WorldService Corps Enlarges Life

A few years ago I took part in an adventure that would change my life. I did not know what to expect or what would come from it.

In the summer of 2005, two other women and I were volunteers with WorldService Corps in Seoul, South Korea. During this time, we learned about the culture and how to work in a community and on a team. It was different from what we were used to, living in the United States, even though Seoul is as advanced in technology and daily living as cities such as Chicago or New York. The food, lifestyle, how people interact, and activities were something I had not encountered before. Despite small differences, people were still welcoming and happy to know that my partners and I were there.

In every aspect of our lives we had someone who showed us around, taught us useful information, prayed with us, welcomed us into their homes, and showed us what Christ was all about. This sense of community and love was what everyone had been trying to teach me my whole life. This time it was on a broader scale and with people I did not know and might never see again.

The summer ended and we finished up with our debriefing in Independence, Missouri. I returned home and then back to school, but I didn’t feel the same. What could I do to share what I had learned and experienced? Finally it came to me. Whether it was through God speaking to me or something else, I realized that I should just show people what was shown to me: to love others as I had been loved; to create community the way it had been created for me time and time again.

Since returning from South Korea, I have graduated from Graceland University. I changed my degree to teaching. I hope to share love and community through teaching and perhaps eventually through school counseling. I am also back working with WorldService Corps, collecting alumni’s contact information, and I hope to help recruit people so that they can experience what I have experienced.

To learn more about WorldService Corps and how you can participate, go to www.CofChrist.org/worldservice/.

—Megan Pierce reporting