GOSHEN, Ind. (Mennonite Mission Network) – Craig and Krista Mast wanted to improve their Spanish skills. They also wanted to serve in another country. So instead of going to language school, they combined their desire to grow more fluent with their interest in service and joined a Radical Journey team on a 10-month adventure in Paraguay.
As a teacher and a nurse in Goshen, Ind., the Masts regularly found themselves interacting with people who spoke only Spanish. As they tried to make connections with their limited language skills, both wished there was something more they could do.
“We really felt like there needed to be more [English speakers] in the community who connect with the Spanish-speaking population,” said Krista Mast. “We wanted to reach out to the community in a different way.”
Radical Journey is a year-long service program of Mennonite Mission Network. Participants spend a month of orientation in a North American city, ten months in an international service location, and another month in re-orientation with their home congregations.
“Each year, Radical Journey sends teams of young adults to explore what God is doing in the world and to take initiative to get involved,” said Darrell Gascho, Radical Journey’s director. “We’re excited to see how participants like Krista and Craig engage in the experience and integrate that experience back into their home community.”
The time in Paraguay was a growing experience for Krista, especially, who thought of herself as “awkwardly conversational” in Spanish before leaving the United States, but found herself often excluded from conversations once arriving in Paraguay.
“I couldn’t communicate and I couldn’t practice my passion: nursing. Stripped of the two things that make me who I am, it was a real challenge to find out what I had to offer,” she said. Mast credits her stubbornness with helping her gain fluency. “I had to practice being present in every conversation without speaking.”
While in Paraguay, the Masts’ main assignment was teaching English to Spanish-speaking adults who had interest in volunteering for the Mennonite World Conference Assembly Gathered. The Masts worked in concert with the rest of the young adults on their Radical Journey team, and they also spent a lot of time with their host family.
“I grew in my understanding of who our neighbors are,” said Krista. “Our host mother, Berta [Valdez], was the mom of the neighborhood – if there was a neighbor who needed a hot meal, she would give that meal. There was a sense of community that [went] beyond church community, a sense of community with your neighbors.”
Since their return to Goshen four months ago, the Masts have been working to put their Spanish-language skills and their new neighborhood focus into practice. Craig is using his Spanish at school, translating for parent-teacher conferences and letters that go home to parents. Krista has returned to nursing, looking for new ways to communicate with her patients.
Both of them are making time to share with the people around them.
“Coming back, I have made a special effort to connect with my neighbors,” said Krista. “I’ve been trying to find out who they are as people.”
The Masts have bigger dreams, too.
“One of my real goals is still in the dream stage,” said Krista. “How can I as a nurse and as a Christian find a way to empower the people that need assistance in our community? How can I be an advocate?”
Gascho sees the Masts’ community participation as part of the mission of Radical Journey. “It’s wonderful to see how Craig and Krista have embraced the call to bring their faith into their life and to connect their gifts with what God is doing in the world,” he said.
