Concordia Magazine

Growing Servant Leaders

By Amy E. Kelly

Laura Mills ’12, Esko, Minn., is waiting to feel the water of the Jordan River wash across her feet. She has felt the water before, but can’t remember. It was sprinkled on her head more than 20 years ago. Her grandmother traveled to the Holy Land in the 1980s and brought the water back so her grandchildren could be baptized with it. 

Now Mills believes her life is coming full circle as she prepares to go to Jerusalem in August with Young Adults in Global Mission, a program of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

She is one of 11 recent Concordia graduates selected for the program, which will take them across the globe to learn about their neighbors in Christ.

“Concordia’s mission statement embodies much of what YAGM is calling me and us to do – to influence the affairs of the world by means of thoughtful and informed engagement,” Mills says.

This year 57 young people will take part in the program. Concordia graduates make up nearly 20 percent of them.

“This is the largest group from one particular ELCA college that has ever served in the same year,” says the Rev. Heidi Torgerson-Martinez, YAGM program director.

YAGM, which began in 1999, is designed for people ages 19 to 29. The selection process includes a series of conversations, interviews and a discernment weekend. The volunteers are then placed in a country for a year of service.

Amanda Brateng ’12, Maple Grove, Minn., wondered why missionaries were needed in the United Kingdom, where she would ultimately be placed. She discovered the answer during the discernment weekend. 

“We went through country presentations, and I was sitting in the United Kingdom presentation. I suddenly knew exactly why I wanted to go there,” Brateng says. “It is super social justice based. They work with a lot of elderly, youth and vulnerable adults.”

Brateng and fellow YAGM volunteer Blake MacKenzie ’12, St. Cloud, Minn., appreciate the way the program expects the volunteers to work alongside people in their host country. 

“The accompaniment model spoke to me,” says MacKenzie, who is going to Mexico. “I always assumed I’d go to medical school right away. But last summer, I decided this would be a great opportunity.”

Projects vary from country to country and depend upon the skills of the people who are volunteering. Service opportunities include sustainable agriculture, youth education, and assisting the homeless and people with addictions.

The volunteers are expected to live like the people with whom they will be working. The program provides a place to live and meals, along with a small stipend for living expenses.

“I’m going to be with my brothers and sisters across the pond,” Brateng says with a smile. “In all reality, Jesus called us to love the poor and serve others. And I’ll probably be the poor person in (the United Kingdom). Just because I’m American doesn’t mean anything. It’s all about growing today and learning from and loving each other.”

Photo: Sheldon Green

Young Adults in Global Mission Video

  Blake MacKenzie
  Amanda Brateng

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