Join us for Global Church Sunday on January 6th (both worship services). We’ll gather for two festive celebrations, including global songs of praise, prayers for world-wide ministry, opportunities to interact with alums of the ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission program, and some time between services to reflect on our relationships with ministries throughout the world. (At Saint Peter we have a long commitment of supporting the ELCA World Hunger Appeal, Colorado’s Lutheran Immigration Services, ministries in and around Arusha, Tanzania, and the work of the ELCA Disaster Relief Agency.)
The four missionary alums who will be visiting us include Hannah Harman, Sarah Adam, Lee Kirberg and Brynn Wiessner. They all served in Madagascar for one year.
About ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission
The ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission program invites to participate in a year of international service. Through this program, the young adults share in the journeys of companion churches and organizations in one of nine countries: Argentina/Uruguay, Australia, Cambodia, Central Europe, Jerusalem/West Bank, Madagascar, Mexico, Rwanda, Senegal, Southern Africa and United Kingdom.
Meet Our Guests
Hannah Harman served in Mahajanga, Madagascar (NW coastal town) from 2012-2013. Her primary placement was as a nurse at a private hospital supported by the Malagasy Lutheran Church. She spent 20+ hours a week working alongside other nurses and physicians helping to provide care for patients and their families as well as informally helping to educate resident nursing students from nearby Comoros Island. During the rest of the week, she spent time teaching several English classes, playing with and teaching English/cooking classes/exercise classes to a group of local neighborhood children, and playing on a women's soccer team. She lived in a compound called Shalom, which is also funded by the Malagasy Lutheran Church and was used as a retreat center and a resident school for teaching Malagasy Lutheran students how to engage in Muslim-Christian dialogue with their neighbors. She feels incredibly blessed to have had the opportunity to live, love and be loved by this beautiful Malagasy community.
Sarah Adam served in Mahajanga, Madagascar from 2012-2013. Sarah spent most of her time teaching English, learning Malagasy, and hosting a radio show. She taught to a variety of ages and language abilities, and by the end of her year she could speak Malagasy like a two-year-old. She particularly enjoyed developing close relationships with many of the people she met in Madagascar and being able to walk everywhere to get whatever she needed, a welcome change from driving everywhere here in the United States.
Lee Kirberg served in Antananarivo, Madagascar (capital city) from 2012-2013. He lived with a host family made up of two parents, three children, and two grandchildren! His primary placements were at a youth center teaching English to a middle school aged class and leading an English club as well as teaching English at a primary school. He also worked on a farm once a week milking cows, planting crops, harvesting and raise chicken and pigs. He worked at a deaf and disabled school once a week. He attended the local Lutheran church where he was a part of the choir. He found the community very welcoming and loved the culture.
Brynn Wiessner served at the School for the Deaf in Toamasina (SEMATO), Madagascar. She loved spending her days at SEMATO, a vibrant school community that provides education and advocacy for youth who are deaf or hard of hearing. She was very grateful to become a part of the community at SEMATO, and spent many days there with students and staff, playing together, eating together, singing together, teaching English and learning as much Malagasy sign language as her brain could absorb!
Learn more about the Young Adults in Global Mission program on the ELCA website.