Editor’s Note: Santa Jinaina is a 2024-2025 IVEP participant from Zambia. She is serving as a manager assistant at Hartville Thrift Shoppe. Top photo: IVEP participants in Great Lakes Region visit Skydeck during their regional retreat in Chicago. Santa Jinaina sits in the front row, at left. MCC photo/Krista Dutt
Stepping into an unfamiliar territory with different social norms and professional expectations helped me see failure as an essential part of my growth. At first, I struggled with the embarrassment of mispronouncing words, not understanding things obvious to the locals like social cues, and embracing the discomfort and shame that came with not knowing and always being the one asking about everything. Then I noticed that every time I failed, a window of improvement and learning opened. This changed my perspective on failure as I went through my experience as an IVEP participant.
I have always been zoophobic especially when it came to dogs because I always associated them with barking, unpredictability and even potential danger. Coming to the U.S. made me realize dogs are everywhere, in stores, homes, streets, parks, cars, you mention it. That did not bother me as much as living with both a dog and two cats in my host home. At first that felt like God was letting me share one roof with all my fears. But I thought, “He is a good God, why would he do that to me?”
You can picture what that looked like for me. It was not easy but through the journey, I had to allow myself to try and overcome my fear by facing it with a different mindset. Of course, it did not happen overnight, but the small steps added together made an enormous difference and opened my eyes to see that God placed me in this situation for a greater purpose than meets the eye. Even if I still get a bit nervous around unfamiliar pets, my fear has turned into respect and understanding.
I struggled to maintain my hair because braiding is extremely expensive in the U.S. However, after complaining forever, I decided to try and braid it myself. I must say I was very certain I was going to waste a good part of my weekend — meant for resting — doing something with whose outcome I would not be impressed.
Guess what made the difference? Trying!
Yes, trying!
I just discovered a skill I had no idea I had because I tried it, and it turned out better than I expected.
Seeing myself graduate from fearing animals to seeing them as God’s creation that need love, too…
Finding my strengths in challenges, receiving so much help from my community around me…
Having tasks that have built resilience and some that have exposed what I need to work on…
Having an understanding that my volunteer work is contributing to changing someone’s life out there…
These things have brought a lot of joy and made me see how God has been very present in my life.
I have also learned that volunteering should be enjoyable, and rest away from work is also important. During our retreats, I had an opportunity to explore so many things as well as attend a concert by my favorite gospel group, Maverick City. Thanks to MCC, this will forever be one of my favorite highlights of my experience.
It has only been five months and so much changed for the better the moment I changed my perspective. After learning and unlearning what I had to, I am more confident than ever that I can do anything. No dream looks too big for me to achieve because I have been seeing God walk with me through every step on this journey.
During my university studies, I served in a Christian interdenominational fellowship called Chi Alpha (which is a Greek term for Christ’s ambassadors). This is a group of young adults who do local missions yearly and visit orphanages, prisons, etc. It made me see the importance of sharing God’s love in the smallest ways with others around me. And God allowed me to serve in an organization that shares God’s love through peace, relief and development on a global scale. It truly has been a blessing to participate in MCC’s mission as an IVEP participant, an ambassador of Christ.