Last week we opened our brand new building at Room in the Inn. After 15 months of construction, inconvenience, and transition, I have to say that it was completely worth it. The new space is twice as large as our old one, and so much nicer. Some amazing moments have already happened here in just the past week...
*Jeff decided to take one of the participants around the building and give him a personal tour. This guy is one of the ringleaders around the Campus...the one we all know is selling drugs on the corner. Yet when Jeff showed him our new space, he actually cried.
*Another participant, who is usually kind of a jerk toward everyone who works at the Campus came in Monday morning to pick up his mail. He was as pleasant as can be, especially compared to normal. He told me how much the new building really made him feel worth something, and how much he appreciated everything that we did here.
*Sitting in the new Day Room on Tuesday morning, I heard people share their stories. I heard one man tell me about his former career as a musician. In fact, he toured Europe with Neil Diamond many years ago! I listened to people tell me memories about projects they did in grade school and visiting blackberry farms with their family in the summer. I got to ask people about their future goals. The entire atmosphere has been so much more open to conversation and connection.
*Wednesday morning, I played pictionary with Lucia and 4 participants and had a blast. I can't even tell you the last time I played real pictionary, if ever. Today I played Spades and earned some respect from the guys who never expected a young white girl to know how to play cards :)
There have been plenty of hardships that have happened this week within our community, but we have been there for each other even in those moments. I don't regret for one minute staying here another year.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Beginnings and Endings
Hey everyone! I can't believe that in less that 3 weeks from today, I will officially end my YAV year. Where has the time gone?! As with all transitions, it has brought up a variety of mixed feelings...excitement and anxiety, worry and hope, ready for the next step and sad to be leaving this current one. Here is where I am at right now:
On the one hand, I am so ready to begin my new position at The Campus. I am also so excited about transitioning into our brand new building at the end of next week and getting settled in there. I even have my own desk, which is a big deal after having no space of my own all year. Getting paid will be a nice change, too :). I am also getting really excited about finding a cute house in East Nasvhille and really making it our own. Rebbecca, Bonnie, and I are hopeful that we will find something good.
However, all of these transitions also have some anxiety attached to them. In addition to the worry about those adjustments, I am definitely not ready to say goodbye to the rest of my YAV community in Nashville. I am sad to think about going to The Campus everyday without seeing Paul and Lucia, whose JVC year ends at the end of July as well. And I'm kind of sad about not having the YAV title, which has resulted in such wonderful hospitality from people in Nashville since we have been here.
Change takes time...I just trust that God has led me to stay here for a reason and that it will all work out for the best.
On the one hand, I am so ready to begin my new position at The Campus. I am also so excited about transitioning into our brand new building at the end of next week and getting settled in there. I even have my own desk, which is a big deal after having no space of my own all year. Getting paid will be a nice change, too :). I am also getting really excited about finding a cute house in East Nasvhille and really making it our own. Rebbecca, Bonnie, and I are hopeful that we will find something good.
However, all of these transitions also have some anxiety attached to them. In addition to the worry about those adjustments, I am definitely not ready to say goodbye to the rest of my YAV community in Nashville. I am sad to think about going to The Campus everyday without seeing Paul and Lucia, whose JVC year ends at the end of July as well. And I'm kind of sad about not having the YAV title, which has resulted in such wonderful hospitality from people in Nashville since we have been here.
Change takes time...I just trust that God has led me to stay here for a reason and that it will all work out for the best.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Montreat 2010
Hello everyone! I have really slacked on writing updates lately, but time just seems to get away from me. I cannot believe that in 6 weeks, my time as a YAV will officially come to a close. I am reassured over and over again that staying in Nashville next year is absolutely the right decision, but that does not mean that I still do not face anxiety that comes with change. For right now, I am going to try to not think about what lies ahead, and instead update you on what I did this past week.
For the 2nd summer in a row, I headed to the beautiful Black Mountains of North Carolina to Montreat, about 20 miles east of Asheville. I had the opportunity to serve as a Small Group Leader to 30 high school students attending Week 1 of the Montreat Youth Conference. I am not going to lie...it was challenging, draining, and frustrating at times trying to keep 30 high schoolers focused for 3 hours of small group time a day. In the midst of these struggles, though, I loved being a part of this small part of their faith journey. I was energized to see the youth forms such strong bonds with one another in just a short week; to be challenged in my own faith from their questions and comments; and to be reminded of the importance of faith when we are faced with the storms of life.
I also had the privilege of getting to know the 3 youth that went from Second Presbyterian Church throughout the week because I stayed with them in a house nearby. They never ceased to impress me with their maturity and willingness to grow. They also kept me laughing all week long! I am so grateful that 2nd Presbyterian is feels more and more like my second church home.
It was a good week...it was a great week, actually. Although I return back to Nashville and back to work probably more tired than when I left, it was well worth the trip :)
For the 2nd summer in a row, I headed to the beautiful Black Mountains of North Carolina to Montreat, about 20 miles east of Asheville. I had the opportunity to serve as a Small Group Leader to 30 high school students attending Week 1 of the Montreat Youth Conference. I am not going to lie...it was challenging, draining, and frustrating at times trying to keep 30 high schoolers focused for 3 hours of small group time a day. In the midst of these struggles, though, I loved being a part of this small part of their faith journey. I was energized to see the youth forms such strong bonds with one another in just a short week; to be challenged in my own faith from their questions and comments; and to be reminded of the importance of faith when we are faced with the storms of life.
I also had the privilege of getting to know the 3 youth that went from Second Presbyterian Church throughout the week because I stayed with them in a house nearby. They never ceased to impress me with their maturity and willingness to grow. They also kept me laughing all week long! I am so grateful that 2nd Presbyterian is feels more and more like my second church home.
It was a good week...it was a great week, actually. Although I return back to Nashville and back to work probably more tired than when I left, it was well worth the trip :)
Monday, May 31, 2010
Thoughts from "Radical Hospitality"
Rachel, the executive director at The Campus, loaned me the book Radical Hospitality by Homan and Pratt. Reading this book has been exactly what I needed to remind me of the reason that my position at the Campus is so important. Here are some particular passages that stood out to me that I wanted to share:
"It is an escapable reality that our relationships are the soul from which we grow a heart capable of caring."- p. 152
"Hospitality is a way to help others discover their true selves. They need to see that precious person reflected in your eyes sometimes, before they can believe it for themselves"- p. 158
"In taking on the pain of others we act in the transformation of the world. We ourselves are changed, and we make a small push against the darkness. We make a difference"- p. 200
"Hospitality is a way to counter the thousands of times another human being has felt less than human before others didn't listen. Listening is the power of hospitality; it is what makes hospitality the lifegiving thing it is"- p. 214-215
Allowing other people to come into our lives and be a part of it is such a powerful act of love. As difficult as it is some days to see, I know that God is at work in these places and in these moments. I am grateful for the reminder!
"It is an escapable reality that our relationships are the soul from which we grow a heart capable of caring."- p. 152
"Hospitality is a way to help others discover their true selves. They need to see that precious person reflected in your eyes sometimes, before they can believe it for themselves"- p. 158
"In taking on the pain of others we act in the transformation of the world. We ourselves are changed, and we make a small push against the darkness. We make a difference"- p. 200
"Hospitality is a way to counter the thousands of times another human being has felt less than human before others didn't listen. Listening is the power of hospitality; it is what makes hospitality the lifegiving thing it is"- p. 214-215
Allowing other people to come into our lives and be a part of it is such a powerful act of love. As difficult as it is some days to see, I know that God is at work in these places and in these moments. I am grateful for the reminder!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Go look!
Mary Jane Winter, who is on the Missions Connections Board for the PCUSA, read my newsletter article for 2nd Presbyterian Church, and asked if she could post it on their website. Here is the link if you want to read it!
https://www.pcusa.org/missionconnections/letters/yav/yav_langl_1004.htm
https://www.pcusa.org/missionconnections/letters/yav/yav_langl_1004.htm
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
It's "Official"!
Today my news was announced at staff meeting, so I guess that's official enough for me to make the announcement public:
My next step after my volunteer year as a YAV will be joining the Room in the Inn staff as a Case Manager!
I definitely had to weigh my options about what to do next year, but I could not be happier with my decision to stay at the Campus. Never in a million years did I expect this to be the path, but I think God has reasons. My acceptance to Columbia Theological Seminary will be defered until next Fall, and I will be staying in Nashville :)
My next step after my volunteer year as a YAV will be joining the Room in the Inn staff as a Case Manager!
I definitely had to weigh my options about what to do next year, but I could not be happier with my decision to stay at the Campus. Never in a million years did I expect this to be the path, but I think God has reasons. My acceptance to Columbia Theological Seminary will be defered until next Fall, and I will be staying in Nashville :)
Thursday, March 25, 2010
New beginnings
Tonight I attended a special event for a new program at The Campus called HPRP- Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program. This particular program gets certain individuals into housing quickly and helps them to develop long-term skills to keep their housing.
One struggle formerly homeless people face when they move into housing is the loss of community. Therefore, HPRP includes a component to help to create a sense of community among the participants in the program. Tonight, thirteen men and women who have been recently housed or will soon be housed came for great food, fellowship, and fun. It was such a joy to see the excitement on their faces as they received household goods to take with them; to laugh together as we shared funny stories and random facts about ourselves; and to see the bonds beginning to form among the people present. As dinner was passed around, and I made a comment about the "nice" plates, one man replied, "Wow, do you know how long it's been since I've eaten off a real plate? I don't even remember." New beginnings can start with something as simple as kitchenware.
I drove home in the rainy weather. I looked up, and right in front of me was a beautiful rainbow over the city of Nashville. It was a physical reminder of the spirit of hope that was contagiously present in that dining room tonight.
One struggle formerly homeless people face when they move into housing is the loss of community. Therefore, HPRP includes a component to help to create a sense of community among the participants in the program. Tonight, thirteen men and women who have been recently housed or will soon be housed came for great food, fellowship, and fun. It was such a joy to see the excitement on their faces as they received household goods to take with them; to laugh together as we shared funny stories and random facts about ourselves; and to see the bonds beginning to form among the people present. As dinner was passed around, and I made a comment about the "nice" plates, one man replied, "Wow, do you know how long it's been since I've eaten off a real plate? I don't even remember." New beginnings can start with something as simple as kitchenware.
I drove home in the rainy weather. I looked up, and right in front of me was a beautiful rainbow over the city of Nashville. It was a physical reminder of the spirit of hope that was contagiously present in that dining room tonight.
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