Sannu!

Okay, so I'm gonna try this again. I don't think that I'm cut out for blogging! I keep forgetting to write on this thing and when I do remember I don't have the time or energy! So here's the latest from my end...

At the beginning of the month I started my second year of service doing recruitment work for BVS and while I have no idea what I'm doing, it's going well! :)

I was in the office for a little more than a week before leaving for my first recruitment trip and now I find myself on the tail end of a two week trek. I started out by driving about 15 hours or so with Beth and Callie (two of my co-workers on the BVS team) going from Elgin, IL to New Windsor, MD in one day. Needless to say once we got to New Windsor we all slept quite well! The next day I was able to head up to Lancaster, PA to visit with my good friend Stefan before he flew back to Germany the next day. I was so thankful for that visit because I really wasn't sure if I was going to get to see him before he left! The weekend was spent visiting with two youth groups in PA, one in York and the other in Harleysville and talking with them about BVS. It was so great to reconnect with these youth because they were some of my workcampers this past summer and I love them all dearly!

From there I went to Juniata College in Huntington, PA for a few days to promote BVS and meet with students who are interested in serving at some point or another. As far as I understand it most of my traveling will be to colleges to try to recruit people who are interested in BVS. It was so great to be at Juniata, one because I'd never been there and several of my good friends went there and two, because I got to hang out with two good friends of mine while I was there.

Then it was time to head back down to New Windsor for our 60th anniversary for the Brethren Volunteer Service and it was really great to participate in that event. I got back to New Windsor on Wednesday with the intention of spending some time with the current volunteer unit orientation that is going on right now. They are truly a special group and it was so much fun to spend time with them! They have a lot to offer and I can't wait to hear their stories as they go out and start at their projects. I was able to go with them to a woman's house in PA where we learned all about what nutrients weeds have to offer us and we went on a weed walk and then drank a smoothie that was made out of various weeds and seeds. It was pretty darn good!

So then this weekend was the actual celebration and it was really awesome to have 300 or more volunteers, or supporters of BVS gathered together for a weekend. It was a relatively informal time for people to gather with friends and talk and catch up with one another. I didn't have a lot to do, but one thing I did do was to be the MC at our Saturday evening Banquet which put me way outside of my comfort zone, but it went really well and I was even able to make a few jokes as part of it! It was just such a great place to be and it is so awesome to be part of this program.

Then after the program was over my roommate from college, Justine, came up to visit me! We hadn't seen each other since we graduated from Bridgewater in 2007 which is crazy! We had a great visit and we actually left campus for awhile to go and get away so that I could focus on our visit rather than on everything else that was going on!

Now I'm in the last leg of this trip and I'm currently at Elizabethtown College for a couple days before finally heading back to Elgin. I'd never been to E-Town before and this is an absolutely beautiful campus. I find it very welcoming and open and I've enjoyed my time here so far.

I am looking forward to heading back to Elgin in a couple days but I won't be there for very long because at the end of the week I'll be heading to Manchester College for a regional youth conference as well as for my college visit there. Then after that I'll be heading home to Bridgewater for about a week! Needless to say I'm just going to keep on keepin on!

I am enjoying this job. I'm still trying to figure out what it means to me and how I'm going to work to make it my own. As of right now I've been mostly doing exactly what has been done in the past but I've got some ideas that are forming in my mind so we'll just have to wait and see what comes of that!

There are many exciting things coming up in the next few months. One of my best friends, Anne, is getting married next month and I'm so excited for her! I've also have a trip to Boston coming up and I've never been there and I'll be there towards the end of October and I think it will be beautiful at that time! Just last night I talked with my aunt about going to their house for Thanksgiving, so it sounds like I'll be heading to the Twin Cities in MN for the holiday. And THEN I'm planning on going to Nigeria for the month of February on a workcamp with the Church of the Brethren to build and to create relationships with people in Nigeria as well as others on the trip. I'm hoping to learn some Hausa before I go!

Well I think that might be it for now. There is just so much going on these days and I have so many thought in my head but I wanted to catch you all up a little bit!

Peace and Blessings to you!

A Mini Vacation

Here I am in the Twin Cities in the wonderful state of Minnesota and for the past four days I've been visiting with my dad's family who live out here! My parents arrived in the Chicagoland area on Labor Day after spending almost 24 hours on the train coming out from VA. We spent some time in Elgin so that they could see where I am living and working. Both mom and dad had been to Elgin before but it had been quite awhile so it was nice for them to reconnect a bit with both the area and with various people who now live in Elgin that they knew during their time in West Africa. We took time to relax and eat lots of good food before getting on the train again to come out here.

Since we got here late Wednesday evening I've seen my grandparents and my aunts and uncles and cousins, went to a Twins baseball game, worked on my photography skills by attempting to take photos of the jewelry my aunt made, played miniature golf, visited a local conservatory and saw LOTS of plants, had a sleepover with two of my younger cousins complete with a giggle fest, went to church with my aunt and uncle, played cards, hung out with my mom and dad, and simply did the family thing.

Early tomorrow morning I'll be getting back on the train to make the eight hour train ride back to Elgin and I think I'm ready for that. It was a short visit, but I'm looking forward to getting back to my house in Elgin and I'm really excited to be there for more than a week before my next great adventure begins. Before my parents arrived I had been working really hard at making my new room my own while making it comfortable for me to live in and I think I accomplished that! Which didn't make it easy to leave it as soon as it was done!

I'm also excited to get back to my housemates and to get to spend some time with all of them since when I get home tomorrow night for the first time we will all be there together. It's a new year and many exciting things will be taking place and I'm looking forward to the new community that will form. Two housemates moved out and two moved in and we're still working to settle down and see what the year will bring. No matter what though, I think it will be great! But then again what can I say, I'm an optimist! :)