Between them, Patrick Aller of Las Vegas and Jean Ang of Chicago have nearly 10 years experience of having attended the Viatorian Youth Congress — and it changed their lives.
In this latest podcast episode of Viatorian Voices: Conversations on the Way, both reflect on what drew them to return year after year — and the tangible ways the congress developed their faith life and shaped them as leaders.
Currently, Jean is a registered nurse at Lurie’s Children’s Hospital in Chicago, while Patrick is an MBA candidate at Ottawa University in Kansas. Both began attending VYC as high school students.
“Just knowing that I wasn’t the only high schooler who was interested in forming a relationshp with God — and meeting other people who shared those same values and interests,” Jean said, “was really comforting.”
Both would return twice as delegates before serving as young adult leaders and young adult coordinators, in charge of the entire congress.
“I can say for sure,” Patrick says, “I got a lot of really cool leadership experiences out of it.” Here’s more: