UPDATE Week of August 6

You too could have one of these!

No, not a two-person sweater - a Fellow!

About this time last year, we were twisting Dave and Lisa Meyer's arm to be a host family. They had insecurities; they had fears; and they had lots of questions!  In the end, they took a step of faith and invite Sarah into their house.

I asked Lisa to write a little about her experience. Here it is:

Often in life, we pass up opportunities because we convince ourselves it’s just not right time. We were tempted to do this, too, when asked to host a Fellow this past year, but we realized there would never be the “perfect time”. 

We now realize had we said “no” we would have missed out on one of the most amazing blessings of our lives. Instead, our Fellow brought so much joy and laughter into our home. She became part of our family and we shared life together. We always looked forward to our weekly dinners together and hearing her come up the stairs to tell us about her day. 

If you’re considering hosting a Fellow this year, I would say, “Step out in faith and DO IT.” The blessings you will receive will far outweigh any adjustments you might need to make.

thanks Lisa for letting us share your story...

some not all of the Meyers family

A FELLOWS UPDATE

Patrick McCarthy

I am excited about where all of our Fellows are heading, but I am particularly excited about the adventure that Patrick McCarthy is about to undertake.

This year, Patrick will be embarking to teach and live in South Africa with an organization called Youth in Global Missions.

YAGM's Website

This is going to be another formative experience for him. I urge you to join me in supporting him! His support letter is at the end of this update.

Congrats Patrick!


LAST WEEK

some highlights from the week that was...

Monday. Our exec team met to strategize and plan our board meeting. An excited addition is our new Vice Chair - Gardner Barrier, who we elected into office on Wednesday. Yay us!

Tuesday. I had the good fortune of getting coffee with Gracy Mezzy our jet setting Fellow alum.

Also got to see my main man Bill McClain to talk through details for our service component to the program. It got me real pumped!

Wednesday. I began my certification on EQ-i 2.0 and EQ 360. (The best Emotional Intelligence training our there.



I've got two days of training next week. Ahhhh!!!!

I also had lunch with my new friend Erin Kalb. She rocks!

And Chuck Spong who also rocks.

And a rainy Board Meeting with a Team that totally rocks!

Thursday. Had a great meeting with Ginger Hendricks of Bookmarks. What a vision she has! I am looking forward to figuring out more ways we can amplify what they are doing in our city!

Trying Foohills Sexual Chocolate Gelato - UNBELIEVABLE

One thing you can do for Bookmarks: SHOP THERE!!!

I then had coffee number two with Fellows Alum Campbell Anderson. The dude is on fire!

That afternoon, Anna Rose and I headed north to pick up my son from Pop Pop and Grandma Camp. On the way, Anna Rose tried her first Pork Rind

yum

And we had the pleasure of spending the evening with my best friend from college and Young Life years John Gayle. What a fun evening!

Friday. I met with Dennis Doran, the Director of the Trinity Fellows in Charlottesville, VA. Dennis is the longest tenured Fellows Director. He has experienced everything! And he is gracious enough to impart his wisdom to people like me. Thank you Dennis! You are such a blessing to the mission! And a blessing to me!

David at Pop Pop and Grandma camp 

Saturday. I worked alongside my brother in law, his son, and my dad at the Habitat for Humanity Restore in Pitman New Jersey. 

Moving furniture

My sister and family are receiving a Habitat home. It was such an honor to donate some hours toward it!

That afternoon, Anna Rose and I went out to buy her very own field hockey stick. I can't believe I have a daughter who will be playing on a school sports team in the fall!

 It was like going to Olivander's Wand Shop. The only difference was the guy's name was Keith.

Next thing we know, Anna Rose has this:




Finance Update

Thanks to you, we ended the year in black! Seriously, THANK YOU!

If you are ready to infuse our next year, now is the time!

Give online here

Or mail checks to

Winston-Salem Fellows
851 W. 5th St.
Winston-Salem, NC 27101

This week: 

Monday: Hope International Luncheon
Tuesday: Meetings all day and Host Family Hunting
Wednesday: Lots of Meetings and Host Family Hunting
Thursday: EQ Training
Friday: EQ Training

Stay tuned!!!

Patrick's support letter (number 1)

Dear Friend,

What is Young Adults in Global Mission? What is this church body called the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America? What is the nature of the work that Patrick will be engaging with on a regular & routine basis, for near on a year’s time? Where exactly will Patrick be serving in the country that he is traveling to? Where will he then be living? Will he be living in a rural town or urban center?

In this note I will answer, or perhaps a better word would be ‘attempt,’ to answer, all of the questions listed, and then some! The intention behind taking time to attempt to express the x’s and o’s of this program is to help you, the reader and esteemed person in my eyes, better understand how I plan to carry out this year’s work of missional and servant-based volunteerism.

The ELCA is a Protestant synod that has congregants and member churches country wide.

I was exposed to this YAGM program specifically during the two summers I spent on staff as a camp counselor at Camp Lutheridge in Arden, North Carolina. There were numerous other counselors on staff both of those summers who ended up doing this same program, and they all had super positive and impactful years abroad.

In a mildly convoluted manner, I have now answered what the two acronyms, i.e., ‘YAGM,’ & ‘ELCA,’ mean, and their relationship to me, in how they function. We have now progressed to the third operative question. What will Patrick be up to while abroad? I will be engaging in some type of educational teaching role. At this point-in-time, unfortunately, I do not know what exactly that will look like. Meaning, I’m not sure if I’ll be a teacher’s aid or assistant, be a tutor for a set or grouping of kiddos or have command / control over my own class.

Regardless, I will be serving vocationally and occupationally as a teacher, within the South African educational network. Of course, all of these questions, beg another question, where will Patrick be exactly in South Africa? Sadly, once again both of us are stymied and met by a reality that can only be understood to be a state of not knowing. Where exactly I will be laying my head down at night, and where the school will be that I will be serving & teaching at, is at this point in-time, another unknown variable.

Finally, yes! Surprise! Much to everyone’s shock, and Patrick’s personal deep satisfaction, I will be living with another host family! Considering my interest in working with kids, I could also picture living with a family that has children.

After having been blessed and having had the most fortunate and glorious opportunity to have lived with Reverend Doctor Peter Barnes, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the figurative bar of excellence, regarding hospitality, emotional connection & attachment, and generally held esteem, has been set absurdly high. The beautiful thing about this whole affair though is that God provides. That God provides, has always provided, and will continue to function and act in this manner. I have a positive, glowing feeling about the family who will ultimately choose to welcome me into their home, and into their lives for an extended and significant period of time.

Bang! And just like that, we were all done unpacking and making clear, the nuts and bolts of this upcoming, yearlong, vocationally educational and intentionally embarked upon quest of self-discovery and service. I hope after having read this ‘debrief’ of sorts, (HA!), that the introspective letter having to do with why I’ve chosen to be a YAGM volunteer for the year 2018 / 2019 is made easier to understand, while also making for a more engaging literary work to boot!

I’m envisioning a South Africa that will present itself as a fertile and willing place; a place that will foster and promote tremendous personal, professional, and spiritual growth. The organization that I will be serving, partnering, and working with is a good one. I have the utmost confidence that this will be a positive and fruitful undertaking, the Lord willing. It was no small and/or unintentional decision to join and be supported by the network that will be the other YAGMs, and wider body of Christ, worldwide. Imagine YAGM as the Lutheran version of the Peace Corps, with a smaller engagement period.

Thank you for taking time to read this fundraising letter. I really do appreciate your willingness, and kindness, in choosing to sacrifice some of your leisure time to read such dry reading material (albeit with some attempts at levity! At the least, continuing to speak in my own voice).

Cheers,

Patrick

Here is how to give:

The three avenues for making charitable donations include (i) giving directly via my Peer 2 Peer fundraising page, found at (http://support.elca.org/site/TR/Events/General?px=1052969&pg=personal&fr_id=1181

(ii) by check, or (iii) by credit or debit card.

If you’d like to make a contribution via check, make it out in this fashion… pay to the order of ‘ELCA Global Church Sponsorship,’ and then for the memo line write ‘YAGM GCS 3478.’ You will then want to either (i) mail it through your synod office if you’re part of an ELCA member church, or (ii) mail the check direct to ELCA Gift Processing Center PO Box 1809, Merrifield, VA 22116.

Finally, if you’d like to skip donating directly to my Peer 2 Peer fundraising site, and still give online, as a donor you can go to https://community.elca.org/yagm/give and click on the dropdown menu to find the name of every YAGM that will be serving. Naturally, you’ll be looking to donate to Patrick McCarthy.