This past January I applied for the
Yong Adult Service Corps of the Episcopal Church. I had spent the previous year formally discerning my call of ordination to the priesthood, and was furiously planning my life after graduation from the University of Missouri. I had a huge decision to make. Would I stay in Missouri and keep my part-time job at Starbucks, or would I move to another country for a year without my family, friends, and love. It was the hardest, and the easiest decision that I have ever made. Once the application was complete, I called for references. They must have written raving reviews, because three weeks later I received a call from the Missions Personnel Office. They asked which airport I would be flying out of for my interview. I jumped up and down in my parent's living room as the excitement filled every ounce of my existence. I was off to Florida in February where I met the other perspective members. They are all such beautiful people, and my most treasured new friends.
Months later, we are together again. Here in Toronto, Canada preparing for our adventures in the coming year. The others are off to: Ecuador, South Africa, Haiti, Hong Kong, Tanzania, Japan, and Colombia. I am off to the Philippines!
-Melanie West Goes... Y.A.S.C.
