Karis Rosell
Why Mission Year?
I have been led to this program because I have a deep desire to stop talking about what it means to be a Christian and start living like one. By becoming a Mission Year Team member I hope to gain a better understanding of how to do this; how to live my life in a way that models Christ who gave up everything for us, while living and working with those most precious to God – the poor and downtrodden. I am excited at the prospect of getting to know people who have grown up in an America radically different from the one I know, and learning their stories, pain, joy, and points of view. I am delighted at the idea of leaving my comfortable, cozy life behind for the sole purpose of loving others in a Christ-like way for a year. How might I be able to impact the life of someone else and how might my life be changed by those I meet? This year will surely not be easy, but during the course of this year I hope to be able to better learn to love as Jesus loves, while deepening my own relationship with our Christ.
About Mission Year
Mission Year is a year long urban ministry program focused on Christian service and discipleship. We take teams of young people, place them in an area of need, and help them to serve people and create community. We are committed to the command of Jesus to “love God and love people,” by placing the needs of our neighbors first and developing committed disciples of Christ with a heart for the poor. Learn more about our first year program…
Karis Rosell's Blog
Excerpt from Oct. Newsletter / Nov 16, 03:19 PM
Well friends, it’s hard for me to believe, but I have been in Wilmington for over six weeks already. Time has flown by as I am continuously learning more about this new world here and the loving God who created it. I’m feeling continually challenged to transform my ideas of what it means to be a Christian following in the footsteps of the revolutionary Jesus, and what true Godly love is. This transformation, still in its very beginning phases, is not an easy one. It twists and stretches in exciting and frightening and awkward ways. It’s hard, but very good.
While working through new ideas and perspectives, I am struck over and over by what we are told about how Jesus lived and loved during his time on Earth, and implications that has for our own lives. Jesus hung out with those who were the social outcasts of his day, in a culture where honor was gained by connection with the powerful and association with the lowly could be viewed as shameful. If Jesus’ love was so counter-cultural in his time, we should certainly feel no hesitation in indiscriminately loving. Further we should especially focus on those who might be viewed as the social outcasts in our culture. For me, this seems to be one way in which to work towards a more Christ-like revolutionary love. In keeping with this quest, my housemates plus a few others found ourselves in the midst of downtown Philly one night. Our simple goal was to give slices of pizza to those many might consider to be today’s outcasts – the many people in Philly who have found themselves homeless. We wanted to give food, but we also wanted to show them that they were not forgotten. We wanted the people we came in contact with to feel like someone cared and if we were lucky, perhaps even get them to share some of their stories.
In the end I know I was blessed more than any of those a handed pizza to. I heard stories, wisdom, and theories. I found myself engaged in discussions about psychology, religion and philosophy that night. And I was humbled by my surprise at these occurrences. Over and over what I heard from the homeless men and women was the statement, “they forget that we’re still people”. I am humbled and ashamed that I am one of “them”. Lord, forgive me when I think too highly of myself, and continue to convict and humble me.
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