Tim Shenk
August 20, 2007

One hundred two young adults are beginning Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) service assignments around the world following an Aug. 11 to 16 orientation session at MCC's campus in Akron, Pa.

Fifty-one U.S. and Canadian young adults are beginning 11-month assignments in Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East through MCC's Serving and Learning Together (SALT) program. Another 51 international young adults attended the orientation before beginning one-year assignments in the U.S. and Canada through MCC's International Volunteer Exchange Program (IVEP).

Both programs place Christian young adults in volunteer positions with churches, schools and community organizations. During the orientation session in Akron, participants shared six days of cross-cultural learning, worship and workshops in preparation for their assignments.

Mark Neufeld, a SALT participant from Ontario, got to know Alex Munkombwe, an IVEP participant from Zambia, as they both prepared for service assignments on each other's continents.

Neufeld is headed to Zambia to teach computer skills, while Munkombwe is headed to Chambersburg, Pa., to serve at Shalom Christian Academy. The two discussed their different cultures and came up with some surprising discoveries, such as that many Zambians, like North Americans, use cell phones.

"It's pretty cool to make those sorts of connections," Neufeld says.

On the final day, a team of SALT and IVEP participants led worship at a commissioning service for the whole group. They sang praise songs from South Africa and other countries in many different languages.

Bert C. Lobe, the interim executive director of MCC, called on participants to be peacemakers as they build relationships between churches, cultures and communities.

"Make the most of the opportunities to build bridges of understanding," he said.

Eleven IVEP participants were not able to receive U.S. visas in order to attend the orientation session in Akron. Instead, they participated in an MCC orientation in Waterloo, Ontario, in preparation for assignments in Canada.

More information about the SALT and IVEP programs is available at http://mcc.org/vep/