Welcome
Hope you all had a great time at retreat.
I found some old retreat photos that I wanted to share with you. Most of these are from the early 2000s.
Back then, we didn’t go to fancy places like Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp. We retreated at Knob Noster State Park in Missouri, for the sole reason that it cost $3/person/night for us to use the facilities.
Knob Noster boasted two bunkhouses, a dining hall, a frigid swimming pool, and some areas of mowed grass. There were rumors of hiking trails, but no one was every brave enough to venture off the mowed grass because we were all terrified of the Lyme-disease-carrying ticks.
But don’t feel bad for us, because there were still plenty of exciting things for us to do, including standing on the mowed grass, lying down on the mowed grass, and playing catch with a slightly larger-than-average Frisbee on the mowed grass.
We had a talent show, but we called it “Celebration Night,†and participation was mandatory. Every unit had to do something. It usually lasted upward of three hours. (If there were any MVSers in Chicago this year, they might recognize someone from that photo.)
I also found a picture of Neil Richer (as an MVSer) with a birthday hat resting on his beautifully cascading curls, and one of Ken Regier and Tonia Martin playing guitar, and me (as an MVSer) being obnoxious.
It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.
 Ben Regier
MVS Assistant and
MVS NWS LTR Editor
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Emily Harder
McPherson, Kansas
WATER
“I am fromâ€
by Emily Harder
I am from the black upright piano
From all things musical
I’m from spirituals in soybean fields
And hymns in tractor cabs
I am from the weeping willow and the wheat fields
From summers of manual labor paused by donut breaks
I am from “compromise, negotiate, and share†and “life’s not fairâ€
I am from winters spent avoiding bowls of soup
From Saturdays with the soundtrack of NPR
And Sundays full of zwieback and peanut butter popcorn
I am from educators
From strong independent grandmothers and a sweets-loving grandfather
From Kurt, Dorothy, and Ben
I am from patience, untimely laughter, and passive aggressive tendencies.
I am from across the park
From trombones and flutes
From gum wrapper chains on real Christmas trees
I am from the land of the sunflowers
I am Emily Harder, currently living in DC, serving through MVS at WATER (Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual).
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Natalia Derstine
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Catholic Charities
I’m Natalia.
I’m 22 years young, and full of life.
I’m a sunshine girl. I love being outside. You can often find me sitting in the sun. (Doing what, you ask?) Just sitting in the sun.
I grew up in Puebla, Mexico, but moved to the suburbs of Philly when I was in seventh grade.
Some of my favorite things include croissants, travel, kalamata olives, uncontrolled laughter, vino, adrenalin, and watches.
I have a degree in social work from EMU. I graduated intent on helping people, but other than that, directionless.
I am a coffee fanatic, brunch lover, shopaholic, and ethnic foodie.
I am compassionate, and cheerful, and sarcastic, and transparent, and my heart fills up and breaks almost every day as I interact with clients.
I really enjoy life’s little surprises of beauty and charm and adventure.
AND I’m absolutely loving DC!
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Birthdays
11/1 Alex Loeppky – Tucson, Arizona
11/3 Kate Yoder – Seattle, Washington
11/5 Nathan Geiser – Rochester, New York
11/5 Phonevilay Khammany – Elkhart, Indiana
11/9 Dominique Chew – Manhattan, New York
11/13 Kent Peters – Newton, Kansas
11/18 Emilie Raber – Manhattan, New York
11/19 Tonia Martin – Weatherford, Oklahoma
11/19 Jason Spicher – Alamosa, Colorado
11/19 Jennifer Steinmetz – Seattle, Washington
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Anna van der Zwaag
Worthington, Ohio
Conway Health and Resource Center
Hello all!
My name is Anna van der Zwaag, and I am one of five women of the MVS unit in our nation's capital. I recently graduated from Goshen College with a degree in Biochemistry and a minor in International Studies. In DC, I am working for Community of Hope as a patient advocate at Conway Health and Resource Center. So far, I have learned a lot about our nation's healthcare system and the variety of resources that are critical, yet so often inaccessible, for people who are underinsured. This city is quite the change from my life in Goshen, but it definitely has a lot to offer. Fun fact about me – Maria Von Trapp is one of my heroes, especially when I am seeking confidence or in a time of transition. In the name of Maria, here are some of my favorite things I've discovered about DC:
- Once the sun has set, the view of the National Mall is spectacular.
- Sometimes a man plays his saxophone outside of the Target in our neighborhood.
- DC has a lot of people who are passionate about social justice.
- Ohio State fans are here, too! When I see a stranger wearing Ohio State gear, I can shout "O-H ...!" and I know they'll respond "I-O!"
- This city is culturally and historically rich. People here are eager to share how their own stories contribute to the larger story of this city.
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Sara Melgarejo Beltrán
Bogota, Colombia
Bread for the City
Hey there! I'm Sara, and I'm from Bogota, Colombia, where I just finished law school. I've always been a Mennonite, and a member of the Teusaquillo congregation my whole life, literally. I did MVS in 2009 in Tucson, Arizona, as a neighborhood outreach advocate and case worker, but this time as I finish school, I wanted to have a different experience in another city. So now I'll be serving with Bread for the City as a Legal Clinic coordinator for one of the offices they have in northwest DC. I'm really looking forward to starting my placement and to be able to help and serve others in different ways through this work.
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Emily Bender
Athens, Georgia
UNHCR
Emily Bender is completing her second MVS year with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency in Washington, D.C. Previously, she lived in Papua, Indonesia, and worked with a local women's empowerment organization, a partner of Mennonite Central Committee. Prior to that, Emily lived and worked on an intentional Christian service community in rural Georgia, whose mission centered around hospitality to newly arrived refugee families. Emily likes to ride bikes, and always has her ear to the ground for a good live music scene wherever she is living. Her hobbies include reading books and writing down all the words she doesn't know so she can define them later, and climbing into persimmon trees in search of the most perfect fruit.
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