Starting Out

Hey all!

I realized now would probably be a good time to start this blog as my journey to the UK progresses. Here's a recap on what's happened so far:

• decided that doing some kind of mission work is something I'm very interested in, so in Fall 2009 I started looking for global mission opportunities
• found Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM), a one year international opportunity through the ELCA, and applied in the spring
• A few phone interviews later, got accepted into the YAGM program
• I was invited to DIP weekend in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin (discernment, interview, placement) and interviewed for potential placements in Mexico and the UK
• I was offered a placement in the UK, working for an organisation called Time For God (TFG) and I accepted :)
• TFG gave me an initial placement match, working with a congregation in the towns of Langham and Boxted in southeast England; I spoke with the Reverend of the church on the phone

And this is where I'm at now! I am in discernment, praying whether this is the right placement for me. I have a feeling it is, but we shall see!

To my friends, support network, family: thank you for reading! Cheers!

What I'm Doing This Year!

If you want to send me mail (cough please do cough) my address in England is:

Tricia Ernst

Sky Hall Cottage

Sky Hall Hill, Boxted

Colchester, Essex

CO4 5TF

United Kingdom

What: I'm volunteering in a program called Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM), doing a year of volunteer service in England.

Where: Langham and Boxted, Colchester, Essex, England. It's an hour northeast of London, in a region called East Anglia. It has the best weather in the whole country!

Who: Me! By myself! Doing a year of volunteer service, helping to develop the youth ministry in the congregation of the villages.

When: Starting at the beginning of September 2010, and ending at the beginning of August, 2011; about 11 months all together.

How: Through the ELCA, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. I applied for the program, interviewed, and was accepted into the program along with 43 other young adults around the US. I raised $4,000 through my church, friends, family, and the synod to be a part of YAGM.

Why: This one is a bit tough to answer. I felt a strong calling from God to do some kind of mission work, and I have always enjoyed learning about other cultures, so when I came across YAGM, I knew it was perfect for me. I especially like that the mission work through the ELCA is run under the accompaniment model.

Accompaniment: a response to the changing context of global mission; walking together in solidarity that practices interdependence and mutuality. So, when I say I'm doing a year of Christian mission work, it doesn't mean I'm trying to convert people! Rather, I am sharing the love of God through my actions, creating community between various Christian denominations and across culture lines, and sharing my story and my understanding of God with those that want to know!