To be...an SM
To
be…an SM
You
want to do what?
The
conversation started November of 2022 on a night over Thanksgiving break. “Mom,
Dad, I think I want to take a Student Mission year.” My parents were very
supportive of my request. While they were supportive, I could tell that my mom
specifically was rather reserved about allowing me to do something like this. I
can imagine that it was scary saying, “yes”, to their youngest son about
going *somewhere* on the planet. A *somewhere* that they were unaware of. It
was HARD. I am sure my dad had a similar concern; however, his brother did
a mission year as well. That probably made him a bit more comfortable with my decision.
To
be honest, I was not sure what I wanted to do the next year. I never heard God
speak to me and tell me that I was being called to missions. I never felt a strong
urge to leave to another country…I rather like America. I was the happiest I
had ever been at Southern and had a great group of friends that I felt
that I could truly relate to. Everything in my life seemed to be going perfectly…however…that
was just it. Everything was perfect.
Growing
up in the Forest Lake Church in Apopka, I had felt blessed to be very
involved in Youth Ministry. Pastor Mark Reams gave me several opportunities in
leadership that absolutely changed my life. I credit my church involvement to
much of what I have done in my life. In youth group, Pastor Mark always had one
line that he would say, and I choose to live by:
“Get
uncomfortable.” Mark Reams (Literally says this all the time)
When
I was younger, I wasn’t much of a talker…compered to my brother at least. However,
as I got older, and got more involved in different opportunities in church and
school, I became much more opened to getting uncomfortable.
Whether
it was public speaking or greeting a new face at a door, getting uncomfortable
became my way of life. I met some of my best friends in college strictly because
of my ability to get uncomfortable and walk to another dorm room, or sit down
at the cafeteria with someone I hardly know.
In November
of 2022…among other things…I realized just how comfortable I was at Southern. Yet
still, I tried to make myself uncomfortable every day. I volunteered to do
public speaking, gave campus tours, joined countless involvement groups and
clubs.
Getting
uncomfortable became comfortable for me.
So,
my brain started to process this information. “What is the one thing you don’t want
to do?” The answer was to leave Southern.
A
particular sentence would proceed to stick out in my mind for months to come. “There
are 22 million Adventists in the world, and only 2 million reside in the United
States.” When I was young, our community of Forest Lake Church was all of
Adventism that I knew. Now that I had gone through academy and was at Southern, the world
of Adventism had gotten a LOT bigger. It seemed like there were Adventists from
every corner of our country, and while their churches may not have been as
large as mine, they still came from great SDA communities.
The sentence
allowed me to see that the world of the church I grew up in was so much bigger
then I could ever imagine. Therefore, I ended up doing the uncomfortable thing
and flew 3,610 miles away. Here’s how I got there.
But…Bolivia?
I
had no idea how to even start the process of being an SM. All I knew was that
there was a big vespers at the start of the year which showed some of the experiences
that the previous year’s SMs had gone through. There were a few people I would
see around campus that I knew were SMs, but for some selfish reason, I wanted
the research to be done myself.
I
went to the SM office in the Bietz Center for student life on the first Wednesday
of the winter semester. I let Pastor Steven (our director) know that I was interested
in missions, but didn’t have any idea where to go or why I was thinking about
it. I talked to them about not feeling “called”, but they helped me recognize a
very important part about what was going on in my head. Just because I didn’t hear
a, “Go.” from God, didn’t mean that I wasn’t called. If it was heavy on my
heart, there was clearly a reason. After a talk with several previous SMs, I
started the lengthy legal and paperwork process of going on a mission year.
If I could go anywhere in the world, I would have go to Eastern Asia or the Middle East. However, through thought and prayer and I realized something important, if I go somewhere for an entire year, I might as well learn a language that will be useful for me. My mom has always said that as a nurse in Florida there wasn't a day when she couldn't have used Spanish.
I
think that most Floridians can relate to that statement. Many of my friends at
school growing up spoke Spanish, and I always thought it was SO impressive that
they could speak two languages (shoutout Julian, Josh, and Jamil).
I
also knew one more thing. I did not want to teach. I respect teachers so much,
and I love to teach Sabbath school. But being a teacher in the school environment is just not something
that I am interested in.
I
also knew one more thing, I did not want it to be easy. I saw that there were
some mission experiences that were clearly more…relaxed…then others. If I was going away for a year,
I might as well select a location that would challenge me…and wow it
has.
To be honest, I don’t remember the exact time I learned about Familia Feliz. I knew one of the upper classmen, Zach Kirstein had gone to Bolivia, but nothing else. I had talked to him a bit that previous summer, and he said it was an incredible experience.
I
started to research different opportunities in South America, but I quickly learned
that most of the locations that Southern offered were strictly for English
teaching positions, which was not at all what I wanted to do. I wanted to go to a location where Spanish was the only language spoken, so going to a location where people wanted to learn English didn't quite fit the bill.
Eventually,
our director Steven and I narrowed it down to 2 different locations. An orphanage
in Honduras, and an orphanage in Bolivia. Just around this time…I learned a
very crucial piece of information. I also had a great resource, my cousin Katie
Jane who was a current SM at Familia Feliz from Southern. Not sure how I was
unaware of this before, but I thought it was pretty cool.
I
learned there was a group of 10 SMs from the States down at Familia Feliz and
they all seemed to be having a great time! One day, I asked Steven if we could
get in contact with their director to see if I could be eligible for a position
at this place in Bolivia.
Here’s
how the conversation went.
Steven,
“Hi Melissa, I have a student who is interested in spending the next year at
Familia Feliz. Are you interested another student from Sothern?”
Melissa,
“We can talk about it, what is his name.”
Steven,
“He is a Collin Emde.”
Melissa,
“Related to the Emde I have now?”
Steven,
“Yes, cousins. But, not sure how close.”
Melissa, “He’s in!”
Clearly
Katie Jane had an incredible reputation! It was time I gave her a call. Eventually,
we talked about Familia Feliz over voice messages…at RANDOM times she would
burst out in Spanish! It was incredible. She sent me like 3 separate ten minute
messages, and she would just talk to her girls…and she spoke very little to no
Spanish only 5 months before. It was incredible. My decision was made.
We
talked a bit here and there and she gave me a good description of my job, which would be a house parent. I
felt like I had to make this my plan for the next year.
Even
after making my decision, I still didn’t feel 100% confident in that decision…it's
leaving the country for an entire school year! Scary stuff. I registered for classes
like normal as a backup plan, but even still, I just felt uneasy. Every time
people would ask me about the following year, I would say, “I'm going to
Bolivia.” Over time I realized I needed to fully commit and so after a lot of prayer, and more conversations with my parents, I went all in.
Time moved on, the school year finished and off to summer camp I went to work. While there, Pastor Steven put a group chat together with the other four SMs that would be joining me. Then it started to feel real.
July
came, and it was REALLY time to hit this head on.
SMing
logistics:
-
I’ve
been waiting to write this for a while. Katie Jane wrote a similar blog last
year to this one that goes much further into detail (https://kjandbolivia.blogspot.com/2023/04/psa-to-future-sms.html).
I referred to this blog post at least 20 times over the summer. It really
helped me know what to bring, how it works logistically and other important
parts of this Bolivian SMing experience.
This section will cover what to bring. Katie Jane wrote most of this list for her blog last year, and I nearly brough everything on it. The information she compiled is extremely useful. This list applies to girls as well. You’ll easily be able to tell what she wrote vs what I am writing!
Packing list:
Clothing:
Chacos (mine broke, but you
can get them fixed in town for 15bs!)
Black pants (for every
school function)
2 or 3 quick-dry pants
4 pairs basketball shorts
(minimum) (shorts need to be almost, if not, knee-length)
4 skirts (minimum) (MUST be
below-the-knee with no slits above; disregard any picture you’ve seen showing
otherwise)
3 dresses (below-the-knee,
at least wide-strapped)
3 short sleeve dress shirts.
(completely regret bringing one long sleeve one.)
Shower shoes (flipflops are
in town…but not in a size over 10)
Flannel shirt (SM staple
dress code lol)
Sweatpants (some nights get
shockingly cold)
Raincoat!!!
Rain pants (optional)
Rain boots (taller are sold
in town, ankle boots don’t exist)
A lot of quick-dry underwear
(and note it may be stolen off the laundry lines)
At least 2 cute outfits for
days off
Food
Christmas/Thanksgiving
flavors and spices (pumpkin pie, nutmeg, mint, etc.)
Spicy seasonings or sauces
(trust me…even if you don’t like hot food.)
Dried fruits
Dietary supplements (fiber,
protein, antioxidants, greens)
Vitamins
Probiotics with a capital
P!!!
Veggie meat or dehydrated
veggie meat
Your fav American comfort
food (Pringles, Oreos, M&M’s sold in town!)
Misc
Quality water bottle (I chose
a 1 liter camelback bottle)
Swiss Army Knife!!! *one of the most important things I brought.*
LifeStraw (during fires this
was the only way I could drink water several times)
Liquid IV electrolyte
packets
International credit card
(for anywhere but Rurre)
VISA debit card (EMPHESIS ON
VISA!!!)
Bilingual Bible
Perfectly in-tact cash ($300
minimum; you’ll have to pay $160 in the airport for your entry visa)
Tea tree oil/lice spray
Nit comb (NOT just any lice
comb)
Hair conditioner (shampoo
sold in town)
Face wash and acne creams
Razor and razor heads
Tampons (pads sold here)
Body wash
6+ hand sanitizers
Cologne (feels nice to smell
good once in a while)
Hammock!!
Gum
Command hooks!!
Sharpies!! (I lost all of
mine:( )
Super glue
Duct tape!!
Sewing kit
Extra screen protector (I never
dropped my phone here…but it seems to be a daily occurrence now)
Ziplocs
2 microfiber towels!! (you don’t want a moldy towel)
2 sets of sheets
Power strip
Extension cords
Portable charger (!)
Bluetooth speaker
Surge protector
2 or 3 converters (Type-C
200V outlets)
Extra earbuds
Extra charger cables
Spray sunscreen
Face sunscreen
Small fan to put inside
mosquito net (big fans sold in town…no promise you'll be sleeping near an
outlet)
Meds:
Peptobismol and Imodium
Tylenol
Malaria meds are unnecessary
(but some brought anyway)
A dose or two of parasite
meds
Antibiotics (if you’re
allergic to the too-common amoxicillin)
Cold medicine
2 tubes Mupirocin
3 tubes fungal cream
1 antibiotic ointment and 3 packs of band aids
Vaccines:
COVID
Yellow fever
Typhoid
Rabies
Tetanus
HepA
HepB
Update all routine vaccines
Craft/School Supplies: (even my boys LOVE these too)
Pipe cleaners
Googly eyes
Beads (some types sold in
town)
Card stock paper (only
colored paper in town)
Washi tape (!)
GLUE STICKS (liquid in town)
Gifts for Kids:
Stickers
Bandanas
Coloring books (little kids
obsess over them)
American gum
Notebooks
Sketchbooks
Nit combs
Gummy vitamins (use for
bribery)
Marbles (you’re the favorite
volunteer if you provide boys with marbles.)
Some words of advice:
-
Learn that toilet paper is not just toilet
paper…its can be used for anything! Its just paper!
-
Push yourself when it comes to cooking! Don’t
do the easy thing every day. Youll regret it.
-
Try your best to speak Spanish as much as you
possibly can. You’re in a Spanish speaking country!
-
Understand that power will go out all the
time and there is nothing you can do about it.
-
Things happen ALL the time without warning, and
you just gotta roll with it.
-
Talk to someone when something happens. Don’t
hold it in. It will hurt you.
-
Wake up 30 minutes earlier than you should.
Go to bed 30 minutes earlier than you should.
-
Know that 4.5 hours of sleep for 3 weeks
straight isn’t that bad after all.
-
NEVER get mad at or around a kid. It will
hurt them, and you don’t know what their experience with anger has been in the
past.
-
Know that food comes and goes. Try your best
to get it on Sunday from the big house, but if you can’t…oh well.
-
Try extra hard on worship. Yes it's extra
work, but you won’t regret it.
-
Try your best to talk to the other SMs when
possible. It is hard…I know.
-
Give your co-parent a break.
-
Call your family at least once a week.
-
Don’t get mad at how terrible the internet is
or with the fact that it only works on campus enough to load anything in a reasonable
amount of time that you really need to see at that very moment at like 2:00am. (yea
I struggle with this guy)
-
Don’t wake up or stay up till 2:00am for internet.
-
Do a worship at least once a day. 5 minutes
is a worship too y’all.
-
Keep up with friends at home…no matter how
hard it is.
-
Use your day off correctly. Whatever that
means for you.
-
Set your list of priorities at the start.
-
Let Melissa know if something goes wrong.
-
Pray with each kid each night.
-
Take LOTS of photos and videos. No matter
what the kids say…they like cameras.
-
Play with the kids as much as possible. They notice.
-
Have a specific song to wake them up to each
day. (mine is La Comicion)
-
Saver your American snacks. (totally didn’t eat
10 bags of TJ mangos in the last week and a half hahahahahaha)
-
Make friends in town!
-
Spend time reading and learning Spanish a bit
each day.
-
Understand that you will end up preaching on occasion.
-
Do a blog. Write how you feel.
-
Have movie nights with the kids!
-
See what you can do around campus often.
-
Make bread.
-
Do a vacation with the other SMs. Plan it
well and make it affordable!
-
Take a nap whenever you can. You'll need them.
-
Know that you are needed by the kids
-
Download movies for yourself as well!
-
If you are asked to do something for FF out
of your comfort zone, do it! I hardly ever wrote before this…now look at me.
- Talk to the previous SMs. We are here for
support. We were in your shoes.
- Try to get donations from churches, friends
and family! You can make much better food, and provide for the kids in much
better ways.
-
Go to town with the kids! Yes, its stressful
and yes it can cost a bit of money. But it means so much to them.
-
Stay connected to your SM department and what
is happening back home.
-
PRAY
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