February 26, 2025
For young people, MDS service adds meaning to life
Jonathon Shirk Snyder and Katie Snyder, MDS year long volunteers, at the 2025 Annual Celebration in Wichita, KS.
During the Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Annual Celebration in Wichita, Kansas, two yearlong MDS volunteers, Jonathon Shirk Snyder and Katie Snyder shared their perspectives on how young people view service—and why, more than ever, how it adds meaning to their lives.
Jonathon, who is now 23, said he enjoys working with children and teenagers because they often don’t have a preconceived world view. “All of our actions are possibly going to influence and stick with these youth and children,” he said. “Youth bring the opportunity to assess our preconceived notions.”
Jonathon Shirk Snyder and Katie Snyder, MDS year long volunteers, in Red Lake, MN.
People working with youth can keep in mind that, whatever the task and wherever the place, it may be all new to young people. “Not only working with tools but beyond that: having a meeting, sharing time and space with a group—all of the things we take for granted as adults.”
For young people serving with MDS, the job sites and the communities in which they work are likely to be brand new as well.
“Young people can’t always just jump back and forth from thing to thing, but they need to take time to process,” Jonathon said. “As a 23-year-old guy, I have many things to process.”
Jonathon Shirk Snyder, MDS year long volunteer, in Red Lake, MN.
Looking back a few years, he remembers why he was so eager to serve with MDS as part of his church youth group. “I remember bubbling up with excitement unrelated to what we were going to do—but it was fun to do with my friends,” he said. “It becomes the water you breath for that week; it’s all around you. Put people with their friends. Put teens with their friends and they’ll want to do it.”
Katie also reflected on what meant the most to her when she was a teenager. “When someone is young, they want to be an individual. Just because they get confused with another person or all lumped together—doesn’t mean they like it.”
Katie Snyder, MDS year long volunteer, in Red Lake, MN.
As young people graduate from high school or college, many of them are looking for a life that means something. “What’s been amazing about MDS is that it’s been hard for sure—I’ve had two pounds of mud on my boots and I’ve wondered if we are going to work in the rain and if it’s going to take longer. But every day, I know what I did that day means something to somebody.”
Susan Kim, MDS Writer
