Here’s a sampling of countries we keep going back to:

Cambodia

Slightly Smaller than Oklahoma

Population: 68th largest (20% urban & 80% rural)

Fun Fact: Traditionally, birthdays are not celebrated in Cambodia.

Language: Khmer

“We all love it here. Not to say that has been easy, but even dealing with what has been hard has been a blessing and an opportunity to learn. As time goes flying by we have been growing together as a team and learning to walk closer to God as we learn what it means to serve by watching the people we are here to serve. Their genuine interest and love for each other and us is evident in the simple things they do, such as . . . holding our hands when we walk across the six lanes of traffic because it is terrifying . . .

“Their genuine compassion and grace for each other is pulling us closer and closer to Christ. They are teaching us to be servants, everyday, not because anyone deserves to be served but because that is the example Christ gave to us. We love them!”
—Team Cambodia, 2011

Ecuador

First Country to Declare Constitutional Rights for Nature

Population: 15.2 million people

Capitol City: Quito, elevation 9,350 feet

Languages: Spanish, Quechua, Shuar

“Our time in Ecuador continues to bring us laughs, make us fearless, and keep us on our toes because we never know what will happen next. We mean this in the most literal sense. We’re learning that God has our back in every situation, regardless of a language barrier or unfamiliar surroundings. God’s love is being revealed through the amazing families we are now a part of, the welcoming community, and our beautiful surroundings. And our faith continues to grow as he guides us through the uncertain. Please pray for the healing of our numerous bug bites (thankfully not malaria!), the families who welcome us here and those we miss back at home, our confidence with speaking Spanish, and of course, the other deputation teams.”
—Team Ecuador, 2012

India

The Largest Democracy in the World

Population: 1.2 billion people, 61% literacy rate

Languages: 18 official, including Hindi and English

Independence Day: August 15, 1947

“In [our host] ‘Rita Auntie’s’ office, there is a picture of a huge bumblebee. Underneath the bee is a quote by M. Sainte-Lague (smart guy) that says this: ‘According to aerodynamic laws, the bumblebee cannot fly. Its body weight is not the right proportion to its wingspan. Ignoring these laws, the bee flies anyway.’”
—Chelsea, writing for Team India 2011

Kenya

Home of the Great Rift Valley, “The Roof of Africa”

Life Expectancy: 63 years

Median Age: 18

Major Exports: tea. coffee, petroleum products, fish—among others

“Now we are basically Kenyans—except for the skin color, and the way of thinking, and the idea of time, and the access to money, etc., etc., etc. . . .

“One of the most important things we learned on this trip was from our wise host Gideon. Early on, he mentioned to us that our two-month stay in Kenya was not a mission trip. Upon hearing this, our ears perked up, our eyes squinted, and our attentions focused. Instead he called it a vision trip . . . because on our trip we will see what God’s vision is for the Nairobi slums we worked at in Kibera, Kawangware, and Mathare . . . God was already at work on his mission before we even thought of World Deputation. We came to see it and enjoy the opportunity to participate in it.”
—Alex, writing for Team Kenya, 2012

Read Stories from Past Deputees

2012: Occupational Hazards by Laura Colleran

2005: Non-Verbal Communication by Nolan Giesbers

1991: Living Faith in Christ by Brian Coon

1988: Marked for Hope by Connie Bernard

1973: Ministry, Wherever You Are by Jim Lustig

1964: Invisible Kingdom Work by Ted Thwing

1958: Formidable Faith by Ron Stan

“Power Mom”

When she’s not chasing her boys Jack and Emmett around the playground, revels in DIY projects and drinking copious amounts of coffee. Currently the Coordinator for MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and regular attender of the 6pm service.

What’s your favorite thing about Jesus?
His love and grace. I’m floored by them every day.

Is there something you’ve always wanted to try, but haven’t yet?
I’ve always been fascinated by blown glass. I’d love to learn how to do it!

Three words your friends use to describe you.
Giving, creative, and loyal.

It’s 10am on Saturday. What are you doing right now?
Probably playing monster trucks or wrestling with my two boys.

What’s your favorite children’s book?
That’s a tough one. Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin always cracks me up.

Do you or your family have any Easter traditions?
Each year, since having kids, we participate in the Easter Egg Hunt at our neighborhood community center. Picture a football field covered in candy and treats. The whole thing is over in a matter of seconds, but our kids love it!

What’s your hometown?
Mount Vernon, Washington

Ethan Scoma

“Future Millionaire”

Volunteers with Jeff in audio/video ministries and Kate in hospitality. Makes movies and music with friends and neighbors, including a viral YouTube video called “Beautifull” (a must-see!). Two-time baseball all-star and entrepreneur.

What’s your favorite thing about Jesus?
That he is God in human flesh, and he can heal people with one touch.

Have you ever experienced a miracle?
I have had so many miracles happen. Are you talking about big miracles like when my grandpa had a heart attack in Mexico and lived through the five-hour ambulance ride? Or a medium-sized miracle like when we had to be out of our house in three weeks, and we found a house 6 doors down the street? Or a small miracle like the sun comes up every day or we have oxygen? Just depends on what you mean.

Three words your friends use to describe you.
Crazy, fun, and musical.

It’s 10am on Saturday. What are you doing right now?
Well, I am selling dog treats with my neighbors on the corner of NW 100th St and Mary Ave NW.

Does your family have any Easter traditions?
We light candles and put one on a spiral piece of wood that has 40 marks on it. Each day we move it up one and read two to three psalms.

Is there something you’ve always wanted to try, but haven’t yet?
Snowboarding.

If you were a Seattle neighborhood, which would you be?
That’s a hard choice. Fremont, because it’s a more upbeat place.

Katie Hunter

“The Wildflower”

After graduating from UW last spring became a UMin intern helping out with the Inn, Deputation, local outreach, and YoungLife College. Grew up with summers full of road trips and YoungLife camps. Her heart beats for anything related to racial reconciliation, and also chocolate.

What’s your favorite thing about Jesus?
Gosh, this is hard! There are so many things, but the first to pop into mind is that I love that he can’t help but be for me. It’s not something he does; it’s his character! In that sense I picture him as my life cheerleader, as someone that is rooting for me!

Is there something you’ve always wanted to try, but haven’t yet?
I wish I was more adventurous with food. I kinda stick to my “usuals.” I’ve also always wanted to go skydiving.

It’s 10am on Saturday. What are you doing right now?
Sleeping—it’s one of my greatest strengths.

Do you or your family have any Easter traditions?
Great food, family time, church, and of course, an Easter egg hunt!

What are your spiritual gifts?
Well when I took one of those “official” spiritual gifts tests, it reported my top two as leadership and exhortation. But I believe I’m a developer. I feel that I can see a person’s strengths and potential, and I love encouraging, affirming, and developing those things.

Three words your friends use to describe you.
Adventurous, compassionate, grateful.

What’s your favorite children’s book?
Mama, Do You Love Me? For some reason I was fascinated (and probably resonated) with the fact that a young girl could do so many things wrong and still be loved.

In the soundtrack of your life, what’s the perfect song for a sunny weekend?
“You Make My Dreams Come True” by Hall and Oates.

Gregg Belisle-Chi

“Resident Celebrity”

By day: part-time audio ministry/production assistant. By night: professional guitarist extraordinaire. Studied jazz and classical guitar performance at Cornish, and recently started playing in the worship band at UPC. For the record: not at all a fan of Justin Bieber.

What’s your favorite thing about Jesus?
His phone is never busy, and he never puts me on hold.

If you were a Seattle neighborhood, which would you be?
Capitol Hill, because . . . why not?

Three words your friends use to describe you.
Kind, sarcastic, honest—sometimes brutally—all at the same time.

What neighborhood do you live in, and what do you like about it?
I live in the U District. I like that I can eat a falafel at two in the morning.

What’s your hometown?
Richland, Washington. There’s a Safeway and a Blockbuster.

It’s 10am on Saturday. What are you doing right now?
Brewing a pot of coffee, staring at a pile of music to learn.

Do you or your family have any Easter traditions?
We used to look for Ostrich eggs. No, wait.

Is there something you’ve always wanted to try, but haven’t yet?
I’ve always wanted to run a half marathon, but I’m so tired!

What are your spiritual gifts?
Music making is a huge part of my life. I like sharing that inside and outside the church. What’s your favorite children’s book? I read guitar magazines as a kid, so . . .

In the soundtrack of your life, what’s the perfect song for a sunny weekend?
That’ll change week to week. Right now it’s Thelonius Monk playing “I’m Confessin’ That I Love You.” His version of that song is both sunrise and sunset, so beautiful!

Christine Cohn

“The New Newbie”

Baptized by, confirmed in, educated by (at Whitworth), proposed to in front of, married in, and employed by the Presbyterian church, currently as UPC’s director of communications. At times wonders if she should consult a committee to decide what to eat for dinner. Loves her adorable five-year-old, Jonathan, and his amazing daddy, Michael, even more than good grammar and white space.

What’s your favorite thing about Jesus?
How about two things: his relentless grace and unconditional love. They are both the most challenging and most comforting gifts in my life.

It’s 10am on Saturday. What are you doing right now?
Building block towers or snuggling while watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with my five-year-old.

Is there something you’ve always wanted to try, but haven’t yet?
I’d love to grow a kitchen garden. My family laughs, since I tend to kill most plants I lay my hands on, but I would love to work in the garden with my boy. I think he’d love it! It’s in the plans for this spring and summer.

What’s your hometown?
University Place, Washington

Three words your friends use to describe you.
Devoted, encouraging, creative.

Have you ever experienced a miracle?
Most definitely. Personally, I’ve experienced healing miracles twice: once in junior high when even the doctors called my healing a miracle, and once following the birth of my son, Jonathan. It was in those moments that I felt God’s peace and presence more closely than ever before.

Does your family have any Easter traditions?
My son loves his Easter egg hunt. We fill about 50 eggs just for him, hide them in every nook and cranny of the yard, and set him loose. As soon as he finds the first egg, the chocolate feast begins, and as soon as he finds the last egg, he asks us to hide them again. During our time in Los Angeles, our Easter tradition was Easter at the Hollywood Bowl with our church. We’re looking forward to starting new traditions here!

Gregg Hatch

“Another 3-G Gregg?”

When not running and playing basketball, works for Virginia Mason and serves as an elder for Outreach. Moved from South Bend, Indiana, to be an Edge intern when UPC Times editor Annie Mesaros was a fabulous high-school student. Has three daughters (ages three, five, and seven) as well as three Gs in his name.

What’s your favorite thing about Jesus?
He is a tangible sign of God’s love for every one of us.

What neighborhood do you live in and what do you like about it?
We live in Wedgwood. I like how centrally located it is and that we can walk to the grocery store or to get a cup of coffee. But my favorite thing about it is our neighbors. It’s a great group of people and we feel very lucky to know them.

What’s your hometown?
South Bend, Indiana (Home of the best college football team in the country.)

Three words your friends use to describe you.
Tall, good listener, unhandy (if that’s a word).

Have you ever experienced a miracle?
I think it’s a miracle every time I see God work through our brokenness to love one of his children. You get to see this a lot around UPC.

It’s 10am on Saturday. What are you doing right now?
We have probably just finished our coffeedrinking/paper-reading/cartoon-watching-in-bed routine, and I am heading to the park with our three girls.

Do you or your family have any Easter traditions?
I’m hoping we started a tradition last year when we had brunch and an Easter egg hunt with our Lent Small Group. We are hoping to do the same thing this year. (And so can you.)

Is there something you’ve always wanted to try, but haven’t yet?
I have always wanted to complete an Ironman Triathlon.

In the soundtrack of your life, what’s the perfect song for a sunny weekend?
The theme song from the movie Rudy.

Give

by Mike Gamble

On the first Sunday of every month, deacons and other volunteers are dispatched to the main entrances of our church building to welcome the congregation and collect non-perishable food items for the University District Food Bank.

I love saying hello to people as they arrive at church. The food barrels give me an excuse to do that, and it’s a reminder to the congregation that there are hungry people right in our neighborhood.

These contributions have a real impact on our community. Our contribution of food and money makes it a little easier for the food bank to fulfill their mission of helping prevent hunger in the University area. Each week they help more than 1,000 different families receive the groceries they need to prepare their own healthy meals.

Serve

by Cal Agatsuma

Our small group has been meeting together for over 30 years. Work projects have been one way we have reflected the friendships, support, and skills within our group. We started with projects around our own homes that needed multiple hands to complete. Inspired by the Love Your Neighborhood initiative in recent years, we started doing maintenance projects around the UPC facility.

First we switched all the overhead lights in Geneva Hall. Next we repaired a leaky gutter and peeling paint on the east wall of Larson Hall. The most recent project was cutting down one of the work counters in the production room.

We enjoy doing projects together, and it has helped us to gel as a group. Another reason is our pride in the physical plant at UPC. We have felt that the projects are small contributions we can make to the overall ministry of our church. We may ask ourselves why something is in disrepair, then say to ourselves that we could do the repairs. So in some ways, addressing these projects is a reflection of the collective (and proactive) nature of our group.

Pray

by Sue Bodensteiner

I’m working on my degree in intercultural studies at Western Seminary in Portland, and when I’m there, I often walk past a church that has a prayer box available for the public.

When I saw it the first time, I began to wonder if any church in the University District uses a similar method of reaching out and caring for passers-by. I decided to drive around UPC’s neighborhood within a six-block radius to read and write down messages I saw on signs and reader boards of ten churches. Only one mentioned prayer at all, giving the day and time of a weekly prayer service.

It’s been two years now since I worked with the UPC staff to install a prayer box on the 15th Ave side of the UPC building, and I’ve had the privilege of reading incredible requests from our neighborhood. Written on napkins, business cards, and other scraps of paper, I’ve been blessed by the ways that these strangers have shared their hearts so openly. I’m also very aware that these individuals are reaching out not to us, but to God.

When there’s nothing else you can do to help, when you might not even know their name, you can always pray for someone. It’s a wonderful thing to be able to hold something so dear for another person.

Please join me in praying for our neighbors:

• “Pray for me to know what God’s plan for me is.”
• “Please pray for me to conquer my anxiety/OCD.”
• “If you could, pray for my beloved son Ben. He is 24 and mentally ill.”
• “Pray that I get my baby back.”

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Get Inspired

Find ideas and opportunities to give, serve, and pray at upc.org/serve.

Encourage Others

Share stories of how you’ve witnessed God at work in the life of your neighborhood. Email upctimes@upc.org.

Located at 415 Westlake Ave N in South Lake Union, just blocks away from Amazon headquarters, the neighborhood around Union’s meeting place is rapidly growing. Rent is steep, but the congregation, choosing to serve the community through making the space available first for others’ functions (such as fundraisers, meetings, and celebrations) and only secondly for themselves, has found God has provided what they’ve needed to be a part of the neighborhood.

“The building is a hub for ministry—an opportunity to know and love the neighborhood,” says James B. Notkin who is a co-pastor at Union with Renée Notkin. “While the building is highly employed in Union’s mission to love and serve the neighborhood, only a small portion of time is set aside for Union’s corporate worship and programs.”

Being a neighbor is so important to Union that every fourth Sunday, the congregation changes their worship mode of music, preaching, and prayer to worship-in-action. They come alongside their neighbors to volunteer and serve. “Worship isn’t just three songs and a sermon, it’s caring for the community,” says Cathy Thwing, who has been a part of the Union community since its conception.

“Sometimes in the midst of life, we can forget that God is faithful. God will provide.”

Back in 2006, UPC was quickly approaching its 2008 centennial. As the milestone drew near, long-time UPC member Cathy remembers multiple conversations about the different ways in which the community could celebrate. “Out of that emerged the idea of planting new expressions of UPC, kind of passing on the DNA [of UPC],” she says.

In January of 2007 a team of 16 began to meet and dream about what that might look like, and after many months of talking and praying, Union held its first official worship gathering in October 2008.

Over the years, the Union community has thrived and become a home for many. Then, in October 2011, the building owners decided it was time to sell. So Cathy and a team of Union worshippers who have been praying for the church since before its early days gathered to pray.

If Union wanted to purchase the building, the total cost would be $5 million. It was a daunting figure, but the Union community was willing to step out in faith. Union was actively involved in the South Lake Union community and did not sense God’s call to leave the work that had begun.

But in order to stay in the community, Union needed help. UPC and the Seattle Presbytery generously offered to cover $500,000 of the down payment. Giving from the Union community and income from venue rentals would cover the remainder of the down payment and monthly payments.

With these ducks in a row, in February 2012 Union sent a letter of their intent to purchase the building. The process of due diligence and getting approval from governing bodies was on track to close in September. Then in August, various members of the prayer team individually shared similar words with Renée and James B. from time spent listening in prayer: “It is a long and winding road—don’t be afraid, don’t be anxious, don’t panic; trust me. Follow me.” James B. and Renée wondered what turns they might encounter as the process unfolded before them. Then in September, they learned that the owners had decided to sell to another buyer instead for a higher amount. On September 20, with support from UPC leadership Union made a counter offer. It was not accepted.

Some on the team were ready to move and prudently began exploring for the next place God would send them, but Cathy and Jennifer had a strong sense that Union’s stay in South Lake Union wasn’t over. “James B. came in and said, ‘The closing date is in two weeks,’” Jennifer remembers. “I said, ‘A lot can happen in two weeks.’”

Turns out, it did.

The other buyers missed the deadline for their down payment, and the owners called to ask if Union was still interested in the purchase. Minutes before, everyone thought the building had slipped through their fingers. Now it had come back to them.

“Sometimes in the midst of life, we can forget that God is faithful. God will provide,” Jennifer said. She hopes people remember “to not lose hope, even when it feels like all hope is lost.”

Cathy said the experience taught her to trust God’s plan over all else, even when we have no idea what God’s doing. “I have really had a sense that [this building] is a gift. It was a gift from God and we need to remember that always.”

Trust is not easy. The Southern novelist Walker Percy once wrote, “To live in the past or future is easy; to live in the present is like threading a needle.” Trust is a daily choice of waking up in the morning and intentionally leaning into the promise that the “mercies of the Lord are new every morning” (Lam. 3:22–23). My tendency is to cling tenaciously to my regrets and grasp anxiously onto my fears. To trust means to let go and receive the gift of today. Trust is not easy.

As the larger Union community faced uncertainty regarding our future, I discovered my honesty about my fears, doubts, and questions provided a context for dialogue that took me far beyond the “how are you/fine” dialogue. The response of “I don’t know for sure” became a profound place of connection when I could respond, “Me, too. I am scared and uncertain.” I discovered that many doors were opening for me to engage in conversation about the scary uncertainty that individuals in our community—both the worshipping community and café frequenters—were facing in their personal lives about employment, relationships, living situations, and health issues to name a few! Conversations expanded into deeper places of talking about what it means to trust in a being that we cannot see or touch with people whom, at first glance, I had no idea were also pondering spiritual things. My imagination expanded as I saw God show up in surprise encounters over a cup of hot chocolate.

Uncertainty is a common denominator in all of our lives; how we live in the midst of uncertainty is faith. Faith can seem simple when the sun is shining and the mountains are in clear view, but the dark cloudy days of daily life invite us to trust that God is at work restoring, reconciling, healing—even here.

When we found out that we were going to be able to continue to worship and connect with people at our location in South Lake Union, I wandered into the main area of 415 Westlake when it was completely empty and suddenly felt overwhelmed with joy and awe. “Lord,” I said, “this plain and simple space is a sacred space.” In one of those unplugged-ear moments that occasionally happen, I sensed God saying back to me, “Then use this space for my people who are out there. Use it.”

Trust is not easy. The Southern novelist Walker Percy once wrote, “To live in the past or future is easy; to live in the present is like threading a needle.”

In Marilynne Robinson’s book, When I Was a Child I Wrote Books, she thoughtfully states, “Community, at least community larger than the immediate family, consists very largely of imaginative love for people we do not know or whom we know very slightly.” What a privilege to imagine God’s community: people that I may not know, but who God knows intimately by name!

As I seek to pick up the daily thread of today and live in the present, I am learning to approach people with more openness. When someone walks into this space that God has provided for us, I am discovering new energy to let my imagination flourish and to see each person as one whom God invites me to encourage, to celebrate, to listen to, to weep with, and to learn from. I am discovering that there are myriad opportunities to live in an infectious, engaging way that invites others to see that Jesus is so very different than the stereotypes and boxed-in miscommunication of the image of God that our culture delivers.

Trusting becomes less difficult when we remember that the one we trust went to the cross out of love for us. When I trust that Jesus’ love is for me today because my past is not held against me and my future does not define me, I am freed up to imagine God’s kingdom here. Will we trust that we are a community of people embraced by the love of Jesus and invited to imaginatively extend grace to those we know and those we have yet to meet? How is God inviting you to imaginatively love the people he brings into your spaces?

While baking in the hot Indian sun, I sat across from five-year-old Dhanajay and slowly brushed his arm. I had only been living in Bangalore, India, for two weeks and felt completely unqualified to be an occupational therapist at Asha Kiran Special Needs School. Yet that’s what I was doing. I had once read an article about “The Wilbarger Protocol for Sensory Defensiveness,” which involves brushing and joint compression therapies. And I had been observing Shasita, the occupational therapist at the school. But other than that small exposure, I felt completely out of my depth.

When I got to Bangalore, I told Rita James, the principal of Asha Kiran and my host mother, that I wanted to be an occupational therapist. Right away she gave me the opportunity to work with three boys. It was frustrating, rewarding, confusing, and insightful. Because I am not a certified occupational therapist, I had a lot of uncertainty. When working with Dhanajay, I had some background information, but little experience or knowledge of what I should do. I would end up leading the same 35-minute sessions that would consist of brushing, compression, swings, and play dough. But the experience taught me most of all to allow God into every aspect of my life. I quickly realized I needed to bring God into the situation and ask for guidance. Through God’s support and presence, I gained confidence and a newfound curiosity about the occupational field.

Every day I get constant reminders of the wonderful blessing my time in India was, and I can’t wait to go back! Being abroad allowed me to explore my faith and relationship with God in a whole new way. It helped me realize what is important in life and showed me that God is present no matter where I am.

Read more about Rita James and Asha Kiran School here.

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More Deputation Stories

2005: Non-Verbal Communication by Nolan Giesbers

1991: Living Faith in Christ by Brian Coon

1988: Marked for Hope by Connie Bernard

1973: Ministry, Wherever You Are by Jim Lustig

1964: Invisible Kingdom Work by Ted Thwing

1958: Formidable Faith by Ron Stan

During my junior year at the University of Washington in what I considered another redundant psychology class, I learned that 90 percent of communication is nonverbal. I didn’t pay much attention to it at the time—I misunderstood the significance communication played in my everyday interactions. I couldn’t have known that my view of it would change so drastically during my Deputation experience later that summer.

When I was told I was going to Malawi, I was immediately intrigued with the possibility of going to a country where I felt my services were needed. I had a huge heart for children and this opportunity allowed me to live with 30 orphans who were rescued by a tremendous organization and given a second chance at life.

And so I went into this experience with an open mind and an open heart. I wanted to share God’s love with these children and let them know with God they were never alone. What I would soon discover was that as much as this trip was about me using the gifts God had given me, it was more so valuable for these kids to show me what it was like to live for God and be a witness to his grace and mercy.

The beauty of seeing God work through these children had little to do with what they said or any life-altering conversation I had. Rather, it was communicated in the subtle, discreet actions that allowed me to see God’s love in a way I had never experienced before. It was a grab of my hand as I walked the kids to dinner, an infectious smile whenever I entered a room, a head on my shoulder during a night-time Bible message, or a hand held high in an earnest attempt to touch their loving father above.

I will never forget these moments because they provided me a new perspective on how to see the living God without needing to hear his voice. Their faith was unshakable, able to withstand any gust of wind because they had the shelter of their holy father to protect them.

In subsequent years, I have lost touch physically with the place I love so dearly. Yet I have never forgotten the impact these friends had on my faith and my relationship with God. My continual prayer for each of them and the country is this: May God’s light continue to shine in the midst of famine, disease, and many other hardships; may God’s love continue to be communicated in the subtleties of patience and kindness and made known to all.

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More Deputation Stories

2012: Occupational Hazards by Laura Colleran

1991: Living Faith in Christ by Brian Coon

1988: Marked for Hope by Connie Bernard

1973: Ministry, Wherever You Are by Jim Lustig

1964: Invisible Kingdom Work by Ted Thwing

1958: Formidable Faith by Ron Stan

I went to Ireland and Northern Ireland when I was 22 years of age (just before my final year at UW). I was a part of a Deputation team of four serving with youth. At one point we even did street outreach in Dublin (read: open-air preaching—yikes!). I signed up for Deputation out of a desire to serve God wherever.

Two memories from my experience stick out in my mind to this day. First, I was baptized in the small Irish town of Naas. In that quiet moment, I sensed God’s love for me very meaningfully. Second, I met several teens in Belfast who were runners for the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and identified with the Catholic faith—in a “tribal” sense at least. Although they were drawn to Christ, they were hesitant to embrace him because they would probably be seen as traitors to the Catholic faith and to the IRA. (We Deputees were identified as Protestants and therefore the enemy.) They feared that if they began following Christ with a living faith, they’d be hunted down and hurt, maybe even killed. Nevertheless, more than one young man decided to put his weight down on the love and faithfulness of Christ. What courage!

I had the good fortune to return to Ireland and Northern Ireland in 1993 as part of an a cappella group called Second Glance. We were on a European tour that included a swing through some familiar places. We did concerts in many of the same churches in which I served during my time on Deputation. It was a huge gift for me to see many of the youth I had met and former team members thriving in their Christian faith.

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More Deputation Stories

2012: Occupational Hazards by Laura Colleran

2005: Non-Verbal Communication by Nolan Giesbers

1988: Marked for Hope by Connie Bernard

1973: Ministry, Wherever You Are by Jim Lustig

1964: Invisible Kingdom Work by Ted Thwing

1958: Formidable Faith by Ron Stan

When you sign up for Deputation, you don’t know where you’re going, and of course it was soooo exciting to find out I was going to India—halfway around the world! I was 21, it was the summer before my senior year of college, and I thought it would be great to travel the world. Deputation was the perfect option because, hey, I could do Christian ministry at the same time!

Two other college students and I met up with two other women from UPC at a rural orphanage that housed 800 children from birth to age 18. Our main job was to play with the kids and help out in classrooms, but luckily we weren’t subjected to all 800 at once!

I saw God working powerfully in how the orphanage took the unwanted and loved and invested in them. To be an orphan is to be marked, whether by your parents’ choice or not, as unwanted. But for those kids, someone cared enough about them to take them in, feed them, clothe them, and educate them, and that’s very hopeful. Adoption didn’t happen much at that time, so most of the children spent their entire childhood there. They learned English and Hindi so they could be one step ahead in society, and many of them were trained in some kind of vocation.

One of the memories I still carry with me is of our last day in India. We were tired, ready to go home, sitting and waiting to be picked up. And my friend Laurie was sitting in a chair with hundreds of children around her singing songs and playing games, up to the last minute. I look back on that and I think, “She went all the way. She didn’t waste any time.” Every moment was precious for those kids and for her. I’m a third-grade teacher now, and I try to apply that on a daily basis. I ask myself, “Am I going all the way with these kids? Am I stopping to get down on their level and let them know how great they are?” That’s what Laurie was doing, making those kids feel truly loved and special.

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More Deputation Stories

2012: Occupational Hazards by Laura Colleran

2005: Non-Verbal Communication by Nolan Giesbers

1991: Living Faith in Christ by Brian Coon

1973: Ministry, Wherever You Are by Jim Lustig

1964: Invisible Kingdom Work by Ted Thwing

1958: Formidable Faith by Ron Stan

In 1973, I was 19 years old and, as a newly recommitted Christian, asking the question, “What does God want me to do with my summer?” I heard about Deputation and thought, “Why not? Let’s have an adventure serving Christ for the summer.” I remember the night I found out where I was going—Berkeley, California, the hotbed of change. I thought I had won the lottery!

That trip began the adventure of long-term friendships that have lasted for 40 years. Charlotte Graham, Sally Carroll, Scott Kenney, and I were given the awesome opportunity to go work with youth at First Presbyterian Church in Berkeley. Sally and I focused on the junior high group. I learned in Berkeley that the body of Christ is welcoming and loving no matter where you are. People just loved on us and welcomed us into their homes and allowed us to hang with their kids. I am even still in contact with my host mother, now 92 years old.

It was so huge for me to be part of that community that I wanted to stay through the next school year, but one of the pastors said to me, “Just because you’ve had a great summer experience does not mean you are called here.” My initial reaction was, “But you need me here.” The church, however, survived quite well without me. I have since learned to listen for God’s calling rather than operate on my emotions.

Because of Deputation, I now know that ministry is wherever God is. We don’t have to necessarily go someplace to care about people. We just need to look around and pay attention to our surroundings. Similarly, whatever gifts God has given us, we should use them for others. Caring for people is not a byproduct of having money, whether it is opening our homes, feeding people who are homeless, or just smiling at someone at a bus stop; it just requires us to look at what is going on around us. There are ministry opportunities on every street corner, at every job, and at every school. We just need to open our eyes, watch, and listen.

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More Deputation Stories

2012: Occupational Hazards by Laura Colleran

2005: Non-Verbal Communication by Nolan Giesbers

1991: Living Faith in Christ by Brian Coon

1988: Marked for Hope by Connie Bernard

1964: Invisible Kingdom Work by Ted Thwing

1958: Formidable Faith by Ron Stan