A love of Jesus has brought a new missionary from Germany to Albert Lea.

Marina Miller, 20, was looking to break away from her normal routine and felt there would be no better way to spend her time than serving the Lord. After spending some time researching different avenues for missionary work abroad, she ultimately decided to sign up for Project Service — a missionary branch of Youth for Christ.

Miller’s service includes working at the cafe at Youth for Christ’s The Rock, organizing activities for the children who come in, participating in an outreach program at Albert Lea High School and a Thursday night activity night with games, food and a Christian message. In addition, Miller has already helped at two different camp experiences at Youth for Christ’s Prairie River Camp in Bricelyn and will be a cabin leader for two other camps planned for this summer.

She works in what Youth for Christ Associate Director Robert Modderman refers to as a holistic model of ministry. He said that faith is a key component to the work the organization does, but it also looks beyond that to ensure all the needs of all the children who go there are being met.

“We look at their educational success — are they doing good in school?” Modderman said. “Their civic literacy — are they learning how to give to the community or are they only learning to take from the community? Their basic health and safety — do they feel safe at home? Do they have food? And then their financial literacy is do they know how to deal with finances.”

Through circumstances beyond their control, some parents have difficulty fulfilling these basic needs, and part of Youth for Christ’s mission is to fill in those gaps while providing those same children with the opportunity to come to know and love Jesus Christ.

Not only does Miller hope to help the children grow in their faith by setting a good example of what it’s like to live a life as a good Christian, she also hopes to grow herself during her missionary work.

Miller came to Youth for Christ on Feb. 3 and will be staying for a year-long mission. She resides with her host Kathy Quinn of Albert Lea.

“Their willingness to come serve beside us is really cool to see,” Modderman said of both Miller and another German intern, Jenna Lotterer, who came to Youth for Christ in September. “Just think about yourself leaving your own country and going to Germany for a year to serve. For me, that’s hard for me to put my mind around, but they do it with such happiness and they want to do it.”

Miller intends to go back to work when she returns to her native country, however, she is also considering furthering her education. In her situation, this would mean returning to high school for one year because she chose to learn a trade through an apprenticeship rather than attending three years of high school following her 10th grade year. Miller’s apprenticeship was in nursing care for elderly patients.

Marina Miller

Age: 20

Address: presently living in Albert Lea; from Richen, Germany

Livelihood: missionary for Youth for Christ

Family: Parents and four brothers

Interesting fact: In her spare time Miller likes to read, draw and make cards for others.