From an email update from Sedona and her blog post
This month we want to bring you an update that is a little bit about the work of the UTO Board and an update about our grants from the Emery Trust Fund to support the work of Episcopal Church missionaries sent through Young Adult Service Corps (YASC) and the Episcopal Service Corps (ESC).
Sedona Jacobson joined the UTO Board, first as a young adult appointed member and then as the Province VIII Representative. She served throughout her time in college and was a wonderful contributor to the work of UTO. Sedona has now graduated from college and is off on her next big adventure, serving in the Philippines.
As a retirement gift to Julia Chester Emery, a trust fund was set up called the Emery Trust. It was created to support the work of UTO missionaries in ways that budget wasn’t able to support them—it funded furlough/rest for missionaries, educational opportunities, and it took care of the UTO rooms, which were used to house the archives of UTO and provided free housing for UTO missionaries when they were home on furlough to rest, learn, and fundraise at the local churches in New York.
Over time, UTO stopped sending missionaries, but the need to support their work continued. The Emery Trust was there to support the missionaries of The Episcopal Church. Over time, The Episcopal Church changed how they sent missionaries as well, and UTO has worked to adapt alongside those changes. UTO uses the Emery Trust, in line with the original themes of supporting the care and education of missionaries and preserving the history and artifacts of the United Thank Offering. From these grants, our Board has come to know, respect, and care about YASC and ESC, so you can imagine our delight when Sedona decided to take a year and serve the church through YASC. Below is an October update from Sedona. We encourage you to join us as we follow along with her journey at www.sedonayasc.com.
It was such a blessing to be a part of the UTO Board, and now to be a part of YASC. Leaving home was bittersweet; I was full of fear, excitement, joy, and most of all, faith. I truly feel it is a calling to be here. To be in a time and space of quietness, stillness, and a sense of unknownness. This is where I am drawn to the Lord, and I keep him close.
I am in the Philippines and have been here for about two weeks now! It took 10 hours to drive up the mountain to my placement site. I experienced my first earthquake on my first night in Besao (3.58 magnitude). I will never forget the first realization that I was indeed experiencing an earthquake. I have been through two typhoons—nothing too major; I am in the mountain province so we’re pretty high up in altitude.
I am having such a great experience, and I truly am grateful that the Lord has blessed me with this amazing experience to work alongside students at Saint James High School. I am so enjoying their time and space, and I’m looking forward to sharing my Diné culture with them. I also met with Bishop Benny today and some staff from E-CARE (Community Action for Renewal and Empowerment)—I am so excited to work with them in their agriculture projects and with the Indigenous tribes here.
The rain, waterfalls, and the way the clouds hang over the mountaintops make me happy. I was able to experience the Stone Calendar observance at Dap-ay Awaw, Besao, which is a time when the sun rays shine over a specific crescent in the mountain and on a stone, telling the Indigenous people they can harvest and start planting rice again. A festival called Kasilapet celebrates the alignment. People in the community exchange linnapet, which is a sticky rice bread made with peanuts. Everybody is so nice, and I’m looking forward to the time here on the mountain.