Twenty and Counting

That's how many Germans we're at. Twenty! Can you even believe it? Two weeks ago, Marlisa (Marley) Nikesch, our twentieth volunteer from WEC Germany arrived, rounding out Generation Four.

Introducing Generation Four (you have met Toby, Gerrit and Manuel on Facebook):

A giant welcome to Marley...we had some challenges finding the "right" picture:

Some of you may remember that we name each year of German Volunteers by Generations. We started back in 2012 with Generation One that consisted of Christoph (#1), Jessica (#2), and Hannah S. (#3). We assign numbers (for no other purpose than to keep their order straight in our heads) based on when they arrive - making Christoph German #1...much to Jessica's chagrin. Generation Two started with Maren at #4, Daniel at #12 in Generation Three, finally Miriam who was #15 started Generation Four off. It's pretty amazing to think that only a few short years ago this whole life-changing adventure started. Not just life-changing for the volunteers - for us too (and not just because we get to learn German!).

Each year, we have had the privilege of welcoming back previous Generations for the summer months. It's so much fun to see how they have continued to grow after they return home. During Impact, we gathered all of our German Volunteers outside for a photo and it occurred to me that we had a volunteer from each Generation represented in the photo. Watching them goof around caused me to reflect on how each one of them had grown here. I remember each one of their interviews as they arrived and departed. Most of them arrive when they are 18 and depart 12-14 months later. For most of them the year can be full of immense change.

Back Row: Josh (G2), Miriam (G4), Daniel (G3), Hanna (G4), Manuel (G4), Toby (G4)
Front Row: Judith (G3), Felix (G2), Mirjana (G3), Tamara (G2), Gerrit (G4), Jessica (G1)

I admire their courage. Each leaving their family, their home, their language, their culture, and jumping (there's no easing here at camp) in with both feet. I can literally only imagine how overwhelming it is for the first few weeks. Each come on a personal missions trip with the heart to serve God for a year and to grown in their relationship with Him. The transformation is amazing to witness. Each volunteer is stretched and challenged while they're here. As their time comes to an end and I visit with them about their year - so many of them express concern about losing their "Canadian Self". It's a constant reminder of how much God is doing in them and each one of us here. Sometimes I think they lose sight of it because they become so focused on the work here at camp. It's only when they stop and reflect on the experience as a whole that each one of them looks back and realizes how far they've come. When was the last time you stopped to reflect on the journey that God has you on?

I drove nearly all of the departing volunteers to the airport after Impact. Each time - we had a number of our Canadian staff along to say goodbye. It's quite heartbreaking to see these young people, who have done this significant and amazing journey together, say goodbye. It is in these moments that I know that our Germans (and other volunteers like Tomoe from Japan) aren't the only ones changed from these experiences. I've watched relationships build and build over the last three years. These are friendships formed by the greatest adventure on this Earth. It's the adventure of Jesus and no ocean, no amount of distance could possibly separate them.

So we just wanted to take this moment to say thank you to all of our international volunteers. Whether you're from Germany, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, England, Brazil, or beyond - you'll always be in our hearts and we thank you for being part of our journey.

Peace Out,