The Southern Africa YAGMS

I have worked with some incredible people this year, and I want to share with you all who these people are! I give you the Southern Africa Country Program!

Sarah Vatne: Empangeni, KwaZulu-Natal

I first met Sarah when we were in Chicago attending the placement conference for YAGM, a mentally and emotionally draining weekend for everyone. The last day of the conference, the YAGM volunteers were asked to run the worship service on their own, so of course I jumped at the chance to play the music, and sure enough, Sarah was there waiting to help in any way she could. Though Sarah may be small in stature, make no mistake, this woman has a huge personality! When I first met her, I was incredibly intimidated by her. She seemed to know everything about anything, she is an incredibly talented singer, and she exudes confidence in everything she does.

As time went by Sarah became less and less intimidating because she is truly herself. All of the confidence she has, all of the knowledge she has, all of the talent she possess, are truly Sarah. She lives as herself with no apologies for it, and when she does, she never comes across as arrogant or boastful, because she doesn’t live that way to better only herself, she does it so that people can see that who you truly are is okay, and you should live that way. She cares about everyone she meets, and she wants everyone to have the confidence to live as themselves, so she walks the walk to show people that it is possible. She has helped me to realize this in myself, and I can walk taller because of her!

Ashley Holbert: Soweto, Gauteng

The first time I met Ashley was when we were waiting for the bus to arrive to take all of the volunteers from the airport to our placement conference. All of us had arrived tired and exhausted from mostly early morning flights, and out of nowhere here comes this woman, confident, dressed to the nines, and looking fresh, walking up to the group and just started having a conversation with a group of people. This was a woman who grew up in Chicago, was proud of where she grew up, and loved the people she grew up with. From the second you met Ashley, you could tell she was at home anywhere she went, and if you gave her the time of day, you would be her friend for life.

As the year has gone one, I have come to know Ashley as the woman who wears her heart on her sleeve. She feels everything with her full being, and when she loves, she loves fully. I had the opportunity to go and visit Ashley in Soweto and see her site. When I arrived, I didn’t see her in a site placement, I saw her in a new home, a place where she knew everyone, and everyone knew her. She was so excited to introduce me to people she now considers family, and she was excited to show me the people she had come to love. Because Ashley has such a big heart and such a capacity to love everyone, she truly makes everyone feel welcomed and makes them feel like they are loved for who they are. Because of Ashely, I know that I am loved, even when I don’t feel like I am; she is always there to tell me I am.

Michelle Olson: Atteridgeville, Gauteng:

Michelle is a fellow Minnesotan, so the first time we met each other was technically on the plane to our YAGM orientation. The only problem we ran into was that Michelle didn’t say hello to me on the plane, but then again, neither did I. We both recognized each other, but because of nerves or exhaustion, we waited for the next opportunity to introduce ourselves. The next opportunity came on the bus ride to orientation, where we sat and had an intensely personal conversation right away. I am not one to start with small talk; I usually just jump in to the deep end and start asking personal questions. Michelle was kind enough to answer many of my questions, and to even ask me some of her own. It was great to meet another person who had the patience to deal with my strange conversation style.

Michelle is one of the most patient people I have ever met. She will listen to anyone and everyone, and not only listen, but make you understand that you have been heard. If the conversation gets interrupted, she will make sure to bring it right back to where you left off. She makes you feel heard because she genuinely wants to hear what you have to say, even if it is nonsense, or if it is venting about something going on in your life. She is also one of the best cribbage players I have faced since my own father. She and I seem to have a continuous series of Cribbage games, and if I remember correctly, we are tied, something that hasn’t happened since playing with my own family! Watching Michelle in her own community, I was able to see how many people she had spent time getting to know, because they all loved her and were excited to see her when she walked by. Because of Michelle, I have learned how to be patient with everyone, and I have learned to see the value in every conversation I have, even if I don’t understand it!

Courtney Smith: Spruitview, Gauteng

The first time I met Courtney was at our orientation in Chicago when the Southern Africa group was hanging out together during one of our breaks. We had all decided we wanted to get to know each other better, and somehow the game of cribbage was brought up. Courtney had never played cribbage before, but was very excited to learn. She could tell it was a game that some of us were excited about, so she sat down and learned how to play. The first game we played, she was my opponent, I lost, not just lost, but was demolished. I have been playing cribbage since I was about eight years old, but I had never lost that bad, at least not that I could remember. I was more than a little upset, but the fact that a new friend wanted to play my favorite game was more than enough to make up for my embarrassing defeat!

Over many cribbage games, I have gotten to know Courtney better, and she somehow is able to make people feel like they are the most important person in the room. She has the ability to walk into a room full of people she doesn’t know, and she will walk out with a room full of new friends. She cares about what other people are interested in, and she wants to know about it too. She doesn’t just care what you are interested in, she wants to know why you are interested in it. She has a heart of Gold, and she will invest herself into your life, even with little things that you would think are inconsequential. To Courtney, they are important details that she wants to know more about. She is also one of the biggest Harry Potter fans that I know, and if you need to know anything about the series, just ask her, she’ll tell you right away. Because of Courtney, I have learned how to invest in people with everything that I have. Not just to talk to them, but how to talk to them to invest in their life and show that they truly matter! Courtney has been a huge help in reading and editing my blog posts before I send them out to the world.

Andi Logee: Ndlovini, KwaZulu-Natal

The first time I met Andi was in Chicago, a few weeks before the start of our Orientation. We both had to travel to Chicago to apply for our Visa’s in person. We had spent months collecting all of the necessary paperwork, had completed numerous checklists and appointments to receive the paperwork, and this was the day we would complete the last step in the process. So we thought. Because of a single piece of paperwork having been printed on the wrong sheet of paper, Andi was denied her Visa, and would have to return home, and travel back to Chicago again at another point to do the process over again. Despite the setback, Andi kept her spirits up, and we walked around Chicago and explored some parts of the city and enjoyed an afternoon in a new city.

Andi’s ability to persevere is nothing short of incredible. She knows that things will eventually get better, and she pushes through. She can see that things need to get done, despite the situation at hand, and she will continue to push through until the end. She doesn’t quit, and she doesn’t give up, she just rolls up her sleeves and gets to work. Because of her perseverance, Andi has the ability to encourage people to continue working and to push through whatever obstacle they are facing at the time. She has a way of opening up new ways of looking at situations and a new way of viewing the world. Because of Andi, I have learned how to take a step back and look at things before deciding I can’t do it; Andi has many times stopped my train of thought from being cemented and has taught me that maybe things aren’t the way they seem!

Solvei Stenslie: Makhado, Limpopo

The first time I met Solvei, we were planning to sing a song for the talent show on the last day of orientation. We sat down in a small practice room with only enough space for a chair and a piano, and began working on our piece. I would play piano, and she would sing her piece, one she had written on her own. We spent nearly two hours flipping through her song book just reading through the hundreds of songs she had already written and had penciled into her notebook. Just being able to sit down and jam with her in a language that we both understood was very freeing. We had the chance, just for a few hours, to speak in music.

Solvei is a fiercely independent woman, and isn’t afraid to be who she is. She is also one of the few people in the world who can somehow translate my strange thoughts and conceptualized thinking. We have been able to sit down and have conversations such as “where does love come from? And are animals capable of selfless love?” She is another person who doesn’t do well with small talk, and will choose to dive headfirst into conversations that are deep and intense and usually can’t be concluded in less than several hours of discussion. Because of her ability to get to the important stuff so quickly, people take to Solvei quickly. They enjoy being able to have a conversation with her and to know that there will be no shortage of thought provoking questions from her. Solvei has taught me to keep asking my questions, and to make no apologies for being curious about the world!

Alyssa Buchanan: Swaziland

The first time I ever met Alyssa was the same day that I taught Courtney how to play cribbage. There were enough people that wanted to play, so we played teams. Alyssa was my teammate, and I was excited to help my teammate with her first time playing cribbage. As you already know, it was a tough loss, and as much as I would like to blame the loss on Alyssa’s first time playing, it wasn’t her fault. I had terrible cards, and I just played a bad game. It was my fault we had been humiliated in her first attempt at cribbage.

Alyssa is a warm hearted woman who is excited about everything she is a part of. When she chooses to do something, she doesn’t tip toe up to it with caution, she just goes for it. That is what she did with YAGM, and it is what she did with making friends in the group. She was excited to meet the people in this group and was happy to support the others through the year. Because of Alyssa, I have learned how to be more excited about the things life has to offer, and how to just go for things instead of tiptoeing towards everything!

Emily Dietrick: Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, Umphumulo, KwaZulu-Natal

The first time I met Emily was the day we were given our placement for the year. The small group of people who had been selected for Southern Africa was meeting together before we were all traveling back to our homes. Though I was incredibly nervous, Emily seemed to be relaxed enough to talk to people, and we started talking about running. Both of us enjoy running, but Emily is a very dedicated runner, having trained for and competed in numerous races, including a full marathon. We began discussing the possibility of running a marathon while in Southern Africa, and I felt comfortable knowing that there was someone who could help encourage me to keep running, even overseas.

Emily is one of the most detail-oriented people that I know. When it comes to making plans, she will be the first to step up and start laying out ideas and possibilities. I was planning a visit to her site, and I wasn’t sure of the bus and travel information. I checked my email later that day and she had clearly laid out my travel dates, travel times, travel costs, information on where I would catch each bus, and what we would do each day at her site. She has such a passion for planning and a passion for making sure that people are successful. Because of Emily, I have learned that it is okay to make plans, and it is okay to have aims for the future! Emily was also a huge help and was always willing to read and edit my blog posts!

Tessa Moon Leiseth: Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal

This is a bonus, Tessa with my host family, Rev. LM Mdluli, and his Wife, Mbali
and my host brother, Izicolo (10 months in this picture)

Finally, our fearless leader, Tessa. The first time I met Tessa, I was entering into the room at our placement conference to hear her presentation on Southern Africa. From that very first presentation, I could see that Tessa was excited about sharing knowledge with people. The presentation was only 30 minutes, but in that time, we all learned that there were many things that we were about to learn on our Journey, and Tessa was going to be there with us every step of the way.

Tessa has a way of sharing just enough information with us so that we will be successful, but not sharing too much so that we experience things through her eyes. Everything that Tessa has taught us has been a way for us to navigate this new experience in our own way, and how to process through all the information we have been taking in. Moving to another country and living among a culture that is completely foreign to you can be incredibly emotional and terrifying, but Tessa has taught us all to see these things as wonderful, and to be curious about them. With the immense program library that Tessa has worked to build, all of us have been able to learn more about ourselves, our country program, and about the world at hand. Tessa is our supervisor, but she is more than that, she has been a friend and a confidant, and someone whom even when we mess up, we can turn to for help and support. Thank you for all you do for us Tessa!


These people have been incredible to work alongside with during this year, offering me more grace than I deserve, and always willing to listen to me, and to teach me when I need it. I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to have gone on this journey with! Thank you for you support and your love this year!

-Evan

Reflection on the Seven Last Words

The Seven Last Words of Christ is a service typically held on Good Friday. The service focuses mainly on the seven last sayings of Christ during his persecution and death on a cross. I was asked to share a meditation on the seventh phrase, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit" Luke 23:46. This is what I came up with!

“Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” According to the Gospel of Luke, these are the last words spoken by Jesus before his death. Jesus speaks these words out loud, but unlike other examples in scripture, he does not clarify who he is speaking these words for. Did Jesus say these words for the benefit of those who are present, like he does at the mouth of Lazarus’ tomb when he says “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me,” or does Jesus say it for his own sake, like in the Garden of Gethsemene, when he asks God to “Take this cup from me”?

Because Jesus is both human and divine, we can assume that he speaks both for our benefit and for his own benefit. When he speaks these words as a human, he speaks them after suffering for nearly 24 hours. The night before his death, Jesus is betrayed by a brother and a disciple, he is brought before Pilot, he is brought before King Herod, Jesus is then punished to 100 lashings, sentenced to death while a known murderer walks free, forced to carry his cross, and then nailed to it. Jesus’ death did not just happen on Good Friday, but rather his death began the at the last supper and continued slowly and with increasing pain every step of the way.

Finally, when the pain had become too much for Jesus as a human to bear, he releases his spirit into the hands of God. Jesus turns to his father, the one who sent him here to die, and he says “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” It is an endearing moment for all of humanity to witness, a moment in which Jesus, the Son of God, who could have been saved, chose to continue his suffering until death so that we would be freed from the power of death. In this moment, Jesus bares his human side more clearly than ever before; he submitted himself to death, just as we all must do at some point in our lives.

Even in the intimate moment of Jesus, fully human, handing himself over to God, we are filled with hope with these words that are spoken for our sake as well. In his divinity, Jesus spoke out loud so that we may fully understand that his dying on a cross was truly an act of defiance. Everything that Jesus had done on earth thus far was in defiance to the way that life had been lived up to that point. Jesus lived in a constant defiance to the ways of the world.

The sermon on the mount of olives defied all the things that people had been told before Jesus’ time. Jesus healing people on the Sabbath was an act of defiance to the laws of the time. Jesus ate dinner with the tax collectors and prostitutes in defiance of what was expected of people who claimed to be holy. Jesus washed the disciples feet in an act of defiance against what was expected of a king. Jesus did not fight back when he was accused, choosing to be passive and loving, an act of defiance in itself. Jesus was the king of the Jews, even the note above his head on the cross said so, but Jesus did not die with the honor of a King, but the disgrace of a common criminal. Fully divine, Jesus chose to die in disgrace in defiance of what would be expected of someone who claimed to be a king.

But how is this final statement an act of defiance as well? The word “commend” means to offer up for judgement or approval, something that the world had already done when they judged Jesus to be a criminal and a heretic and condemned him to death. But by saying “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit,” Jesus takes all the power of judgement away from the world and places it in God’s hands. These words, spoken by Jesus in his divinity, are offered up to strengthen the disciples as they were about to head into a more difficult time without Jesus by their side. He proved to them that even though the world had thrown literally everything it had at him, the world will never have the final say, only God will have the final say.

In his humanity, Jesus is broken physically, he has suffered for almost an entire day, his body is dying, and Jesus’ spirit is ready to be taken into heaven by God. In his divinity, Jesus knows that his spirit belongs to God, and that he is going home shortly. He knows that the world doesn’t have a say in his true judgement, and even when the world thinks it has a hold on God, Jesus says “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit,” and everything is changed. Christ’s death marks the moment in which the scriptures are fulfilled, the ransom is paid, and the penalty of sin is no more. The act of grace is complete, the love that God has for the world is restored, and the hope for all is shared, but we do not know that yet, not for another three days.

for more information on the seven last words, click here

This Is My Body Broken For You

“If we are following Jesus, we cannot wait for the perfect community. It was while we were yet sinners that Christ allowed his body to be broken for us…Our commitment to one another in community can be no less than his: ‘This is my body broken for you.’”

-F. Kefa Sempangi

Sitting in church on a hot South African Sunday, I am sweating sitting still. The long beams of wooded ceiling are interrupted every so often by the semi-transparent shingles on the roof of Gelvandale Lutheran Church, letting the rays of the beating early morning sun come splaying through. We are headed into the third hour of church by now, and I am waiting anxiously, not to get out of church and change out of my dress pants and hot, itchy polo shirt, but rather to walk towards the altar to receive the body and blood of Jesus Christ through Holy Communion. What is it about communion that is so important? We literally just take a piece of paper-like wafer and allow it dissolve almost instantly on the tip of our tongue, and then drink inexpensive wine from a chalice to wash down the un-dissolved bits of wafer that are inevitably stuck to the roof of our mouths. What is it about communion that sends a lump into my throat and puts me on the verge of tears every time I take it? “…This is my body broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

It is these words that make me feel so emotional in the service, “my body BROKEN for you.” Jesus Christ was perfect, he was without sin, yet he allowed himself to be broken and to be killed, for me. Why did he do this for someone like me? I am not worthy of such a gift, yet I receive it every time I take communion. In my brokenness, I am still loved beyond comparison by God, who knows everything that I have done. He sees all of the mistakes I have made in the past, yet he still loves me. I don’t deserve this gift of grace, but I still receive it. If I am good enough for God, why should I ever think that I am not good enough for communion, which is God? If I am good enough for communion, then I am good enough for the world that God created, including me.

It is easy to slip into the habit of placing our worth in our abilities. We can place our value into the things we can offer people, or in the ways we can help people. But all too often, I find myself placing my value in the things that I can’t do or am not good at. I am not good at being vulnerable, I am not good at being patient with people, I am not good at being organized, I am not good at so many things. It’s no wonder that placing value in these things can cause me to lose faith in myself and to judge myself to be unworthy of God’s love. Even though I am not good at many things, there are a few things I am good at, music, youth work, and teaching, to name a few. I came into this YAGM year not knowing what to expect and not knowing how my skills would be put to use. Though I have found that my skills are being put to use sometimes, I find that I am here to be loved more than I am to put my skills to use. The people that I spend my time with love me for the person I am, not for what I can offer them. These people have taught me how to be a better listener, how to be present in everyday conversation, and how to be okay with myself regardless of how broken I may be.

 My favorite time of the week is when I get to sit and eat lunch with Auntie Vira at the daycare center. She always makes such delicious food, and makes sure that I am well fed before I leave for the day. The food is always amazing, but not at all what I am most excited about. I am just excited to sit and talk with Auntie. I am excited to hear from Auntie about her children and her family. I get to hear about her daughter teaching in the Middle-East and about her other daughter and the grandchildren she has given Auntie Vira. I get to hear about the food that Auntie cooked for her own mothers 72^nd birthday party, and event I was invited to just so Aunties mom could meet me. I get to share with Auntie about my family, about my brother who just got his dream job, and his wife who works for an insurance company and how they both love their dog, Dexter. I get to tell her about my mom and dad who were gracious enough to be okay with me coming on this trip, believe me, it makes it much easier being here knowing they support me in it.

When we have finished our lunch and the dishes are done, Auntie Vira and I get to venture out into one of the classrooms where all of the teachers gather to wait for parents to come and pick up their kids. Teacher Lucia shares pictures of her new dogs with us all, teacher Samantha gets to tell us about her adventures over the weekend, teacher Mona gets to share from her tireless wealth of knowledge about all things South Africa with us, teacher Dina gets to share stories of her late husband, teacher Rose gets to share about her journey to become healthier, and teacher Eunice gets to share her smile and her laugh with us (she is very quiet, but can laugh loud enough to shake the windows). We all sit together and share ourselves with each other. We don’t share our skills, we aren’t worried about the things we aren’t good at or the things we can’t do. We aren’t focused on that at all, but rather we are focused on being present with each other, on being with each other and enjoying the life that God has given us, and enjoying the time that God has allowed us to share with one another. We are focused on giving ourselves to one another.

The teachers at the Daycare Center from left to right:
Teacher Eunice, Auntie Vira,Teacher Virginia (Teacher June is Subbing for her), Teacher Mona
Teacher Lucia, Teacher Samantha, and Teacher Dina, the head Matron

It is moments like these that my mind jumps back to taking communion, when we eat the broken body of Jesus. I am reminded that we all are broken and that we all need healing in one way or another. But in this brokenness, we are made whole by each other. We are comforted and we are supported because no one is perfect. If we lived in a perfect society, the pressures would be enormous to keep it that way. Because we live in a broken community full of struggle and hurt, because Christ allowed himself to be broken for us, we are free to offer ourselves just as we are. We are free to give ourselves over fully to the community because that is what is truly needed. I can’t change the world with my skills, I can’t stop the hunger in the community, I can’t make the pains of apartheid disappear overnight, I can’t even teach the kids how to count to 10 sometimes, but I can offer my whole self to this community.

Communion is the reminder we get every Sunday that God loved us enough to give up his life for us. He laid his body down to be broken so that we may live. In a Christian community, we are all broken, but we are loved abundantly by God. Communion shows us the radical change that can happen, simply by giving our whole selves in love to those who are around us, as God already has. I am extremely blessed to have been placed in a community where myself, broken and damaged, is good enough. I am good enough just as I am, and the community of Port Elizabeth and my YAGM family refuse to let me think otherwise. This is my body, broken, for you.