During a spring break trip to Atlanta with Y-Serve last week, as she broke bread with families from Central and South America, she was instantly transported back to those days.

“Certain food smells or conversations we would have in Spanish — they would take me back,” the global development major said. “Other meals, like the one we had with the Burundi congregation, were vastly different from anything I’ve ever experienced before.”

Kennel, along with nine other 91����Ƶ students and University Chaplain Brian Martin Burkholder, spent the week from March 2 to 8 in the Peach State for a Y-Serve service learning trip. Y-Serve is the longest-running student organization at 91����Ƶ and aims to “serve others as the hands and feet of Jesus.”

The Y-Serve group partnered with , a Georgia-based nonprofit that welcomes and hosts asylum seekers and immigrant families. Together, they attended multicultural worship services, shared meals with asylees from Latin America and Africa and listened to their stories and experiences.

The group met with students at the , a public charter K-5 school that educates refugee, immigrant and local children. They toured downtown Atlanta and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park. They then traveled about 135 miles south to Americus, Georgia, where they visited the , a racially integrated Christian community and working communal farm founded in 1942.

91����Ƶ junior and Y-Serve student leader Ruth Abera treasured the evenings they spent reflecting together as a group. Another highlight of her trip was meeting the founder of , a small coffee truck and coffeeshop in Clarkston, Georgia, that hires resettled refugees and immigrants and provides “a central place where different cultures can come together,” Abera said. 

“After hearing her story, I was like, ‘I’ve known you for five minutes and I want to be just like you,’” she said.

West Virginia

While their Y-Serve group traveled to Atlanta, another headed about 225 miles south and westward to Kimball, West Virginia. Kimball is in McDowell County, which is the third poorest county in the U.S. (2020 Census). From March 4 to 9, three 91����Ƶ students and one alumnus volunteered with Sharing With Appalachian People (), a ministry program through Mennonite Central Committee, where they repaired houses, connected with local residents and reflected on how to live out their Christian faith.

91����Ƶ senior Laurel Evans, a bible, religion and theology major, served as student leader for the West Virginia Y-Serve group. Much of their work included installing metal flashing and a new roof on one side of a house, she said, as well as “lots of repainting.” 

Her favorite part of the trip was getting to know the homeowners whose house they were repairing. 

“They were a lovely couple,” Evans said. “We took long breaks from our work to sit and have coffee with them and talk about our lives and God.”

Peg and Lee Martin serve with Mennonite Central Committee as SWAP location coordinators in Kimball. After their work during the day, Lee Martin would lead the group in devotionals and reflections. That week’s focus, Evans said, was on the Kingdom of God.

“That felt really important to the whole trip — how the Kingdom of God shows up in the small things, and in things we might not consider meaningful, affected how I saw the week,” she said.

Evans, who also led a Y-Serve group with Abera to Kimball over fall break, described the service trip as a “restful and productive experience.”

“I felt really well-rested from the week,” she said, “but I also know I made a decent difference in someone else’s life.”

In the center of Thomas Plaza, burning candles were placed on a pile of ice. A nearby sign proclaimed the vigil’s theme: “Melt ICE,” a reference to the unrelenting, and some would say, disturbing policies of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that have recently separated Villatoro from his family.

A Honduran native who has lived without citizenship in the United States since the early 1990s, Villatoro was detained on March 3 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and deported last week [March 27].

Despite a past criminal record of two misdemeanor charges, supporters say Villatoro had changed his life, becoming a Christian and devoting himself to his family and his congregation. According to supporters, he would be an appropriate candidate for the reprieve offered by President Barack Obama’s deportation policy if an immigrant does not jeopardize national security or public safety.

‘Pastor Max’ known among 91����Ƶ students

Two student organizers of the vigil, senior Aliese Gingerich and junior Rachel Schrock, are among many in the 91����Ƶ community who have a strong connection to Villatoro. He is a co-pastor, with his wife, Gloria, of Iglesia Menonita Torre Fuerte, a small Hispanic congregation based at in Iowa City, Iowa. Gingerich and Schrock attend First Mennonite Church.

Villatoro “was someone who cared about the space and the people in it,” said Schrock. “He would ask you how you’re doing, and he would really listen. He cared about people, and he was a strong presence in the church.”

Gingerich, who spent this last summer working with Villatoro, mentioned the anxiety she felt for him during that time. Villatoro made no secret of his lack of citizenship, even in which he recounted his story of moving to the United States for a better life, meeting his wife, and starting a family. He and Gloria have four children, all U.S. citizens. Gloria, who is from Mexico, is living legally in the United States under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, according to the Iowa City Press-Citizen.

Schrock’s fear was realized when she was on a in Georgia, learning about issues that immigrants face in the United States. Ironically, she, along with sophomore Diego Barahona, were visiting a detention center when they learned the news.

Barahona, also a Honduran native, spoke at the vigil in English, with his remarks translated into Spanish. He expressed appreciation for the Mennonite community and their strong support of Villatoro.

Several protests and vigils have taken place over the past several weeks. Congregations in the Central Plains Mennonite Conference – the conference in which Villatoro’s church belongs – have actively showed their support for Villatoro and his family. The conference collected more than 40,000 signatures, including 8,000 from clergy members, from around the United States. Those documents were delivered to the ICE office in Omaha, Nebraska, just one week after Villatoro’s detention. The conference has also started a .

Immigration and Customs Enforcement determined the grounds for Villatoro’s deportation by citing his criminal record – a drunk-driving conviction in 1998 and record tampering, after purchasing a Social Security number in order to get a driver’s license, in 1999. Villatoro has since had a clean record and according to media sources, was unsuccessful in appealing a past deportation order.

Common ground with vigil supporters

In his speech, Barahona also addressed the plight of child immigrants, recalling his arrival in the United States at age 4 and a childhood visit to Walt Disney World, seemingly a paradise at the time.

“In contrast,” Barahona told the assembled crowd, “tens of thousands of child immigrants were not received by a magical kingdom. They were received by a kingdom that supposedly stands for the liberty of the oppressed, but hesitates to take in the youngest victims of the conflict they help create.”

Hannah Mack-Boll, a junior, who works at in Harrisonburg, said she appreciated the “poignance” of Barahona’s speech. She hears many stories similar to Villatoro’s, and remarked on how helpful it is that “we can now gather together to understand the importance of Villatoro’s story in the context of a broader issue.”

“It was encouraging to see such a strong turnout of students, faculty and staff to express our solidarity with Pastor Max and others who have been separated from their families,” said 91����Ƶ president Loren Swartzendruber, one of at least two university administrators to attend the vigil. “The stories shared by several immigrants were important for all of us to hear.”

Getting the word out about that story and rallying support has been one of Gingerich’s recent concerns. She spent two days before the vigil passing out 380 Spanish-language flyers to local organizations, businesses, clinics, grocery stores, and even taco trucks. She wanted to the community to be involved, and to provide a space for healing and reflection.

“Max’s story is a platform for all the other stories like his that don’t get coverage,” Schrock said.

It will be extremely difficult and complicated for Villatoro to regain entry to the United States, according to his attorney.

Every year for spring break, several student groups spend the nine-day period doing service projects in various locales in the states – under the Young People’s Christian Association (YPCA) umbrella – instead of going home or heading to warmer climes.

2012 groups and destinations

• (engaging God’s transformative work in the city) in Chicago
  co-leaders: Susan Peck and Litza Laboriel
• (joint urban missionary partners in the Bronx, N.Y.) March 3-7 and (empowering youth to serve Christ in the city) March 7-11
  co-leaders: Jamila Witmer and Nicole Groff
• (housing construction and repair) in New Orleans
  co-leaders: Erica Wagner and Mindy Esworthy
• (social change regarding dirty coal) in Appalachia, Va.
  co-leaders: Jacob Mack-Boll & Meg Smeltzer

91����Ƶ “Cantemus” ensemble; James Richardson, director Photo by Katie Landis

The 12-member ensemble will provide special music and the offertory during the 9 a.m. service at Bay Shore Mennonite Church, 3809 Chapel Drive, Sarasota, and lead worship in music at 11:30 a.m. at Newtown Gospel Chapel, 1815 Gillespie Ave., in a joint service with the Covenant Mennonite Fellowship.

Cantemus (Latin for “Let Us Sing”), directed by James K. Richardson, assistant professor of music at 91����Ƶ, will sing selections based on the theme, will perform “Christian Journey: From Darkness Into Light.” Their eclectic repertoire features a variety of genres, languages, and cultures from the 16th century to the present including Latin motets, African songs, a Colombian dance, Mozart madrigal, and contemporary works. The selections explore God’s transcendence, the issue of sin, Christ’s saving work, the Holy Spirit in the lives of His people, and eternity in Heaven.

The choir members are: Heidi Bauman, Sassamansville, Pa.; Janelle Dean, Harrisonburg; Ingrid Johnson, Greeneville, Tenn.; Joshua Kanagy, Timberville, Va.; Steve Kniss, Harrisonburg; Jasmine Martin, New Holland, Pa.; Phillip Martin, Mt. Joy, Pa.; Daniel Miller, Broadway, Va.; Selah Shenk, Newport News, Va.; Meg Smeltzer, Harrisonburg; James Souder, Harrisonburg; and Mitchell Stutzman, Middlebury, Ind.

Richardson teaches voice, vocal pedagogy, appreciating music making and listening to film and directs 91����Ƶ’s ChoirWithoutBorders. A baritone, he earned his master of music degree from The Peabody Conservatory of Music of The Johns Hopkins University.

The ensemble will also sing at 10:13 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Monday, Mar. 8 for high school and middle school students at Sarasota Christian School, at 6 p.m. that day at Sunnyside Village, 5201 Bahia Vista St., and 6 p.m. Tuesday, Mar. 9, at a donor appreciation banquet at Sunnyside Village.

For more information on the Bay Shore appearance, contact Lee Miller, 377-4041, or Randy Spaulding,366-3545, or Walter Crawford, 951-6967, on the Newton Gospel Chapel program.

91����Ƶ students reflect on the sunset at Lakewood Retreat, Brooksville, Fla., a program of Southeast Mennonite Conference

Four groups of 91����Ƶ students spent their mid-semester break the first week of March doing service projects under the auspices of the Young People’s Christian Association (YPCA).

The students shared highlights of their experience in university chapel Wednesday, Mar. 12.

‘Volunteering is Rewarding’

Eleven 91����Ƶ students worked at Lakewood Retreat, Brooksville, Fla., a program of Southeast Mennonite Conference, cleaning facilities and doing general cleanup work around the camping facility.

91����Ƶ student Alec Burkey prepares to do some heavy metal work in Florida on truck parts in disrepair. By the end of the group’s stay, Burkey had the truck up and running, saving the camp money in repair fees.

“Volunteering is rewarding – seeing hard work pay off, how much was accomplished in a short time and giving yourself to a worthy cause,” said Michael Charles, a junior from Lancaster, Pa.

Seven other students did manual labor for Jubilee Partners, an intentional Christian community in Comer, Ga., and related to local immigrants that the group ministers to.

“For me, this week was a time of seeing God in a different way through the people we met, through singing and other activities,” said Heidi Hershberger, a sophomore from Boyertown, Pa.

Repairing Katrina Homes With MDS

Mobile, Ala., was the destination for nine students, led by Nick Meyer and supported by Eldon R. Kurtz, physical plant director at 91����Ƶ, and his wife Sharri. The group divided into three smaller work teams to repair homes for victims of Hurricane Katrina under the auspices of Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS).

91����Ƶ student Kim Gross tackles some greenery during her stay in Florida.

“It was a great change of pace from studies,” said Nick Meyer, a senior from Harrisonburg, Va. “We did more than just home repair work, but grew spiritually through the experience.”

“Hearing stories from people who had experienced major loss made us thankful for all that we have,” he added. “We also had a lot of fun.”

‘God Taught Us a Lot’

Eight students traveled to Wilmington, Del., to assist in an after-school program run by Urban Promise. They cleaned classrooms and interacted with children from pre-K to junior high age in the inner-city program.

“God taught us a lot,” said Jessica (Jess) Sarriot, a first-year student from Jerusalem. “I learned to respect and appreciate what teachers do in relating to kids in a new way.”

In addition to the service teams’ ministry, the 91����Ƶ Chamber Singers spent the mid-semester break giving programs of worship in music in nine locations in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina.

91����Ƶ Chamber Singers Photo by Jim Bishop

The Chamber Singers, a select student choir at 91����Ƶ, will give programs of worship in music at nine locations in three states states during the school’s mid-semester break.

The 34-member choir, directed by Dr. Kenneth Nafziger, will present a repertoire centered around a cycle of pieces for a cappella chorus by South Carolina composer Dan Forrest, “Words from Paradise.” Each piece in the cycle is on one word used prominently in the Bible: Holy, Hallelujah, Selah, Hosanna and Amen.

The concert will include music from many sources that explores these five words, including traditional classical as well as modern choral music, music from Africa and New Zealand and colorful hymn singing with the congregation.

Dr. Nafziger is professor of music at 91����Ƶ. His teaching responsibilities include directing the 91����Ƶ Chamber Singers and courses in conducting, interdisciplinary humanities and world music. Nafziger is also artistic director and conductor of the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival held in June each year on the 91����Ƶ campus.

Nafziger was music editor of “Hymnal: a Worship Book,” released in 1992, and editor of its Accompaniment Handbook (1993). He was assistant to the editor for both “Sing the Journey” and “Sing the Story” and producer and director of four CDs of music from these hymnal supplements. He is also co-author of the book, “Singing: a Mennonite Voice.”

James E. (Jim) Clemens, a composer from Harrisonburg, will provide accompaniment on some selections.

The group’s itinerary follows:

• Mar. 2, Sarasota, Fla. – Bahia Vista Mennonite Church, 9 and 10:30 a.m.; Newtown Gospel Chapel, 11:30 a.m.; Bayshore Mennonite Church, 6 p.m.
• Mar. 3, Sarasota Christian School, middle school chapel, 10:45 a.m.; Sarasota Christian School, high school chapel, 11:30 a.m.
• Mar. 4, First United Methodist Church, Clearwater, Fla., 7:30 p.m.
• Mar. 6, Americus Mennonite Fellowship, Americus, Ga., 7 p.m.
• Mar. 7, East Atlanta Christian Fellowship, Atlanta, Ga., 7 p.m.
• Mar. 9, Raleigh (NC) Mennonite Church, 10:30 a.m.

Free-will offerings will be taken at most locations.

The Crusaders Quartet remembered how to get the most out of singing around one microphone during a “reliving radio” segment at a celebration of 85 years of Young Peoples Christian Association at 91����Ƶ (l. to r.): Aaron King, Eugene Souder, Paul Swarr, Roy Kreider. Photo by Matt Styer

The gathering – part of homecoming and family weekend – was emceed by John R. Martin, YPCA president in 1953 and ’54. Among many other facts, he noted that the “Y,” as it is affectionately known, is the longest running student-led group in the school’s history.

“Perhaps at this anniversary celebration it behooves us to ask ‘Why?’ of the Y,” noted Carmen Schrock-Hurst, YPCA co-president 1980-81. “Why,” she wondered, “when there is pressure to study and work to pay the tuition bills, and infinite opportunities to socialize and participate in extra- curricular activities – why do students consistently continue to chose to give of their time and money to keep alive the Y?”

Belief in God’s Word

The answer, she said, is at the heart of what makes 91����Ƶ unique: a belief in God’s word and the call to find one’s life by losing it. Y participants have exemplified and continue to model the “desire to have education be rooted in the real world and not tucked away in an ivory tower of isolationism,” she said.

Special among the invited guests were representatives at each table from area congregations known as “Y churches,” that is, churches started and/or sustained by participation of YPCA students over the years.

Noted author and speaker David Augsburger, shared how participation in YPCA in the late 1950s helped to form and shape him, and others, for later ministry. Currently a professor of pastoral care at Fuller Theological Seminary, he recalled a formative lesson in pastoral care that he learned through a YPCA contact.

He recalled a walk around a country block in the cold rain with a man from his Y church whose wife had recently died. “I felt ashamed,” Augsburger recalled, “because I could find no words to offer the grieving man. But I came to realize it was enough to simply walk with him, soaked to the bones, in silence.”

‘Sincere desire to serve the church’

“The shape and focus of YPCA has been remolded from time to time, but the sincere desire to serve the church and others in the name of Jesus remains firm,” reflected campus pastor Brian Martin Burkholder after the event. “Students involved in the current YPCA commissions are expressing their faith in passionate ministry, service and outreach.”

Current Y commissions, or programs, include: Saturday adoption, grandparent adoption, prison ministries team, Y-church teams, and spring break Y-trips. More information about them is available on the campus ministries section of 91����Ƶ’s website, www.emu.edu.

Copies of an eight-page, full-color booklet about YPCA’s 50 years is available on request while supplies last from alumni@emu.edu.

Sarasota, Fla., draws 91����Ƶ students on spring break on a yearly basis.

It was spring break on Siesta Public Beach, and these college students were living it up.

Shirts were off. Bikinis and sunglasses were on.

Lounging on their towels after a long game of Frisbee, a few of them reached into their cooler for some nice, cold peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, apples and carrots …

.

Twelve students, led by Philip J. (Jordan) Good and Hannah E. Yoder, will do construction and rehabilitative housing with Service With Appalachian People (SWAP) in Harlan, Ky.

Another group of 12, headed by Kendra R. Nissley and Felicia D. Wideman, will be involved at Jubilee Partners in Comer, Ga. This farm-based intentional community provides advocacy services for refugee families entering the U.S.

Students Jennifer A. Edwards and Joseph A. (Joe) Horst will direct another 12-member group in hurricane relief and rebuilding work in the devastated community of Long Branch, Miss., under the auspices of the Valley Response Group.

Ten students, led by Paul J. Yoder and Kara L. Bender, will visit and assist organizations addressing poverty and other urban issues in Philadelphia and Camden, N.J. They include Camden House, New Hope for Women Center, Urban Hope and the Lighthouse Family Center Church.

91����Ƶ sophomore Ariel C. Ressler, (YPCA) trip commissioner, said the service experiences “benefit both the students and those they relate to.

“It’s a great opportunity to interact with new people and to experience a different way of life,” she said.

Ressler, a major from Lititz, Pa., went with a group to Philadelphia last year and said she came away “with a lot of questions” related to urban problems and how to address them.

In addition to the service teams, the 91����Ƶ Royals will participate in the annual 91����Ƶ-Sarasota Spring Classic over the break week. The Royals will compete against Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio; Cedarville (OH) University; Trinity International University, Deerfield, Ill.; and Northwestern College, Orange City, Iowa.

91����Ƶ President will speak at the 9 a.m. worship service Mar. 5 at Bay Shore Mennonite Church in Sarasota.

Charity N. Miller had a different spring break than other 91����Ƶ students.

And while she would have much preferred spending that time with friends and family at her home in Sarasota, Fla., instead of in the hospital, she looks back on her experience of the past several weeks with a sense of amazement.

Ms. Miller, a first-year 91����Ƶ student, was experiencing headaches that became more severe as the month of February progressed. The last day of the month, the resident director of her dorm, Nan Kanagy, took her to Rockingham Memorial Hospital in Harrisonburg for a scheduled MRI scan.

Later, Miller left a message with Kanagy, telling her she had been sent to the emergency room for further tests. She was then transferred by ambulance to the University of Virginia Medical Center at Charlottesville, one hour from Harrisonburg.

There, doctors confirmed that Miller had a cerebral arteriovenenous malformation (AVM), a disorder of blood vessels in the brain in which there is an abnormal connection between the arteries and the veins. The cause is unknown, but it is a congenital disorder, meaning it it is present at birth. For more than half the persons with AVM, the first symptom is bleeding from the malformation, which can lead to profound disabilities or death.

Charity Miller and her mother, Anita Miller. "What an experience this has been . . . we’ve been blessed by the prayers of so many people," they said.
Photo by Jim Bishop

After being admitted to UVA Medical Center, Miller underwent two
angiograms in which a catheter is threaded into the brain where the arteries feeding the AVM are located. Once in place, a piece of "super glue" is released in hopes of shutting off the blood supply to the AVM, causing it to shrink. The procedure was done in phases to prevent unnecessary trauma to the brain and to allow time to reroute the blood that had been flowing to the AVM.

Miller went to the operating room at 7:30 a.m. Mar. 8. Surgery to remove the rest of the AVM began at 9 a.m. and went until 4:30 p.m. The neurosurgeon informed her parents, John O. and Anita Miller, who had come from Sarasota, that "everything went fine – no surprises."

John Miller then told his daughter that the operation was over and everything went well. She responded loudly, "That’s good, because I’m not doing it again!"

The evening of Feb. 28, more than 50 91����Ƶ students gathered for an initial prayer meeting in the Great Lounge of Northlawn where Miller was a resident. "Students from all six dorms on campus gathered together for a time of prayer and worship, remembering Charity and her situation," Nan Kanagy said. We left with a sense of peace, knowing Charity herself was calm and in good spirits."

Charity Miller says goodbye to several 91����Ƶ friends over lunch in preparation for going back to her home in Sarasota, Fla.

Using e-mail and a web site that a friend had set up, reports of Miller’s situation and requests for prayer spread rapidly as her mother updated everyone.

Miller remained in intensive care for monitoring and was given large doses of anti-seizure medication, but apart from dizziness and a headache caused by the angiograms, she enjoyed a steady stream of visitors from 91����Ƶ. On Mar. 11, she was moved to a semi-private room.

"I had more people show up than should be allowed in my room," Miller said. "But the medical staff were so kind and understanding and sorta looked the other way."

Charity’s father, John, returned to Florida, while Anita Miller remained in Harrisonburg, making daily trips over the mountain to Charlottesville to see her daughter. On Mar. 13, Charity was released from the hospital.

On Mar. 17, one day before leaving campus to return to her Sarasota home, Miller was eating lunch with several friends and saying her goodbyes. She said she was "tired, excited about being back on campus and anxious to have her head wrap removed." Her hair has already started to grow back.

Although Miller will miss the rest of second semester, she said she will be able to finish up much of her course work from home, with the cooperation of her professors and the aid of a computer. She is dropping two courses that would be difficult to continue from a distance – speech and Spanish – because of their "oral" nature.

"I would like to return [to 91����Ƶ] this fall, but that’s not certain at this point," Miller said. "I really like it here; 91����Ƶ is an amazing place."

The 91����Ƶ student came through her ordeal with no neurological damage. She’s must take anti-seizure medication for several months and been told to walk and do stretching exercises regularly, but no physical or occupational therapy is necessary.

Charity’s mother, a nurse, said she was "encouraged" when she heard the diagnosis, knowing that while it was a life-threatening illness, the possibilities were good for a full recovery.

"We’re so grateful for all the good things that have happened over the past two weeks and have felt God’s presence with us throughout," said Anita Miller. "The outpouring of love, support and prayers for Charity and our family has been overwhelming.

"I have no doubt that any parent who has followed our journey also shares our relief and joy at the outcome," she said. "How can we thank everyone? It’s impossible. We are blessed beyond measure."

Charity’s web site can be accessed at . She can be contacted at her home at 7932 Oak Grove Circle, Sarasota FL 34243. E-mail messages can be sent to .

Not only spring break, but undoubtedly, Easter will also carry special meaning for Charity Miller, her parents and family and a host of supporters from around the world.