WorldService Corps Expands with Ten Sites

Twenty-one young adult volunteers begin WorldService Corps training in May. In June they will travel in teams to ten sites to participate in service projects and witness among different peoples and cultures.

Tara Cole, a sixth-grade communication arts teacher from Independence, Missouri, and Karla Van Beek, an occupational therapist from Bradenton, Florida, will serve in chaplain and guide services at a church conference center in Tiona, Australia. It is located at a campground that draws many tourists, especially to its beautiful outdoor cathedral.

Margaret Rastle and Andrea Rowe will work at the medical clinic in La Buena Fe, Honduras, and go on outreach trips to surrounding villages each week. Margaret studies sociology and criminal justice at Graceland University. Andrea studies biomedical sciences at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

Meg Baertl, a high school biology teacher from Sour Lake, Texas, and Sarah Hamilton, who recently completed an English literature and secondary education degree at Graceland, will work closely with Eva Wasonga in Mombasa, Kenya. The team will go on home visits, provide health education and English lessons in primary schools, and lead discussions about culture, generational differences, and career planning in secondary schools.

David Dunster and Micah Hunt will assist Pastor Lawrence Ochieng with a literacy program for the Masai, an independent tribe that lives in a village outside Njukini, Kenya. David attends University College of the Fraser Valley, Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. Micah is a psychology major at Graceland.

Bruce Koehler and Karyn Wingard will stay with Wilson and Susan Mgomezulu in Mzimba, Malawi. The team will help teach adult English classes and work with various groups, focusing on health education, orphan care, home visits, and Young Peacemakers Clubs. Bruce is a biology/premed major and Karyn studies writing at Graceland.

Jillian Albro and Samantha (Sam) Parkes will partner with two young adults, Amanda Hernandez and Nefi Hernandez, in Mexico City, Mexico. They will travel to surrounding areas to conduct youth programming, supervise camps, and provide leadership at an annual gathering. Jillian majors in business management and Spanish at Wichita State University. Sam studies vocal performance and English at Graceland.

Sarah Beer, Heather Cothern, and Tamera Woods will travel to several villages in the Philippines. Based in Binalonan, the team’s outreach work will focus on youth, home visits, and congregational ministries. Sarah studies psychology and criminal justice at University College of the Fraser Valley; Heather teaches elementary music in Roswell, New Mexico; and Tamera works at a law firm in Kansas City, Missouri.

Rachel Barrett and Sandy Ayre will work closely with appointee Steve Shields and Transformation 2000 minister Elizabeth Else in Seoul, South Korea. Their main activities will be relational ministries with young adults, emphasizing English-as-a-Second-Language-outreach. Rachel is working toward a bachelor of fine arts, emphasizing sculpture, at Siena Heights University, Adrian, Michigan. Sandy studies biology at Transylvania University, Lexington, Kentucky.

Balka Chandra and Emily Passman will work with national minister Henry DeSilva in a village outside Columbo, Sri Lanka. The team will help construct a community center funded by World Church, go on home visits, and organize women’s and youth programs. Balka is a project designer with an architectural firm in Suva, Fiji. Emily is a nursing major at Graceland’s Independence campus and works as a hospital patient care associate.

Melody Alexander and Melinda Shirk will concentrate on community and missionary work with national minister Samuel Mushibwe in Manoa, Zambia. They will assist community health workers and traditional birth attendants to teach preventive health education. Melody is completing her secondary education degree at Central Missouri State University. Melinda is pursuing an environmental science degree at Northern Michigan University.

-Kendra Friend