Cass Bangay on Enlace

Hi my name’s Cass.  I’m from Stouffville and I’ve been going to Community Mennonite Church when I can for the past 2 or 3 of years now. I’m currently a second year Peace and Conflict Studies student at the University of Waterloo.

A couple of years ago I got connected to MCC's Enlace program through a childhood friend.  I didn’t know anyone else going on the trip, but I had always wanted to pursue a career in international development and learn more about Latin America, so I thought this would be an amazing opportunity to do so.  Getting on that plane I had no idea what to expect, but I definitely came back seeing the world through new eyes. I made amazing friends who I’ve stayed in touch with, and had experiences I’ll never forget.

What I learned from my experience in Guatemala and El Salvador (and recently in New York at the MCC United Nations office seminar) was the incredible role that the Church plays in International development. In Guatemala the grass-roots sustainable income generating programs like fish farms and greenhouses in the rural villages seemed like they reflected the communities needs.  The MCC workers treated their work as if it was so much more than a simple job. They became members of the communities that they lived  in, and everyone seemed to truly respect the work that they were doing. Seeing that community approach to development work first hand, has helped me to shape my own understanding of peacemaking. It gave me a model to strive towards.

After experiencing these community relationships both with my team and those I met in Guatemala, I couldn't go back to living the same way I had. I started going to church to develop my faith and keep that global consciousness and those relationships alive. The church community is an inspiration to me because I really enjoy being around people who are genuinely interested in working to change the world.

[For more information about Enlace, a service and learning program for 16-19 years olds visit here.]

Enlace 2011: Guatemala and El Salvador

service | learning | fun :: faith | leadership | global awareness

a one-month service and learning program for 16-19 year olds.

Enlace's Goals

• encourage faith formation
• engage in cross-cultural learning
• foster global awareness and an ethic of service
• develop transformative relationships & leadership skills

For more info click here.

Applications are available here!

Placelessness

Placelessness.  He wrote it on his arm sometime during the night when I was asleep beside him. Jet fuel and metal carried us across the lines on the map carving into the land below. We let our words speak their truth and for a few hours put ourselves aside. He was a stranger lost beside me, and although it was foreign to him, he was trying to grasp my faith. I don't know where it's taken him. 


I was that little girl, the one always cast as the angel or Mary. I’d play the part but secretly I longed to climb up onto a camel and ride away with the wisemen. Wonderlust. Now that I’ve grown its taken me to the far corners of the world. Occasionally into places of power and influences, like the castles of the kings, but more often- and in moments far more sought after -into the homes of the poor and into communities torn by violence. 

I now understand how hard it is to travel: When you go, you don’t always come back. You and the places you leave change and sometimes you can’t reconnect. Placelessness. Be in this world but not of it. I’ve come to embrace the disconnect. I can’t be the same as who I was before… and neither could the wisemen. For me, nothing captures the truth of the Christmas story like  T.S. Eliot’s Journey of the Magi.  

By Kathryn Deckert

A Documentary About Love

Love is an accessible concept - it needs no introduction.  However, that doesn’t mean that all people experience or understand it in the same way. Our individual stories and emotions colour our conceptions, for better or worse.

But what does love mean to you?

I've been working alongside Director Paul Plett and Audio Technician Dave McDowell of Ode Productions asking this very question. Our inquiry has taken the form of a film entitled "A Documentary About Love," which asks four main questions:

1) Can you define love in one sentence?
2) What experiences have led you to this definition?
3) Has your own definition ever changed?
4) In your opinion has the concept of "love" ever changed throughout history?

Serving and Learning Together

Are you interested in living in another country?  Maybe learning another language?  Volunteering, eating new foods, meeting new people, having your mind and world blown wide open?  Do you want an education that you will never get in the classroom? A chance to grow spiritually that you won't get in a regular Sunday morning service? Interested?

I was too...  So in 2002 I moved to Haiti as part of the SALT program.

Current MCC Ontario staffperson, Ken Ogasawara, as a
SALTer in Uganda 2001-02.

SALT is a one-year program for 18 to 27 year-olds that will take you almost anywhere in the world.  Depending on where you go, you might be blazing a new trail by yourself or working and living near fellow SALTers.  What kind of assignments do you get? How about environmental program coordinator in Tanzania? Or science and math teacher in India? Or radio/recording technician in Burundi? The list goes on.  

I worked with a human rights organization in Port-au-Prince; learned Haititan Creole, lived with a family, traveled the country, and learned a whole lot about myself.  It was a hard year but a good year. And I recommend the program to young adults who want to grow.

Compassion :: This Generation

Attention youth and youth leaders...

A day in Totonicapán

I have been spending some time in Guatemala and El Salvador carrying out an evaluation of the Enlace program by visiting and speaking with communities that we partner with.

Here are some pics from my day in Totonicapán this past week.  Enjoy!

The Danger of a Single Story

Here are some thoughts taken from a blog post by Matt Madigan.  He is volunteering with MCC's SALT program in South Africa for the year.  Check out his blog.

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The Danger of a Single Story
By Matt Madigan

The week-long orientation [for SALT, IVEP, and YAMEN] in Akron, Pennsylvania back in August proved to be exceedingly valuable and very much prepared me for the year ahead. Not only was it informative of the ins and outs of adjusting to a new culture it was also a great week just to chill out, meet some new people and have a lot of fun! One particularly useful session that struck me was on the danger of a single story.

At home we have this incredibly distorted image of what Africa is like. How can you blame us when the only stories we receive of Africa on the six o’clock news are those of suffering, hunger and violence? Of course there are many places in Africa that are desperate and unsafe but our folly comes when we apply those images to the entire continent. We paint all the nations of Africa with the same brush and fail to see their differences.

Listening: the best way to build peace

When dialogue is mentioned, most people associate it with talking.  Not so for the participants of The East-West Dialogue for Peacemaking, an event held this past June in Amman, Jordan.  Thirty participants from Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Israel, Palestine, Egypt, the United States, and Canada came away associating effective dialogue with good listening. The art of good listening, they learned, is key to effective dialogue and peacemaking.

During the 4-day conference, participants, both Muslims and Christians, spent intensive time together informally and in sessions developing relationships and learning from the rich and diverse experiences of each other. 

“When we build friendship we are one step closer to peace,” says Mouhammad Aref El Hassan, from Lebanon who was also at the conference in 2009. “…There are a lot of people out there that want to understand and to be understood.”

One of those people was Sara Anderson who attends Kitchener Mennonite Brethren Church and who recently completed her first year in the Global Studies program at Wilfred Laurier University focusing on Peace and Conflict in the Middle East and Muslim Studies.  She was interested in this Dialogue as a way of putting into action some of the lessons she learned in the classroom, and as a way to learn more about what it means to be a Christian in the world.  “I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the culture and customs in the Middle East and how I, as a Christian, am to live in a multi-faith world.”

Sara Anderson (far right) speaking with three participants from the Middle East

Yella: a middle eastern learning tour for young adults

Ever wonder what the heck is going on in the Middle East? We know Jesus grew up, and lived his life and ministry somewhere in what we now call Israel (and parts of Palestine). We hear about a lot of conflict ('over there').

The Old City of Jerusalem, May 2010

But how does the developing story of today's Middle East connect to the Roman ruled context of Jesus? Is there anything we can learn about Jesus and the bible by walking where he walked?

MCC Ontario has partnered with Mennonite Church Eastern Canada to develop opportunities for people like you to learn about God, the world, and yourself...to explore questions of Christian faith and life by:

- Interacting with Christians, Jews and Muslims

- Encountering complex peace and conflict issues

- Considering the context for Jesus' life and ministry

The program is called Yella and we have organized two groups thus far: the first in 2008, and most recently in May 2010.

You might have heard of the program through some articles in the Canadian Mennonite by Micheal Turman, Katie Erb, and Katie Penner.

Profile: Kim Walker

Kim Walker shares her thoughts on MCC’s Enlace and Serving and Learning Together (SALT) programs, and her passion for connecting spirituality with working for peace and justice.

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arm:  You participated in the Enlace program in 2006.  What are some highlights from that experience?

Kim Walker:  Enlace was a great experience! Friendships made, mayan pyramids climbed, and soccer games with hordes of kids are just few of many great memories that come to mind.  Climbing Mt Pacaya was definitely a neat experience - we went so close to the top of the volcano that the bottom of my shoe started to melt!

For me though, the best part of the Enlace trip was how things that I saw and learned inspired me to focus less on myself and more on working for peace and justice. 

MCC UN Liason Office Student Seminar

Are you a college or university student?  Want to learn more about Mennonite Central Committee?  ...The United Nations?  ...Mining justice?

Want to travel with me to New York, New York?  (Okay, that may not be a draw...)

Enlace 2010: A True Story

So this is Mr. Frank talking and what I’m going to be talking about is a little bit about the group and what I’ve have learned on this [Enlace] trip.

Once A Upon A Time...

...a group of 7 went to a place called El Salvador . When they were in El Salvador they learned so much: they learned to care, love, share, and to work together as a group better. Its not that they didn’t know how to do that before it’s just that they saw and felt the pain of what the people in El Salvador were going through and they just didn’t want it happening to the ones they love and care about. Now they treasure everyday because of what they have learned and it keeps them =) *it means smiling*

So now I’m just going to talk little bit about what I have learned on this trip. I’ve learned to treasure the things I have back home and be thankful to GOD that he has blessed me with a great life and a wonderful family.
So don’t every take anything for granted,
be happy with what u have!

- Frank Her

Enlace 2010: A True Story

Xtra-Normal

The 2010 Enlace group is coming home Tuesday... but we are already gearing up for next year's program.

We have several Enlace video's on the way....some more serious than others. To kick things off, check out the (awesome) promo video # 1...

And be sure to visit the Enlace website.