English Dinner Event

Good news - I've been invited to and have accepted a placement in Langham and Boxted, England for one year starting September 3rd! I have a one week YAGM orientation in Chicago from August 18th through August 25th, and I fly out to the UK a week after that. I am so excited and grateful to be experiencing this journey.

I have to admit, though, the thing that's on my mind most right now is fundraising. I know that it costs the ELCA a lot of money to send me over, but the thought of raising $4,000 for this mission is daunting. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I progress through these preparations, and please join me for my UK dinner fundraiser on August 16th at Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Manassas at 6pm! I'll be serving traditional English food and doing a Question & Answer portion where people can ask questions about what I'll be doing in England, why I decided to do mission service, what my favorite colors are, etc. Any questions you'd like to know! ;-) I'll be collecting a free will offering during the evening to raise funds. Please come out to support me, and tell your friends!

Also, I wanted to say a big thank you to my church family. A lot of people at early service today came to talk to me and let me know they're supporting me, and it really touched me. I am so incredibly lucky to have a whole community of people that support me... I can't properly express how much I appreciate that!

Cheers!

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!