The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Joshua E. during the 2007-2008 League.
Ambassador League Experience
I must admit that I did not really have any expectations at all (positive or negative) when I entered the Ambassadors League; it was a busy time in my life, and I did not have time to give it much thought. To be completely honest, I could not spell Ambassadors League. I expected it to be just another one of my courses, a way to get a taste of all areas of Christian Statesmanship, and decide if I wanted to go further with politics in my life. Yet what began as simply a year-long extension of SSI has turned out to be an exciting and eye-opening experience that has, in some ways, changed the way that I think about politics and my own role as a Christian in a dark world.
My family has been interested in the Ambassador League for several years. My two older sisters attended the SSI summer program before me, and my mom had always thought about putting one of us in the League. After I attended SSI the summer after my sophomore year, we began to consider it, and decided that my junior year was the best time to enter the program. So after two summers at SSI, I was finally ready to take the plunge.
The Biblical word studies were somewhat easier to plan than the other assignments. They required no contact-making or date-planning, so I worked on several of them during the busy fall months when I had to focus on soccer. I found these studies to be highly informative as I have never before needed to study individual Biblical topics in such minute detail. I now have a better grasp on what the Bible says about topics that used to be somewhat hazy. Truth has become more real to me in the incarnate Christ and his living ministry. Justice has been clarified to mean what God considers right. I will definitely be able to use what I have learned and employ the word studies as a reference tool. If anything, my studies have been brief and poorly researched, and I hope that these topics will become even more accessible to me with further inquiry.
I found the books for required reading to be dry at times, but relevant. Though Lifeviews and Why I am a Christian were excellent apologetic resources, the book I enjoyed the most was God's Politician. Its insights into the rigors of living like a Christian in the oft-polluted political environment was nothing less than inspirational, and I hope to incorporate Wilberforce's zeal into my own life. With an immense amount of imagination and hard work, Wilberforce was able to accomplish what seemed impossible. As it says in 1 Corinthians 3:19, ".the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God." It may have been wise to stay out of the political arena and remain "unpolluted", but Wilberforce considered God's call more important than Christian conventionality or personal preference. I pray that I will mature to be the kind of man that God can use to achieve great things to bring him glory.
The letters to the editor required me to think critically about the social issues about which I was writing. At times, I would find an issue I wished to address and discover that I was not sure how to argue my own position. This forced me to research further and either (a) develop a workable argument or (b) change my views based on what I had read up to that point. Throughout this process, I have tried my hardest to keep an open mind while still remaining committed to the truth as I understand it.
The interviews of local leaders were perhaps the hardest tasks for me to complete, as I am a fairly introverted person and dislike going outside of my comfort zone. These assignments forced me to make contact with comparatively intimidating people, and I am still not fully comfortable with the interviewing process. It is difficult to interview people that you do not know aside from the interview, as well as people that hold different views from you. However, I found the information I was able to secure from those interviewed to be helpful, especially the responses concerning advice to young teens/Christians. Also, I have found that the level of awkwardness has somewhat decreased with experience.
I enjoyed the time I spent volunteering in all of the required areas. My time on the Farmington Hills Mayors Youth Council has given me extra political/municipal experience, and I have just finished my year as Chairman. My experience at the Plymouth Christian SSI Onsite was a good time and I am thinking about volunteering at other SSI Onsite events in the future. I felt that my day at John McCain's local office was well spent as I have always wondered what it was like to work on a political campaign. I feel that volunteering in any capacity is often overlooked by my generation and I hope to continue serving in the coming year.
The "Mission: Observe" activities went largely as I expected. I did not feel that these activities were as important as the other Ambassador League assignments as the main point was simply to watch how government works. Though it was good to see how civil officials function and perform their different roles, I felt uninvolved in the process. I think that part of this sentiment came from having been involved in city youth council activities for the past two years, and I had seen some of the legislative activities and municipal functions previously. I suppose that some time must be spent on the sidelines before actually playing the game. Despite the fact that I disagree with him politically, I enjoyed my day shadowing State Representative Aldo Vagnozzi, and was able to see him in a more positive light than I had before talking with him. I consider one of his greatest attributes to be his concern for POW's and those under foreign torture, as Christians make up a large fraction of this latter group. There is usually more to people than meets the eye.
As I wrote in my mentor meetings report, my mentor has been an invaluable help to me throughout the program. We did not often directly discuss my assignments, but he was a great help towards my spiritual growth. I plan to continue meeting with my mentor and I have advised all of my friends to find a mentor as soon as possible. Having a mentor has complemented my personal devotions and helped me to stay spiritually on track throughout the year.
Overall, I have found this course to be great preparation for a possible career in the political arena. Previously to the League, my parents and I had discussed the possibility of my going into politics and were not sure how to move forward. This course has given me a taste of what the political arena is like and I have a good deal more information than before on which to base my decision. I am not sure about my career path, but at least now I have a clearer view of what it is to be a Christian statesman in an environment that needs them. Though I believe I lack the charisma of a politician, I could possibly go into campaign work or join a conservative think tank.
If I could identify one feeling with which to associate the Ambassador League, I would say it is the sense of brevity. It has taken an entire year, and I have completed 36 different assignments, yet I still do not feel I have done very much. I have played politician in conjunction with Christian worldview education, but my influence has been limited. I hope that neither the civic nor worldview training will be concluded with this course and am inspired to do and learn more. I have enjoyed both the simple and difficult aspects of this course, and will be advertising it to all of my politically-inclined friends. Thanks to Mr. Muffit and all of the SSI staffers for making this experience possible. Keep up the good work and may God bless you for all that you do for me and the other students at SSI!
