Monday, Monday...

If you are like me and you grew up on oldies (regardless of whether or not they were old or new when you were growing up) you will recognize the title and be singing along in your head "-can't trust that day..." But luckily for me, I just like the first part of the song and this is not a lament about how horrible Mondays are...

Today was quite a busy day and I just thought I would share how it went since there were a few new things that happened.

Things at work went pretty well, although we had an all day staff meeting, so nothing too exciting was going on. I started my professional development course that counts as my orientation to adult education in the state of Kentucky; I have three lessons down and seven to go. The head of CAP's wellness committee came and spoke to us about things how we can be proactive about our health, and because we participated we received vouchers for a free lunch at a local restaurant. The ironic part, however, was that the restaurant happened to be McDonalds. Personally, I don't see the connection between wellness and McDonalds, but hey, free lunch is free lunch. After lunch, I got schooled in our staff game of bean bag toss. Despite the tragic loss (although pretty much everyone sucked except Keith, who won), I rallied my spirits and took off to take my driving test with the infamous Mike Stanfill (my CPR instructor from last week).

We spent two hours in a big red truck and I had to relearn how to set my mirrors, relearn how to hold the steering wheel (apparently if you hold it at 10 and 2 if your airbag goes off your arms will break your face), and relearn how to use my turn signals. The driving wasn't too bad - it was still driving - but then came the parking tests. I had to back into a parking spot using his specific method and be within six inches of the curb/line three times. I did it the first two times really quickly but then I kind of psyched myself out a little, but I eventually got the third one. Front entrance parking went much faster. So the moral of the story is that I can now drive CAP vehicles - which is great, because now Paul doesn't have to wake up to drive me to work at 7am (he is very appreciative).

Today was also the first time that I made dinner and led devotions for our house. I made a casserole last night, so cooking wasn't too bad. And since the entire thing was finished, I think it turned out alright (although the tortillas got a little mushy...). For devotion I focused on the theme of confession. It has been something that I have been thinking about a lot lately; I've realized that I don't take time in my daily life to confess and I want that to change. I didn't go too in depth with anything since I wasn't sure how comfortable everyone would be with sharing, so I just kind of opened the time by reading Psalm 57 and then I played Samuel Barber's setting of the Agnus Dei just as a way to make space for personal reflection and confession. By the way, if you have never heard this song, you should really take the time to find a recording of it. The text, when translated, reads: Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. This song has personally been a song of meditation and contemplation for years - I would often put on the album (Choral Moods) while studying and without fail, whenever Agnus Dei came on I had to stop what I was doing just to allow the music to flow over and through me. (As a side note: when I was sitting in the Atlanta airport trying to find the courage to sit out my lay-over and catch my last flight to Lexington I put this song on as a source of comfort and encouragement). Anyway, if you have a spare ten minutes and are somewhere where you can play this song loud enough that you can absorb its harmony, click the title of this post and you will be linked to a youtube version of this song.

All in all, today has been quite an eventful day. It's nice to be back and I'm excited about the rest of the week. We're getting a new housemate tonight; she has spent the last few days driving over from California, so it will be fun to have another west coaster around. I'm off to bed because I'm awful sleepy and I think I might be getting a little bit of a cold...we'll see...

Sweet dreams.

Orientation

The short story: orientation was a blast.

Which, to be perfectly honest, was kind of a surprise. Generally I don't really like retreats (probably because I'm an introvert and being with large groups of people 24/7 tends to be a little wearing - especially if they are groups of people that I don't know very well). In many ways I was expecting orientation to feel like PA Training/Retreat two years ago (which I hated and it was terribly awkward); but luckily it was on a totally different level.

Our orientation group was the largest group CAP has ever had (I think). There were twenty-six of us there, representing five different counties and a multitude of programs (housing, advocacy, adult ed, elderly services, and respite to name a few). Most of us are from different places too (i.e.: Colorado, Arizona, New Jersey, Kansas, Texas, and Connecticut). Despite all of our differences in background and placement it was great to come together and spend a week getting to know each other. I feel like I have made some new friends and am excited to get to know them more in the next year!

In our orientation we covered a wide variety of topics - some of which were interesting and some were…well, less interesting...We covered how Father Beiting had a vision to help the Appalachian people and CAP history a few times, which was interesting, but a tad boring. The majority of our first full two days, however, were taken up with First Aid/CPR training. Our instructor, Mike, was a very entertaining character. He pretty much had a story about everything. Not only is he a certified First Aid/CPR instructor, but he is also a volunteer emergency responder for accidents in caves and underground, a black belt, an avid skydiver, and he will also be my driving instructor for CAP's driving training (which I will have tomorrow afternoon). I think we probably could have finished our training in less than a day but he literally told us a story about some experience he had had in the field that somehow "related" back to whatever area we were covering in class (although, to be fair, it did our make our training a little more interesting). I thought about sharing a few interesting facts that I learned during my training, but on second thought I realized that the hilarity of some of our training scenarios might not be fully understood through my writing. You might have just needed to be there; for example - imagine a room with twenty-six adults tapping baby dolls, asking them if they are okay and waiting for a response.

Once we finished our First Aid/CPR training we got to sign away our lives to Americorps for the next year (I don't know if I have ever signed my name so many times in a two hour time period before). Now with the paperwork out of the way I am officially an Americorps volunteer and have the tee-shirt to prove it. Woohoo! We also went over ALL of the CAP volunteer guidelines - we seriously read (aloud) the entire handbook. I think my personal favorite was that we are not allowed to perform psychic or palm readings on our program participants (which I hadn't actually thought of doing with my students, but now I can't - sigh).

We also spent one afternoon with Father John and Sister Robbie, both of whom have spent many years in Appalachia working to help the people and to protect the land (I might have a follow-up post on their work sometime, I took about ten pages of notes during their discussion - yes, I know I am a nerd - so it might be a little long to go into it now). It was great to learn a little more background information on the Appalachian region; for instance, Appalachia covers thirteen states and about 400 counties, and of all the states, eastern Kentucky has the most distressed counties, 36 (West Virginia has the next highest amount with 16). We also had a presentation from a woman named Betsie on perceptions of poverty. She broke down a lot of the numbers and statistics relating to poverty in our area, while explaining a few cultural differences as well. One such explanation related to a local phenomenon - many people here might be living in poverty but they still have cable and a TV. This relates to what she called "the power of dignity," which basically relates to the fact that everyone wants to feel like they have worth. When we believe in consumerism and capitalism, owning items like a TV offers us a little bit of that "worth."

One aspect of orientation that definitely made me feel like I was in PA training again, was that we spent a large amount of time covering issues related to community living (i.e.: conflict resolution). While mostly a review, it was good to cover, especially since there has been a little bit of tension in our house recently (I don’t want to go into details, but I would appreciate any spare prayers you can offer!).

CAP’s volunteer program has three pillars: service, community, and spirituality. As aforesaid, community was the pillar most prevalent in our discussions; and because most of our time here is spent in service – and since we all serve in different ways – we didn’t spend a long time talking about service. We did, however, spend time discussing spirituality (which were some of my favorite times during the week). It was awesome to see how despite all of our differences and backgrounds (we’re all different varieties and persuasions of Protestants and Catholics) we could still come together to look at scripture, evaluate our lives, and worship God.Each morning we had some devotional time as a group, which was great. In one of our devotional times we split up into two large groups, those of us in the Cumberland Valley (which are the counties west of the mountains: Rockcastle, Jackson, and McCreary) and those in Sandy Valley (counties east of the mountains: Floyd and Johnson), to spend a little time sharing stories of moments or people who have had a great impact on our lives. This time was like getting a glimpse (whether big or small) of who these people are and why they are who they are today. Just knowing a part of their stories helped me appreciate each one of them more. It’s too bad we could not have spent the whole day sharing!

While the majority of our time was spent in meetings, don’t worry, we did have some chances for fun too. There were a couple of short hikes, one that just went around the woods surrounding Camp AJ (where we were staying) and another that took us to the top of a ridge where we just sat and watched the stars for a while. We also had a game night (where we discovered that some people are not very good at playing “Taboo”), some people went swimming in the lake, we had a bonfire and s’mores (and there were two people who had never had s’mores before!), and, of course, there were many great conversations with new friends throughout the week.

Orientation ended on Thursday afternoon with a commissioning ceremony. Everyone in the volunteer program was there as well as many of the other volunteers. Kim and Terri came to support the five of us from Rockcastle. Each program manager was also there. Jennifer, my manager, came and she was definitely the most excited person there! (Which was fun for Paul and I since she cheered extra loud for us). During the ceremony we all introduced ourselves, there were speakers who shared about each of the three pillars of the volunteer program, and we all pledged to serve the people of Appalachia. Before the service began, we had each been given a candle, so to close they had us all come forward and each of our managers lit our candles and the director of the volunteer department prayed for us. After the service was over, I felt like I was at a wedding; everyone came through and greeted us all in one giant reception line.

Orientation is now over and done, and tomorrow morning I head back to work at Adult Ed – which I’m excited about. The break was great, and I’m going to miss spending time with my new friends, but it will feel good to go back to work – which is what I came here to do. Tomorrow is also my driving test as well as my first night cooking and leading devotions for my house.

I want to give a special thanks to my mom and to my dad. I got your packages. Thanks!!! If anyone else feel the need or desire to send me mail, I’ll be really excited…

I hope everyone is doing well. Good luck to everyone at SPU; I know tomorrow is the first day of classes. Have fun!

Blessings.

PS: I included a picture from orientation (thank you Bobby Jones for putting pictures up on facebook!). I think my candle is the one that is furthest to the left, not the big one, but the little one (although you can’t see me).

Off to Orientation

I am about to take off for four days of Orientation, which will be in Jackson County (about an hour away). I don't think I will have access to the internet, so I will not be posting anything else until after I get back. I meant to try and post a little more this weekend about what life is like here, but I ended up being gone all day yesterday at the Spoonbread Festival and visiting other volunteers. So the plan is to write a few successive posts when I return later this week.

I hope you all are doing well and enjoying fall. I hear that the Northwest has had some pretty amazing weather.

Blessings.

There's No Place Like Home

Last night at around 2 am marked my one-week anniversary in the Rockcastle Volunteer House. Which is kind of crazy to think about. Oddly enough, being here already feels very natural. There are still plenty of things I have to learn, both about work and about my house, but I feel like I have a place and like I belong here.

A lot of the reason I feel fairly comfortable already is because of the amazing housemates that I have. Currently there are eight of us here, but within a few weeks we'll have ten (by gaining three and losing one). Right now there are seven women and one guy - which is a little odd, but Paul doesn't seem to mind since he gets spoiled rotten. Helen has been here the longest (I think this is her third year here) and she works in the substance abuse recovery program known as Healing Rain. She is older, but has plenty of spunk. Last night she was outside watering plants in the dark and she stuck her head in the kitchen window and just about made Jenny, who was across the kitchen looking out, scream (which was quite amusing). Jenny works in Family Advocacy - which means when families are in need of some sort of assistance (be it monetary or physical) they will often come to her office for help. She is from Tennessee and is probably the most gullible person in the house - at least Paul teases her a lot. Paul splits his time between Adult Ed and Family Counseling; so two days out of the week we work together. And until I get my CAP driving privileges he has the lovely job of being my chauffeur. He is from New York and probably makes the best chai tea I've ever had (he is on par with Cedars' chai). Sharyn is also older and she works at the Spousal Abuse Shelter. Unfortunately she works mainly night shifts, so I rarely see her because of our opposite schedules, but she did live in Portland before moving out here, so it is nice to have another person from the Northwest around. Terri works in the Spousal Abuse Shelter too. She graduated from Berea College (which is in the next town over) but is originally from Maryland. She has already completed a year with CAP and will be leaving in October to prepare for moving to Africa in March. Kim just graduated with a teaching degree in high school English from Colorado University, so I'm looking forward to some good "English" discussions. She works in the Child Development Center and is also our house's "Social Coordinator" (although I'm still not exactly sure what that means...). Zaneta, who is the only person newer than me right now (she came last Wednesday), is also working in Child Development. She is a short term volunteer, so she is taking a semester off from school in New York to volunteer. Although she is a film studies major, she has taken a few women's studies courses, so we have had a few fun conversations.

Mondays through Thursdays we have community dinners that are followed by devotions. We take turns cooking, and whoever cooks also leads the devotion for the night (my first turn is on September 29th). Pretty much everything is communal. We have a food budget each week from CAP, so we take turns grocery shopping and unless something is labeled, it's fair game. The kitchen still feels a little overwhelming, but I am slowly learning where things are (it helps that there are labels for most things), although I have yet to really understand the fridge system (we have three). And I've never actually opened the freezer.

Right now we each have our own room, but in the next few weeks a few people will end up sharing; I, however, am not one of those people - which is nice. We have three bathrooms, ten bedrooms, a utility room, a kitchen, a dining room, a computer room, a living room, and a "library" (it's just off of the living room). And all of it on one floor - it's just spread out. (If you want to see an outside picture, click the title above)

I still haven't really seen too much of Mt. Vernon. I've driven through town a few times, but I've yet to get out and really walk around and see what is here. Technically, where I live is just outside of the Renfro Valley area. Just down the hill from us there is a touristy old-time set of shops that are supposed to be fun to see. There is also the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame (although I don't actually know what is in there). Supposedly there are also country music concerts every week at one or both of the barns down in that area. There is a lake on the other side of one of the hills from our house (I didn't know it was there until someone mentioned there was a lake on the other side of the hill, which is funny because it's a pretty big lake).

I have a nice commute to work (aside from the fact that I get chauffered everywhere) because it is less than five minutes away up the hill. Unfortunately, the road is well travelled and there isn't a shoulder, so walking to work is not a very good option.

Like I said, it is almost crazy to think that I have only been here for a week because I am feeling very at home already. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for my adjustment! You're prayers are working!

It was great because this weekend I received my first mail here! I got two packages and a letter. My housemates were a little jealous, but they didn't seem to mind so much when I shared the cookies I had received (thanks Hayley! You're amazing!). While I was opening the first package, Paul tactfully informed me of a house rule (which I think he made up) which states that if brownies are sent in the mail they must be shared; apparently cookies are optional - but I shared anyway. My other package was a Chocolate Lover's cookbook from Gary and Margy (which my housemates also got to enjoy last night when I made Chocolate Meringue cookies). So thanks to Katie (for the letter), Hayley, Gary, and Margy for the mail. You certainly brightened my first weekend here! (This is also meant to serve as a hint to any and all of you who like to send mail, and to all those of you who can be guilt-tripped into sending me mail...)

As much as I am enjoying my time here, it is still a little weird to be so far from home. If any of you can, please invent a transporter (maybe the creators of Star Trek will share their designs with you) so I can come visit you all more often. I have a feeling that as time goes on, and the novelty of being somewhere new wears off a little, I am going to get more homesick. So please feel free to pray for that. I miss you all and hope that you are doing well!!!

Blessings.

The Arrival

If it wasn't official before, it is official now. I HATE flying. In some ways I seriously wish that we could go back to horse drawn buggies. I know I should probably be a little more thankful for the advances in technology that I benefit daily from (like the computer I'm typing on or the internet that connects me to the rest of the world), but my trip out to Kentucky made me a little bitter about it.

Don't worry - I made it here safely. But something went wrong on every single one of my flights (and I had three!). My first leg was to Phoenix and we had to land in Vegas due to storms, which meant I missed my flight to Cincinnati (at this point I also decided that I hate Phoenix too), which meant that they had to switch my ticket to fly through Atlanta and then on to Lexington. Unfortunately there were storms in Atlanta too, so we sat on the tarmac for forty minutes before they even let us get off the plane. And after getting off of the plane I found out that my flight to Lexington was delayed by an hour - putting me in there around midnight. When I finally made it to Lexington I was surprised (and blessed) to find that all of my luggage had arrived, even with all of the transfers. One of my housemates, Paul (who is also working in Adult Ed), was there to greet me and drive me back to Mt. Vernon (we arrived around 2 am - yikes!).

Despite all of the problems that arose throughout my day, I am fully aware that it could have been a lot worse (i.e. - my bags could have been lost, I could have had to sleep in the airport somewhere, etc...). One of the blessings of the day was that I had a good book along with me. Before leaving Seattle I bought a copy of Auralia's Colors by Jeff Overstreet. I heard him speak last year at the Day of Common Learning (an annual event at SPU where a guest speaker comes and we all focus on one topic for the day and attend different sessions that are related; last year's theme was hope) about hope and truth in fantasy and fiction and I really appreciated what he had to say, so I've been wanting to read his book for the last year. And now I am. It is a beautiful story and really fun - a good combination on a really long day of travelling. In the story, Auralia, through her weaving, has the gift of bringing out colors in a land where colors are outlawed. In his telling of the tale, Overstreet does a great job weaving all the characters and events together throughout the novel. As I have read I have thought a lot about all of the beauty that I daily take advantage of without taking the time to really stop and take it all in. I can't imagine living in a world where wearing color is considered a crime of treason. Back in the northwest, and even here in Kentucky, I was/am surrounded by lush natural beauty and yet I rarely take time to really explore and enjoy it; I suppose I could take this as a challenge.

Other than that I am settling in pretty well. I like my housemates a lot and am enjoying the time I get to spend with them; work is also going well - everyday I am learning a little bit more and feeling a little more comfortable as I put myself out there to work with students. Today I will attend my first all-volunteer meeting and will get to "meet" everyone else. Afterward a bunch of are going hiking and camping tonight. I don't know exactly where we are going, but I know our meeting is somewhere near Natural Bridge, Kentucky (wherever that is). I will try to write a more detailed update this weekend sometime! But for now, know that I am safe and doing well. As I told Bekah and Gavin, I haven't even cried yet (which is good, since I had half expected to hate it); and as Gavin told me, I have to take victories where I can.

Thank you for your prayers!

One Day More

Well, in a little less than eight hours I will be taking off for the first leg of my trip to Mt. Vernon, Kentucky. I leave at 7am from Portland and will arrive in Lexington around 8:30pm (with stops in Phoenix and Cincinnati), so hopefully I'll be at my new home by 10 o'clock tomorrow night.

As the time to leave approaches I find myself getting more and more anxious...my stomach is a little jumpy and I've been crying a lot more the last few days. There is so much that I am leaving behind as I journey into the unknown before me. I've been doing a lot of "lasts" (or at least temporary lasts) the last few weeks. Before I left Seattle I went to Chocolati for the "last" time, walked Green Lake for the "last" time, saw friends for the "last" time, went to the cemetery for the "last" time. This week has been full of "lasts" in Portland - hiking in the Gorge, watching the sunset around Mt. Hood, going to Powell's, watching football with my dad, watching movies with my mom, and saying goodbye to friends down here.

I'm sure it comes as no surprise that I'm feeling a little (or a lot) overwhelmed. I hate goodbyes and I don't like change. So if you have a chance I would appreciate any and all prayer you can offer for me this week. A few specific things: for my travel tomorrow (I hate flying), for meeting my housemates and co-workers, for starting training in my new position, and for continued peace as I adjust to a new situation and lifestyle.

Despite all of my apprehension, I have been very blessed the last few weeks by all the encouragement I have received from so many of you! I think I would have chickened out if not for all of the love and support that has been offered.

Anyway, it is getting late and I need to be up in about four hours to finish the last few things and head to the airport - although don't worry, my bags are packed and they should both be under the 50 pound limit (now all we have to do is hope that they don't get lost in transit!). I have had a line from Les Miserables running through my head today that I think is a fitting way to end this post as I prepare to take off on this adventure:

"Tomorrow we'll discover what our God in heaven has in store; one more dawn, one more day; one day more."

For now,
Blessings.

One Chapter Closed...

It's official: I have said goodbye to the city I have called my home for the last four years. I can't decide if it is good or bad that this doesn't feel real - none of the last two weeks have felt real. Seattle has been my home in a way that no other place ever has been - it has been the scenes of my greatest joy and my greatest sorrow. I have made, loved, and kept many dear friends in that city - friends who have seen me through many dark days, shown me love, and who have always reminded me to laugh. I have been so blessed to know all of you.

As much as I will miss Seattle, and all those within its limits whom I love dearly, I know that the time has come for my path to take a new direction.

For those who maybe haven't heard the backstory, my journey to Kentucky started almost a year ago with a purchase of a little book from Amazon for my English Capstone class. The book: Delaying the Real World (although looking back the title is a misnomer - moving to Kentucky is not delaying anything; I am now facing the world before me). In the chapter titled "Why Not Change the World?" on page 171, I ran across a brief paragraph introducing the Christian Appalachian Project. I might never have thought more about CAP if it hadn't been for Dr. Thorpe, my capstone professor. In a meeting with him he encouraged me to think beyond Seattle and just "getting a job" to see if there was anything more that caught my fancy. Perhaps it was because of the randomness of it all that I remembered CAP when he asked if anything in the book had stuck out to me, and upon his suggestion I did a little bit more research. I remember that around this same time I mentioned the program to my sister, Bekah, and how I could move to Kentucky and volunteer and be like that old "Christy" movie we saw when we were little - believe me, when I threw out the possibility I meant it as a joke and would not have believed that I, of all people, would be moving to Kentucky to volunteer after graduating from SPU. By Thanksgiving I told my family that I was looking at program in Kentucky; by Christmas I had requested an application (another suggestion from Dr. Thorpe). Of course because I am such a procrastinator it took me until April to finish that application and mail it in, but by June I was out there visiting and interviewing. And now it is September 2, and in less than a week I will be in Kentucky.

My assignment is to Rockcastle County, working with Adult Education. This means that I will be tutoring adults and helping them prepare for their GEDs. Frankly, this terrifies me. I am only twenty-two years old (even though I am often mistaken for being sixteen) and the thought of trying to tell someone older than me how to do something makes me want to curl up in a ball and hide. Nevertheless, this is the area that I feel called to serve in. As I prepare to step into this new role I know that I will have a lot to learn and that I may fail miserably; but I am hopeful that I will learn quickly and grow into this new position, that I will not be dominated by my fears, and that I will serve with humility and love as I offer what I can to the people of Appalachia.

Despite all of my fears surrounding this step into the unknown I have been blessed with peace about my decision. I know that I am making the right decision - as much as I doubt myself and my capabilities, I do not doubt that the road before me is leading to Appalachia. After interviewing in June, I knew that I had been accepted to the Adult Ed and the Housing programs at CAP, but I didn't know which one to pick. Housing sounded like the most fun, and while Adult Ed was appealing, I also knew it would be the harder option of the two. So, being the good procrastinator that I am, I put off making a decision until about mid-August (I know it's a little ridiculous). On the day that I called CAP to accept a position in Adult Ed I was freaking out about committing to a program that I wasn't sure I could actually help anyone in. After getting a pep talk from my sister, I called, left them a message saying I was coming (lucky for me they were out of the office), and then called Bekah right back. I was in shock that I had actually just said yes to a program that terrified me and as I sat in the loop I was lamenting that I could not be like the little daycare kids who were walking by at that moment, all holding onto the rope that kept them and their leaders together (I'm sure most of you SPUers know what I am talking about). "I want a rope! I want to be led! I don't want to go alone!" was pretty much what I said at the time. It didn't hit me until later (when I had calmed down a little) that I already had all these things as I remembered a passage from one of my favorite books. In George MacDonald's The Princess and the Goblin, Princess Irene is given a gift of spun spider-web thread from her great-great-great-great-grandmother. This thread (which is too fine to be seen) is tied to a ring, and Irene is told that if ever she is afraid or in danger all she must do is remove the ring and follow the thread wherever it leads.
"'Oh, how delightful! It will lead me to you, grandmother, I know!'
'Yes. But, remember, it may seem to you a very roundabout way indeed, and you must not doubt the thread. Of one thing you may be sure, that while you hold it, I hold it too.'" (119)
When Irene later follows this advice she is led on the greatest adventure of her life because she had the faith to believe that her grandmother would not lead her into danger.

Looking at the road before me I see that there could be many chances for failure and hardship, but also chances for adventure, joy, and love. It is comforting to know that I do not go forward alone, and although I do not know where this thread will lead me I am trusting that my "grandmother" will be holding the thread as she directs my footsteps.

And so, here I am: terrified and about to take the next step in this adventure...

Blessings.