If your pastor was out of town this past week, chances are you would have found him or her down at Virginia Beach for Gathering of the Ministerium. This annual event, hosted by the Virginia Synod, is a time for the rostered leaders of our synod to come together to build community, to worship, and to learn, all while overlooking the ocean. During the large group sessions they heard from our guest speaker, Linda Mercadante, about what people mean when they say that they are "spiritual but not religious."

There were over 100 rostered leaders in the crowd but only one had just moved to Virginia from Madagascar.   

This summer Pastor Austin Propst traveled with his wife Tanya and their dog Puba halfway across the world to answer the call to become the pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Bristol Virginia.

"YAGM provides an opportunity to send young people into the world to see what God is up to in a different context," Austin said. "The key is that people come back to tell these stories and that's what Jesus did-he told stories."

Now young adults who want to apply for YAGM have the possibility of being placed in any of the nine countries where programs currently exist. Just 4 years ago, Madagascar wouldn't have been on that list.

After attending Wartburg Theological Seminiary and getting married, Austin started the process of finding his first call. In the meantime the couple decided to look into global mission options through the ELCA.

"I originally was filling out an application for Kenya and the application asked for the spouse to fill out a section," said Austin.

The Global Mission Office of the ELCA responded quickly and asked if the couple had ever thought about the YAGM program. At that point there was an opening for a brand new country program.

One major stimuli for that initial call was Tanya's section of the application. While Austin had a seminary degree, she also had her own credentials. After volunteering with the Peace Corps at a nonprofit in South Africa for two years, Tanya had gained international experience with building relationships and working in new communities.

 "It really did fit both of our skills," said Tanya. We fit the mold of what they needed for this program."

When they arrived in Madagascar, they started from scratch. The YAGM program sends 6-10 volunteers to each country who are each assigned to a different town or community. With no community partners, there could be no placements.

"We initially had to meet all the church leaders," Austin said. "Our dear friends Sthela and Hasina helped to take us around the country and introduce us to many of the church leaders in the Malagasy Lutheran Church."

As Tanya and Austin made connections they were careful to ask questions about what leaders needed for their community and to communicate messages of collaboration.

"We always wanted to enter into what was already going on and what was really needed," Austin said. "We weren't called to say 'come to me, I want to show you Jesus.' It was more like 'let's walk together and see where Christ takes us.'"

After finding community partners, six young adults arrived the first year, eager to serve and learn more about the country. With the volunteers in Madagascar, Austin and Tanya worked together as a team, using their gifts to make the program a success. Austin handled pastoral care and retreats while Tanya was able to take on the logistics and finances.

While the couple settled into their roles, the transition to a new country is still a major change. Everything from the language to transportation, and even the food, was different.

"In Madagascar, rice is the main event," Tanya said. She explained that the rice was so much more than most Americans can even imagine because it is prepared differently than in the U.S. where we may use rice as a small side dish. In Madagascar for each meal you are presented with a "mountain of rice."

There weren't just external, tangible differences between the U.S. and Madagascar. Austin described going to get groceries as more of a community gathering instead of just an errand.

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While Madagascar is known for lemurs, they could usually only be found in the National Parks where the YAGM group would go on retreats

We would go to the market and we knew the person who grew the vegetables. We had a relationship with the woman who grew our bananas. In Madagascar we had an intimate relationship with the community."

After three years of building up the Madagascar YAGM program, Austin and Tanya are transitioning again. This time the Holy Spirit led them to Southwest Virginia.

"In Madagascar, people don't just stumble upon your group or your community of faith. It takes a brother in Christ inviting a sister in Christ to be a part of that community. Redeemer in Bristol does an awesome job of inviting people."

The Propsts have not only seen the relational nature of their church members, but also of fellow rostered leaders.

"Austin has boasted about the Highlands Conference and how close all the pastors are," Tanya said. "When they have their conference meeting he always comes back really encouraged. I was really impressed-that's a community."

Austin and Tanya will be coming back to Virginia Beach this week to a place with more NASCAR fans than lemurs but the lessons they have learned will continue to translate over well. The importance of knowing your community and inviting others into to body of Christ is important to sharing the Gospel in every culture.