Young Adults in Global Mission: Planting Seeds

By the Rev. Sigi Helgeson, Family of God Lutheran Church of Bremerton

“Let go of the plans for your life that you may be clinging to, and allow God to work in your life and show you His plans for you.”

After traveling for 12 hours flying over the Pacific ocean and having a stop over in Hong Kong, my sister Kathy and I departed for Malaysia. As the plane landed in Kota Kinabalu, in the province of Sabah Malaysia, my heart raced to get through customs to see my son, Patrick, who had been living there for the past nine months. I could not wait to see the country that he had come to love, the colors, the smells, the landscape and mostly the people of this beautiful place on the island of Borneo in the South China Sea.   

It was indeed a magnificent sight to behold. All that my son had told me about this place came to life much as I had imagined. Although I was surprised by how modern and civilized the city was and our hotel was quite elegant overlooking the harbor in KK. There was much traffic and hustle and bustle in the city but as we drove out into the countryside one could truly savor the beauty of the rolling hills the green jungle like terrain and tropical flowers. 

After arriving, we traveled to the newly built school at Grace Center on the outskirts of town.  We met the teachers, all young adults who welcomed us in their small office they shared and offered us tea and treats from their own meager supply. Then we moved into “David Hall” named after a young man, (whom I will say more about later) where the kids were assembled cross-legged on the floor to receive their awards for academic excellence. It was the last day of school before a two week vacation.    

It was hot that day, 90 degrees-plus with humidity, but inside was even hotter as the electricity had gone out and there was no air conditioning or fans. We sat inside a sweltering room for almost two hours watching the kids delight at their awards and enthusiastically sing songs and perform dances despite the heat. We had brought some little gifts, stickers and bracelets, for the kids that we gave out after the assembly and found that we had many instant friends. These nearly 200 children are given an education that they would not normally receive as they are immigrant children primarily from the Philippines and Indonesia who are not recognized by the  Malaysian government.

Patrick went to teach English and many of the children amazingly spoke to us practicing their English and spoke quite well! The other amazing thing to me was how close they were to their teachers. Hugs were given out freely and some of the children were crying that school was out and they would not be seeing some of their teachers who were leaving to go back home. Clearly they loved their school and teachers. I could see why my son fell in love with this place and teaching here.  

Later that night we returned for a barbecue and got to meet the director of Grace Center, Pastor Barnabas, a Korean pastor who saw the need for a Christian school in this primarily Muslim country to reach out to those children who would not be able to go to school due to their lack of citizenship. Barnabas shared his vision with us that all of these children receive an education and learn about Jesus. He started with one school and about eighty children.  Now they have two schools in two locations and over 200 children! I asked him about funding and how he raised the money to keep things going. He answered simply and without hesitation. He prayed. Through prayer God answered with the resources they needed. Truly we were standing on holy ground in the new school that God had provided for.    

Then Barnabas gave us a tour and showed us a memorial to the young man “David” who was part of the group of Korean Christians who began this ministry. Unfortunately he died in a drowning accident and it impacted the whole community. Barnabas pointed to a verse on the memorial. “Unless a seed is planted and dies in the ground there is no growth.” He attributed much of the amazing growth of this ministry to this young man’s untimely death. 

As I pondered what he said I thought about the many young adults who were there teaching in the school because they felt the tug of the Holy Spirit, the call of God upon their lives to “die” a little to their selves, to give up a year or two from what they would otherwise be doing, or in Patrick’s case take a “gap year” and volunteer with Young Adults in Global Mission. I wondered what seeds were being planted and what harvest would come from it?  Already the relationships built with these children have impacted both them and their teachers. These relationships forged in their young lives will be remembered for a lifetime.   

Who knows what God may do through these Young Adults in Global Mission who serve not only in Malaysia but all over the world in places as remote as Madagascar. I can only imagine what God has been doing through each of the 70-some YAGMS. What an impact they are having globally that will also play out in each local setting. 

    

As I sent my son off for a year of global mission with a mixture of both anxiety and anticipation, I never imagined what growth would occur in him. I have watched him grow in his ability to manage difficult and somewhat overwhelming situations: living in a foreign country, learning the language and adapting to his surroundings, making friends with many of the people there, not only Christian but having many Muslim friends as well, the love he has for teaching and for his students. I am grateful for the many people who have cared for him during his time there. His country coordinator Peter, Pastor Barnabas and his family and especially his teacher friends, Aril and Nelson who took Patrick to their Kampung ( village)  and housed and fed him over the Christmas break where he lived with their family. What an awesome experience! Being able to see it for myself was a sacred moment an opportunity I will forever be grateful for.  

 

The Young Adults in Global Mission is one of the best kept secrets in the ELCA and I think we need to change that! It is a great opportunity to learn, to serve, to plant seeds and to grow! Who knows perhaps God may be calling you? Could you be the next Young Adult in Global Mission? Or as I wondered could God use even an “older adult” like me? What seeds will you plant?   

“Selemat Pagar”-  Blessings,  Pastor Sigi

Pictured: Top, Patrick Cudahy, rear, and the students of Grace Center, along with his mother, the Rev. Sigi Helgeson, in blue. Second, Helgeson and the students.