Sunday, October 19, 2014

Where the road may take you

It’s not always easy to picture your future. It’s especially difficult in times of transition to imagine where you might end up a few weeks or months down the road. For me, graduating from Juniata College was one of the most daunting things I’ve had to face. In the months leading up to the big day, I could only envision an empty road stretching out before me, and I had no idea what I wanted to do. As a religious studies and anthropology major, I had no clear job path and the only thing I knew for sure was that I needed a break from school before continuing my education.

When I heard of the opportunity to join BVS as one of the assistant workcamp coordinators, I jumped on board quickly. I was excited about the prospect of spending a year in a new city, spending the summer months traveling around the country and getting the chance to connect with youth in the denomination. After arriving in Elgin just about two months ago, I can safely say that I made the right decision to come here.

Although I miss the mountains of Pennsylvania and I am absolutely dreading the cold of Chicago winters, I am excited to be living in the house with so many wonderful people. I have really enjoyed getting to know Theresa, Ben, Kristen and Chelsea and am so happy to announce that one of my best friends from college, Laura, arrived safely today and will be joining us for the rest of the year!

Kristen, Chelsea, Laura, Ben and myself recently returned to the mid-west from orientation where Chelsea and Ben served as orientated leaders for unit 307. The past few weeks were filled with lots of laughter, good conversations about sometimes difficult topics and beautiful scenery. It was refreshing to be around so many like-minded people who also find value in service. I made many new friendships with some truly genuine and wonderful people that I hope will last throughout the year.

At the time of this new beginning, I am excited to see what the futures holds. Maybe you can’t always picture the future, maybe it’s okay not to have a plan, maybe you just need to trust that you’ll end up where you belong and make the most of where the road ends up taking you.
Love,

Hannah