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The Cru MPD Podcast
We love that “the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.” We are driven to equip and inspire Christian workers to be Christ-centered, fully-funded, and financially faithful - so that missionary staff can come alongside all people to help them to know Jesus.
The Cru MPD Podcast
Ep. 50 : MPD Stories: Intern Advocacy Replay
Part of our MPD Stories series, today’s episode tells a story of two interns who were a part of the 2021 Intern MPD season that saw 100% report rate for the first time ever. We explain what we mean about advocacy in MPD, and how this played a key role in the success of our interns ministry partner development this year. Special thanks to Ana Maria Alaniz Mendoza, Ariana Sibaja, and Corey Park for sharing their experiences and perspectives in this episode. Thanks also to Soundstripe for today’s featured music: "Recovery"
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Welcome to the Cru MPD podcast with Katie Johnson and Michele Davis. We love that the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel. We are driven to equip and inspire Christian workers to be Christ centered, fully funded, and financially faithful, so that missionary staff can come alongside all people to help them to know Jesus. This process is more widely known as ministry partner development, or MPD. For short.
Michele Davis:Ministry partner development is a big deal, for any missionary. You are trusting God with both your paycheck and your social standing, as you take steps of faith to ask people in your life to partner financially, and prayerfully with your ministry, add in a time crunch. And you really got a really big deal. Each year, Cru onboards between 400 and 600 interns to the ministry. These are usually recent graduates who are making a one year commitment to work full time in one of Cru's many ministries. So like our long term staff, they all raise the support they need for their salary and ministry expenses. And they do that between the end of April to early August, just three months to get fully funded. It's a race to the finish line. But is it a race we have to run alone?
Corey Park:I a couple things. The first thing is I just knew that I had a lot of family members that I'm like, it would be a huge faith cept to own up to my faith and just be obedient and sharing that I am going to like live my life on mission in a very committed way. And so coming from like a family where my parents are divorced my dad, and all of my dad's side, they're not believers. And so that was that would just be something that I knew would be scary and possibly that I would not be supported in. And you just never know how those conversations will go.
Michele Davis:Ana Maria Alaniz Mendoza has a common story. Her life had been radically changed as a college student in Washington State. And she was excited to then work with crew as she sought to live her life on mission for the gospel. But like a lot of us, she anticipated a lot of ups and downs, and MPD
Corey Park:what I actually found happening was in my namestorm, there was so many random people, and so many different parts of my life, not in the church, but like people that babysat me like people that were like my mom's friends in college like super super random connections, but I remembered it I remembered that they were believers and I remembered shoot that they actually spoke into my life when I had not even recognized it at the time. And this was actually like, kind of mind blowing to me, because I was I was like praying about this. And I was like God am I suppose to like, reach out to these people. And it was really beautiful. And so encouraging. When I actually did connect with people just practical, day to day, life, people like this, these were people that we were just doing life together. The Lord works through them in my life. And then, like a lot of them did join my team.
Michele Davis:And then the downs.
Corey Park:Doing, I was like 40% And I was like, over I needed to be I was supposed to be at 50% I was like very discouraged. I was like, wow, this is really hard. Because I kind of was recognizing that. Yes, there was a lot of people that were supporting me that were random people in my life but I had a lot of family that I reached out to you that were not unresponsive and or they were responsive and just like there was a lot of rejection there. And that was okay. But I just there was this reality that because of my my ethnic minority background, like a lot of my Buddhist and family, like family members were like, what, like they just were not really willing to have a conversation or they were and it felt like kind of hopeless like nothing was actually growing from that at least when it came to like my report date coming closer and my numbers not moving.
Michele Davis:This is not the unusual part of the story. Well, having half your family be Latino Buddhist might be a little unusual, but lots of interns struggle to make the goals and as Ashley, so if they have a situation like Anna Maria, she did not have access to the same resources that others of us take for granted.
Corey Park:My name is Corey Park, I serve in Southern California, and I am the equitable systems and bipoc MPD coordinator. And I get to come to work every day and trust the Lord to see bipoc staff reported, and to see our systems and processes change to make them more equitable. For every person who God calls them to ministry. We all know that resources are not distributed evenly. And we know that in many, many cases because of the cultural realities of our BIPOC staff that they tend to struggle and MPD more than our majority culture staff. But that's not true across the board. We have many, many majority culture staff who are under resourced for different reasons, whether that be they came to know the Lord in college, or they come from a rural poverty background, or a small town or their family is supportive of what they're doing. And they say, Hey, actually, no, you like you can't talk to anybody that we know.
Michele Davis:For many years, the EMF has been a significant way Cru has sought to address the inequities in our MPD processes.
Corey Park:Yeah, so EMF stands for the ethnic ministry fund. And it is one of the ways that crew advocates for our ethnic minority or BIPOC staff. BIPOC stands for black indigenous people of color. It was actually started by impact. And so it started as a way that impact was raising money for and empowering their, their BIPOC staff. And so the campus ministry took it over a number of years ago and and Dave Dickens and Joe led that. And then when oneness and diversity was formed, it made the most sense for oneness and diversity, to take the lead on EMF and be the stewards of it. And so there's actually three primary ways EMF is funded. The primary one for years and really the only one for years has been staff that every other year staff are given an opportunity to give to the EMF at at staff conference. Recently, EMF has. Recently, we have a couple of people who have started doing fund development with major donors for EMF. And so that is the second source of funding. And then the third is the general fund crew has put their money where their mouth is, and has given a significant amount of money to the EMF, to supplement what staff are giving and empower our bipoc staff to get to the field.
Michele Davis:But even with the EMF, as a whole, we still only saw about an 80% report rate for interns from year to year, give or take a few percent. And we still had a number of interns from all cultural backgrounds, raise most but not all of their support, and then switch to part time field staff. But enter advocacy.
Corey Park:Advocacy has been something that has slowly been introduced into our intern systems, we have had giants who have come before us, who for the last decade really has been encouraging interns to raise extra to give to one another. I think it started mostly with stunt teams, because back in the day, if not if your whole team didn't report, you didn't go. And so there was a natural advocacy that happens dinners were like well, yeah, I'm going to keep raising so that my friend can go because if they can't go I can't go. And so there was already this mutuality, this caring for one another that they developed while they were raising support. Um, and so as we saw that be so effective, and for a year is our stunt report rates have been significantly higher than our interim report rates. And I think that's primarily because of advocacy and the way that those teams came together. So in 2018, we launched the intern advocacy session as part of the crew orientation weekend. And so before they got any other MPD content, they learned how to make phone calls, learn how to share their conversation guides, they learned about advocacy. And we challenged them, we said, what would it look like if you came into this process, not just the game about your own support, but thinking about the support of others? Could we get to a point where we cross the finish line together,
Michele Davis:the summer of 2020, with COVID, and the switch to MPD, being almost entirely virtual, this person had both a challenge and an opportunity to really amp up the ambitions of the advocacy program.
Corey Park:And so last year with COVID, we were all a little bit panicked. I mean, I think we all were in different ways. But in MPD, we were like, well shoot, we have 600 interns who are set to raise support this summer, they're stuck in their homes, they can't go on appointments, people are losing their jobs, are people even going to want to give in this time. And so we said, you know, this is a perfect opportunity to expand what we've been talking about in advocacy. And so we created the role of the Advocacy Coordinator. So every geography in ministry has a person whose job it is to get these interns across their finish the finish line. And this person does benchmark calls helps the interns think through their MPD alongside their coach, they have special training in how to support and encourage bipoc staff. They and they spend their summers, encouraging people who are well resourced to continue to raise support, pass 100% all the way to their support deadline, and match them with people who who are putting in high high effort, but who are not seeing the same results because they're low resourced. And so these advocacy coordinators, last summer, we saw, we saw the biggest jump we've seen in in a couple of decades with our reporting rates, we went from 86% to 93%. And then, and then this year, sort of saw all of that come to fruition, we actually knew what we were doing a little bit more, we put some of these systems in place. And we we have DeVos now that we walk through with the interns of advocacy, and yeah, we got to see God do a miracle.
Michele Davis:93% is the highest report rate that Cru has ever seen for the intern program.
Corey Park:I found it so encouraging, just hearing about advocacy stories in the past, so I had really no idea that that was such a big part of what the NPD process would look like. And so when the trainers were telling us that in the previous year, advocacy was a huge way that a lot of people were able to be sent to the mission that the Lord has called them to. And, and just like the truth that we're not in control, really of who is going to join our team and who is not, it is totally a God thing. And it really helped me to see that kingdom vision. Like this is not me, creating my, my resources for myself, this is God and me taking a step where I can trust him and see how he is at work in so many other people's lives, as well as my own. And it was amazing. To one like kind of see that vision at the beginning. But then towards the end. See that come full circle.
Michele Davis:Did you catch that? Midsummer, Anna Maria experienced a surprise that only God could bring.
Corey Park:And it was really just feeling the tension of like, well, I don't have that much control over this. Like, I can only do what I can do. But after you get rejected from so many people you realize like, I know initiating is necessary in this season. Like you need to be initiating with people and opening the door for things to happen. But when you open 100 doors and nothing happens, you're like, wait, like, I actually can't do this on my own. It doesn't matter, open 1000 doors. Like it actually has to be me trusting God, it's not me who's gonna make it happen. And so, um, I say that because I think that in that moment, it really helped me to understand what other students were going through. Um, and and so I'm glad that that happened. Um, it was kind of crazy because my support actually did start to come in like very rapidly and like three weeks before, before my report date, and I was like, what, like, how is all this happening? And then I ended up over raising support. And I was just like, blown away because like, I just was like, what, what changed like? And I was like, how are all least funds coming to me. And then I still had friends that were like in that position that I was just, I'm not cool. And I actually still don't have the funding. And so I knew that a big part of applying for the ethnic minority fund was advocacy. And I really appreciated that because I thought like, that might be the only way I can do this as because people advocate for me. But when I realized that I could actually, I was fully funded with the help of the AMA fund, I realized I could continue going until my report date, so that I could give that to someone else. And I just felt this whole new like blessing, like it was such an honor that the Lord put me in this position that I could actually continue to raise support. I had like two more weeks that I could go strong, and I could actually give this whole fund to someone else. Like I was like, That could happen. And I just felt like it was something that the Lord was putting on my heart like, like, first, he needed me to recognize that. That, like, it wasn't my doing in the first place, and that he was blessing me in that way. And then to like that, I could bless someone else, because you know what it feels like to not be in control. Yeah, I felt like I was learning so much through that. And it, it was really, really sweet. And, um, so yeah, I continue to support rays, to hopefully, over raise enough support, that I could give away my entire grant to another person of color who was support raising. And, um, it was kind of crazy, because specifically, the day that my advocacy coach reached out to me, um, to meet up with another student of color, who could use my funds, he was like, you know, just hop on a call with her, learn her story, see how much she needs. And we can go from there. So that day, I hopped on the call. And it was really sweet to connect with another student, she happened to be another like Chicano Latino woman. So I was just like, oh, wait, that's actually kind of cool, too. You never know. But we are common. And just to hear how the Lord has been working in her life was really sweet. But the crazy thing was, she told me, like the exact amount she needed to be fully funded was the exact amount that I had over raised. So I could give her like, like, to the tee. I was like, Wait, like today? I thought it was like, oh, to give you the exact number, I'd have to look but it I think it was like 410. Monthly.
Michele Davis:Arianna Sibaja is the intern that received Anna Maria's advocacy dollars. She explains what it was like to meet Anna Maria,
Ariana Sibaja:getting to the point where my report date was a few days away. And and yeah, I wasn't fully supported yet. So I was able to meet with her. And yeah, it was just like, super sweet. Just to meet her because she was she's just a sweet human. And yeah, just hearing a lot about her story and then being able to share a little bit about about mine and, and stuff. And she was a she, it's her. It was her first year this year. So I kind of was like, so I have some advice. But take it as you will. Because it my experience was very different than what she was walking into. Because my first year was basically all virtual. But yeah, it was just like really cool to like, just basically talk about a lot of different things of like, who we are as people and like, relate on different, like cultural things. Yeah, I literally just was so relieved. And also just like, just thankful to just how one just our conversation together was just so sweet and life giving MPD appointments are not always life giving when you're asking people for money. So so just like that, like just coming in from that part of us like, yeah, like, I really like you as a person. And this is fun for me, but also, the Lord is literally going to provide for my exact need at this moment. And that was just like, really, like, amazing. I was just rejoicing in that so yeah.
Michele Davis:A couple of things strike me about this story. When Ana Maria experienced a reality midsummer, that she might be the recipient of advocacy Maybe even with the EMF, she might not be able to report without other interns standing with her in mutuality and solidarity. But then she experienced God bring in above and beyond her needs, to the point that she has the exact amount to the dollar that Arianna needed so that she too could cross the finish line fully funded. Also, you may be caught this in 2021. This marked a new thing in intern funding, where EMF recipients could also advocate for fellow bipoc interns with part of their EMF grant. Corey tells us more.
Corey Park:I mean, it's just incredible to see how when we empower people to give with all of their resources, that they respond and that the Lord responds. And I just I love the decision that EMF made this year to empower our BIPOC staff to give to one another, our interns to give to one another. Because it meant that they got to be a part of the process that if they raised $20, more than they needed, with their EMF that they could give $20 to somebody else that that they didn't have to get to 100% before they were able to advocate for somebody, but that they could say I'm going to give this piece of my EMF, which I didn't need to somebody else to get them across the finish line. And we saw dozens of of BIPOC interns do this give generously out of their excess EMF. And I really believe that they raised more than they would have otherwise across the board because they knew that they could participate in getting all of their brothers and sisters across the finish line. And on the field as missionaries sharing the gospel with with lost people.
Michele Davis:Longtime BIPOC MPD coach, Jo Restuccia played a major role in seeing this happen.
Unknown:It was actually we have an incredible MPD coach Jo who has served on the EMF committee for years, and it was actually her and her heart that just said this is so honoring to our bipoc staff to empower them to give to one another. And the EMF committee said yes, they saw in her heart, her desire to really empower these young staff and said yes, and so I'm so thankful her for her voice and for just EMFs willingness to take a chance and and to see what God would do as we give away power.
Michele Davis:In 2021, every single intern and part time field staff that continued MPD through the summer reported no one underfunded 244 domestic interns, 94 International interns, and about 150 Part time field staff. Over half a million advocacy dollars raised and shared. And these interns, we're going to share Christ in His love with an exponential number of people. As you hear Arianna describe her ministry in Chico Patchin. What if, what if she had not been able to report? What if she had not been there for Joanne?
Ariana Sibaja:leading, I lead the community life team and also help out with our weekly meeting team for for crew. So just seeing our students just grow in their faith alongside their leadership skills has been really sweet. And there's also this this, one of our students named Joanne she is my favorite. So Joanne came into she's from from Inglewood, so Southern California. And our first one of our first events during during our fall launch was a bike ride and barbecue. So I had been texting her I'm not sure how I got her phone number. But I've been texting her and she wasn't texting me back. But Kelly Otto actually ran into her and was felt the Lord telling her to talk to Joanne and she was like inviting her to the event and she's like, Oh, this girl named Arianna has actually been texting me. Now I was like, okay, so Kelly called me right after and was like, Hey, can you text her and invite her to tonight so I texted her and I was like hey, do you if you want I'll meet up with you a few minutes earlier. So that way you have a friend so I was biking but was able to get get her ride to the park. We're going to but meeting Joanne At first day, she was literally shaking of just nervousness and not really knowing how to be in social settings because COVID has taken away so much from from a lot of these students. So yeah, that's just how I got to know her took her out to coffee. And she kind of explained to me how hard it's been and how much she's changed because of COVID and and yeah, so she I invited her to destino, she started to come into our crew weekly meetings as well. And I've just been able to just see her flourish into like, more of a social butterfly and just her humor and just like how much how similar we are and just like yeah, being able to to lead her through crew and destino, which Justina has just been like a really important part of, of my ministry the past couple years. And her just, yeah, kind of welcoming. So we were still getting little waves of new people coming in and out and just seeing how Joanne goes out and talks to those new people. And like taking on that leadership role as a freshman, so it's just been really sweet.
Corey Park:I would love to encourage you to ask yourself the question, how might God called me to be involved in somebody else's NPD journey. And again, advocacy can be financial, it can be giving referrals, and it can be 100 other things. And so how might God call you to come alongside somebody who, who isn't as well resourced as you. And if you don't have a natural relationship with somebody who who has a need of advocacy, please let us know. We would love to help connect you with a staff person, and even somebody who is passionate about the same things as you, you know, if you would like to support an international student who joined staff with bridges and has no contacts in the US, we would love to connect you. Or if you would like to support one of our staff from Puerto Rico, where the island has continued to be hit financially over and over and over by it by these storms and these other tragedies, we can connect you. And so if you have a passion for a particular country or or a particular area of the world, like we would love to connect you with somebody who you would love to build a relationship with and advocate for.
Michele Davis:Thanks so much to Anna, Maria, Ariana and Corey, for sharing this beautiful story of advocacy in MPD. We hope that you are encouraged by them, and by all that God is doing through advocacy. Please share this episode with others on your teams, and help our podcast grow by subscribing in your favorite podcast app and following us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Till next time