Every year, Mission Year says good-bye to approximately 60-70 team members who have completed their year of service, community, and discipleship. Every alum of our program chooses to live out what they learned in Mission Year in radical and different ways.
Our final dream in our dream series is that servants would go fort and make a difference across the world. We celebrate the alum of Mission Year who are doing just that.
Meet Ryan Greer. He participated in Mission Year Oakland in 2004-05, and is currently living in Cochabamba, Bolivia. He is volunteering some with an organization called Sustainable Bolivia and studying Spanish until his brain hurts. He shared with us about the connections between his Mission Year experience and his current endeavors.
Where did you serve in Oakland during Mission Year?
I lived with two other guys and three girls in a 2 bedroom house in Lower Bottoms, a neighborhood in West Oakland famous for being the birthplace of the Black Panther movement.
Where have you traveled/lived abroad? What type of work have you been doing?
I have had the privileged opportunity to travel to many beautiful places around the world. As a child I lived in Mexico for a year, Brazil for two years, and Kenya for eight years.
As an adult, I have lived in Jordan, Argentina, and now Bolivia. I love to travel, I love the challenge that it presents, the difficulties that are never expected, and the way that it forces me to slow down and reconsider what is actually important in life.
After finishing Mission Year and returning to complete an undergraduate degree, I decided to pursue a Master’s Degree in International Development at Eastern University through their partnership with Mission Year.
Now the type of work I do is related to community development in an international arena. I am passionate about peacemaking and conflict resolution, as well as helping communities grow stronger and gain a greater understanding of their God given potential. While that is all very ambiguous, it translates into jobs with organizations like Samaritan’s Purse, Mennonite Central Committee, Catholic Relief Service, and even UNICEF.
Given your global interests, how did you decide to participate in Mission Year?
I have always been interested in global initiatives. My parents served as missionaries in several different countries while I was growing up and that love for other cultures and other countries has remained with me to this day.
I first heard about Mission Year when I attended the Urbana Missions Conference in December of 2003. Initially I had no real interest in working or volunteering with an urban ministry, but Mission Year’s motto, “Love God, Love People, Nothing Else Matters” grabbed me like none other.
After learning about the organization, I was drawn to their desire to create community through loving others, and from then on, I was hooked. I applied a couple weeks later and moved to Oakland in August.
I didn’t go to do urban ministry, I went to learn more about community, and in so doing, had both those ideas turned upside down in my life.
How does your Mission Year experience influence your involvement globally?
Mission Year continues to be, without a doubt, one of the most formative years of my life. I cannot begin to relate in its entirety how much Mission Year changed my perspective on what it means to build God’s Kingdom, on what it means to serve and love others, or on what it means to be a part of a community.
Urban ministry and global ministry are very similar fields, both involve living in a culture that is most likely not one you’ve grown up in, with different customs, different values, and sometimes even a different language.
When it comes to how Mission Year has influenced my global involvement, the comparisons don’t seem to end. Mission Year helped teach me the importance of listening, a skill that is important wherever you may live.
Mission Year helped me to better understand how social problems affect a community on a personal level, and how people are abused and neglected by the very systems they try desperately to be a part of. Mission Year also helped me to become interested in issues that normally wouldn’t concern me, and taught me that to love others you have to become interested in what they are interested in.
Do you have longer term plans internationally?
“Longer term plans” always bring a smile to my face. My version of long term planning basically involves buying a frozen pizza.
If my work overseas has taught me anything, it is that things change, that what we think may be good for us might actually be our greatest struggle, and that flexibility can save your life. With that said, I try to best to remain open to whatever God may have in store for me.
I would like to continue living and working overseas, but in what capacity and for how long is not entirely up to me. As much as I miss my home in the States, I have come to value the perspective that we are never truly home until we are with Christ, and to that end I will continue doing all I can to make that homecoming party as off the hook as possible!
What did you learn from urban neighbors that has stayed with you?
My urban neighbors taught me many important lessons during my time in Mission Year. I learned the dangers of romanticizing the poor, and how even people who we seek to serve can be selfish and hurtful.
At the same time, however, I also learned the beauty of our humanity and the indescribable blessing that it is to connect with someone in a way that transcends language and culture. My urban neighbors taught me to cherish life, even when everything in it seems pitted against you. I am forever grateful to them for those lessons.
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This post is part of our 15 Dreams blog series supporting The 15 Campaign. Dream #15: We dream of a world where servants are making a difference across the world.
