The past few days, weeks and months of my life have been crazy but filled with love and fun. September 2010, I began to think about where I wanted my life to go once I graduated in May. I was positive that I didn't want to go to grad school so fast, especially after spending about 17 years in school. So, I began to explore other options. I knew that I wanted to continue doing service in some capacity but wasn't quite sure how to do that. I also knew that I wanted to have a great adventure and see the world, but again, wasn't quite sure how to do that either without breaking the bank. So I began to try an think of ways that I could do both and remembered my friends who have served or are currently serving in the YAV, or Young Adult Volunteer Program. I thought, "This program is perfect!! I get to continuing doing service while going on an adventure, making new friends and experiencing new cultures and lifestyles along the way. So I applied.
Fast forward to December/January. At this point, I had informational phone calls with 4 different national sites and one informing me about the International sites. Now it was time to make a decision about where to apply. Do I want to only do national, only do international, or a mix of both? What group of people do I want to work with while there? Do I want to live alone or in an intentional Christian community? I finally came to the conclusion to interview with both and let God decide where he wants me to serve. Now came the hard part. I knew which international sites I wanted to interview with, Northern Ireland and India, but was unsure which sites I interview with for the national sites. So I talked to my mom and did some research of my own and decided that Nashville, TN and Atlanta, GA, were the best fits. Now all that was left were the official interviews with the national sites via a phone call and international at the placement event in Louisville, Kentucky
Well, its now time for the placement event after having 6 days at home to hang out with the family, pack, and complete chores. My weekend began with a 3am wake up, and 6:50am flight to Louisville to begin one of biggest moments of decision making of my life. Meeting new people and renewing friendships with old, made the weekend so much better especially since these people knew exactly what I was going through and was experiencing the same things.
Soon it was Friday afternoon and the beginning of interviews and continued through Saturday afternoon. At this point, the stress level went through the roof for everybody. Waiting for the placement forms to come back with our offer for placement for the 2011-2012 YAV year. Receiving that paper was the biggest mix of emotions I have ever felt. Happiness, anxiety, scared, nervous, are just a few of the many emotions that were going on prior to opening that letter. While opening the letter, I experienced a sense of calm as if God was saying "I have a plan and that you shouldn't be scared. It will all turn out great". As time passed on, the excitement grew as well as the sudden burst of energy which at first manifested itself by making my teeth chatter even though I wasn't cold.
All in all, this a new adventure to be filled with laughter, love, understanding, exploration, learning, and questioning, both of my own life and the new culture I will be experiencing. Now 1 Timothy 4:12, is all the more appropriate.
"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity".
Change is happening every moment of everyday. We just have to experience and live it to the fullest.
