Emily Shakal
Mission Year and Me - The Prologue.
So I guess Mission Year will be like opening a new chapter in my life, so background info is almost always the prologue.
My name is Emily, I am currently 17 (will be 18 on December 16th), and am a Senior at Fort Walton Beach High School in Florida. As far as interests go, I like doing lots of things and honestly, I feel I’m pretty good at a lot of things. I like doing the arts: writing, painting, singing… But haven’t painted or written in months.
My more recent interests include: acting, standup comedy and improv. I am part of an improv group locally, though we’re on hiatus, and have also performed at my high school and have a performance coming up in a week and a half.
I am very academically driven, and have grown from home schooled nerd to public-schooled social-ish girl over my four years at FWBHS. But I still am nerdy at heart. I graduate in June and I hope to graduate Summa Cum Laude with a 4.5 GPA and chords from NHS, FFEA, and French Honor Society.
Enough background. Intros are always really awkward…
Here’s the deal with Mission Year. I first heard about Mission Year at Cornerstone in 2006. It didn’t even seem like a possibility to me at the time. Obviously with my nerdiness, college was always pretty highly prioritized for me. Isn’t it funny how when you pour your whole life into something other than God and His work, He likes to flip it around?
I eventually contacted Sarah Bell after receiving emails for quite some time. And things kinda fell into place. I had an urge to apply, and promptly heard back from Mission Year. The process has been snapping along quite nicely. My family has been extremely supportive to the extent that I know God’s hand is in this.
There are reasons why I choose Mission Year over college for next year, but that’s not important. I would much rather explain why Mission Year itself.
Mission Year appeals to me so much. I have a tendency to fall into my old patterns and habits and ways of living when I stay in my comfort zone. Mission Year totally strips you of that. Imagine being thrust into a household with 4-6 other people in a busy city with a mission to talk to people. Umm, uncomfortable and awkward, much? Yeah, fo’ sho’.
I also know, and have been feeling a lot lately that I’m not really letting God work in me the way I should. He could do SO much more with my life, but I’m selling myself short. And I am the one that has to hold myself accountable. Mission Year is all about fulfilling your God-given purpose to love. Purely love. And it has a built-in accountability system.
I want to grow in a way that I would be unable to anywhere else, and then take it with me on the next step in my life.
Part of me is scared about Mission Year. I think I will change and a really selfish part of me worries that after Mission Year, I won’t be able to enjoy frivolous things anymore the way I do now. The real part of me hopes this is true and hopes that Mission Year will allow me to see the God-perspective more clearly than I have in the past (and in the current).
I am excited for Mission Year and I am looking forward to updating you in my pre-Mission Year Process, and my actual Mission Year!
Take care everyone!
Emily Shakal
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…
Emily Shakal's Blog
Deliver us. / Nov 26, 04:42 PM
Deliverance.
This is a word that’s been on my mind kinda a lot recently. Sometimes God is referred to as a Deliverer. I never really got the concept of deliverance before. Back home I might have been like, “God is a Deliverer because He saved us. He delivered us from death.”
Okay. That’s a nice, comfortable, distant notion of God’s deliverance. It’s a nice thought. I was delivered from something that was imminent. But some reason, I have this thought that this distant concept of deliverance really falls short of the full meaning.
For one thing, that portrays that deliverance as somewhat impersonal. We all have access to that sort of deliverance, so what does it really have to do with me as an individual? I think deliverance should be thought of as more of a personal encounter with God. Healing in times of desparation. Freedom from a burden. A situation being completely turned around.
Here in Englewood, there are many in such great need. Stories of family members being killed or imprisoned, or of poverty, or of violence, or of pain are never too far. I hear a lot. But man, those in tune to God’s heart here will tell you of how God has brought them out of their low times. They don’t attempt to take the credit for pulling through and they easily recognize God’s hand of deliverance.
For another thing, I don’t think deliverance is always comfortable or always desired. It’s not always something that happens to you externally. I think a lot of the time, the most powerful forms of deliverance happen within you. What would change in my life if I prayed for God to deliver me from my sinful nature? How much more aware would I be of the places in my life that I’m not allowing God to have control? How would that affect my “regular” life?
The moment you ask God for deliverance of sin, man, a painful process begins to unfold. A battle within yourself. Sometimes a battle with God, just wrestling with Him and His will when it doesn’t align with ours. Deliverance is not an easy road.
Man, I can’t even grasp this. What does deliverance look like in my life? I’m going to be praying for it more, and trying to allow it to transform me. This is something God put on my heart, and I’m still not sure what it means. But if you want to join in on this journey with me, trying to figure that out, I welcome it! If I get any revelations about how it affects me in my life, I’ll update you. Haha. I expect it will be a long process though, and it’ll probably be a while before I have much more to say on this. But until then, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this matter.
Message me? :)
My mind is RACING. Pun intended. / Oct 30, 03:07 PM
Right now in Mission Year, we are reading a “curriculum” book called “Why Do All The Black Kids Sit Together In The Cafeteria?” by Dr. Beverly Tatum. It is such a thought provoking read with such heavy topics. Last week after reading, I was inspired to journal my thoughts, and now I feel inspired to share those thoughts. Comment and tell me your thoughts on this. Or email me. Or pick up a copy of this book and read it so that you can possibly begin to grasp where this is all coming from. Good stuff… Strap tight and join the ride:
I’m reading that book, “Why Do All The Black Kids Sit Together In The Cafeteria?”… It’s so interesting. It’s talking about kids and how they form racial identity. I’m becoming more aware of how my perceptions have formed racially. A lot of it had to do with Las Vegas. The neighbors across the street, the drive-by shooting, the crime shows on TV, the fear that came from observing different races. It’s weird seeing how that stuff has affected my perceptions!
It’s so deeply in-grained. The writer talks about how she raised her children and she has her strong beliefs about how to raise a child to be racially aware of stereotypes and racism, while still being actively anti-racist. It makes sense, but it’s so impractical and is anything but first nature. It’s affecting my notions of what parenting should look like. Growing up, race was never discussed with me. It was a fact of life, not a matter to be analyzed and actively involved with. Growing up, I’d internalized the value that racism and racial awareness really didn’t involve me, and that value is being challenged here.
Is that a value I’d want my kids to have? Would I want to raise my kids to be an active part of racial awareness? Ignorance for me was bliss, and in my mind, I grew up blissfully unaware. As being part of the “Majority”, that comes first nature. The “Minority” can’t grow up with that privilege. Would it be right or fair to allow my kids that same ignorance I’d had?
Should I raise my kids to be so intentionally keen to race and those implications as the writer did? What difference did that make for her kids as African Americans? What difference would that make for my (potentially) Caucasian children?
To raise my kids so intentionally bent to be actively anti-racist, would that mean relocation? Staying in a strongly ethnically diverse community? Teaching kids the Black history that the schools so easily avoid? Would that mean intentionally scrutinizing racial messages that books and televisions may give out?
Man, I never thought this issue ran so deep or could have any profound effect on my life. With what the author calls “white privilege”, it kinda doesn’t have to. But to really reconcile differences and actively seek to be an agent of God’s love to ALL of His people, that could mean a drastic change in every future goal I’ve held close to heart, and challenging every aspect of my life.
It’s a lot to digest.
— Emily Shakal
The overall first update. / Oct 20, 03:53 PM
Hey everyone!
Wow, time flies. I haven’t updated since I’ve made the big move to Chicago! Well, here’s what’s going on:
September 5th, I met up with all of my team members. Joey, Josh, Lauren, Katie and Clay. Clay I’d had the opportunity to meet before going to Chicago, but all the rest were new encounters. It was crazy trying to get all of our stuff together, but it was a good time. We had our first meeting with all the Chicago teams, and Shawn, our city director, gave a brief overview of what the next week would look like.
After a good day and a half of unpacking our stuff, we left at 4 AM on Sunday morning for “orientation” outside of Atlanta, GA. We took two large vans full of everyone in the Chicago teams and drove for 15 hours to get there by the evening. Let’s just say that roadtrips force you to become very comfortable with people VERY quickly. It was great though! Lots of fun. I will never look at PB & J or pork ribs the same way ever again.
The week we spent camping in tents in Georgia was good. It was great meeting people who were doing Mission Year in other parts of the U.S. I met a lot of cool people, heard a lot of great speakers. It was very encouraging. As good as it was hearing the speakers and being pumped up for the big year, everyone kept talking about how they really wanted to be back in their cities getting started. And I couldn’t help but agree.
These first few weeks back in the city have been very interesting. I can’t believe I’ve only known my teammates for a month. It’s ridiculous how well you get to know people when you spend all your time with them. I am so happy with my team placement. I have many things in common with each of my team members. I have already learned a lot about intentional community. I’ll blog more on that later (this is already gonna be super long).
So these first few weeks we’ve been getting to know neighbors, and have been trying to find places to volunteer. Since this is Mission Year’s first team in Englewood, we have more freedom in finding volunteer sites, but it is also probably more difficult getting established initially. After some weeks, I think I’ve finally found my places.
Two mornings a week I will be volunteering with Teamwork Englewood. They are a great group. They coordinate all the organizations in Englewood (numbering over 40 total) to meet their 10 strategies. They have a ten-year plan which is in place to better the living of those in the Englewood community. I am just now getting started with them. They have so much going on, it will be very easy to slip into place. I’m already helping them with their plans regarding home foreclosures and starting workshops/info sessions on that. And I’ve also accompanied them to a meeting. I have only been with them for two days, so I’m sure there’s much more to come.
In the afternoons, I will be with Agape, this after school tutoring/mentoring program. They are looking to start an arts “program”, and that is something I’m drawn to. Youth is a huge focus of Englewood. I heard a stat somewhere that about 40% of Englewood’s inhabitants are youth. So it’s really important that the youth are being engaged in positive things. I am supposed to start with Agape later on this afternoon. Finish up my paperwork so I can actually get started by next week.
In the two mornings I am not at Teamwork Englewood, I plan to volunteer at a grade school not far from where we live. I will probably be working as a teacher’s aid. I think that Teamwork Englewood is going to set me up with them. We haven’t even started the footwork for that yet. If not, I will set up a meeting myself this week. They will have the most extensive background checks probably, so it will take some time before I’m fully involved in that.
So these are the basics of what is going on right now. Definitely want to tell you more about my team and what we do, and more about the neighbors and how great it’s been meeting them, and I can’t wait to tell you more about our church and how welcoming they’ve been, but this is already so long. Don’t want to overwhelm you with too much (probably already have, haha). Thanks for bearing with me in this incredibly long update.
I’ll probably try to write something next week, so stay posted and I will keep in touch. As always, I appreciate your support. Whether it be financial, or through prayers or kind thoughts and especially words of encouragement. I can’t wait to continue my year here and see where it all leads. Take care and feel free to send me an email or comment. I would love to hear from you all too.
Emily Shakal
End of Senior year. / Apr 14, 09:58 AM
As Senior year is coming to an end, I’m realizing how soon Mission Year is coming up for me. It is kinda hitting me that in about 5 months I’ll be moving out of state away from all that I know.
I would say that it’s exciting or nerve-wracking or something, but I can’t say that I feel anything about it. Only because it doesn’t seem possible that it’s actually happening! It’s weird enough to be a Senior… Every other year I have been able to picture the next year in my mind.
I could imagine being in Chemistry class, in AP Literature, etc. But being a Senior, I can’t imagine next year at all. Especially with Mission Year!
I guess I am somewhat nervous. And I am excited, for sure. But it truly doesn’t feel real. Thinking about it as a certainty, which it is at this point… I’m super excited to go someplace new. I’m really excited by the idea of serving people and living with a bunch of cool people.
I’m nervous about being away from my family. I’m nervous that my future roommates and I might not get along. I’m nervous about not having my own personal space. I’m nervous about stepping outside of my comfort zone.
Next year will be crazy. Hard, but rewarding. It’s coming up sooner than I realize. I’m gonna turn my head and it’s gonna be here. I’m so ready!
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