It’s difficult to say what actually precipitated our interest in moving to Munich. Was it our love of traveling and adventure? Was it Meg's love of pretzels? Was it our time at the All Staff Young Life conference in January where we celebrated the growth of Young Life international beyond the domestic scope? Was it our desire to work in diverse settings?
The answer is probably yes-and. We can see the thread of God slowly weaving this story together without any one starting point.
Last January, Chase came across a posting on the weekly YL email for jobs in Munich and Zurich. We both said, “Oh, that’d be fun” with a forlorn sigh. But the thought didn’t leave me (Meg), in fact, it got louder as I daydreamed over what an international move could mean for us in this season. This came to a head a few weeks later when I blurted out, “I think you should just apply for it! Why not?” This was followed by about ten unpremeditated reasons that literally fell out of my mouth. And so, we looked into it.
Then the world shut down. Which was disorienting and confusing, but also left us time and space to tackle the intensive process of applying for International Young Life. We had preliminary phone calls, we filled out long applications, we took personality assessments, we talked with the International team. Every week we had a task, and every week we felt compelled to take the next step. The slowness of quarantine allowed us to really consider and dream what this kind of move could look like, what sacrifices it would require.
Once we were approved (aka they decided we could succeed as ex-pats), we began the placement process. We learned about all the areas Young Life is growing in across the globe. We settled in on a 3-5 year commitment working with international students and, given our stage of life, we prioritized accessibility (we just couldn’t move future grandbabies out of reach of their grandparents). So, Europe it was! After being caught in a decision between Munich, Germany and Lisbon, Portugal we thought we’d never settle, it became clear. It took some willingness to accept the reality that this might actually happen for us to discern the still small voice hidden within. But there it was, whispering, inviting, beckoning—Munich.
And here we are! We’ve said a full yes, we’ve committed to fundraising, and we can’t wait to make friends with the students of Munich’s International Schools. We feel the honor, privilege, and holy fear of what saying a big, risky “yes!” to God can feel like. But here we are, accepting the invitation, one step at a time. Welcome to the journey!
You can read more about what our job will look like on Chase’s blog post, Imagine If!
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