My Fair Ladies

I have been blessed to live with four amazing ladies the past few months. From adventures in Chicago to Van's ice cream runs, I have loved spending time with my Elgin housemates. They have supported me during difficult decisions and dreary winter months. We have also laughed together over the most ridiculous puns and have created a long list of inside jokes. During our time as housemates, we have become a family. Or maybe a strange version of the Golden Girls. Although we annoy each other sometimes, we are always there for each another with a hug, smile, or listening ear.

Sadly, we are losing two housemates this spring so our five will soon be three. One housemate left last weekend, and we miss her already. Another housemate will leave in a week, and we get to take her home ourselves during our road trip to Roundtable at Bridgewater College. Our house will not be the same without these ladies. They are wonderful and caring individuals, and I will sorely miss them. I will miss hiking, laughing, and watching movies like My Fair Lady with them. I will miss trips to Geneva, long talks after dinner, and sharing coffee in the morning. Most of all, I will miss their hugs, jokes, and kindness. But I know that they will enjoy the next chapters of their lives, and thanks to modern technology, they are only a call or text away.

So, my fair ladies, go have some new adventures and don't forget to come visit us in Elgin. The BVS House doors are always open to you, and we'll be counting down the days until we're reunited with you two.  

Love,
Amanda  

Art makes us relax

Hello, faithful readers who care about Elgin BVSers! The spring season is upon us, and that means...TRAVEL! We have site visits, recruitment trips, orientations, retreats and more that we have on our plates. With all of us in and out of the house constantly, we find it difficult to find times to relax and breathe.

So tonight at our weekly house meeting, we took some time to draw! Everyone had a blank sheet of paper and we each took a minute to draw anything we wanted on them. Then after a minute we rotated pictures and added to the drawing! We passed it around the room until we had these four masterpieces of collaboration!

We might now always be together, but we will always be a community. :)  

What are some of your favorite/meaningful communities?

Peace,

-Jessie

Winter Shenanigans

Elgin, Illinois. Chicagoland. Not quite Chi-beria, but it's still freaking cold. That's the downside of the midwest. For this Virginian, cold weather never meant anything less than 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Now I applaud the weather if it's anything above a single digit!

So to rebel against the frigidness, the BVSers and friends decided to distract ourselves with fun winter shenanigans!

First and foremost...STAR WARS!!! We geeked out and went to see the Episode VII and it was magical.


One of our favorite ways to forget about the soul-sucking weather is...BRUNCH! Buttermilk in Geneva has become a BVSers' favorite.


Walking around in Geneva also makes us happy.

It was MLK Day this Monday, so no work. After a morning of snuggles by the frost bitten windows, we all went out to lunch! Elizabeth was flying in from a work trip, so we all picked her up and celebrated with food!

                       

It's safe to say that we love food and will make every excuse to go out to eat. :)

So if you're ever wondering if the Elgin BVSers are doing alright, rest assured we're stayin warm and having fun. :) For those of you BVS Alumni, what were some of your favorite house activities to do when you lived in the frigid winter of Elgin?

Peace out, and stay warm,
-Jessie

A Very Merry BVSers Christmas

It's Christmastime! And boy, have the Elgin BVSers been busy. With Christmas Parties, trips into the city, Star Wars, and fort building, there seemed to be little time to actually keep up with our Elgin House Blog. Alas, here we are, just two days away from 2016, and it seems unreal.

Much has happened since our last post in...September?! Yeah, it's been a while. Amanda McLearn-Montz and Deanna Beckner have joined us for the Workcamp Coordinator position and Elizabeth Batten joined the BVS team for Recruitment in November. We are also happy to have Kelley Brenneman live with us for a few months as she does her archiving thang. I'm still around and will be finishing up my over-a-year term with the BVS team on April 1st. Nope, it's not an April Fools joke, i'll legit be gone.

But to keep spirits up and the merriment going, check out some pics from our Christmas Party we had the other week. :)

See some friends starting to make some Christmas Cookies!

Some cool people eating some cool food and having some cool conversations.

Important gentlemen and their important conversations.

One of the first decorated cookies of Christmas!

Bruno getting in some snuggles...yes, there is a child under there.

We've had some good times together as a totally new house. We hope all of our friends and followers have had a delightful holiday season, and Happy New Year!!!

-Jessie

Tree Hugging, Incense Burning, Jesus Freaks.

Kum Ba Yah

This Land is Your Land

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

These are all songs we know; they are all songs of peace.  And frankly, some of you might think they are over done and a little cheesy.  People who want peace in this world get labeled as hippies, tree huggers, Jesus freaks.  Sometimes I feel like one of those judgmental persons who rolls her eyes at the excitement of singing some of these songs.  I've been singing them for my whole life and they are getting a little old.  Some people think all peaceful people do is hold hands while they sit in a circle and sing Kum Ba Yah in their yurts while burning incense.  I am here to tell you that this is a pretty extreme example of a person who wants peace, however I have often found myself in situations similar to this.  There might not be a yurt or incense involved, but definitely hand holding and sitting in circles.

Today is the International Day of Prayer for Peace, and tonight my housemates and I joined several other Elginites at the Highland Avenue Church.  We shared a meal and sang.  We sang some of the songs that I sometimes label as "cheesy" or "over done".  I admit it.  But the message inside each song is timeless and important.  We sang songs and enjoyed a peaceful and enjoyable evening with each other.

I believe International Day of Prayer for Peace doesn't get enough attention.  It is so important.  So many people in this world don't know peace.  They don't know what it is like to be safe, to have freedom of education, to walk outside and not worry about being attacked.  I believe it is a perfectly acceptable thing to want the world and all humans to know peace.

Think about it: when you get down to the bare bones of human existence, why are we here?  Are we here to try and be better at everything than everyone else?  Are we alive and on this planet to destroy each other to get to the top?  Were we put on this planet to beat each other up and put each other down?  I have no idea what God had in mind when we were created, but I can say with absolute confidence that God did NOT put us on this planet to kill.  I believe we were put on this planet to THRIVE.  To support each other.  To use our individual talents and gifts to collaborate with one another and enjoy the life that was given to us.

Sometimes I get really sad; I feel that it is too late for the world and all its inhabitants to make things right.  We are too concerned with money and things being "fair".  We have gotten wrapped up into this terrible idea that if someone looks, believes, or talks differently than you then you should hate them.  I like to think that it's not too late.

If I have learned anything in BVS, it is that diversity is the most beautiful thing in the world.  I have made so many incredible friends this past year and a half that are of all different religions, cultures, and ethnicity.  Just because I believe in Jesus doesn't mean I can't be friends with a Muslim.  Just because I am attracted to men doesn't mean I can't hang out with my lesbian friends.  Just because I'm a United States American doesn't mean I can't love persons from Palestine and Israel.  Just because I loath Donald Trump and everything he stands for doesn't mean I can't be cordial to republicans who worship the guy.  We all have differences.  If we were all the same, the world would be such a dull and meaningless place.    

So, for what it's worth, I'm asking you tonight to pray for peace.  Whether you pray about bringing peace in your yourself or peace for the world: pray.  Pray for people on Death Row.  Pray for the refugees of the world.  Pray for the military to no longer be needed in any country.  Sing Kum Ba Yah if you want.  Burn incense.  Hug a tree.  Wear your T-shirt that says "Jesus Freak".  Remember: blessed are the persecuted.  Just take a moment to pray for the peace this world so desperately needs.

Peace,

-Jessie

Good Chi Bad Chi

              

Moving unused furniture into the basement.  Re-arranging rooms.  Moving out of rooms.  Cleaning rooms.  Spending as much time together as possible.  Get the bad chi out and the good chi in.

This past week has been all about Chi.  It was the last week in Elgin for three of our housemates and two more are moving in this weekend so the house has been in a tizzy!  We've had fun activities each night to enjoy the make the good memories last.  And I've been doing a lot of re-arranging of furniture in some of the rooms in the house while cleaning as I go. 

When you move into a community house there are a lot of things that don't seem to get used: bookshelves, dresser drawers, chairs, lamps, mattresses, the list goes on.  It can be difficult to feel at home when there is so much crap sitting around that isn't yours.  

 

Last weekend our house had a yard sale to help with this problem!  With so many of us moving out, we all went through our things to try and get rid of things we don't want anymore.  We also had a lot of things that were in the house (that were here when we each moved in) that we didn't want/need anymore.  So we got rid of it!  And it felt great...but we still have some furniture that we don't really use.  As a community house connected to a church, many people donate things to the house.  It is SO greatly appreciated since we come here to live without anything but our personal belongings, but sometimes it can get crowded.  So we got rid of some of the junk that has been sitting in the basement.

The Elgin BVS house also has a bunch of mattresses for when we have visitors.  We had three stacked up in our piano room and since I have such a large room I decided to move one of them into my room as an extra couch!  And I love it, but it took the place of the gross, heavy, uncomfortable chair that I don't even use and can't get out of my room because it's too big...and Hannah moved all her things in my room so that our new housemate could move into that room...so my room right now has some pretty terrible chi.  (I'll spare you a photo...)

On the flip side, I cleaned and re-arranged our living room, ridding it of unnecessary furniture thus opening up the room for more activities and more sitting!  Good chi.

Three of our housemates are moving out.  While they are excited for new steps, we are all sad to see them leave after growing so close to each other.  Bad Chi.

Celebrating with each other at yard sales, cook outs, movie nights, game nights, and snuggles: Very Good Chi.

           

I also bought the George Ezra CD and have been listening to his delicious voice all week:  GOOD CHI.

  < LOOK AT THIS FACE.

It's been a week of ups and downs, good chi, bad chi, sadness, and happiness, but the house is happy and the future is bright. :)

Peace out, y'all.

Summer Breeze - Winds of Change

It’s that time of year…

Transitions are in full force. School is starting for many, Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren is undergoing a pastoral calling and discernment of the congregation, summer is in its final glory before fall arrives.

The BVS house feels this as a significant time of transition as well.

So, we're kinda crazy, but we're a great bunch - this was taken during our last day of shenanigans. 

For Hannah, Theresa, and I transition is feeling very real to us as part of our BVS experience. We are preparing to leave in a little over a week. This is my final blog post for the house.  And yes, that is a weird thing to admit, finally.

These past few weeks have become another significant part of my BVS year – an important part that sometimes gets neglected or ignored or rushed. The end part.

Ben has already left. His transition out was one of packing, lots of office “see-you-laters,” a final meal with the housemates still around for the summer. And then he was off.

Endings are hard; I don’t think anyone has ever claimed to feel ease or stress-free during the end of something that has been a major part of their life. Life in these strange times, becomes suspended in a feeling of limbo, perhaps wildly searching for the right thing to come next, preoccupation with rushing to finish everything, the pull of people staying for goodbyes, the anxiety of moving on. This can be quick for some or can seem to drag on, wondering how the next step will look. You can also find yourself with transition for the perfect amount of time.

This coming week I will be planning and speaking for a final time at chapel. Not surprisingly, a lot of my mind has been processing this new change in my life – transition from BVS. Funny, the end of something can really sneak up, even when you have been preparing awhile for that feeling.

BVS has been an interesting year in my life. This is the first year I’ve been without a structured schedule, the first time I’ve lived in a house without family, the first 8-4.30 job I’ve ever had, the first time I’ve ever intentionally and publicly dedicated a year of my life for full-time service.

There have been many ups and downs this year, as any other year goes I suppose. I am so pleased to report that I’ve grown in many ways, feeling a deeper awareness of myself emotionally and physically, honoring time and space in spiritual ways, extending my own health through self-care and boundaries.

BVS has taught me to dream, to keep searching, to keep serving. My role as coordinator for two major denominational youth conferences (Christian Citizenship Seminar in NYC and DC and National Junior High Conference in Elizabethtown, PA) never changed. At the office it was difficult at times to understand my service to the denomination and to the world. Today I began to realize my service impact. For many of the youth at NJHC, this was quite possibly the first time they spent time away from home without family. I facilitated many of the inner workings of both conferences in ways that make the conference what it was. With this BVS position, as coordinators, programs become extraordinary. Events can be imagined and evolve into meaningful experiences for youth are in the perfect stage of growth and wonder.

That is an amazing feeling.

Service looks like a lot of things. Anytime you smile at someone, sit to chat for a few minutes, look someone in the eye, pick up trash, you are serving. There is not one type of service; there is not one act of serving that is greater or less than another.

My term is coming to a close. This past week I have begun to realize that as reality. It’s not easy. In fact, it’s crazy, and awesome, and terrifying. I am so grateful for the support in colleagues who have formed relationships with me, housemates who are loving and funny and challenging, for BVS for the program that provides such real experiences. The service that one provides has a lasting effect on any who are privileged to be the recipient. And, you know what? Just like positivity and happiness are contagious – I believe serving is passed on, too.

My year is coming to a close. But really, that is only my year. To everyone reading this, your years all look different to you. We all find ourselves in different stages of life. 

Sometimes all it takes is a shift in perspective. 

Thus, at this time I would encourage you all to enjoy the journey… because after all, we are all in a journey, woven with others in their life journeys.

This is an ending for me, but the start of a beautiful beginning. I’m on the cusp of something great that’s about to start, I just happen to not know where life will take me next.

Tonight – it’s my choice to grin, to eat a lot of cake, and watch a movie with housemates. Because I know life is changing and I will continue to embrace it. And I know that I can also let myself have fun in the process!

One step at a time…

Love,

Kristen

Some things I've not mentioned but are fun updates of the house:

We have a new piano - graciously donated to the house from Ms. Nancy, a colleague, in place of our old (1917) upright grand piano.

Our garden is making lots of wonderful produce. We hope it keeps it up a lot longer!

We are hosting a yard sale!

AND PERHAPS THE GREATEST PART?!

Two more housemates are moving in soon! :D

...And so it goes...