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!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
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! :)
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! :)
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Chaos
I know I haven't written for a long time but I want you to know that I have sat down several times to catch you up on what is going on with me but the words just haven't been flowing. So here I am sitting down to give it another go and try to catch you up on the last month of my life.
I had the amazing opportunity to go out to Estes Park, Colorado for National Young Adult Conference a few weeks ago and it was such an awesome week. To go from six weeks of being in charge of others to a week of being able to relax and sit and simply be was exactly what I needed. To be in the mountains, be around 130 other Church of the Brethren Young Adults, to worship and talk and listen with others was perfect. It wasn't always easy though, through worship and conversations many questions were brought up and I spent a fair amount of time sitting on a massive wooden porch, lounging either by myself or with others all the while gazing at the Rocky Mountains. It was a great time and while I was sad to see it come to an end I was ready to get back here to Elgin and be in one place for longer than a week at a time.
So now I've been back here in Elgin for about two weeks and in that time I have finished up my work in the Youth and Young Adult Office with the workcamp program and have packed my boxes and made my move to the Brethren Volunteer Service Office. I am now officially part of the BVS team in the role of recruiter. In my first week I have started making contacts for my fall travels (and boy what a schedule it looks like it will be!) and have gone to a mid year retreat for one of the orientation units.
So after a couple weeks of transition both in the office and here at the house (I've moved to a new room) and housemates coming and going things are starting to settle down a little bit. Well, to a degree. I guess you could say that things here never really settle down! Someone is almost always gone on a trip or someone is visiting or we're invited to go somewhere. It is a chaotic life that we live here in Elgin! No worries though, I wouldn't trade it for anything!
I had the amazing opportunity to go out to Estes Park, Colorado for National Young Adult Conference a few weeks ago and it was such an awesome week. To go from six weeks of being in charge of others to a week of being able to relax and sit and simply be was exactly what I needed. To be in the mountains, be around 130 other Church of the Brethren Young Adults, to worship and talk and listen with others was perfect. It wasn't always easy though, through worship and conversations many questions were brought up and I spent a fair amount of time sitting on a massive wooden porch, lounging either by myself or with others all the while gazing at the Rocky Mountains. It was a great time and while I was sad to see it come to an end I was ready to get back here to Elgin and be in one place for longer than a week at a time.
So now I've been back here in Elgin for about two weeks and in that time I have finished up my work in the Youth and Young Adult Office with the workcamp program and have packed my boxes and made my move to the Brethren Volunteer Service Office. I am now officially part of the BVS team in the role of recruiter. In my first week I have started making contacts for my fall travels (and boy what a schedule it looks like it will be!) and have gone to a mid year retreat for one of the orientation units.
So after a couple weeks of transition both in the office and here at the house (I've moved to a new room) and housemates coming and going things are starting to settle down a little bit. Well, to a degree. I guess you could say that things here never really settle down! Someone is almost always gone on a trip or someone is visiting or we're invited to go somewhere. It is a chaotic life that we live here in Elgin! No worries though, I wouldn't trade it for anything!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
They breed em big down here...
Well, here I am in North Fort Myers Florida and everything down here is huge! From dogs to spiders to mosquitoes...they are all enormous! It's crazy! I finished up in Baltimore on Sunday and immediately got on a plane that brought me down here to Florida. It was a rather tearful departure on my part. I have decided that I really don't like Sunday's at the moment because the past two Sunday's I've had to say goodbye to some really amazingly awesome youth, both junior and senior highs. Jerry and I have talked about the fact that it's just not fair because we get to know these youth in the span of a week and grow to love one another and then it's time to move on. Yes I do understand that typically in the CoB a goodbye is never really a goodbye but an 'I'll see you soon!' moment, but it doesn't make it any easier.
So now here I am in Florida...in August. I mean really, who's idea was this anyways? When I came down to visit last January THAT'S when the workcamp should have been, we're about six months off from the perfect time to be down here! I've already been bitten by mosquitoes about a hundred million times and it's only Tuesday! Sheesh!
Other than the bugs things are going really well. It's a small group, but I'm actually excited about that and I think they all like it too. ECHO is a simply amazing place and I hope that the group will realize all that this organization has to offer and how they are now part of the bigger picture and that they are connected.
I'll write more soon, but for now I must be off. It's time to work again!
Peace and blessings to you!
Oh, and happy August! It's pretty much one of the best months ever, but of course I'm not biased! : )
So now here I am in Florida...in August. I mean really, who's idea was this anyways? When I came down to visit last January THAT'S when the workcamp should have been, we're about six months off from the perfect time to be down here! I've already been bitten by mosquitoes about a hundred million times and it's only Tuesday! Sheesh!
Other than the bugs things are going really well. It's a small group, but I'm actually excited about that and I think they all like it too. ECHO is a simply amazing place and I hope that the group will realize all that this organization has to offer and how they are now part of the bigger picture and that they are connected.
I'll write more soon, but for now I must be off. It's time to work again!
Peace and blessings to you!
Oh, and happy August! It's pretty much one of the best months ever, but of course I'm not biased! : )
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Hello Hello!
Hey, it's me again! It sure has been awhile since I checked in with you guys! Things in Chicago finished up so amazing well! I think it has been one of my most favorite workcamps so far! The youth and advisors that were there are just so amazing and I feel oh so very blessed to have gotten the chance to know each and every one of them! Just to clue you all in on the amazingness here are a few highlights from the week:
- -Hand Hugs!
- runnin' the Sharon Shuttle to showers and volleyball
- sand volleyball and sumo wrestling
- standing like a flamingo and being made fun of for it!
- playing Addiction and Palace and Rage and Apples to Apples
- lying on the floor with my legs and feet resting on the wall
- going to the DuPage County Fair
- walking taco's, one of the most amazing meal ideas EVER!
- being serenaded to while driving the Sharon Shuttle
- amazing singing
- laughing to the point that I couldn't breathe with tears rolling down my cheeks
- rockin' out to the YMCA song at the Northern Illinois Food Bank with my youth
- hammocks!
- loosing my keys or my cell phone twenty million times a day
- taking more than 400 pictures during the week
- hitting my head REALLY hard on an open back door of a car
- playing the hand game and making it to ten!! (no worries, if you're interested, Ill teach you!)
- watching my youth read and do math with the youth from the resource center
- rockin' the van at EVERY red light...total chaos!
- the Shedd Aquarium (on a Saturday = bad idea)
- having a hand washing service the last night we were together
- making 38 new totally awesome friends
- saying goodbye to everyone at least twice!
...that only gives you a glimpse of all the things we did during the week and is only a few of the many memories that I will take away from the week. I was so sad to leave that group that I cried during our circle time Saturday night and then again on Sunday once I dropped off the last group where they needed to be. It was so strange not having three dozen people around me all the time and I didn't quite know what to do with myself!
The youth that I met are so talented and caring and compassionate and on fire for life that it was such a gift for me to be around them for a week. If I could I would have kept them all! As tired as I apparently was, when I was with the group I felt like I could just keep going and going just like the Energizer bunny! Then when I was said and done I realized just how tired I really was.
On Monday I traveled to my next workcamp in Baltimore, MD which is where I am now. I got here Monday and the youth arrived Tuesday afternoon. People are always asking me how I am able to do this job and to always keep on going and going day after day, week after week and I tell them that it's not so bad. From time to time I have a low morning or afternoon where I have no energy to speak of and then I take some time to rest and rejuvenate myself. I also have realized that I get a ton of my energy from the youth that I work with each and every day.
For example, this week, I was totally out of it Monday evening and Tuesday morning, but as soon as Tuesday afternoon came around I came out of the trance-like state that I was in and started acting like my usual outgoing self. The junior highers came and voila, I was cured! I was good for the rest of the evening and then for all day Wednesday and then Thursday rolled around and I realized that I needed to take some time to catch up and rest. So after working the morning with part of the group I came back and fell asleep for the afternoon. Apparently this was a pretty amazing feat considering that the youth were apparently really REALLY loud while I was sleeping, but truth be told, I didn't hear an honest thing! I know that Leanna came in at one point and talked to me and I'm pretty sure that I fell asleep again before she was done...whoops!
My good friend Leanne is here working along side me this week and I am oh so very glad for that. She is such a natural with youth and has such an awesome energy about her that works really well for junior high aged kids. She's kept me sane and keeps me smiling as we figure out what the next step is. Honestly she did so much of the behind the scenes work for this particular workcamp that I feel confident to say that it would be okay if I wasn't even here! But I'm really glad that I am because these youth are really awesome.
I know that I've lucked out with the youth that I've had the opportunity to work with and get to know this summer and it's neat to think that one day they will be doing really amazing things with their lives and I can tell people, 'you know I remember him/her when they were at my workcamp in 2008' and that is such an awesome thing! Leanne was actually the one to point that out to me and it's so incredibly true! I feel so privledged to have these many opportunities to work with these guys and every now and then I always have to remind myself that I made a difference in their lives too. It definitely goes both ways and it's amazing.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Oy vey
I'll have to agree with Dana on this one...the best part about today was when our good friend Alex stopped by the church to surprise us. It was a much needed pick-me-up to say the least. We were in the middle of devotions when one of the advisors got up and left the room and then he came back and got Dana and I was expecting the worst when she motioned to me to come out as well, but when I left our circle there was Alex and I was totally overjoyed and so incredibly happy. We were able to chat for a little bit and catch up awhile. It was so good to simply see him and see how happy he is.
Things are going well here for us in Chicago, but it's very overwhelming at times and I'll go from being really energetic to having no energy whatsoever. Today was the first day that I looked noticeably tired to the group and I know this because they told me so. I haven't been able to do a whole lot of direct work this week with the various projects that the youth have been doing and I understand that sometimes they have to wonder what it is that I do all day and sometimes I even wonder what it is that I do all day.
It's very draining to always know what exactly is going on and trying to stay on top of things in order to keep things running. And people are always coming to me with questions and sometimes I don't know the answers and that can be frustrating but then I work to find the answers and I work to keep things running smoothly. This is one of the first weeks where I haven't felt like I've known what is going on all the time. Since there are three of us working together to keep things going I don't always know everything and we're each working on various projects. Then when people come and tell me something I get caught off guard because I never knew about it to begin with.
As of right now I am extremely tired from spending the entire day out in the sun at the county fair and that is bringing out some more of the frustrations from the day and the week. But all in all this week has simply been amazing and I am feeling extremely blessed and lucky to be here with this group. I told everyone last night that this week was awesome and that I had another workcamp which was very hard for me and in my enjoyment of this week I had totally forgotten about the frustrating week. And that is a good and a bad thing. I think it's great that I've been able to continue on and move forwards in my summer but I also don't want to forget the lessons that I learned that week.
As I'm sitting here in my line of vision is the quote "God grant be the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference." So here I sit struggling to let go of the difficulties of the week and to work to make the rest of the week an amazing experience not only for the youth and advisors I'm here to serve, but also to myself and to Dana.
Speaking of Dana, it's been so great having her here with me. She has a great gift with youth and with people of all ages really whether she knows it or not. I wouldn't want to have any other person here working with me this week!
Well since I'm about to collapse I think it's about time for me to go. It's funny, now that I've started this blog I have to keep reminding myself to keep updating it so that all ya'll can know what's going on! So I'll keep trying!
Things are going well here for us in Chicago, but it's very overwhelming at times and I'll go from being really energetic to having no energy whatsoever. Today was the first day that I looked noticeably tired to the group and I know this because they told me so. I haven't been able to do a whole lot of direct work this week with the various projects that the youth have been doing and I understand that sometimes they have to wonder what it is that I do all day and sometimes I even wonder what it is that I do all day.
It's very draining to always know what exactly is going on and trying to stay on top of things in order to keep things running. And people are always coming to me with questions and sometimes I don't know the answers and that can be frustrating but then I work to find the answers and I work to keep things running smoothly. This is one of the first weeks where I haven't felt like I've known what is going on all the time. Since there are three of us working together to keep things going I don't always know everything and we're each working on various projects. Then when people come and tell me something I get caught off guard because I never knew about it to begin with.
As of right now I am extremely tired from spending the entire day out in the sun at the county fair and that is bringing out some more of the frustrations from the day and the week. But all in all this week has simply been amazing and I am feeling extremely blessed and lucky to be here with this group. I told everyone last night that this week was awesome and that I had another workcamp which was very hard for me and in my enjoyment of this week I had totally forgotten about the frustrating week. And that is a good and a bad thing. I think it's great that I've been able to continue on and move forwards in my summer but I also don't want to forget the lessons that I learned that week.
As I'm sitting here in my line of vision is the quote "God grant be the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference." So here I sit struggling to let go of the difficulties of the week and to work to make the rest of the week an amazing experience not only for the youth and advisors I'm here to serve, but also to myself and to Dana.
Speaking of Dana, it's been so great having her here with me. She has a great gift with youth and with people of all ages really whether she knows it or not. I wouldn't want to have any other person here working with me this week!
Well since I'm about to collapse I think it's about time for me to go. It's funny, now that I've started this blog I have to keep reminding myself to keep updating it so that all ya'll can know what's going on! So I'll keep trying!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
On We Go
So much has happened in these past few weeks. I had my second week in Neon, KY and boy what a week it was. I had a much smaller group of senior high and young adults and a couple of older adults thrown in. It was definitely a learning experience and one that I haven't quite figured out yet what all I have learned from it! It's going to take awhile to process, but it will come in time. It was an extremely frustrating and trying week, but oddly enough now that it's over, I don't have a whole lot to say about it. I really enjoyed the people that I worked with but there was something about the week that was just totally off. Hmmm, strange...
Anyways, after two weeks in good ol' Neon, I left for Annual Conference in Richmond, VA. I had to drive three hours west in order to come back east...now that really is strange! But that's what happened and after a long day of traveling I made it to conference and it was so fabulous to be there! I went to my first conference three years ago and now I'm totally hooked! It was great to reconnect with friends and family and take the time to reflect on the past month of workcamps and have a brief break before the next wave of workcamps begin! I had no specific jobs to do during the days and so I was able to do what I love best...talk and hang out with the youth! I hung out with youth I already knew and I met some new ones! Gotta love em!
So after some relatively free days in Richmond hanging out with friends and family I headed home to spend a few days at home in Bridgewater. For the most part I had nothing specifically planned other than a brunch with Anne and her bridal party and a family reunion but those of you who know me well know that while I try to not plan my time in it's entirety it never works. So I was running all over the place try to hang out with my best friends and others who still live in and around Bridgewater. One totally awesome thing was that I got to spend a lot of time with my good friend Lisa both at conference and at home. We hung out at the Bridgewater lawn party most evenings and ate a ton of food and did a lot of people watching and more catching up. As silly as it sounds I was pretty excited to find out that the lawn party was going on at the same time that I would be home. It's fun to go and see people, some you want to see and others that you hoped you would never see again!
Needles to say I had a good time at home and then it was time to head back out here to Illinois to regroup and prepare myself for my next workcamp. Over the years I have turned flying into a fine art. Most of the time I am able to fall asleep before the plane takes off, wake up when the beverage service comes through and then fall asleep again, waking up only when the plane lands. It's an amazing thing and this trip was no different! It sure does make the plane ride go by much faster!
It's hard to believe that half the summer is over, but I'm moving forward and things look really good for this week in Chicago, so more to come!
Anyways, after two weeks in good ol' Neon, I left for Annual Conference in Richmond, VA. I had to drive three hours west in order to come back east...now that really is strange! But that's what happened and after a long day of traveling I made it to conference and it was so fabulous to be there! I went to my first conference three years ago and now I'm totally hooked! It was great to reconnect with friends and family and take the time to reflect on the past month of workcamps and have a brief break before the next wave of workcamps begin! I had no specific jobs to do during the days and so I was able to do what I love best...talk and hang out with the youth! I hung out with youth I already knew and I met some new ones! Gotta love em!
So after some relatively free days in Richmond hanging out with friends and family I headed home to spend a few days at home in Bridgewater. For the most part I had nothing specifically planned other than a brunch with Anne and her bridal party and a family reunion but those of you who know me well know that while I try to not plan my time in it's entirety it never works. So I was running all over the place try to hang out with my best friends and others who still live in and around Bridgewater. One totally awesome thing was that I got to spend a lot of time with my good friend Lisa both at conference and at home. We hung out at the Bridgewater lawn party most evenings and ate a ton of food and did a lot of people watching and more catching up. As silly as it sounds I was pretty excited to find out that the lawn party was going on at the same time that I would be home. It's fun to go and see people, some you want to see and others that you hoped you would never see again!
Needles to say I had a good time at home and then it was time to head back out here to Illinois to regroup and prepare myself for my next workcamp. Over the years I have turned flying into a fine art. Most of the time I am able to fall asleep before the plane takes off, wake up when the beverage service comes through and then fall asleep again, waking up only when the plane lands. It's an amazing thing and this trip was no different! It sure does make the plane ride go by much faster!
It's hard to believe that half the summer is over, but I'm moving forward and things look really good for this week in Chicago, so more to come!
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