembered and re-membered, reading the Bible in another context just, had the biggest impact on our [Just Peace Pilgrimage] group.

My MVS experience has greatly influenced what I will do next. Throughout my two years at Tucson Community Food Bank, I have learned more about how I function in a workplace as well as what skills, strengths and weaknesses I bring to a job. My time in Tucson, through my housemates, my placement, and the community, has been formational in learning how and who I want to be in the world.

We came face to face with some harsh realities in South Texas. Every day, we met people who are working hard to quench thirst, clothe, and provide shelter and dignity to people who desperately need it.