Transformed by Colombia
Editor’s note: Eric and Kelly Frey Martin, who recently completed their three-year term of service with Mennonite Mission Network in Colombia, share how the experience shaped their lives and perspective on God’s mission in the world. They served in Colombia from January 2017 through October 2018 with Iglesia Cristiana Menonita de Colombia. They were based […]
“That special year in a huge house:” MVS alumni gather together to laugh, share and worship
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) — Through the late 1960s to mid-1970s, dozens of college-age young adults filtered through the Voluntary Service (VS) house in La Junta, Colorado. Some arrived as conscientious objectors to the Vietnam War. Others sought a change of pace after school. All left the house with the memories of close community […]
“Women talking is like a sweet candy” – Sister Care in Thailand
We first met Memee Yang in 2012 when she phoned with a request that sounded like a biblical Macedonian call. As president of the U.S. Hmong Mennonite Church of Mission women’s organization, she asked for the Sister Care leadership training seminar to be shared with Hmong women in Thailand. Eight years later in 2020, Carolyn […]
Mission worker in Colombia leaves 75-year legacy
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) — After 103 years and 44 days of life, Mary Hope Wood Stucky died Feb. 8 in Bogotá, Colombia, leaving a legacy of mission work spanning three-quarters of a century. That legacy began in the fall of 1945, when the General Conference Mennonite Church sent Mary Hope (Wood) and her […]
Q&A: Service Adventure through the eyes of a participant-turned-volunteer coordinator
Anja Müller is a volunteer coordinator for Christliche Dienste (CD), the voluntary service program of the German Mennonite conference Arbeitsgemeinschaft Mennonitischer Gemeinden (AMG). For more than a decade, CD has partnered with Mennonite Mission Network to place German volunteers in Mennonite Voluntary Service and Service Adventure units across the United States. This year, nine participants […]
Six reasons why choosing a year or more of service might be for you
6: You feel a strong urge to be a positive presence in the world. Ever hear anyone say, "You can tell what people care about by how they spend their time?" It’s a simple idea, really. Rather than allowing your convictions to stay trapped in your head (or in an argument on social media!), take […]
A SOOP sabbatical
HILLSBORO, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) — Some pastors take a sabbatical to be stretched and refreshed. Some to experience a new culture and enlarge their world. Others to establish new life rhythms of meditation and prayer. Judy and Ron Zook experienced all of the above as they spent two weeks of a pastoral sabbatical with […]
Wheat harvests, home repairs, and honoring immigrants
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) — Growing up on a farm outside Moundridge, Kansas, Michelle Schrag drove the tractor and grain cart to catch harvested wheat pouring from the combine. If the truck or cart broke down, Dad Kyle Schrag and Grandpa Lee Flickinger fixed them, or took them to the shop. Last August, that […]
8.1 reasons why a second year of MVS benefits your career
1) You just now learned what you’re doing For most professional jobs, the first year is kind of like drinking from a fire hose. If you have supervisors and coworkers who are understanding, most of the time you’ll get a pass when things come up that you haven’t learned or internalized yet … which is […]
Indigenous believers in Ecuadorian Amazon seek Anabaptist connections
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) — Clever Mashiant and Sofia Gualinga, Shuar indigenous leaders in the Amazon region, asked mission workers Jane and Jerrell Ross Richer, "How can we become Mennonites?" This question arose after they read Mennonite Mission Network’s Missio Dei booklet, What is an Anabaptist Christian? The material helped to clarify for them […]
Mennonite Church USA ‘Hope’ gathering stresses peace with justice
DALLAS (Mennonite Mission Network/Mennonite Church USA) — At this year’s Hope for the Future (HFF) gathering, attendees celebrated the legacy of Stanley W. Green, one of the event’s original organizers, and discussed ways to press forward for peace and justice throughout the church. The Jan. 23-26 gathering in Dallas honored Green, executive director of Mennonite […]
Mennonite Mission Network exceeds fundraising goal
Mennonite Mission Network closed out 2019 with one of its highest fundraising months ever in December, demonstrating how Mennonites continue to practice what they pray – "on earth as in heaven." By giving $1.2 million last month, donors are continuing to support the ability of the agency to join God’s work in the world through voluntary service, […]