By Jackson Saunders

Nine years after her conversion following a water-skiing accident, Yarrawonga’s Emily Crossland has decided to dedicate a year of her life to ministering to young people.
The 24-year-old is this year volunteering as a team member of the Perth Youth Mission Team (YMT).

Emily vividly recalls the day of her accident and landing face down in the water.

“Even though I didn’t believe in God and didn’t want to believe in God, I was face down and was drowning,” she said.

“I prayed: ‘God if you really are real, save me!’”

“There was a lot of confusion about that, but different programs at school and also run by the Diocese like Stronger Youth … really helped me to explore that, and opened up a lot of doors and pathways to me becoming a Catholic a few years later.”

Emily survived the accident, and to this day, attributes this moment as the turning point in her journey towards becoming a Catholic. This experience and her changing attitudes to God since then are also at the forefront of her mind.
“Back in 2015 I did RCIA to become a Catholic and get baptised,” she said.

“I think that’s also a mindset I’m going into this year.

“There’s a lot of people who went throughout high school the same as me.”

Emily believes that her experiences will assist her in her ministry with young people.

“Whether or not it is agnostic/ atheist; just being able to relate to these people, it’s really amazing,” she said.

That’s why February 13, 2012, the date of her water-skiing accident is etched in Emily’s mind and her conversion story.

“I was definitely agnostic up until the end of 2011 and that’s when I decided to become quite atheist due to different circumstances that happened to me,” she said.

“And then in 2012, 13 February 2012 actually, was when I had my big conversion. That’s when Stronger Youth came to mind and I attended and I haven’t looked back."

“Stronger Youth helped me so much with that. Being able to do that nationally with Youth Mission Team is something that I’m really, really excited to be able to pursue.”

Emily is one of 21 young people from across Australia, who are dedicating a year of their lives to YMT. There are three groups nationally; one in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth.

She is one of seven members in the Perth YMT, who are aged between 17 and 24.

“Youth Mission Team is part of the Disciples of Jesus community,” she said.

“There is a group of seven of us this year in Perth, who have dedicated a year of our lives to single vision, so we don’t have a relationship with anyone. We choose to be single for the year.
“We are pretty much saturating ourselves with prayer and ministering to young people. We have an hour of prayer in the morning; daily readings.

“We have thirty minutes of night prayer, as well as personal prayer throughout the day.

“We go to daily Mass and Adoration as much as possible; I usually try to go a few times a week.”

They also commit to 20 to 25 days of ministry and retreats every term where they do dramas, skits, testimonies, talks and preaching.

Their ministry focuses on secondary school students, especially those in Years 10-12.

“We also sit down at lunch time and be as relatable to them as much as we can,” Emily said.

“We try to practise what we preach. So, if we’re standing up and talking about God’s love: show what God can do in an everyday environment.
“We try to be as relatable as we can to them.”

In addition to their involvement with secondary schools, Emily and the Perth YMT also support various parish events, run a youth group on Saturdays and are involved with the Disciples of Jesus events on Sundays. They will also organise some retreats during the year.
Prior to joining the Perth YMT earlier this year, Emily was actively involved in the Stronger and Sandhurst Youth Ministry programs since 2012.

She has been an active parishioner at Sacred Heart Yarrawonga, attending weekly Mass.

Her involvement in the Diocese has also included supporting the Shepparton Stronger D Group and Youth Masses, as well as priestly ordinations and first Masses in Bendigo.
She was also part of the Victorian pilgrimage to World Youth Day in Krakow in 2016 and has attended Australian Catholic Youth Festivals.

Emily first became acquainted with YMT through a Disciples of Jesus Summer in 2017 in Melbourne and fell in love with their mission. She subsequently discerned if God was calling her to YMT and decided to apply, before being accepted to be part of the team this year.

Emily is grateful for the support of people in the Diocese in her faith journey.

To learn more about the ministry of YMT, or to sponsor them, visit www.ymt.com.au