Mae Helen Jackson currently serves as the Outreach and Placement Manager for Young Adult Ministries. A life long Lutheran, she has had the pleasure of working for the ELCA in an official capacity since 2017. She was a YAGM herself, serving in the Southern Africa program in 2014-15. Working with young adults is her way of living out her faith and she is so excited to accompany you on this journey. She is the mom of an awesome 2 year old and loves astrology and all things Marvel.

Jenna is the Manager for YA Networks and Alumni Engagement, meaning you're gonna be seeing a lot more of her after your YAGM year! She spent her YAGM year in Mexico City accompanying migrants at a shelter. She loves to connect young adults with what they're passionate about and thrives in holy troublemaking. She loves reading, fanny packs, and embroidery. She's a Reiki II practitioner and her favorite activity is napping. Butterflies are her #1 enemy, and she will talk your ear off about Steve Rogers. Jenna is from the Chicago suburbs but currently lives in Orlando with her two cats, Oliver and Beanbag.

Daniel Kirschbaum is a strategic dreamer, a board game player, and finds joy in being fiercely present. They love to be in and near the water and hates all comedy. Daniel likes to create charcuterie tables and is afraid of cranes (the bird).  They serve as the Program Director for Young Adult Ministry and as a young adult representative of North America to the Global Young Reformers Steering committee partnered with the Lutheran World Federation.  In his spare time, he walks alongside several congregations as they reimagine and reshape faith community. Daniel grew up in Wisconsin but calls Colorado Springs home with his husband Jonny. They both love to be hiking or skiing in the mountains.

Sarah is the Special Projects Coordinator for ELCA Young Adult Ministries. She recently moved to Denver, Colorado which is the stolen lands of the Cheyenne, Ute, and Arapahoe nations. Originally from Texas, Sarah received a degree in Choral Music Education from Baylor University. She worked at 3 LOM camps, Briarwood, Sky Ranch, and Rainbow Trail, and spent a year in Senegal through the Young Adults in Global Mission program. Sarah is passionate about innovation, empowering young people’s voices, and proclaiming justice. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, board games, video games, embroidery, and jam sessions with friends.

Brooke Helfers (she/her) is an administrative assistant for the team doing anything from contracts to social media to booking flights to DIP! In her free time, she loves to read, explore new coffee shops and scout out vintage vinyls at thrift shops. She lives in Dallas, Texas with her cat Johnny who both happen to be Aries.

Candidate for Word & Service in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Ian is passionate about our calling to Church outside the four walls of a building, bridging the gap between young adults and the church. Ian finds joy in travel, relationship building, communication, organizational change, and local beer. Ian currently attends Wartburg Theological Seminary and currently serves as the Interim Vocational Fellowship Coordinator with ELCA Young Adult Ministry.

Dave Zastrow resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota and currently works for Thrivent Charitable within the Grants and Donor Services team administering grantmaking and scholarships. During his YAGM year, he served in Tshifulanani, South Africa (2014-2015). In his spare time, you’ll find Dave: playing/watching soccer, skiing, running, biking, finding the best gluten free pizza out there with his wife, Britt (also a YAGM alum), flopping on the couch with his cat, Tacocat (@iamtacothetacocat) , or skijoring with his golden retriever puppy, Izzy (@izzy.mandu)

Mytch is an ordained minister at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, currently serving  Global Mission as the Country Coordinator for Young Adults in the Global Mission in Dakar, Senegal. She is an ELCA Life coach, a truth-teller, and an enthusiastic advocate of human dignity. She sees everyone for whom God has died.

My name is Soliette Lopez, I was born in Nicaragua, I am the eldest of 4 sisters, my mother is a Lutheran pastor (example of a brilliant, hard-working woman who cares about others more than herself), and she started as director of the youth ministry when I was 11 years old, so I grew up actively participating in the Lutheran Church "Faith and Hope ". At the age of thirteen, I entered a High School program in Theology (WITHOUT THE INTENTION OF BEING A PASTOR AT ALL), at the same time that I was doing my regular program, and then later I decided to continue with my Bachelor´s Degree in Theology studies, in addition to study General Medicine and Surgery. I have accompanied groups of people living with HIV, both in pastoral care, as well as physical and material care. As a youth leader I gave talks on sexual and reproductive health, gender justice, climate justice, the Bible and Lutheran doctrine, as well as organizing youth camps. I finally gave up on July 24, 2011 and humbly accepted the call to be ordained as a pastor. In 2016 I married my longtime boyfriend, David, who is a musician and passionate about cooking (Thank God for that!), and in 2021 our beautiful daughter, Maia Isabel, was born. In my previous position, I was a missionary for the South Dakota Synod in Nicaragua for four years and a half, which allowed me to get more involved in diakonia projects that the Church of Nicaragua develops in rural areas with a lack of access to food, water, health and education, and learn how members of the body of Christ are called to serve and be agents of change in the face of injustice in the world. Now I am happy for this new call to be Country Coordinator for Mexico, and excited for all the experiences and memories that we will create with the YAGM 2023-2024 group.

Kelly has centered most of her career on working with domestic and international programs that focus on leadership development, including time working with refugee and immigrant populations in Minnesota; serving as a YAGM in South Africa; and years spent living and working in Kyrgyzstan, North Minneapolis, Germany, Washington, D.C., and Afghanistan. Kelly holds a Master of Public Administration degree, with a focus in nonprofit management and governance, and is a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI).

Most recently, Kelly worked for the Center for Leadership and Neighborhood Engagement (CLNE) in Minneapolis accompanying faith communities and neighborhood organizations in intercultural competency, Asset-Based Community Development, and racial identity development work. Prior to that she had the honor of spending three years working alongside Afghanistan’s first, female mountain climbing team.

Aaron is a multi-vocational leader, serving as a pastor and chaplain in the Navy Reserve. Aaron also volunteers his time as an assistant wrestling coach at Augsburg University. Before going to seminary and getting ordained in the ELCA Aaron served as a Submarine Officer for almost 10 years. His professional interests are in trauma-informed spiritual care, moral injury, and ethical leadership. 

Aaron and Kelly enjoy doing outdoor activities (e.g. hiking, camping, kayaking, and visiting National and State parks), drinking good coffee, exploring new places, and spoiling their dog, Winnie, a 60-pound black lab/border collie mix. 

Pastors Jordan and Adam Miller-Stubbendick serve as the ELCA’s Young Adults in Global Mission co-country coordinators for Jerusalem and the West Bank. They live in Jerusalem and share life with their two sons, Julian (7) and Ari (4), as well as an orange rescue cat from the streets of the Old City named Mango.

Before becoming a YAGM co-country coordinator, Jordan served as a parish pastor, and hospital and hospice chaplain. She loves to write and is a student in the first-ever Doctor of Ministry cohort in Creative Writing and Public Theology at Pittsburgh Theology Seminary. Jordan bakes as a form of self-care, writes poems on her phone, and loves reading her kids bedtime stories. 

Adam has served on two university campuses, and has spent most of the past decade helping congregations figure out what is next for them before they call a new pastor. He loves making breakfast for his family every morning, watching American football, and has an excellent natural sense of direction while driving the winding roads and alleyways of Jerusalem, Bethlehem and elsewhere in the West Bank.

Both Adam and Jordan are excited to met you and serve as your YAGM JWB co-country coordinators.

Mary Makoni is currently Interim Director at Time for God ( TfG). Before this, Mary was Operations Manager at TfG for over 3 years.  Mary has over 20 years’ experience working across the 

Charity/Not for Profit sector in the UK.  Mary is passionate about social justice, and this is reflected in her professional work in campaigning and fundraising in the sector. Her current role at Time for God encompasses managing UK and international partnerships, business development, fundraising and overseeing  TfG’s recruitment.  Mary is from Zimbabwe in Southern Africa and has lived in the UK for over 25 years. She lives in the North of England where she enjoys the beautiful Yorkshire landscapes. She previously lived in London.  Her interests include art and culture, reading, hiking, and spending time with family and close-knit friendship circle.  

Becky is a Field Officer at Time for God, so if you go to the UK Becky might be your ‘go to’ person for pastoral support and helping you settle in to your placement. Becky has been working at TfG since August 2022 and before this she ran her own therapy business ‘Towards Life’. She is a qualified Hypnotherapist, Psychotherapeutic Counsellor, NLP Master Practitioner and Mindfulness Teacher. She particularly loves helping people to reach their potential.

Becky lives in West Yorkshire, a very hilly part of the UK, with her husband Jon, daughter Jess and 2 cats, Apricot and Pippin. Her other daughter Lizzy is at university. Becky can quite often be found running up these hills; or running in general and has run multiple marathons. She enjoys swimming (both indoor and outdoor), reading, playing the flute.

Becky believes in living out her faith in action; and this being supported by a life rich in contemplation, meditation and prayer.

Hello all I am Stephen Adamson I am married and have 3 children 11,15 and 17 I have been a full-time field officer for Time for God for the last year. I am passionate about seeing people have the opportunity to serve cross culturally where all can learn from each other I believe that all are we can all be challenged and inspired by service 

before coming to TFG I was a Youth Pastor for about 10 years seeing young adults grow in faith and love for Jesus 

My personal hobbies and interest are family history and discovering stories from the past and enjoying a nice Netflix movie . I am also a great fan of a nice English cream tea in a nice cafe