Who am I?

 Hi friends!

For my first post, I thought I would give you a little background on who I am and why I'm here. My name is Andy and I am 23 years old. I am a missioner in Tanzania with a Catholic non-profit call Maryknoll. My mission is not super clear right now, I am just trying to follow my heart and do God's will. As I begin my mission (learn the language, culture, and customs) I will inculturate more and more; figuring out what the people need and how I can serve. It is very important to me not to go in with big ideas and 'fix' things, but to rather serve the people God has lead me to and only do what they ask of me. 

Background

I grew up on a farm in rural Illinois in a river town called Meredosia. Among other things, we raised Angus cattle and grew corn and beans.The farm was a lot of work and I did not enjoy it that much. However, being a farm kid taught me good work ethic and independence. Just before high school my mom and I moved to a town outside of Springfield, IL called Pleasant Plains. This is where I made a lot of friends and grew into who I am today. High school was a rough time for me, but the formation of my heart and personality that I got was irreplaceable. After graduation I went to the local community collage and majored in music. One semester I decided to take geography as an elective. I enjoyed it so much I talked to the professor about changing my major- he suggested I wait and go into my 4 year university with the new major instead. So, thats what I did and two years later (in 2020) I graduated from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville with a major in Cultural Geography and a minor in Peace and International Studies. After graduation I moved to St. Louis and worked there as a pharmacy tech at Walgreens until I moved to Scranton, PA with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. This didn't last very long and I eventually moved closer to my mom in Millbrook, AL just outside of Montgomery. At this point I knew I wanted to serve, I just didn't know how to do that. My best friend suggested an Americorps program in Kentucky that he was familiar with and very fond of. I applied for this program and I also kept pursuing international opportunities, as I knew I was called to East Africa. I eventually found Maryknoll and applied for the 2022 cohort and in the meantime I worked in McCreary Co. Kentucky for a year. 

Faith

Because Maryknoll is a faith based organization, I thought it might be nice if I gave some background on my relationship with God and why it was so important to me to be working within the Catholic Church. When I was growing up my entire family was Lutheran. We went to church every Sunday and were pretty religious. When I got into high school and fell out of faith. Even though I never would have told you I was an atheist I questioned God a lot. In my first two years of college, I was all over the place. As I studied different cultures around the world I was increasingly

 attracted to every and all religions and eventually considered myself a pluralist (nothing is right, nothing is wrong- we are all just taking different paths up the same mountain). However, when I moved to Edwardsville for my last two years of college I accidentally went to a Catholic Mass... oops. To not be rude I decided to stay until it was over butttt... they served ice cream after mass. So, I decided I would stay for ice cream THEN leave and never come back. As I was eating my ice cream in the corner, two guys started a conversation with me and we talked until about 3am that night. Those two guys became my best friends. They were catholic and very knowledgable and passionate about their faith. We would have coffee every week talking about the church and issues around and within it. One night at mass I was moved by the Holy Sprit- I can't really explain it but I knew I had to start the classes to convert immediately! I was confirmed into the Catholic Church on May 3, 2020 and continue to grow in my ever evolving relationship with God. I cannot thank the guys enough for not only introducing me to the church, but also being my confirmation sponsors and never tiring of my endless questions. 

Friends

 friends are great! Michelle is the friend I have had the longest- I have known her since we were 14 and dorky. We have grown up together. She is so dependable and kind hearted. Shell is an appointment coordinator at Memorial Hospital in Springfield, IL. My best friend, Douglas is amazing and the Love of my life. There are not enough words to describe how much he means to me. He is just the best. Doug is a Cartographer with Continental mapping in St. Louis. Charlie is also cool. Charlie helped me understand the church and it's teachings so much. Charlie is currently in seminary at St. Meinrad, IN and will be ordained in May of 2025! My other amazing friends from college include Fr. Don, Coleman, Fruend, Lucy, and the whole focus crew! My housemates in Kentucky were all amazing, but Karen stood out above the rest. I have never, in my life, felt so close to another soul so quickly as when I met Karen. She is just another version of me... except slightly older. She is currently living in Iowa and working on a Doctorate from Concordia University. As I have been at orientation I have grown to love my entire class and will do a whole post surrounding that topic- keep an eye out for that! In the mean time- they are all awesome!

  

Family

Family is so important in every culture, all around the world. My mom and my grandpa are the most important people in my family. They have always been there for me and so supportive of everything I do- even moving out of the US. They have taught me to just be myself and follow my dreams, I hope to make them proud. My mom's boyfriend, Keith, is also an important part of my life... even though he is a dork.

Why Maryknoll?

There is no right way to do mission. Everyone has opinions and viewpoints that can differ greatly. However, I think that Maryknoll alines with my views on most things. Maryknoll tries very hard to pay attention to the needs of the community's we are serving and accompany people through their struggles without forcing western ideals or pushing them to change their culture or way of life in any way. We are simply there to accompany and learn. I think Maryknoll's Mission Statement says it best:

'Maryknoll Lay Missioners is a Catholic organization inspired by the mission of Jesus
live and work with poor communities in Africa, Asia and the Americas, responding to basic needs and helping to create a more just and                                  compassionate world.'

If you would like to learn more about Maryknoll as an organization their website is https://mklm.org/

If you would like to learn more about the Maryknoll Order as a whole their website is https://www.maryknoll.org/

If you would like to donate there are donation buttons on both of the websites, however if you would like to donate to my mission specifically... hang tight, we're working on that :)

Hey Thanks!

I am super excited to start my mission and share it with you! I cannot wait to learn more about the culture that I have been gravitating to my whole life and doing so with a catholic organization! I feel like this is my calling and God has led me here. If you are reading this and you are still with me, follow along and see where else God will lead me on this amazing journey! Its gonna be a wild ride- click it or ticket ;)

Tanzania here I come!