Read about students鈥� experiences in South Africa from the 91短视频 intercultural blog below.

Learn more about future interculturals on 91短视频鈥檚 website, and keep an eye out for updates on 91短视频鈥檚 other spring intercultural at the Washington Community Scholars鈥� Center.

Molly Piwonka writes about the group鈥檚 visit to Soweto:

As we drove through the streets and made a few stops such as the Hector Pieterson memorial, we learned about the unfortunate circumstances the people living in this area were dealt with. Small houses, made in cheap ways, which also contain very little resources cover the neighborhoods. These houses might be small, but as Andrew Suderman says: the homes within are large because of the warmth and hospitable spirit of the people. There might not be much space, but those that live in Soweto are very welcoming and hospitable; happily willing to add another to their compacted living spaces. This community also radiates hope. These streets are painted with streams of colors. Blue, red, green, yellow, purple, orange. Those living in Soweto contain a good deal of creativity. From advertisements painted on walls to street vendors to full-out murals, every corner contains something interesting. This street art helps to keep the atmosphere alive and shows how it can uplift those around it with its bright and colorful nature. Art is culture and even though those in Soweto have dealt with many harsh realities and pain, they seem to show up day in and day out with welcoming spaces and creative spirits that no one can ever take away.

Nathan Oostland writes about visiting Marikana:

On Thursday we visited Marikana, a mining town that was the site of a massacre where miners protesting for more livable pay were answered with bullets. This event from 2012 is still raw in the community and we were honored to visit the community and site in which it took place. Napoleon, a local activist, welcomed us into his four-room home to watch a documentary of the event entitled Miners Shot Down. He was a gracious host who pushed us just outside our comfort zones physically and emotionally. We learned the power of the everyday person in a fight for justice and the importance of sharing stories together. A beautiful moment from the day was sitting on top of the hill where miners sat on strike against the mining companies. The view over the landscape was stunning but hindered by smokestacks and huge industrial buildings. The domination these companies have over the community and land was apparent. But Napoleon didn鈥檛 let us leave with the idea that the people lost. They hadn鈥檛, wages increased and the movement displayed the resilience of the community.

Read more student stories from South Africa: the first weeks in Washington D.C., the first days in South Africa, and more recent adventures on 91短视频鈥檚 intercultural blog.

Check out this video that shows some of the experiences of students on the South Africa and Lesotho cross-cultural semester 2011.

“The story of the Good Samaritan reminds us that those who serve most effectively are not typically the most respected among us, nor do they often come from the ranks of those with obvious power,” said Swartzendruber. “Servant leaders are those who frequently did not seek leadership roles but act out of deeply held values which are often then noticed by others.”

Swartzendruber linked his message to several alumni who have made an impact as servant leaders across the world, including: , a 2007 graduate of and a ; Eliza Barnhart Burkholder, a 2009 nursing graduate who received the first in Harrisonburg; , a 2007 graduate and DREAM Act advocate; and , a 2007 graduate who is leading an environmental effort in Borneo to stop palm oil producers from taking over the rain forest, among others.

In distinguishing 91短视频 from its peers as a “Christian university like no other,” Swartzendruber noted its diverse program base.

“There are five Mennonite colleges in the U.S. and 91短视频 is the only one that embodies a seminary, a Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, a , and with the advent of the new this fall, a total of ,” said Swartzendruber.

91短视频 also includes an to prepare non-native speakers for futher academic study and a popular .

In closing, Swartzendruber issued a promise to students that an education at 91短视频 is more than just a one-way “dissemination of information” that can be found on podcasts and mass lectures.

“Our promise is that for your tuition payments, you will have every opportunity to become an educated person, one who will be prepared to serve and lead in a global context. And we will fulfill that promise by seeking to be ‘like no other.'”

Cross-cultural sending

The convocation closed with a commissioning for students who left campus Wednesday on fall semester cross-cultural seminar to New Zealand and .

, professor of , and his wife Kathy, will lead a group of 22 students to New Zealand to explore the variety of sustainability issues facing the island country.

The program will have two themes鈥攃ultural and environmental. The cultural studies will center on homestays and the book, 鈥淭he Sociology of Everyday Life in New Zealand.鈥� They will spend time in urban and rural areas, focusing on specific environmental issues and applying them to their particular interests and fields of study.

The majority of the stay will be in the mountainous and agricultural environments of the South Island.

The South Africa and Lesotho group, led by Harlan de Brun, instructor in physical education and recreation, and assisted by 91短视频 alumni Denay Fuglie and Kelsey Yoder, will study the values and norms of South African culture, learn about the African Independent Church movement, do elementary Sesotho language study and focus on community development and projects with particular attention given to AIDS issues.

The group of 21 students will read, hear lectures and journal about the history and culture of Southern Africa, including the Apartheid era and how religious beliefs affected government policy. They return to campus Dec. 5.

鈥楽henandoah Welcome鈥�

Returning students, faculty and staff gave new members of the 91短视频 community a traditional 鈥淪henandoah Welcome鈥� as they wended their way through a human 鈥渢unnel鈥� of smiling faces and clapping hands accompanied by Appalachian bluegrass music.

91短视频鈥檚 fall semester ends Dec. 14.

(President Swartzendruber speaks at 12:50)

The group of 26 was led by , instructor in , and assisted by 91短视频 alums Elizabeth Zook Barge and Jason Ropp. The group left on Aug. 31 and returned to Harrisonburg on Dec. 10 for debriefing and wrap-up activities.

Soweto, South Africa

The students began their journey in Soweto, a laboring-class urban area inside the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. Students studied the values and norms of South African culture, immersed in language study and participating in community projects.

“There was never a dull moment in Soweto, with the events ranging from late night dance parties, to playing soccer in the streets, to constant greeting of passersby,” said Kiera Stenson, a junior from Coopersburg, Pennsylvania. “Soweto was filled with love and 鈥榰buntu鈥� (togetherness)鈥攅veryone lives as a huge family, your neighbor is your brother, therefore if your brother is in need of something you help him.”

A country inside a country

After spending 24 days in Soweto, the group traveled to Lesotho, an enclave of South Africa. Divided into two villages, the group experienced life with no electricity or running water and the challenges of bed bugs, run-away horses and rats.

“During the second week of our time in Lesotho, we packed small backpacks and crammed into two rickety taxis that took us to an MCC [Mennonite Central Committee] mission farm,鈥� said Sarah Grace Fitzsimmons, a sophomore from Woodstock, Va. 鈥淭here we worked in the mornings and had campfires at night…. Lesotho was a get away, a reflective time for us…. We experienced life in its simplest form.”

Living on the Cape

The final stop on the cross cultural brought the students to Cape Town, where South Africa鈥檚 parliament convenes. Students could choose among relaxing on the beach, visiting gardens and museums, and hiking Table Mountain. In addition, several group members heard lectures at the University of Cape Town on the history and culture of Southern Africa that included how religious beliefs affected government policy during the apartheid era.

Todd Hooley, a senior from Wayland, Iowa, said the group was able to share an American holiday with their host families.

“On Thanksgiving, many of our families wanted to make us feel at home, so they cooked us a traditional American meal…. Cape Town was a more western-feeling homestay, but we still experienced love and Africa through the city,” said Hooley.

Lessons from South Africa and Lesotho

The students closed the chapel with a 聽produced by Joaquin Sosa, a junior from Utica, New York,

Each decided independently of the other to attend 91短视频, but both believe it was one of 鈥渢he best decisions鈥� they鈥檝e ever made.

Luciana Beatriz Stoltzfus 鈥� who goes by “Bia鈥� 鈥� is finishing up the demanding nursing program at 91短视频 and expects to graduate May 1. Her final semester “is the most stressful ever, but I’ll make it,” she insists.

Raquel Stoltzfus, a sophomore early childhood education major, arrived at 91短视频 last fall after spending one semester apiece at another private university and a local community college. She sees herself eventually teaching first or second grade in a public school in a urban area.

Bia, 23, and Raquel, 21, are the adopted daughters of Winfred and Wilda (Willie) Stoltzfus of Bellefontaine, Ohio. They were born in Brazil, where their adopted maternal grandparents, Kenneth and the late Grace Schwartzentruber, were long-time missionaries with the former Mennonite Board of Missions. Winfred and Willie are both 91短视频 alumni; he is a specialist in internal medicine; Willie is an oncology nurse at a cancer center who well recalls the rigors of 91短视频鈥檚 nursing program.

In 1999, the couple adopted a group of four siblings from Sao Paulo that included Bia, then 11, Raquel, 9, Davi, 7, (now 19) and Lucas, 5 (now 17). They joined three other Stoltzfus children, a biological son, Marcos, 26, who graduated from Goshen College and lives in Colorado; and two other adopted children, Carla Renee, now 20, and Tomas, 22, who were adopted as babies.

“Bia is a survivor, the oldest of the sibling group,” Willie notes. “She helped the younger siblings who grew up with little adult supervision. She knew no English when we adopted her, but has always been highly motivated, a hard worker.”

“God didn鈥檛 seem to be the primary focus at the schools I attended before coming here [91短视频],” Raquel says. 聽“My professors make every effort to help me succeed,” she adds, citing her 鈥淚ntro to Bible鈥� class as 鈥減roviding a different way of looking at things and encouraging us to look deeper into Scripture.” She finds participation in the Sunday night “Celebration” contemporary worship services on campus as another highlight

Raquel pointed to her teammates on the women’s soccer team where she plays right midfield as another vehicle for personal and spiritual growth. “We’re playing for God and not just for each other,” she states. “We have devotions and work together as a team.”

Bia cited her 91短视频 cross-cultural seminar in South Africa the fall of her junior year as a “major eye-opener” to the interconnectedness of people and cultures and the incredible needs of people everywhere. Raquel plans to take a six-week cross-cultural trip to Honduras this summer led by Jason and Bryn Mullet Good.

“91短视频 has helped me discover qualities that I didn’t know I had, and it’s opened my eyes to how much I can do to serve others,鈥� Bia declares.

“There’s a family atmosphere [at 91短视频],” Bia adds.聽 鈥淭he nursing professors are constantly empowering and encouraging me to be the best that I can be while also helping me grow in my spiritual walk.”

“My only regret,” she adds, “is wishing for more time to spend with other people and to take part in more campus activities.”

How does it work being sisters on a small Christian university campus?

“We don’t see each other as often as you might expect,” Bia notes. “I’ve been living off campus and my clinical nursing work keeps me extremely busy.” Raquel quickly notes that they do stay in touch by texting and on Facebook. They’ve been attending Aletheia, a church in Harrisonburg which caters to young adults. Their home congregation is Oak Grove Mennonite Church, West Liberty, Ohio.

Following graduation on May 1, Bia hopes to secure a nursing position locally. She is engaged to another nursing student, Michael Bruner from Pettisville, Ohio. They plan to marry in September.

鈥淚’m definitely a stronger Christian for having this experience [at 91短视频],鈥� Bia says. 鈥淚鈥檝e sensed the university鈥檚 commitment to encourage students to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God.鈥�

Read more…

Here in Harrisonburg, students are getting into the mid-semester groove with fall festivities and another fast-approaching break, but over 8,000 miles away in South Africa, 91短视频 undergrads are experiencing a semester that is far from the routine.

Senior Justin Reesor and children smile for the camera. Read more in the cross-cultural blog

91短视频 alum Patrick Monk was on cross-cultural in South Africa in 2007 when this picture was taken with a new friend. Photos and journals from the fall 2009 cross-cultural group in South Africa…

For years, Africa quietly summoned Patrick Monk. So quietly that, for awhile, Monk himself didn’t hear the call.

“When I was younger, I don’t think I ever saw myself going to Africa, and serving or living overseas,” said Monk, a Bridgewater native and 2000 Turner Ashby High School graduate.

Two years ago, a taste for adventure drew Monk to South Africa for a cross-cultural experience, one requirement for graduation at 91短视频.

Last year, he returned to the world’s second-largest continent for a mission in Uganda.

Haunted History

A turbulent past, in which the country was led in the 1970s by the cruel rule of dictator Idi Amin, left Uganda with social and economic woes that still haunt the country. Some of Uganda’s present problems stem from broad ethnic strife, Monk said, and such struggles are a huge part of what brought him to a nation of more than 33 million people, who are as varied as Uganda’s terrain, which ranges from beaches to deserts.

Monk, 27, recently finished the first year of a three-year mission in Hoima, Uganda, for Mennonite Central Committee, a non-governmental, faith-based group present in numerous developing countries throughout the world.

In Hoima, a rural town in western Uganda, Monk works as an adviser in a program called Living With Shalom, which promotes peace among Uganda’s high-school-aged residents by bringing together young people from different tribes in a Christ-centered setting. MCC created Living with Shalom to spread inter-tribal harmony, something Uganda historically has lacked.

Lasting Impression

His trip to South Africa stirred in Monk a curiosity for how other cultures practice their faith, and an earlier stint as a youth pastor prepared him for a similar role in Uganda, he said.

“Throughout my university studies, I [was] interested in Africa long term,” Monk said.

“The interaction and relationship between religion and culture in our world is a fascinating thing.”

Monk’s mother, Margaret Jones Monk, sensed her son’s excitement for Africa when he returned from his 91短视频 trip.

“The cross cultural [with 91短视频] really clinched it,” she said. “He knew he wanted to go back.”

Brother’s Legacy

Patrick Monk credits the life of younger brother Jeremy with helping to shape his own views on missions. Jeremy Monk, a UVA-Wise grad and a behavioral-management counselor with Crossroads Counseling in Harrisonburg, died on Oct. 9, 2008, at the age of 23 after a six-month bout with bone cancer.

“Jeremy’s life had, and will continue to have, an immense influence on my life,” Patrick Monk said. “Jeremy’s arms, heart, mind and soul were always open to people.”

Though personally different in many ways, Patrick and Jeremy became close in Jeremy’s final years, said their mother, Margaret Monk, 61, a retired Rockingham County teacher.

The rest of the Monk family includes two daughters and another son. Patrick’s father, Edward, 73, is a retired telephone repairman.

“Both Patrick and Jeremy were good influences on each other,” she said. “Pat has such an openness for people.”

Others outside Patrick Monk’s family foresaw his missionary path. Nancy Heisey, a professor in 91短视频’s Bible and religion department, taught Monk. Heisey recalls Monk as a good student at 91短视频 with a “deep sense of calling” to mission work.

“Even before he did his cross cultural, Patrick had a sense of where he wanted to go,” Heisey said. (In 2007, Patrick placed second in 91短视频’s Haverim Writing Award with his scholarly essay on “Reaching Across Rubbled Walls: Emerging from the Galatian Baptism with a New Identity.” Read more…)

Monk’s present path may bring him closer to home. When he returns to the U.S., Monk hopes to work with inner-city youth and possibly write children’s books. He also intends to return to his favorite place abroad.

Said Monk: “I would like to maintain some connection with Africa.”

(Photo by Jim Bishop)

The group, led by faculty members Harlan de Brun and Audra Baker, divided their time among Soweto, Lesotho and Cape Town in language study and learning the history and experiencing the culture of the regions.

Three different home stays were built into the program so that students could appreciate differences in rural/urban living and racial politics in South Africa.

The most valuable aspect of the program, several participants noted, was “discovering anew the value of building relationships among people with similar aspirations but from different worlds.”

Here, several group members do a skit on “adjusting to African time.” Also during the service, participants read journal entries, poetry and scripture and sang songs from South Africa and ended with a prayer of thanksgiving for the remainder of the semester and safety over the holidays.

This academic year, 91短视频 is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its “Global Village” program that includes an off-campus study experience as part of its general education requirements.

Rev. Tutu receives a quilted wall hanging from 91短视频 President Loren Swartzendruber that was created by sisters Brownie(l.) and Gladys Driver (r.) of Harrisonburg. Photos by Jim Bishop

At a mid-morning tree-planting ceremony at James Madison University, 91短视频 President Loren Swartzendruber thanked JMU’s Mahatma Gandhi Center for Global Nonviolence for including 91短视频 in welcoming Tutu, who is renowned for championing human rights and global peacemaking.

In brief remarks to Tutu and some 75 others present for the ceremony, Dr. Swartzendruber praised Tutu’s commitment to the cause of peace and reconciliation. “91短视频, in the Christian peace church tradition, is also committed to this cause, believing that Jesus taught us to love our enemies and to find peaceful solutions to conflict,” said Swartzendruber.

The Gandhi Center was established in 2005 under JMU Professor Sushil Mittal “to promote a culture of nonviolence and peace worldwide based on universal values of justice, equality, freedom,” according to the center’s web site ().

The Gandhi Center selected Tutu to be the first recipient of its annual Mahatma Gandhi Global Nonviolence Award and chose to present the award on the International Day of Peace, Sept. 21.

‘Message of Peace and Non-Violence’

“We are proud to join with the Gandhi Center in promoting a message of peace and non-violence,” said Swartzendruber. “Thirteen years ago, 91短视频 established what is now known as the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding with an annual Summer Peacebuilding Institute. From three students in two countries – the U.S. and Burma in 1994-95 – our Center has grown to have more than 3,000 alumni living and working for peace in more than 103 countries, including 10 peacebuilder graduates in South Africa.”

Loren Swartzendruber presents Rev. Desmond Tutu with a CD-ROM of greetings from 91短视频 students who are studying in South Africa the fall semester.

Swartzendruber presented Archbishop Tutu with a CD of recorded greetings from 24 91短视频 students and two faculty members who are spending the fall semester in a cross-cultural seminar in South Africa. He also gave the archbishop copies of “Peacebuilder,” the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding’s semi-annual magazine, and books from the “Little Books on Justice and Peacebuilding” series.

“As a symbol of Mennonite’s strong belief in community,” Swartzendruber presented Tutu with a quilted wall hanging made by sisters Brownie and Gladys Driver, residents of the Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community and members of Weavers Mennonite Church.

The Archbishop told sisters Brownie and Gladys Driver, “I’ll hang [the piece] in my office so I can look at it and think of you when I am working.”

The tree planting celebrated the establishment of the Gandhi Center. The Anglican archbishop congratulated JMU on “establishing a center that seems a vibrant, lively institution” dedicated to the promotion of peacemaking and nonviolence.

Tutu Speaks on ‘Power of Goodness’

The evening of Sept. 21, Rev. Tutu spoke on “The Power of Goodness” at JMU’s Convocation Center with thousands of people attending, including many students, faculty and staff from 91短视频.

Tutu’s remarks displayed his warmth, humility and disarming sense of humor, as this anecdote shows. While attending a ceremony for a 400-year-old school that was named in his honor in England, “a student came up afterwards and asked me if I was there when the school began.” Tutu chuckled at the recollection, then added this punchline: “A few years later, they changed the name.”

“I hold young people in the highest regard,” Tutu declared. “Many of them have an incredible passion for making this a more caring and sharing world through a most wonderful collaboration with God.”

91短视频 Well-Represented

Swartzendruber with his wife, Pat, sat at Tutu’s table at the banquet that preceded the convocation program. Present at other tables were executive director Lynn Roth and professor Lisa Schirch of 91短视频’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, among other 91短视频 officials.

The Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir, associated with 91短视频’s music department, treated the thousands in the crowd to a South African medley, “Freedom is Coming/Siyahamba” and “Abide With Me,” arranged by Celah Pence, an 91短视频 alumna.

Dr. Myron S. Augsburger, 91短视频 president emeritus and member of the board of trustees of the Gandhi Center, and alumnus Ron Yoder offered a prayer of thanksgiving and blessing on Archbishop Tutu at the close of the award ceremony. Yoder, the chief executive officer of Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community, is also a member of the Gandhi board of trustees.