Highlights from the YAV Orientation at Stony Point

Two weeks ago was the week-long orientation for all 70 YAV's, both national and international, at Stony Point Conference Center in NY. On Monday morning, my housemates and I (totaling to eight of us) woke up at 3-something to arrive at Newark airport late afternoon. I was the only one who had a layover, so when I got to the airport, I had to look for college-aged students who looked like they had packed to move away for a year. I soon found them huddled and quiet by the windows with their enormous bags protecting them from these strangers. After a while, we quietly packed in the van and rode the hour to Stony Point in silence. As I sat in the front row of the van, I quietly smiled, knowing that friendship, laughter, and tears were inevitable for the week ahead. (All of which beautifully unfolded by the end of the week.) With that said, let me map out the events and words that were spoken during this gracefully challenging week:

Disclaimer: This blog showcases my opinions exclusively, not the opinions held by the PC(USA) or the Presbytery of South Louisiana. This is all my own voice.

1. The most important lesson I learned this week was the most surprising and confusing one. I learned that I am an "intimate extrovert", meaning that I primarily get my energy from very small groups of people rather than from being alone or from large groups of people. To my friends, I am commonly known as an extrovert because I gain energy from being around people. However, spending time with a handful of friends is very different from being surrounded by over 80 people all day three days in a row. I was getting tired and even sick, trying to figure out what was wrong with me until one of our presenters explained that she was an intimate extrovert, and the lights went on. I had been so exhausted because I was spending my energy just being around so many people. This lesson, I think, is important because it has made me aware of my needs and keep in mind this year when it comes to working in ministry full-time and living in a house with seven other women. 
2. I learned to stop feeling guilty for parts of my identity that are out of my control and start focusing on using my voice to speak out. What I mean is that certain pieces of my identity each have their own history and meaning in the world. I am a young, white, straight, middle-class, Christian woman. With each of these terms comes certain assumptions, privileges, and even responsibilities and powers. What is even more interesting and challenging is that I am not even aware of all of these facets completely. There was a great quote from our speaker who said, "It's not about how we give up power but how we use our power." I pray that my communities and the Spirit through these communities would teach me more about power dynamics, awareness of my own privileges, and give me the strength and the ability to find my voice to speak out against these boundaries that separate and confine us so easily. 
3. I realized that I do not take culture-shock that seriously, which could be a problem in New Orleans. Although I am not leaving the country, I am moving to a completely different part of U.S. in a dramatically different context. I am entering a city that is not without its wounds, its pride, and its strength. The suburbs of New Jersey and the Uptown of New Orleans are more different than I am fully aware. To state a basic distinction, there are palm trees everywhere around here, which is itself a shock to my system as I am used to the wooded hills, pines, and oaks of my neighborhood and farmland of NJ. I could go on about Mardis Gras, Second Line parades, and festivals happening virtually every weekend...I need to remember that culture-shock can often involve homesickness, anxiety, anger, confusion, and withdrawal, among other things. Therefore, for my own growth, it would be wise for me to remember to be gentle to myself as I am trying to learn what it's like to live and breath in the lifestyle that New Orleans has to offer. It's been awesome so far because it feels like I'm on vacation in my favorite city, but I know that this feeling will wear down soon. 

Prayers for me as I continue to watch and participate in the unfolding of this new chapter of my life, living in New Orleans...

Starting My Placements and Building Community

Hello friends,

Last week, I started working at my two placements at the First Presbyterian Church of New Orleans and Mid-City Ministries!

At the FPCNO,  I will be working with their ministry, Program of Hope, which is an outreach program for those suffering from homelessness. I will also being working on educational projects, both within the Program of Hope and through the Christian Education committee. I was thrilled to finally meet the congregation and get commissioned on Sunday! My new church family is so welcoming and generous; I am blessed to have the opportunity to work with and serve them.

My second part-time placement is at Mid-City Ministries where I will be helping tutor 3rd and 4th graders after school twice a week and leading a bible study for middle school students on Wednesday nights! I am so excited to meet the students I will be working with, starting tomorrow!

While I am very excited to start these ministries, I am also in need of your prayers. I want to learn about the communities I am serving, both on as a body and as individuals, so that I can learn how to love them and how my strengths and weaknesses will interact within these communities. I am also eager to see how these beautiful communities will teach me in the coming weeks and months.

Not only have I loved my placements so far, I have also been loving my housemates. I live with seven incredible women who are all smart, hysterical, fun, and committed Christians. I am blessed by each one of them in many unique ways. The house definitely feels different even if one of us is missing. They are already teaching me about myself, community, compassion, active listening, and what it means to build a covenant.

Last week, we built a community covenant as an effort to define who we are as a Christian community and what it looks like to work together, eat together, clean together, worship together, and love together. We spent six hours hashing out the covenant over two days, only to come to the conclusion that this is a "living" document that will continue to be shaped and re-molded through time. I am eager to see how this document changes, how the covenant changes us, how we change each other, and how the Spirit moves and blesses through all of this.

Thank you for your prayers and support throughout my YAV year so far! Look for postcards in mailbox soon!