What I have learned this year

This year has been very challenging and very gratifying at the same time. Many times, I find myself thinking, “I just want to go home”; other times, I think “I am so glad that I am here. Needless to say, an experience like this, brings a lot of learning.

I have learned to be confident in my abilities and trust what I can do. I have learned the importance of storytelling. I have learned how to take time for myself and exercise regularly. I have learned how to recognize when something is bothering me and how to analyze the situation. I have learned how to accompany people in all situations and when not to accompany them. I learned how to communicate in another language fluidly. I learned how to care more about politics and about how important it is to be involved in political movements. I learned about how Jesus calls us to be soldiers of social justice. I learned about oppression. I learned that there are reasons behind different points of view and how to respect them.

YAGM is a fantastic program that helps young adults develop necessary skills to go into adulthood and make a difference. We change the communities that we live in by building relationships and we change the United States by what we bring back with us. There are young adults that do this program every year. To support the future of the YAGM program and the other young adults please donate at this link: http://support.elca.org/goto/justin_marx.

Thank you for all the prayers and support you have offered for all YAGM.