Year of Jubilee by Mattie

Year of Jubilee by Mattie - April 2022 Scholarship Essay

I landed in my hometown of Oklahoma City days before the pandemic hit. I had spent six months volunteering overseas, and intended to return after spending a few weeks with my family. When it was made clear that those plans were not going to work out due to border closures, I searched for service opportunities within my own community. Jubilee Partners fell in my lap. It is a ministry for at-risk youth here in OKC that is dedicated to providing food security, creating educational opportunities, building relationships with the whole family and teaching kids important life skills.

I got to spend my time there over the first COVID summer. While most organizations had been forced to shut down because of quarantine, we were able to get creative. The children couldn't come to our building, but we could go to them! Masked and social distanced, we loaded up our vans with water balloons and picture books and carefully packed food bank meals, and did our summer program in the kids' own front yards.

The neighbor children would notice and come to see what we were doing, and eventually, join in the fun. Our program grew in a time when other non-profits were forcibly downsized! It became clear to me that my mission is here, in this city. I discovered a community within Jubilee- the staff and the students- that was unlike anything I had ever experienced in the past. At the end of my commitment I came on as real staff and it is impacting me wholly.

Working at Jubilee has been such a gift. I even met my husband working here! I’m getting to see the light spots in the darkness every day. I’ve been invited into the home of a mother who met me with tears, just because I brought a backpack full of school supplies for her 6th grader on my way home from work. A few months ago, we had a child who would throw chairs and told one of our staff he wanted to light her face on fire. He now is one of the most helpful, well-behaved kids in our program, and the most creative person I’ve ever met in my life. I asked him what his favorite thing about Jubilee is and he said, “Well, it’s safe here!” He’s eight years old.

In the future I would like to start my own non-profit for at-risk youth. I would love to create space for inner-city kids to experience rock climbing, horseback riding, backpacking, horticulture, and other outdoor activities, and at the same time discover who they are all that they are capable of! I want to do ministry that is trauma informed and provides opportunities for all children to succeed!

In order to reach my goal, I am currently in school at Nazarene Bible College. After my four year degree, I want to get a master's in social policy or non-profit management, and could also see seminary on the horizon as well. There are specialized programs for community development or multicultural ministry.

All I know for sure, is that I want to keep doing this good, hard work for the rest of my life. If I hadn't volunteered that crazy summer, I never would have discovered my dream.