January 2014 Prayer Household of the Month Each month well pray for a specific unit.

This month we will focus on the Albuquerque unit. Please pray for: Sandie Becker Adrienne Derstine Brian Krehbiel Sharayah Williams Prayer Requests Pray for leaders retreat taking place in New Orleans January 24-27. Pray for safe travel as well as a time of rejuvenation. Albuquerque unit from left to right: Sandie Becker, Sharayah Williams, Brian Krehbiel and Adrienne Derstine January birthdays 20 Scott Thompson; Colorado Springs

Meet the Albuquerque Unit!

Each month we will use this newsletter as a way to learn more about whats going on throughout Service Adventure and get to know people in a specific location. This month we are focusing on the Albuquerque Service Adventure unit. Enjoy getting to know a bit about who they are and what they are doing this year.

Important information January is the month to complete your mid-year evaluations which will be sent to you via email. Please complete these by January 20 and return them to Susan Nisly at SusanN@mennonitemission.net. Your feedback is important so please take this seriously. Thank you!!

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Service Adventure News Hi! My name is Sandie Becker and I am the "German girl" of our service adventure unit. Last year I decided to take a break between High school and College to experience something new and here I am. The beginning of this year was not that easy for me. It felt weird to live in another country with people I have never met before. But Albuquerque became my new and lovely home, the people in church became friends and my housemates became my family. I have two jobs here in Albuquerque. The first one is in a youth mentoring program of First Nations and my second job is at East Central Ministries. Both placements try to help people in need (especially people from the international district). I am so happy to be part of these incredible organizations. I love my new home and the

people around me. I enjoy every day with these people and I am so glad that I took the chance to come to the US. It was definitely worth it.

I am Adrienne Derstine. I came into Service Adventure eager, expectant. I stand now, half through, eager, expectant. My life experiences have been bountiful with opportunities to ask, "What is life about," and, "What is the purpose of my life?" Without attempt or realization I feel the fulfillment of my life purpose in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the location of my Service Adventure term. Despite preconceived ideas that I had for this experience, I am richly blessed with peace and contentment in the work that I am doing. The Lord strengthens me daily to work with energetic kids enrolled in Escuela Del Sol, a Montessori school in downtown Albuquerque. My primary work is as a teachers aide for the elementary students at Escuela but I am also privileged to work under the Director of Youth Arts and Education at the Harwood Art Center, an outreach program run by Escuela Del Sol. My working environment is full of learning experiences that have shaped and matured me. My favorite event thus far was the 12x12 art exhibit and fundraiser where I had the opportunity to learn about curating and administrating art shows. I am also reminded daily of the patience and balance that is required of an elementary school teacher. I love the passion and excitement my students have for life and learning, but it is inevitable that my nerves become strained sometimes. Perhaps the most exciting change in my life is the change of atmosphere by living in Albuquerque. This diverse city is full of new perspectives for me. I am learning to see the world with refreshed eyes. A wonderful perk, or perhaps financial burden, is the local coffee roster that we have in Albuquerque; a fair trade excuse to spend my stipend. I have profited greatly from the changes Ive experienced this year through my Service Adventure experience.

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Service Adventure News My name is Brian Krehbiel and I came to Albuquerque from Donnellson, Iowa. I spent a year studying at a university last year. I couldn't settle on a major or career path so I decided to take a year off and come down here. I've really enjoyed my time here so far and have met some amazing people through my work and the church. I love playing golf although I haven't found much time to play down here. I've also discovered a new found interest in video production. I've shot a few short videos here in Albuquerque; you can check them out at youtube.com/KrehbielProductions. I'm not sure what I'll be doing in the fall yet; still trying to figure out if I want to go back to school or not.

My name is Sharayah Williams, and I'm the unit leader for the Albuquerque unit. I'm from Iowa originally, but most recently from Kansas. Grew up in the small town of Kalona with my parents & younger sister, and went off to school at Bethel College in North Newton, KS. There I got my degree in elementary education and taught 4th grade for three years after graduating in 2010. All throughout my time in college & teaching I felt the itch to move and go and do... somewhere else, something else. I tried lots of times to study abroad, teach abroad, and considered options with MMN for various other programs. But nothing worked out or felt right. Until now. I jumped in to the Service Adventure offer with both feet, laid aside all my teaching applications and headed to the Southwest. I love the culture here in Albuquerque; a unique mix of people, embracing all the history and heritage of the peoples who lived and moved here. I love the church here; Albuquerque Mennonite is what I've been longing for in a church community. And I love my job; befriending, mentoring, and challenging myself to be a better housemate, communicator & guide for these awesome young adults. A few photos from ABQ

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Service Adventure News Excerpt from the post hope on Sharayahs blog Step Out on to the Road (sharayahgetsablog.blogspot.com)

This isnt the first time, nor will it be the last, that my experiences in Service Adventure have been comparable to being in the wilderness Setting off into a huge unknown. Unable to see what will be out there to sustain me. Not knowing who or what Ill meet along the way. Sometimes unable to use (or even possess) a map of the territory Im entering. But the wilderness is refreshing. It can become, when I allow it, a place of newness: a transformation into more of the person I want to be, a chance to start clean from bad habits, a place to speak up where previously I have not. The wilderness can be, if made so, a place free of judgment: all who are traveling through this unknown need to be offered support & love. How else would we make it through the sometimes dark and difficult wilds without human kindness? And the wilderness can be a place of deep reflection. There are many nights of quietness the wilderness is so unfamiliar and strange, we often lack our usual comforts. In my case this means my group of friends, my family, my classroom so life seems quieter, sometimes boring or dreary but in that setting I choose reflection instead: am I happy with where Ive come? How Ive gotten here? Where do I want to go professionally, academically, spiritually, personally from here? And, particularly at this time of waiting, anticipating advent... my reflections turn to hope. What am I hopeful for? [In other words, what am I waiting for? What do I hope will happen?] What brings me this hope? Just by reading through my blog posts since August, I see radical changes from hopefulness to hopelessness and back again. In one week, I can go from feeling very hopeful about my relationships with the unit, to hopeless in being able to carry on a necessary conversation. And of course the world is in need of hope God seems absent, or removed by human selfishness and choice. How do we find hope again? So here are just some statements of my hope, in no particular order, and my reflections on where I find that hope... I have hope in education. For the sole reason that I get to work with other teachers, and Ive seen the amazing work they do, despite the sludge they work through to do it. And in those people I see hope. I have hope in people making small differences. People with passion to do right by earth translates to people with passion to do right by other people. Help the earth, help the human race. I can never ever claim to know Gods will, or what needs to be done for the good of human kind because I cannot ever possibly know what Gods will truly is, or make a statement claiming that all humans really need is [fill in the blank] and this will solve everyones problems. But, doing something to sustain nature for a couple hundred more years, something to preserve land or energy or natural resources that is whats going to be most helpful. To everything under the sun. And I have met some incredible people, who do incredible things, though seemingly small but every little bit counts. And gives hope. I have hope in friendships that will last. --happy heart sigh-- I have some of the greatest, long-lasting, truest friendships with the most beautiful, thoughtful, creative, kindest people. Anytime I get to talk to them, to know them a little better, to reminisce with them, brings me hope. I have hope in right relationships with my Service Adventure unit. Ive seen the beautiful moments when we can all laugh together, or just talk together. Slowly unfolding are more and more moments of confession or vulnerability and honesty. Those moments give me hope. What do you have hope in? What do you hope for? Where do you find that hope?