DestiNATIONS International. My family rents an apartment in Elmhurst, Queens, one of the most culturally diverse places on the earth. Fun Fact: our local hospital offers translation services in 153 languages! Our neighbors are Chinese, Indonesian, Columbian, Nepali, Pakistani, and Bangali, just to name a few. Being surrounded by so many cultures is one of my favorite parts of New York City.
For the most part, I live a fairly“ normal” Mennonite life. I am seventeen, the oldest of five kids, and a senior in high school. I spend most of my time studying Economics, Spanish 2, or any of my other credits. From September to March, I also compete in MACSA Bible Quizzing, which means that I have to memorize 260-300 verses in approximately four months. This year, the passages are Ephesians, Ruth, and Proverbs 4, and we are right in the middle of memorizing and practicing. My family is also part of a homeschool group which meets once a month. We go to the go on field trips, and I really enjoy it. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, making cards, writing letters, emailing, or trying new crafty ideas. But I spend most of my time in school or in quizzing.
At the Mission Training Center, my dad is the Assistant Director, and our family often interacts with the trainees that come through. Youth groups come for the weekend and I can see some of my friends from quizzing, or I make new friends. Twice a year, the MTC offers a six-week long training course called Long Term Orientation( LTO). I always enjoy LTO because I get to know the trainees very well, and I can see how God works in every person’ s life a different way. Interns also come for six to eight months, and they can often be seen sitting at our table or singing in our living room. Life at the MTC as a“ staff kid” gives me the opportunity to meet dozens of people every year who are serving God with their lives. That, in turn, inspires me to serve Him where I am right now. park, sing in choir, have talent nights, or