The Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla, executive director for ELCA Global Mission, sent this post during his visit in Malaysia and Singapore.—Sue

Six Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) serve in Malaysia with the Basel Christian Church. They offer educational services in church schools that serve the general population.

On October 14, 2009, I visited a special school for children coming from the economically marginalized rural-communities around Kota Kinabalu.

The school, Jireh House, provides residential, educational, and health programs to the participants. One of our YAGMs, Jacob Dalager, a graduate from St. Olaf College, serves here. As we met, Jacob greeted me with familiarity. I could not place him until he mentioned his parents, Pr. Karl and Holly Dalager.  We had met before!  In 1996, I was introduced to nine-year-old Jacob when his parents went to Colombia as ELCA missionaries.

God continues to raise up young and faithful leaders like Jacob and our other YAGMs. God uses parents like Karl and Holly to rear their children in the faith, instill in them a passion for service, and empower them to participate in God’s mission in the world.    Soli Deo Gloria!
—The Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla