11:00
Viva Review 2010
Wisconsin, North America
Viva + 1 church + 34 local projects = young people connected It’s 11:00, and in Brookfield,Wisconsin the youth auditorium of Elmbrook church is filling up fast. It’s noisy and hot, crowded with teenagers chattering away to their friends. But the usual talk of sports, new movies and plans for lunch is missing, and in its place is a new topic: children at risk.
This year the young people of Elmbrook have had a radical wake-up call, not only about the plight of children at risk but about their role in responding to it. The 3,000-member church has partnered with our city-wide network in Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic, and youth pastor Tom Keppeler is enthusiastic about how it has affected the younger members of the congregation: “It’s one thing to read about ‘children at risk’ in a prayer booklet or to hear about them in church, and another to actually hold their hands, help build houses for them, feed them. Our teenagers have now seen what these children’s lives are really like and have seen how they can make a difference.”
how to help children pray. One of the leaders in the Dominican Republic reported feeling very encouraged as “the children are already seeming more happy and co-operative as I am more confident” and another shared that the support they received from the American group made them feel that “I really can do this work, and I would like to continue it for the rest of my life!” The six in North America were also enthusiastic about the partnership, all agreeing with one of the male youth workers when he said: “Meeting these guys and learning together has completely changed my worldview, and that impacts everything I do, especially working with our own kids here. It’s been really amazing.”
As well as supporting the network financially, prayerfully and practically, sending teams to help local projects with things like building work and running summer camps, the church has also partnered six of their youth workers with six children’s group leaders from the network. “We wanted to expand our young people’s understanding of mission, and what it means to fulfil the Biblical mandate of serving the poor and seeking justice,” says Tom. “Getting involved with Viva has shown them that mission is more than putting money in an offering basket to be sent to some far-off place – true mission is about relationship.” The relationship between the twelve was helped along by a gift of six laptops for the Dominican leaders, which allowed the counterparts to connect through Skype or e-mail several times a week, encouraging and praying for one another. They even introduced their different children’s groups to each other through video-chats!
Tom is thrilled to see the partnership having such positive effects on both sides: “Viva’s commitment to working together spills over geographical boundaries and connects people dedicated to helping children wherever they are and with whatever skills they bring. It has been a privilege this year to see that commitment not only changing the lives of children and young people in Santo Domingo, but also enriching the lives of young people here in my own country.”
Together they have also done basic training in children’s work, studying topics which are relevant in both countries such as dealing with conflict, good teaching strategies, and
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