This morning is the third Sunday of Advent: the Sunday of Joy.
Being away from family during advent, without the press of college exams and end of semester pressures, takes on a new flavor of homesickness that I wasn't expecting. The Christmas carols I have been looking forward to bring tears to my eyes as I think about family traditions at home. And the season seems to be slipping away from me without leaving much of an impression.
And then there are the moments that make advent come alive. Joining with women from church last Sunday to make wreaths or center pieces from ever greens and holly, drinking Christmas tea and crocheting with Megan and Ket on Thursday night, caroling around the 19th ward with church members on Friday night, buying a tree (a very small tree) and decorating it with my roommate, cup after cup of hot chocolate.
And the snow - the snow that just keeps coming. I shoveled the drive way yesterday for the first time in probably 5 years. And I got into a snow ball fight with a six year old from church while caroling on Friday night. And I'm finally learning to drive in the slippery white stuff without sliding out.
But flowing through it all is a sense of want - a sense of anticipation for Christmases as they were celebrated in our home on the river in Winnipeg. For Saturday afternoon baking and peppernut rolling.For a candle light service and Christmas presents on Christmas eve and back-bacon Christmas morning. And a hope that this Christmas with Hannah and Joshua and Laura and Aunt Chris will be just as rewarding, if different than Christmases past.
But this morning is the third Sunday of Advent: the Sunday of Joy.
Joy is different than happiness, remember? Joy is embedded in life, and can withstand temporary sadness, and even the advent tears of homesickness can be filled with joy for happiness past and memories to reflect on.
And so it is with Joy that I anticipate Matt coming to visit on Tuesday and heading to Ontario a week later. And even with joy that I reflect on the tears that come to my eyes as I live into advent here in Rochester.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
not just a back up plan
I was confronted by one of my clients
this week who seemed convinced that I could not have voluntarily
chosen this year of service. While rolling his fingerprints in order
to request a background check from the FBI, he attempted to make a
pun about how much money I was rolling in. He had been a fairly
obstinate client and it was nearing the end of a long day of walk-ins
in which our waiting-room had been packed beyond seating capacity on
two occasions, so needless to say I was tired. I didn't joke back as
I might have done on a different day, but instead point blank
confided in him that I am a full time volunteer and live off a
stipend of $50 a month (after housing and food and bills are paid of
course). I have revealed this to multiple clients, and very often
while standing over the wet ink pad – apparently my monthly income
is an intriguing conversation to hold during fingerprint rolling –
but I was not prepared for his reaction. His assumption that I must
be volunteering because I could not find a job took me aback – most
of my clients seem to understand and vocalize appreciation for my
desire to volunteer without needing to ask for a reason. Maybe it was
that this client was young (only a year older than myself), or that
he was white, or just that he was grumpy, but as I struggled to
explain to him why I was volunteering instead of working I was
unable to convince him that I was in fact extremely thankful for my
experience with MVS in Rochester. I told him I loved my clients, I
was really enjoying my work, and learning so much – and he
responded with bitter humor that I was learning not to get arrested
in the state of New York (he was frustrated because I had told him
New York State does not expunge anything from your criminal history)
and left.
I am not sure if my client thought any
more of our conversation after he left the office, but I have not
been able to stop thinking of it ever since. Why did I choose to
volunteer with MVS, and are these reasons being met during my time in
Rochester? What does it mean to be a volunteer on behalf of Rochester
Mennonite Fellowship in Rochester? And what exactly am I learning
(besides the intricacies of expungement law in New York State and
beyond)?
I have never thought of MVS as a fall
back plan because I couldn't find a job – in fact I intentionally
decided not to work this year because I wanted to do a year of
volunteer work. I was excited about living into a mission of service,
about actively focusing on loving others in my daily work, and about
a program in which I could meet my basic needs so that I would not
have to worry about finances as I explored social services work and
relationships with the ex-offender population. In some ways MVS was
an internship option, similar to those I experienced within college,
but in terms of vocation, for me choosing MVS was much more than
selecting a year long internship.
I could not be more excited about what I have been experiencing how I have grown so far. I also have so much more to learn and many dreams yet to realize here in Rochester.
Monday, November 25, 2013
On Having it All Together
I want to grow – at least I think I
do and that is what I tell the world. But i'm terrified about what change might mean. And I want to
decide how I grow – instead of letting God do that work in me or
allowing others to speak wisdom into my life. Because when others speak into my life they might see that I am not as good as I pretend to be.
I like to put on faces, to be successful at what other people expect me to be successful in. I am good at playing a part. I'm good at being vulnerable to a point. I'll admit I am struggling with the things I'm supposed to be struggling with - with living in community, with a busy work life, with discerning my life calling/vocation. But I'm absolutely terrified of disappointing people's expectation for who I am. And so I have a harder time being honest and vulnerable about what I assume others will judge me in - mainly the confusing nature of my faith and my unbelief.
But it turns out that living in community means I can't run away from the things I don't want to share with the world. I can't just assume that my mask will stay in place - and especially not when I am living in community with someone as committed to honesty as Ket. Today I am so thankful for my roommate. I am learning that she will call my BS - something too few people are doing in my life at the moment - make me take off the mask, and hold me accountable to living up to what I have said is important to me. I am so immensely thankful that of anyone
I could have gotten for a roommate it was her – someone to make me
think and breathe and question things. Someone that will not let me
live a lie. And someone who will make me ask myself why? Why? Why?
And today the lie she found me living behind was one of faith. I am scared to be honest with my questions of faith and tradition and so I have been living out an identity that I'm not sure I hold.
I want to remain committed to the
church – because I believe in it and I believe that by believing in
the ridiculousness of God and of transformation we are inspired to
make something happen – even if I can't be certain right now that I believe in the church's God.
And I'm scared that if I were to go down this rabbit hole of faith I would have to change something. I wouldn't come out as I came in – whether that would mean getting rid of certain aspects of my life or changing my public face on faith – and i'm terrified of changing. I have just now reached an equilibrium for my life, and as such might have decided that I will live into something things even if I don't believe them. I think I have put up artificial barriers between the questions of my soul and the questions of living out faith (because who knows if I even believe in the faith). I want so strongly to have space for both faith and openness for other traditions – I want to have it all put together, but at my core I don't have conclusions at all. And to be honest, I don't want the existential angst that going down that rabbit hole brings.
So how do I be honest to where I am at? To the fact that I don't know, that I am struggling to figure things out (but only part of the time), and that I like to pretend that I have everything together?
Sunday, November 17, 2013
this is a me I want to be
I've got bread rising on the counter. I've got beans soaking next to me on the table. I am about 3/4 done a crochet project I started a month ago. And I'm listening to my 90's hits pandora station (boy bands mostly!) This is me this Sunday morning. This is the me I want to live into more. This is the me that has not come out too often the past month. This is the creative, sustainable, make it from scratch, make a mess, and feel free and full and excited about life me that I found in college. This is the me that I want to continue to inspire and cultivate as I build patterns and habits that will become my lifestyle.
This weekend, this me was inspired by a meeting of women, mostly 10-15 years older than myself, organized by a friend from church. We sat around the living room eating Rachel's whole grain baking and talking about what it means to be sustainable, how to learn from each other about "Living More With Less" (how I really need to read this touch stone of Mennonite women's identity), and this month's topic: how and why to mill your own wheat. I sat in a circle of women who are living into habits I enjoyed dabbling with in college - and some who have been doing so since before I was alive - and was struck by humility and grief for habits i have put down recently. I found myself missing the Sustainable Food Meetings from my second year at EMU, where we sat around in a circle on our floor and chucked our own wheat berries; the hours of time spent over a hot stove with Mom and Joshua and Hannah and sometimes Dad each summer canning tomatoes, salsa, and peaches, and the occasional jam or relish; the commitment I made one fall to eating local and my experiments with food since then; baking bread/buns in Chad when every task was a challenge (I still boil my water for yeast - it feels so much more worthwhile than just turning the tap warm). These are habits I have dabbled in and that I want to continue to practice in my life.
At one point in time I marveled at the sacredness of hearth as the corner stone of community and of home. I lived into the ideal of hospitality in my room in Maplewood and apartments in parkwoods. This is an identity I want to continue to live into here in Rochester. So far it has been a challenge to be inspired to do so here. There are many legitimate reasons why I haven't been inspired -we had issues with our stove, and there is the work schedule to adjust to, plus our kitchen is so tiny and awkward, and there are few opportunities to act as hosts. But I want to be inspired again. And I am willing to commit to doing so.
So here's to waking up early on a Sunday morning to get the bread in before church - and to purchasing cider and squash at a farmers market this afternoon! This is a me I want to be.
This weekend, this me was inspired by a meeting of women, mostly 10-15 years older than myself, organized by a friend from church. We sat around the living room eating Rachel's whole grain baking and talking about what it means to be sustainable, how to learn from each other about "Living More With Less" (how I really need to read this touch stone of Mennonite women's identity), and this month's topic: how and why to mill your own wheat. I sat in a circle of women who are living into habits I enjoyed dabbling with in college - and some who have been doing so since before I was alive - and was struck by humility and grief for habits i have put down recently. I found myself missing the Sustainable Food Meetings from my second year at EMU, where we sat around in a circle on our floor and chucked our own wheat berries; the hours of time spent over a hot stove with Mom and Joshua and Hannah and sometimes Dad each summer canning tomatoes, salsa, and peaches, and the occasional jam or relish; the commitment I made one fall to eating local and my experiments with food since then; baking bread/buns in Chad when every task was a challenge (I still boil my water for yeast - it feels so much more worthwhile than just turning the tap warm). These are habits I have dabbled in and that I want to continue to practice in my life.
At one point in time I marveled at the sacredness of hearth as the corner stone of community and of home. I lived into the ideal of hospitality in my room in Maplewood and apartments in parkwoods. This is an identity I want to continue to live into here in Rochester. So far it has been a challenge to be inspired to do so here. There are many legitimate reasons why I haven't been inspired -we had issues with our stove, and there is the work schedule to adjust to, plus our kitchen is so tiny and awkward, and there are few opportunities to act as hosts. But I want to be inspired again. And I am willing to commit to doing so.
So here's to waking up early on a Sunday morning to get the bread in before church - and to purchasing cider and squash at a farmers market this afternoon! This is a me I want to be.
Monday, November 11, 2013
What's in a blog?
This past weekend we joined with MVS units from across the East Coast (the Manhattan unit and the DC unit to be exact) and MVS staff for a regional retreat in Northern PA. Our 3 1/2 days at Spruce Lake Camp at proved a relaxing mix of discussions on community, games of dutch blitz, rook, and bannaza, fires (both inside and outside), and beautiful mountains. During one of our conversations on communities, we discussed commitment and promises - how in order to build community we need to make promises and keep them. Someone mentioned how making promises is hard, especially because fulfilling them may mean that we might have to sacrifice something more exciting that could come up. I kept thinking about promises I have made, intentional or not, that I might not be keeping - and also about promises I have refrained from making because I was scared that keeping them might mean missing out on other things.
In community its important to be clear about the expectations we have for ourselves, and to be held accountable to keeping those promises in order to develop and maintain trust among community members.
But clear expectations and maintaining promises are also important to personal identity and self-worth. In my wellness class sophomore year my prof told us how breaking promises to ourselves is the most destructive thing we can do to our self-image. It was for that reason that I stopped pressing snooze on my alarm - and thus stopped hating myself every morning when I didn't wake up after 3 or 4 snoozes. Since then I have been careful about not making promises to myself that I would not be able to keep - and that has been good for me. But this weekend I realized I have also avoided making promises - like being committed to timeline for updating this blog - because I was scared that in I might fail myself. Letting fear keep me from committing to myself is not a way I want to live.
And so maybe it is time for a new beginning. Maybe it is time to make some promises to Bekah again.
And I know just where to start.
I spent 400 dollars this morning on a new computer. Its a lot of money for me to spend on me - especially while trying to live simply in MVS - and I want to be intentional in how I use this new piece of technology (which is unfortunately not conflict free - though I did ask). I'm not going to be too radical about it just yet (not forgoing any hulu or netflixs or facebook or anything like that), but I want to be clear about my purposes for purchasing a new computer, and commit to using Weirwood in a way that honors those purposes. (...and yes I named my computer after trees from Game of Thrones..)
Thus,
- I need access to the internet to maintain relationships - and so I am committing to using Weirwood to communicate with family or friends far away over video or audio chat at least once a week.
- I want space to explore and dream, discover new things and work towards my goals both in Rochester and after my time with MVS - and so I am committing to using Weirwood for self-development, discerning and exploring what comes next, networking in Rochester and finding all the fun things to do here, and researching new and exciting things on a regular basis.
- I believe in building community at home - and so I am committing to using Weirwood as a gathering place for Ket and I in the evenings, to sharing entertainment in our home, and to brainstorming together how to be a part of our larger community.
- I want this investment to last - and so I am committing to try take care of Weriwood, to refrain from throwing her off second story buildings and spilling soup on her keyboard, and to maintaining her to the best of my ability (including renewing the warranty).
- And finally, I need to time to reflect on what I am learning, to stretch my brain in analysis, and to share stories of my experience with others (not to mention to practice my writing) and so I commit to using Weirwood for blogging and self-reflection/journaling every week.
I have been less than faithful at maintaining my Rochester Blog these last few months (almost two and a half months in Rochester to be exact!!!!). There have been many things compiling to make that a reality - adjusting to a new city, new life, new work, new everything, getting sick (twice since I got here!), and most recently having my trusty old computer die on me (for real this time - and for no good reason! it's not like I dropped it from another balcony or something), but mostly no commitment or clear purpose for this blog.
With a deadline and a purpose, I have written pages and pages of meaningful - and also not so meaningful - words. I especially loved editorial writing for the Weathervane, even when I hated it. I had a clear mission for my words and a mandate to put at least 500 of them together every 2 weeks. I like to think that sometimes they were relevant or at least interesting. I enjoyed paper writing too - it has been too long since I sat down with my old computer with a topic to research or debate and a word or page limit in which to do it. I think I miss that. I hope that by committing to blogging and reflecting every week I will not only be able to keep in the habit of writing, but that I will create space for reflection and growth during the remaining 10 months of MVS.
Friday, October 25, 2013
offering hospitality
Over the past few weeks I have been blessed with the opportunity to offer hospitality to a slew of friends and family. Ket and I have enjoyed the crowds (me probably more so), the business, all the adventuring around Rochester, and the hugs (again, probably more fully enjoyed by me than my house mate!). Because of all that hosting, I have been rather slow on updating people on life in Rochester. Here's a little snap shot into all of our guests and our new adventures:
Thanksgiving!!!! (Canadian Style)
On Friday (10/11/13) we had the pleasure of welcoming 5 guests from Ontario who came to town for their Thanksgiving weekend. The time spent waiting patiently for them to arrive (original ETA was 9 and I don't think they made it in until 10:30) was really good bonding time for Ket and I as we laughed and giggled together in a candle lit house - we also discovered our mutual love of candles :). My sister (Hannah), brother (Joshua), brother's girlfriend (Laura), and brother's housemates (David and Max) were welcomed by hugs, tea and conversation. Eventually we collapsed to our sleeping quarters in preparation of a very early morning on Saturday.
Thanks to our friendship with Sweet Beez, we have access to the roof of a warehouse along the river where they keep their hives, and thus to a beautiful view of the city. Naturally we wanted to share this view with our friends, and so planned to arrive on the roof top before the sunrise at 7:15 on Saturday morning. We were sleepy, but the view was spectacular and company delightful. From there we headed off to explore the public market for the first time and purchase groceries for Sunday's Thanksgiving dinner. The market is massive (thankfully we avoided getting lost) and we had multiple choices for our purchases of sweet potatoes, onions, beets, apples, etc. After a potluck lunch with the Pettigrews, the rest of the day was spent exploring the Genesee Riverfront, abandoned subway tunnels (in which we constructed an ad-hoc see-saw), etc. We also went out for dinner at a local restaurant to celebrate David's birthday. Matt arrived later that night and I think we all feel asleep while trying to watch a movie (More on Matt's arrive to come...)
We had somewhat of a rushed start on Sunday morning and tramped into church slightly later than my ideal arrival time, especially as I had 6 guests in tow and there were only about 40 people in attendance... but we were welcomed enthusiastically by the folks at Rochester Area Mennonite Fellowship as per usual. After lunch some of us hurried to the Pettigrews to begin preparations for that evenings Thanksgiving dinner. The fixings included: mashed potatoes, cauliflower with cheese sauce, stuffing, Chadian beet salad, green salad, baked carrots/onions, baked sweet potatoes, complete with deep-fried turkey (there was much deliberation on this count) and pumpkin/apple pie with ice cream. We stuffed ourselves silly and feel asleep early that evening while trying to play a party game.
Monday we woke up to crepes (prepared by Hannah) and left over turkey before sending our guests Ontario guests on the road and going back to bed to catch up on some much needed sleep. I will see my family again at Christmas time when I make my own border crossing to celebrate with them.
Boyfriend in Residence <3
I mentioned it briefly above, but another reason I was so busy the past few weeks was the opportunity to host Matt for an entire week. His roommate dropped him off late on Saturday night (10/12) (her family lives just south of Buffalo and she took a week off to visit them) and came through town again this past Saturday to take him home again. Having him around was wonderful - not only did he cook/clean for us while Ket and I were at work during the week, but he was also there to provide all the hugs and cuddles I have been needing and got to experience some of what life is like for me in Rochester. He got to visit church with us on Sunday, came to potluck with me on Tuesday evening, and joined us for our weekly book study with the J-team on Thursday night. We also got to go out for a date night on Wednesday to celebrate his birthday and 10 months of dating. On Friday I took the day off work to explore High Falls more extensively with him and checkout another local restaurant. And on Saturday we discovered a fabulous local cafe while treating Matt and Mina (his roommate) to brunch before their drive back to Richmond. I am so thankful for our relationship, for our evening phone calls, and for the flexibility in his work that allows him to come visit me for a week at a time. I'm looking forward to seeing him again for American Thanksgiving in Virginia and then again in Rochester some time in January.
Harrisonburg Crew :)
The last set of guests arrived around 11:30 pm on Saturday (10/19), passing Matt and his roommate somewhere between Virginia and New York and allowing us almost a full day of alone time before hosting once again. This crowd of friends from Harrisonburg (Taylor, Aly, and Melody) came because of Melody's fall break (she's a senior at EMU) and to witness what their past roommate (me!) was up to in the northernly state. It felt so natural to have them join in my life for a weekend that it almost wasn't like hosting at all - they simply fit in with our natural pace of things and made our home feel cozy and full. Aly and Taylor joined us for church on Sunday, and then at risk of getting bored with the downtown Rochester tour we explored a park along the river we had not been to yet. The striking fall colors of the leaves were gorgeous - unfortunately no one had a camera on hand. We went out for dinner in High Falls and stayed up late chatting. Monday, Ket and I left them sleeping as we headed off to work and then joined us that evening for the JPC Monday night workshop at my work place. It was great to show them where I work and what I do, and for them to actually meet and hear from some of my clients too. Monday night we joined Sweet Beez folks for another spectacular view of the city, a photo op (I have a brilliant idea for how to liven up some of our white walls with pictures of the people we host over the year), and a hug-filled goodbye as they started their drive back south. I am also looking forward to seeing these three (and their compatriots) in November/December when I go south to celebrate U.S. Thanksgiving/ Aly and Sam's nuptials.
For now that is a sum of our hosting experience - I certainly do not expect it to continue to be so. We loved hosting the past few weeks, even if it was a little intense to have so many guests in a row, so it follows logically that would love to host you too! It was a blessing to offer hospitality, and it will be a blessing to extend that hospitality. So come and visit us. See what MVS is doing in Rochester. I promise they'll be tea and probably home-baked goodies.
Thanksgiving!!!! (Canadian Style)
On Friday (10/11/13) we had the pleasure of welcoming 5 guests from Ontario who came to town for their Thanksgiving weekend. The time spent waiting patiently for them to arrive (original ETA was 9 and I don't think they made it in until 10:30) was really good bonding time for Ket and I as we laughed and giggled together in a candle lit house - we also discovered our mutual love of candles :). My sister (Hannah), brother (Joshua), brother's girlfriend (Laura), and brother's housemates (David and Max) were welcomed by hugs, tea and conversation. Eventually we collapsed to our sleeping quarters in preparation of a very early morning on Saturday.
Thanks to our friendship with Sweet Beez, we have access to the roof of a warehouse along the river where they keep their hives, and thus to a beautiful view of the city. Naturally we wanted to share this view with our friends, and so planned to arrive on the roof top before the sunrise at 7:15 on Saturday morning. We were sleepy, but the view was spectacular and company delightful. From there we headed off to explore the public market for the first time and purchase groceries for Sunday's Thanksgiving dinner. The market is massive (thankfully we avoided getting lost) and we had multiple choices for our purchases of sweet potatoes, onions, beets, apples, etc. After a potluck lunch with the Pettigrews, the rest of the day was spent exploring the Genesee Riverfront, abandoned subway tunnels (in which we constructed an ad-hoc see-saw), etc. We also went out for dinner at a local restaurant to celebrate David's birthday. Matt arrived later that night and I think we all feel asleep while trying to watch a movie (More on Matt's arrive to come...)
We had somewhat of a rushed start on Sunday morning and tramped into church slightly later than my ideal arrival time, especially as I had 6 guests in tow and there were only about 40 people in attendance... but we were welcomed enthusiastically by the folks at Rochester Area Mennonite Fellowship as per usual. After lunch some of us hurried to the Pettigrews to begin preparations for that evenings Thanksgiving dinner. The fixings included: mashed potatoes, cauliflower with cheese sauce, stuffing, Chadian beet salad, green salad, baked carrots/onions, baked sweet potatoes, complete with deep-fried turkey (there was much deliberation on this count) and pumpkin/apple pie with ice cream. We stuffed ourselves silly and feel asleep early that evening while trying to play a party game.
Monday we woke up to crepes (prepared by Hannah) and left over turkey before sending our guests Ontario guests on the road and going back to bed to catch up on some much needed sleep. I will see my family again at Christmas time when I make my own border crossing to celebrate with them.
Boyfriend in Residence <3
I mentioned it briefly above, but another reason I was so busy the past few weeks was the opportunity to host Matt for an entire week. His roommate dropped him off late on Saturday night (10/12) (her family lives just south of Buffalo and she took a week off to visit them) and came through town again this past Saturday to take him home again. Having him around was wonderful - not only did he cook/clean for us while Ket and I were at work during the week, but he was also there to provide all the hugs and cuddles I have been needing and got to experience some of what life is like for me in Rochester. He got to visit church with us on Sunday, came to potluck with me on Tuesday evening, and joined us for our weekly book study with the J-team on Thursday night. We also got to go out for a date night on Wednesday to celebrate his birthday and 10 months of dating. On Friday I took the day off work to explore High Falls more extensively with him and checkout another local restaurant. And on Saturday we discovered a fabulous local cafe while treating Matt and Mina (his roommate) to brunch before their drive back to Richmond. I am so thankful for our relationship, for our evening phone calls, and for the flexibility in his work that allows him to come visit me for a week at a time. I'm looking forward to seeing him again for American Thanksgiving in Virginia and then again in Rochester some time in January.
Harrisonburg Crew :)
The last set of guests arrived around 11:30 pm on Saturday (10/19), passing Matt and his roommate somewhere between Virginia and New York and allowing us almost a full day of alone time before hosting once again. This crowd of friends from Harrisonburg (Taylor, Aly, and Melody) came because of Melody's fall break (she's a senior at EMU) and to witness what their past roommate (me!) was up to in the northernly state. It felt so natural to have them join in my life for a weekend that it almost wasn't like hosting at all - they simply fit in with our natural pace of things and made our home feel cozy and full. Aly and Taylor joined us for church on Sunday, and then at risk of getting bored with the downtown Rochester tour we explored a park along the river we had not been to yet. The striking fall colors of the leaves were gorgeous - unfortunately no one had a camera on hand. We went out for dinner in High Falls and stayed up late chatting. Monday, Ket and I left them sleeping as we headed off to work and then joined us that evening for the JPC Monday night workshop at my work place. It was great to show them where I work and what I do, and for them to actually meet and hear from some of my clients too. Monday night we joined Sweet Beez folks for another spectacular view of the city, a photo op (I have a brilliant idea for how to liven up some of our white walls with pictures of the people we host over the year), and a hug-filled goodbye as they started their drive back south. I am also looking forward to seeing these three (and their compatriots) in November/December when I go south to celebrate U.S. Thanksgiving/ Aly and Sam's nuptials.
For now that is a sum of our hosting experience - I certainly do not expect it to continue to be so. We loved hosting the past few weeks, even if it was a little intense to have so many guests in a row, so it follows logically that would love to host you too! It was a blessing to offer hospitality, and it will be a blessing to extend that hospitality. So come and visit us. See what MVS is doing in Rochester. I promise they'll be tea and probably home-baked goodies.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Covenanting
I've been thinking about covenants lately.
Ket and I had to put together a covenant for our unit - it's full of fun and thoughtful things, full of details of how we are going to try to live together, an attempt to clarify what we are trying to build together so that we have something to which we hold ourselves accountable, a goal for how to care for each other during this, etc - and this morning I signed the covenant at Rochester Area Mennonite Fellowship.
Each covenant is unique, and I guess they are upheld in unique ways, but the act of promising to each other is not a new one. Our scripture in church this morning came from the book of Joshua - of Israel's covenant to follow and serve the God of their ancestors after they have entered into the promised land. There are earlier references of covenants too.
I think the act of covenanting with some - of intentionally making clear expectations, guidelines, and even dreams for living, being, and caring together - is beautiful. i love dreaming out how to live intentionally with others - its why I'm with mvs in Rochester, it's why I lived with "granola united," "the pit of awesomeness," the WCSC program, why I love the J-team so much, why I go to Tuesday night potlucks, why an afternoon spent in someone else's living room can feel like I'm at home, etc. I'm not sure how well I do at living out the covenants, but I love dreaming them up and praying that we will support and love each other.
Lately I've also been thinking about how we build this act of covenanting into other, more 'secular' and every day relationships. What type of covenants do we sign with co-workers? friends? fellow Rochestarians on the bus? are there not a million covenants we adhere to every day, some voluntary and others not, some explicit and others not, that dictate our interactions and define how we build society together? I guess that's what Locke was getting to in the "social contract" theory...... No wonder why I'm so attracted to this idea of covenants.
Ket and I had to put together a covenant for our unit - it's full of fun and thoughtful things, full of details of how we are going to try to live together, an attempt to clarify what we are trying to build together so that we have something to which we hold ourselves accountable, a goal for how to care for each other during this, etc - and this morning I signed the covenant at Rochester Area Mennonite Fellowship.
Each covenant is unique, and I guess they are upheld in unique ways, but the act of promising to each other is not a new one. Our scripture in church this morning came from the book of Joshua - of Israel's covenant to follow and serve the God of their ancestors after they have entered into the promised land. There are earlier references of covenants too.
I think the act of covenanting with some - of intentionally making clear expectations, guidelines, and even dreams for living, being, and caring together - is beautiful. i love dreaming out how to live intentionally with others - its why I'm with mvs in Rochester, it's why I lived with "granola united," "the pit of awesomeness," the WCSC program, why I love the J-team so much, why I go to Tuesday night potlucks, why an afternoon spent in someone else's living room can feel like I'm at home, etc. I'm not sure how well I do at living out the covenants, but I love dreaming them up and praying that we will support and love each other.
Lately I've also been thinking about how we build this act of covenanting into other, more 'secular' and every day relationships. What type of covenants do we sign with co-workers? friends? fellow Rochestarians on the bus? are there not a million covenants we adhere to every day, some voluntary and others not, some explicit and others not, that dictate our interactions and define how we build society together? I guess that's what Locke was getting to in the "social contract" theory...... No wonder why I'm so attracted to this idea of covenants.
To Begin With, the Sweet Grass - Mary Oliver
The following poem was given to me by a dear friend while I was in Chad almost 3 years ago. Today I find myself writing it out again to give to another friend, one who is also a world traveler off on an adventure to discover herself. I find myself blessed to be friends with such amazing women, to have as friends and mentors, to be learning together what it means to love ourselves, and to love the world in which we find ourselves.
I had the pleasure of talking to my parents this afternoon, its been about two weeks since I got to talk to them and over a month since we had the time to be open and honest and real, just the three of us. I found myself crying because of the journey I am on, a journey of self discovery that has brought me here to Rochester with MVS, but also a journey that they have been witnesses to my whole life. I am blessed to have such supportive, caring, and inspirational parents - even (and especially sometimes) if they are a world away fulfilling their own questioning and discovering and service adventures. (My parents - Doug and Naomi Enns - are MCC country reps in Syria/Lebenon currently living in Beirut).
Speaking to my parents about journeys of self discovery and writing out "To Begin With, the Sweet Grass" for a friend leaving in two weeks for Croatia have reminded me today that my tree of life will grow at its own pace, in its own way. That though my life "trajectory" may not be clear, I am called to live life - to love and be loved - and to eat the sweet grass and admire the hummingbirds, especially here in Rochester.
I had the pleasure of talking to my parents this afternoon, its been about two weeks since I got to talk to them and over a month since we had the time to be open and honest and real, just the three of us. I found myself crying because of the journey I am on, a journey of self discovery that has brought me here to Rochester with MVS, but also a journey that they have been witnesses to my whole life. I am blessed to have such supportive, caring, and inspirational parents - even (and especially sometimes) if they are a world away fulfilling their own questioning and discovering and service adventures. (My parents - Doug and Naomi Enns - are MCC country reps in Syria/Lebenon currently living in Beirut).
Speaking to my parents about journeys of self discovery and writing out "To Begin With, the Sweet Grass" for a friend leaving in two weeks for Croatia have reminded me today that my tree of life will grow at its own pace, in its own way. That though my life "trajectory" may not be clear, I am called to live life - to love and be loved - and to eat the sweet grass and admire the hummingbirds, especially here in Rochester.
1.
Will the hungry ox stand in the field and not eat
of the sweet grass?
Will the owl bite off its own wings?
Will the lark forget to lift its body in the air or
forget to sing?
Will the rivers run upstream?
of the sweet grass?
Will the owl bite off its own wings?
Will the lark forget to lift its body in the air or
forget to sing?
Will the rivers run upstream?
Behold, I say - behold
the reliability and the finery and the teachings
of this gritty earth gift.
the reliability and the finery and the teachings
of this gritty earth gift.
2.
Eat bread and understand comfort.
Drink water, and understand delight.
Visit the garden where the scarlet trumpets
are opening their bodies for the hummingbirds
who are drinking the sweetness, who are
thrillingly gluttonous.
Drink water, and understand delight.
Visit the garden where the scarlet trumpets
are opening their bodies for the hummingbirds
who are drinking the sweetness, who are
thrillingly gluttonous.
For one thing leads to another.
Soon you will notice how stones shine underfoot.
Eventually tides will be the only calendar you believe in.
Soon you will notice how stones shine underfoot.
Eventually tides will be the only calendar you believe in.
And someone's face, whom you love, will be as a star
both intimate and ultimate,
and you will be both heart-shaken and respectful.
And you will hear the air itself, like a beloved, whisper:
oh, let me, for a while longer, enter the two
beautiful bodies of your lungs….
both intimate and ultimate,
and you will be both heart-shaken and respectful.
And you will hear the air itself, like a beloved, whisper:
oh, let me, for a while longer, enter the two
beautiful bodies of your lungs….
4.
Someday I am going to ask my friend Paulus,
The dancer, the potter,
To make me a begging bowl
Which I believe
My soul needs.
And if I come to you,
To the door of your comfortable house
With unwashed clothes and unclean fingernails,
Will you put something into it?
I would like to take this chance.
I would like to give you this chance.
5.
We do one thing or another; we stay the same, or we change.
Congratulations, if
You have changed.
6.
Let me ask you this.
Do you also think that beauty exists for some fabulous reason?
And if you have not been enchanted by this adventure-
Your life-
What would do for you?
7.
What I loved in the beginning, I think, was mostly myself.
Never mind that I had to, since somebody had to.
That was many years ago.
Since then I have gone out from my confinements,
through with difficulty.
I mean the ones that thought to rule my heart.
I cast them out, I put them on the mush pile.
They will be nourishment somehow (everything is nourishment
somehow or another).
And I have become the child of the clouds, and of hope.
I have become the friend of the enemy, whoever that is.
I have become older and, cherishing what I have learned,
I have become younger.
Never mind that I had to, since somebody had to.
That was many years ago.
Since then I have gone out from my confinements,
through with difficulty.
I mean the ones that thought to rule my heart.
I cast them out, I put them on the mush pile.
They will be nourishment somehow (everything is nourishment
somehow or another).
And I have become the child of the clouds, and of hope.
I have become the friend of the enemy, whoever that is.
I have become older and, cherishing what I have learned,
I have become younger.
And what do I risk to tell you this, which is all I know?
Love yourself. Then forget it. Then, love the world.
Love yourself. Then forget it. Then, love the world.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Anticipating a retreat.
Tomorrow my church heads off to the Adirondack Mountains for their annual weekend retreat. 3 days away from the city - from the distractions of work, of life, of routine - and immersed in nature. Leaving my computer, my cell phone signal, and my business behind. Welcoming mountains again, sleeping in cabins, and a late night canoe trip on the lake. I'm anticipating deepening relationships and times for contemplation and silence. I'm praying for rest and rejuvenation.
It's hard to wrap my head around the idea that I've been in Rochester almost a full month. I'm still not sure of my place at work, Ket and I are still figuring out what it means to live in community together , and we're also still trying to find our place in this neighborhood community. I miss the intentionality of my life in college, I miss having an identity and an established community, I miss having people with whom I was familiar, where I never had to feel self conscious about breaking down and also knew that I would be held accountable, even if i didn't always want to be. I miss not having to have conversations about composting (part of bulding a home is talking about all the little things... and realizing we come from different places). It's hard to start a community from scratch, to recognize that we have different assumptions and different vocabulary (we spent 20 minutes discussing the definition of patience this evening). It's hard for me to be patient (especially when we don't have the same interpretaion of it's implications) with different understandings of "intentional community", with different expectations for commitment, different ways of living - even in the ordinary things.
Its not that things in Rochester aren't great. I love our church here. I'm so excited about our J-team and our book studies. I'm learning so much about the consequences of the criminal justice system. My heart is breaking a million times a day for all the people I see in my office or I enter into our database for colleague. There are opportunities to see God at work all around us (I may have an opportunity to do some Alternative to Violence Project volunteering in a local prison! - more to come later). And my roommate is truly awesome. I am learning so much from her and from my experience this far.
Mostly it's that I'm tired. City live is fun and our neighbors are great, but I miss the mountains and the beauty of Shannadoah Valley (part of the reason I'm so excited about the Adirondacks). I miss walking around barefoot. And I miss cuddles (Ket isn't a touchy-feely person and I am - extremely so.); on that note, I miss seeing my boyfriend every few weeks (15 days!!!!!). And so I'm really excited about retreat. I'm excited about a change of pace, a change of scenery, and an opportunity to get in some cuddles with other church members (Megan, I need hugs!).
It's hard to wrap my head around the idea that I've been in Rochester almost a full month. I'm still not sure of my place at work, Ket and I are still figuring out what it means to live in community together , and we're also still trying to find our place in this neighborhood community. I miss the intentionality of my life in college, I miss having an identity and an established community, I miss having people with whom I was familiar, where I never had to feel self conscious about breaking down and also knew that I would be held accountable, even if i didn't always want to be. I miss not having to have conversations about composting (part of bulding a home is talking about all the little things... and realizing we come from different places). It's hard to start a community from scratch, to recognize that we have different assumptions and different vocabulary (we spent 20 minutes discussing the definition of patience this evening). It's hard for me to be patient (especially when we don't have the same interpretaion of it's implications) with different understandings of "intentional community", with different expectations for commitment, different ways of living - even in the ordinary things.
Its not that things in Rochester aren't great. I love our church here. I'm so excited about our J-team and our book studies. I'm learning so much about the consequences of the criminal justice system. My heart is breaking a million times a day for all the people I see in my office or I enter into our database for colleague. There are opportunities to see God at work all around us (I may have an opportunity to do some Alternative to Violence Project volunteering in a local prison! - more to come later). And my roommate is truly awesome. I am learning so much from her and from my experience this far.
Mostly it's that I'm tired. City live is fun and our neighbors are great, but I miss the mountains and the beauty of Shannadoah Valley (part of the reason I'm so excited about the Adirondacks). I miss walking around barefoot. And I miss cuddles (Ket isn't a touchy-feely person and I am - extremely so.); on that note, I miss seeing my boyfriend every few weeks (15 days!!!!!). And so I'm really excited about retreat. I'm excited about a change of pace, a change of scenery, and an opportunity to get in some cuddles with other church members (Megan, I need hugs!).
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
a glimpse of humanity.
At times I am brutally aware that my opinions of others are filtered through stereotypes, expectations, personal assumptions, etc. The white, middle class, educated, female, Mennonite lens I bring to a situation colors my glimpses of humanity - and not always for the best.
I meet lots of interesting people every day. From my colleagues, to people on the bus, to the neighbor who greeted me on his way home from work, etc. However, some of the most interesting people I meet are my clients. People with life experiences I cannot even imagine, but who are just as human, just as real as you and me.
The man who spoke on Monday evening about living through the struggle of life: a man who spent 31 years in prison and is rebuilding his life at 64; a man with the most wonderful smile; a man who spent 7 years on dialysis before getting a new kidney; a man who captivated the workshop participants with his laughter, his honesty, and even his tears; a good man.
The couple that was in my office today: a woman trying to look out for her disabled sister and cognitively challenged fiance; a man who struggles to speak, but wouldn't stop cracking jokes; a couple living at a shelter because that's better than being out in the cold; two people forever plagued by criminal records - consequences for actions they took when they lived a different life.
And though I try to see my clients as complex individuals, sometimes I forget to glimpse the humanity in the people who visit my office every day. Sometimes a word, a phrase, a character quirk, a glance gets in the way of my attempt to see each client as a person with potential, as humanity reflecting the divine. Sometimes I forget.
Today two words popped out at me. Two words written on a paper intake application that I glanced at hours after my client had joked with me while filling paper work. Even after I had built a reputation with the client, interacted with him as a real person, and honestly enjoyed my time with him, these two words - his conviction - colored our entire interaction. As I sat in my office deconstructing the stereotypes I didn't know I still had and reminding myself of the faith I have in transformation, of the work I have chosen with people who have done harm to others, and of the gentleness in the man's spirit and the respect he showed me in my office a few hours early, I sympathized with the employers and politicians who legally (and illegally) discriminate against people with records every day.
It is so easy to judge people based on one glimpse of who they are or who we think they might have been. Too easy to define people by the convictions handed to them in court - even if they were earned 20 years ago. What does it take to search for in each person, regardless of their past or their criminal record, a glimpse of humanity? And thus a reflection of the divine?
I meet lots of interesting people every day. From my colleagues, to people on the bus, to the neighbor who greeted me on his way home from work, etc. However, some of the most interesting people I meet are my clients. People with life experiences I cannot even imagine, but who are just as human, just as real as you and me.
The man who spoke on Monday evening about living through the struggle of life: a man who spent 31 years in prison and is rebuilding his life at 64; a man with the most wonderful smile; a man who spent 7 years on dialysis before getting a new kidney; a man who captivated the workshop participants with his laughter, his honesty, and even his tears; a good man.
The couple that was in my office today: a woman trying to look out for her disabled sister and cognitively challenged fiance; a man who struggles to speak, but wouldn't stop cracking jokes; a couple living at a shelter because that's better than being out in the cold; two people forever plagued by criminal records - consequences for actions they took when they lived a different life.
And though I try to see my clients as complex individuals, sometimes I forget to glimpse the humanity in the people who visit my office every day. Sometimes a word, a phrase, a character quirk, a glance gets in the way of my attempt to see each client as a person with potential, as humanity reflecting the divine. Sometimes I forget.
Today two words popped out at me. Two words written on a paper intake application that I glanced at hours after my client had joked with me while filling paper work. Even after I had built a reputation with the client, interacted with him as a real person, and honestly enjoyed my time with him, these two words - his conviction - colored our entire interaction. As I sat in my office deconstructing the stereotypes I didn't know I still had and reminding myself of the faith I have in transformation, of the work I have chosen with people who have done harm to others, and of the gentleness in the man's spirit and the respect he showed me in my office a few hours early, I sympathized with the employers and politicians who legally (and illegally) discriminate against people with records every day.
It is so easy to judge people based on one glimpse of who they are or who we think they might have been. Too easy to define people by the convictions handed to them in court - even if they were earned 20 years ago. What does it take to search for in each person, regardless of their past or their criminal record, a glimpse of humanity? And thus a reflection of the divine?
Saturday, September 14, 2013
An epic day
I've had a little bit of a tough week. Work has been hard, I've been struggling with insecurities, and i'm tired. I think I may have cried myself to sleep (or at least cried while talking to Matt before falling asleep) at least once since last Saturday. So I was really looking forward to this weekend - but I also wasn't expecting too much from it. Today turned out to be just the day I needed.
I got up to find that Ket was already cleaning up the house in anticipation of our "Garden Work Day and Tea"with members of Rochester Area Mennonite Fellowship. I put on some tea and was finally able to journal a bit about my struggles this week and work - to think things through and feel more at peace with where I'm at. And then we got to host the first work day for our yard. In exchange for $25 dollars off the rent, the church negotiated that we would be responsible for maintaining the front yard at our house. The day before we arrived, Austin weedwacked the weeds/grass in the yard - but other than that the landscaping doesn't look like it has been touched in a few years. With help from a few members of the church we pulled out almost everything from the front bed (mostly invasive species and weeds), cleaned away the weeds from the foundation, and trimmed our front hedge by at least 4 feet (it's still at least my height - so that gives you some idea of all the work we did). It was so great to be outside doing something physical for a change. Plus we talked as we worked, and sat for awhile afterwards for tea and cake/muffins. It was a beautiful example of fellowship and mutual aid - what was an intimating mess turned into a fun morning project and a time to bond with members of the church. And the weather was perfect for working outside - it had rained last night so the ground was soft and the fall weather was making its first real appearance. The perfect beginning to a beautiful day.
After about an hour of down time, at the urging of our J-Team, Ket and I made our way over to the Greentopia festival in High Falls. We ended up walking there which gave us some time to talk and laugh, to notice the city, and to enjoy the sun coming out from behind the rain clouds. The festival was great! J-team was there with Sweet Beez, we learned about so many ecofriendly/ fair trade things in Rochester, and we got to try some awesome samples. Plus we got to walk out over the Genesee River and see High Falls - a beautiful waterfall in the middle of the city of Rochester.
While on the bridge, we met another couple from church and talked more about the things to see and do in Rochester. I felt like we were being successful Rochestatrians, plus having a blast! I bought a recycled journal - whose cover is a map of the Finger Lakes/Lake Ontario region where I'm living at the moment - and some homemade shampoo soap. And Ket and I also got some grocery shopping done for the house.
On the way home we met up with a friend of mine from 6 yrs ago who also happens to be in Rochester and tried out our first garbage plate. I was a little intimidated by this Rochester tradition - but we all, including Megan Pettigrew, had our first plate this evening. Hot dogs (or burgers), Fries, Mac Salad, onions, and a spicy meat sauce poured over top - not at all good for you but maybe the best way to pack your body full of protein and carbs for a low price (which was the goal when they first became popular during the great depression). We ended up talking for over an hour and eventually realized that Megan had Sweet Beez plans to extract honey - so we all tagged along.
Thus we ended up watching the sun set from the roof of an old warehouse near the Genessee River where Sweet Beez keeps most of their hives. The bees were lively, we were excited to see what was going on, and the view of Rochester in the evening was striking. We retired to the Sweet Beez office to taste the honey right off the combs and then to watch the centrifuge work.
The day was filled with so many firsts and small adventures. So many good reminders that even if my service placement is tough, Rochester is still the place I need to be right now. And that I have an awesome, supportive community right here that will have my back and inspire me to be extra crazy. Life is good.
I got up to find that Ket was already cleaning up the house in anticipation of our "Garden Work Day and Tea"with members of Rochester Area Mennonite Fellowship. I put on some tea and was finally able to journal a bit about my struggles this week and work - to think things through and feel more at peace with where I'm at. And then we got to host the first work day for our yard. In exchange for $25 dollars off the rent, the church negotiated that we would be responsible for maintaining the front yard at our house. The day before we arrived, Austin weedwacked the weeds/grass in the yard - but other than that the landscaping doesn't look like it has been touched in a few years. With help from a few members of the church we pulled out almost everything from the front bed (mostly invasive species and weeds), cleaned away the weeds from the foundation, and trimmed our front hedge by at least 4 feet (it's still at least my height - so that gives you some idea of all the work we did). It was so great to be outside doing something physical for a change. Plus we talked as we worked, and sat for awhile afterwards for tea and cake/muffins. It was a beautiful example of fellowship and mutual aid - what was an intimating mess turned into a fun morning project and a time to bond with members of the church. And the weather was perfect for working outside - it had rained last night so the ground was soft and the fall weather was making its first real appearance. The perfect beginning to a beautiful day.
After about an hour of down time, at the urging of our J-Team, Ket and I made our way over to the Greentopia festival in High Falls. We ended up walking there which gave us some time to talk and laugh, to notice the city, and to enjoy the sun coming out from behind the rain clouds. The festival was great! J-team was there with Sweet Beez, we learned about so many ecofriendly/ fair trade things in Rochester, and we got to try some awesome samples. Plus we got to walk out over the Genesee River and see High Falls - a beautiful waterfall in the middle of the city of Rochester.
 |
| High Falls! |
While on the bridge, we met another couple from church and talked more about the things to see and do in Rochester. I felt like we were being successful Rochestatrians, plus having a blast! I bought a recycled journal - whose cover is a map of the Finger Lakes/Lake Ontario region where I'm living at the moment - and some homemade shampoo soap. And Ket and I also got some grocery shopping done for the house.
On the way home we met up with a friend of mine from 6 yrs ago who also happens to be in Rochester and tried out our first garbage plate. I was a little intimidated by this Rochester tradition - but we all, including Megan Pettigrew, had our first plate this evening. Hot dogs (or burgers), Fries, Mac Salad, onions, and a spicy meat sauce poured over top - not at all good for you but maybe the best way to pack your body full of protein and carbs for a low price (which was the goal when they first became popular during the great depression). We ended up talking for over an hour and eventually realized that Megan had Sweet Beez plans to extract honey - so we all tagged along.
 |
| Honey extraction overlooking Rochester at sunset. |
The day was filled with so many firsts and small adventures. So many good reminders that even if my service placement is tough, Rochester is still the place I need to be right now. And that I have an awesome, supportive community right here that will have my back and inspire me to be extra crazy. Life is good.
What I don't know
I realized this week how inexperienced I am. I may have a college degree, but I am woefully unprepared to serve at the Judicial Process Commission. It's humbling to realize all the things I do not know - and to try to figure out a way of coping with the intimidating learning curve ahead of me.
First off, I have no experience with the criminal system. I studied history in school, and while I minored in pre-law everything we touched on was in the general sense. I have no real experience with what goes on. I do not know the procedures, I don't know the judges, I don't know what matters and what doesn't. I don't even know what I don't know. And I don't know where to start learning.
And, I know next to nothing about how to help my clients. The population we serve, people with criminal history and ex-offenders, is so discriminated against. Because of mistakes they have made in the past, they might always struggle to find employment, find housing, etc. And in the state of New York, even if they turn their lives around, there is no way to expunge (strike from a criminal record) almost all misdemeanor or felony convictions. It is depressing to realize that they will live with these actions, and with legal discrimination from employers, for the rest of their life. Some of my clients are amazing people, determined to turn their lives around and contribute positively to society - but they will always be judged by their past actions. There are services in Rochester that can assist them with some things and we refer clients to a lot of them - but I don't know those services.
Because, I'm very new to Rochester (and to NYS). I feel like I would me so much more helpful to my clients if I knew how the system worked here. If I knew social services, or the non-profit sector, or charities where I could refer my clients. I have a list of community resources that is really helpful, but because I don't know Rochester, I don't know what will be helpful to whom when and where. At times I feel like only someone who's been around the city (or even the state) for awhile could even begin to know how to help my clients. Because I don't know how to get them what they need.
I do not know my clients. JPC has over 6000 clients in our database. We deal with around 1000 clients a year - each with their own needs and issues. And because of the nature of our clientele base (ex-offenders tend to be transient and financially unstable) we may lose touch with clients for months or years at a time. However, as I am learning, any of these clients might simply call us up and ask what is going on with their case. And I simply don't know. Plus it doesn't help that I struggle to understand accents on the phone and more than likely will get a clients name completely wrong (even after asking them to repeat it twice). I am so thankful for the data base - but am in awe of my colleagues and supervisor who can remember a client, and exactly what they were working on with them, even if they haven't been in touch for over 2 years.
And I'm kinda at a loss for how to go about learning.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
And now work...
Our crazy orientation weekend has come to a close and the world of work official began. After going over financial stuff and budget (and it's a very tight budget - I even have a "poor letter" to prove it) on Tuesday, Ket and I got to work on organizing daily life in the Rochester Unit.
On Tuesday's the Babcock's host "prayer and potluck", and so after doing a grocery run, I experimented with our first cooking project in the new kitchen. My go to potluck dish, quartered-roasted potatoes, didn't turn out like it usually does, but we still brought it to dinner and enjoyed everyone else's food. I don't know if we'll have the time to go every week, but it was lots of fun to hang out with people, eat together, and pray together - the back bone of community building.
And then home to bed, for bright and early Wednesday morning we began work. I experimented with the bus ride across town and found it much smoother than expected. Work, however, was anything but smooth. On my first day I jumped right into answering phones, dealing with clients, and trying to figure out what in the world was going on without any form of orientation. My supervisors, Sue Porter and Kamilah (I don't know the last name) are both crazy busy and overworked and the receptionist was out of the office due to a family emergency, so I just started helping out where ever I could and learning as I went. It seems like it's going to be that kind of a place.
The Judicial Process Commission services people who are currently or have been at some point in the past been incarcerated. We help our clients prepare for job interviews, access services, find housing, find legal assistance, get identification, apply for certificates that prove rehabilitation to increase their employablitly, ect. Before this month there were 2 americorps volunteers serving as service coordinators (basically case managers for all the general clients) in the office - both having been there for more than 2 years - and the sr. service coordinator, Kamilah. Now, there is Kamilah, and eventually myself - though I have yet to be trained in anything. (Sue works with a different client base - mostly young mothers - and I'll also be helping her with that group.)
Thanks to one of the americorps volunteers, I was able to access extensive manuals on most of my job responsibilities and have been going over them - when I'm not doing something for Sue or Kamilah or answering the phone or running around with my head chopped off. So far I have taught myself to use the two separate client databases, figured out what needs to be done for the workshop on Monday night and confirmed a presenter, tried to help a client apply for a birth certificate from Michigan State, taken about a million messages, and told at least 20 people to come into the office during our walk in hours on Monday and Tuesday to make an appointment (I'm a little terrified of Monday and Tuesday). My co-workers seem great, if a little overwhelmed and overworked, and I am really excited about how busy I've been. It seems like they will really be able to use me in the office and I'm looking forward to learning more about my job as the time goes on.
This evening Ket and I have book study with the J-team - we should probably walk over there in a few minutes - and then it will be Friday. Almost one complete week in Rochester and it already feels a little like home.
On Tuesday's the Babcock's host "prayer and potluck", and so after doing a grocery run, I experimented with our first cooking project in the new kitchen. My go to potluck dish, quartered-roasted potatoes, didn't turn out like it usually does, but we still brought it to dinner and enjoyed everyone else's food. I don't know if we'll have the time to go every week, but it was lots of fun to hang out with people, eat together, and pray together - the back bone of community building.
And then home to bed, for bright and early Wednesday morning we began work. I experimented with the bus ride across town and found it much smoother than expected. Work, however, was anything but smooth. On my first day I jumped right into answering phones, dealing with clients, and trying to figure out what in the world was going on without any form of orientation. My supervisors, Sue Porter and Kamilah (I don't know the last name) are both crazy busy and overworked and the receptionist was out of the office due to a family emergency, so I just started helping out where ever I could and learning as I went. It seems like it's going to be that kind of a place.
 |
| My very own office! |
 |
| The waiting room - it can get completely full of people. |
This evening Ket and I have book study with the J-team - we should probably walk over there in a few minutes - and then it will be Friday. Almost one complete week in Rochester and it already feels a little like home.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Orientation (part 1)
Orientation has begun and to sum it up: I am super pumped about this year of MVS in Rochester!
I’ve been in Rochester, NY since Friday night. My roommate Keturah Miller is awesome and we are getting
along splendidly. You can check out her blog too if your are interested in hearing more from the Rochester Unit. Together we live in a spacious two bed room apartment above a family home in the 19th Ward. This is a new place for the MVS unit, so in between the craziness of orientation we've been organizing our living space and hanging up wall decorations (we're slightly intimidated by the curtain rods - so we're gonna wait for some help from the church before we tackle those :) ).
Orientation has been led mostly by our support team (Jubilee /J-Team for short) made up of two young couples from our church, Rochester Area Mennonite Fellowship. Austin and Megan Pettigrew and Bryan and Kristin Babcock live only a few blocks down from us and have been a great support over the past few days. I'm looking forward to getting to know them more as the year continues. They seem ubber excited about this city and
about working for change and social justice here and their excitement is contagious. Among the other things they
are in to, they have recently started a nonprofit beekeeping operation to
educate inner city kids about bees and plant reproduction (check out Sweet Beez online) Conversations with our J-Team have filled me with energy as we discuss social issues, hope, justice, and intentional
community at every opportunity.
Along with our epic conversations, orientation has been filled with details, plans, and exploration. Life this year will be busy, as on top of work Ket and I will participate in a book study with our J-team, a prayer and potluck night, and an evening workshop with clients from my work every week. There's also Friday night frisbee, a vibrant church life, and hopefully more community events to plan and be apart of. One of the goals of the Rochester unit is to be a presence of hope in the local community and I'm excited to see how we make this a reality. We're also excited about spiritual development and vocational skill building.
Exploring Rochester has meant a few different things: we visited the People's Festival at the Ghandi Institute, looked down on the city from the Sweet Beez hives on the roof of an old warehouse, watched the labor day parade, climbed through the abandoned subway tunnels, been the only white people on the city bus, watched a documentary about the 1964 race uprisings in Rochester, had authentic Rochester Dinosaur BBQ (Nick Tahou Hots, the place to get a famous "Garbage Plate," was closed due to the holiday), explored downtown parks, etc.
On Sunday we attended Rochester Mennonite Area Fellowship, the church that's supporting us during our year of service. The congregation was so extremely welcoming and warm - I instantly felt right at home. Singing from the blue Hymnal and supplements again almost made me tear up. The children’s
story was acted out with the wooden figurines my mom used to use for children's church and was full of “wonder”
language. We had potluck after the service and everyone
was so excited and engaging. Plus the food was delicious.
I have yet to start my placement (that will happen on Wednesday) and there are a few more orientation things to do yet, but so far I am filled with excitement and hope for this year in Rochester. There are so many things to look forward to!
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Searching and Serving in Rochestery NY
In August, I am planning to enter the Mennonite Voluntary Service program. MVS is an experience designed for young adults to grow in their faith, develop a deeper appreciation for the church, learn how to see what God is doing in the world, and imagine ways to become a part of God’s kingdom work.
Through MVS, I will be spending the next year in a Rochester, New York. There I will have the chance to live in a mall intentional community of other MVSers and be a part of the faith community at Rochester Area Mennonite Fellowship. As my service placement, I will be volunteering full time with the Judicial Process Commission, a small NGO that supports ex-offenders in the reintegration process. I am looking forward to serving and building relationships that are transforming in my life.
This is a really great opportunity for me to explore what my dreams are in terms of justice and faith. I'm excited for this time of prayerful discernment, challenging experiences, and new relationships.
However, I very much need you to go with me into this time of service and exploration. Going with MVS requires me to raise part of my financial support because we do not ask the communities we serve in to fully support us financially. I also covet your prayers and thoughts during my time of service.
I invite you to prayerfully consider contributing whatever feels appropriate for you.While each of you can pray in equal measure, the funding is a little bit more complicated.
For my American friends:
All gifts in US funds should be made electronically on the Mennonite Mission Network web site http://www.mennonitemission.net/GiveToService. Please designate it for MVS and include my name as the participant you wish to support. All donations made through the website are tax-deductible and you will be sent a donation receipt from Mennonite Mission Network on behalf of MVS.
For my Canadian friends:
My home church, River East Mennonite Brethren, will be supporting me through their Service/Education fund. I invite you to consider contributing to this fund. All gifts in Canadian funds should be made payable to River East Mennonite Brethren Church, with “SeEd fund” indicated on the memo line. The gift is tax-deductible, and you will be sent a donation receipt from River East MB.
For everyone:
I'm really excited about this new period of growth and the new challenges and insights it will bring. I would love to have you accompany me in the learning, thinking, dreaming, and growing. Feel free to follow my blog, shoot me an email, or send me a text (thanks to the support of my Richmond family, I will continue to use my 804 number during my year of service).
Thanks!
For everyone:
I'm really excited about this new period of growth and the new challenges and insights it will bring. I would love to have you accompany me in the learning, thinking, dreaming, and growing. Feel free to follow my blog, shoot me an email, or send me a text (thanks to the support of my Richmond family, I will continue to use my 804 number during my year of service).
Thanks!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)