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Youth team experiences growth through service
Harold Siebert is a Mission Mobilizer for MBMS International. He and his wife Dorothy served as missionaries with MBMSI in Colombia for nine years before moving to Winnipeg in 1996. This past summer, Harold was a team leader and bus driver on a Sold Out and Radical (SOAR) trip to Reynosa, Mexico. SOAR is a short-term mission program of Youth Mission International.
“Follow me!” called out the SOAR group coordinator as we turned onto the gravel road. Thirteen youth and leaders in two rented vans drove on the dusty streets of Reynosa, Mexico, searching for the small church where we would work and share for the next five days.
A Youth Mission International SOAR team enroute. |
Finally, we found what looked like the right place. Surely this was not it – a dwelling with four walls of unpainted brick and a flat concrete roof? But a smiling woman,
SOAR participant with new-found friend. |
with a young child in hand, welcomed us. Children poured in from nearby streets, because this was more than just a meeting place. Lydia’s home was a place of refuge.
After months of preparation in Winnipeg, our team employed the dramas, songs and Spanish phrases we had learned. We found that our hard work to raise funds and prepare lessons were tiny in comparison to the huge personal gains we received in Mexico. Hand signs and gestures between team members and local children ended up in hugs and smiles – evidence of another powerful type of communication.
Grulla MB Church in La Grulla, Tex., hosted 10 SOAR teams for orientation and a debriefing session. Between July 14 and 24, over 120 youth and sponsors bonded through testimonies, songs, challenges and prayer times. But it was the contact with small churches and neighbourhood kids that superceded everything else.
Sara Gutierrez, pastor of a small church in Reynosa, said, “The team has such a love for the kids and communicates so freely. From what church do you come?” While she guides this growing church on the outskirts of town, she also ministers to street children. Lasting ties were formed between this young Mexican leader and the SOAR team.
Team testimonies at the debriefing session included:
“How can they be so happy when they have so little?”
“I have been at odds with my dad for some time, but I will go home and restore the lines of communication.”
“I now know that I want to serve God by helping people.”
There were few complaints, even with the 40-degree Celsius heat and hard floors to sleep on. The strength of YMI programs was evident throughout the 10 days: opportunities for “soul” healing and tuning in to God’s purposes; prayer times that focused on God’s desires, not only a wish list; and room for a heart of compassion to flow spontaneously. SOAR leaders who guided the teams during this ministry were Tammy and AJ Regier, as well as Phil Serez, Susanne Grogan, Tom Loewen and Tom Dyck.
One group saw the need of a poor pastor and responded by replacing his worn-out refrigerator.
A team member said, “These Spanish folk give us everything, even if they’re poor. How can we not respond to their needs when we have so much?”
SOAR participants are the future leaders of our churches. God is raising up a contingent of young followers who are being challenged by godly mentors and nurtured by caring youth leaders, and churches like Grulla MB Church are partnering with MBMS International in the training process.
The world became a little larger for many of the participants. Many more will follow the dusty road to an unexpected ministry as they enlist in short- or long-term assignments. – MBMS International
Working and playing with neighbourhood Mexican children was an integral part of the SOAR experience. |
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Last modified December 3, 2000.
© 2000 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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