The Accompanied Process

It’s time I fill you in.

The last three weeks have been dedicated to working and training. My job description is simple. Volunteers are to build relationships with residents as well as to keep up with the daily functionality of the building. (That’s a social worker's job description if I have ever heard one.) The staff has been welcoming and hospitable. I am quickly becoming accustomed to Scottish sarcasm. 

Finding a church home was a priority on my To Do list. I have been attending St. Paul’s and St. George’s (PsandG’s) Church the last few Sundays. It is an Episcopal church sharing a message of grace accompanied by a talented, musical band. 

I find myself thinking about time a lot lately. 

What can a year offer? I can’t get “Seasons of Love” from the musical Rent out of head. (I hope all are familiar with this song. If not, I ask you to pull up the song on Youtube or watch the film on Netflix.)  Measuring my year in cups of tea and coffee may be appropriate, however, these 525,600 minutes are much different than I’ve ever experienced before. 

Truly pondering how I am experiencing my minutes is overwhelming.I feel as though I just blinked and a month has passed. 

My journey began in Chicago. I can tell you my circle grew 73+ with 2015-2016 YAGM volunteers, alumni and ELCA staff. We dove deep into self-reflection and shared our personal stories. Leaders helped us dig into the depths of our personal experience, belief systems and conclusions. They helped us build a stronger foundation to support and sustain us through the coming year.  

How can a week be physically and emotionally draining yet completely fulfilling?  

Woven through the week was the theme, “Accompaniment.” This was defined as, “walking together in solidarity that practices interdependence and mutuality. In this walk, gifts, resources and experiences are shared with metal advice and admiration to deepen and expand our work within God’s mission.” 

Living united in the community of God: family and friends back home in the states, my YAGM extended family and the people of Edinburgh is what my life is all about. 

My shoulders are tightening and my hands are hesitating as I type my thoughts about my personal faith in such an open space. I have been reminded the important lesson that my individualized faith journey is, in fact, meant to be a part of a community, shared and expressed.

I am a forgiven sinner. I have been saved by the grace of Jesus Christ. My faith has always offered comfort and guidance. Living in Scotland through YAGM offers an opportunity for me to stretch my faith. It’s finding the middle ground between religious rituals and building authentic,  spiritual relationships. 

I’ve shared some of my goals for this year. Most importantly, I want to be available, open and ready to let God work in me and through me. My intentions are pure. I have no agenda. I have no social calendar. I simply have time to be with people. This space welcomes the vulnerable and broken through a loving, Christ-filled organization that is Bethany House. 

It is an Accompanied Process. 

    (Newhaven Harbor: only a short distance from my flat.)

So it Begins

Composing a blog is no easy task. I want to write in a way that followers hear my voice. I am nervous to sound vulnerable or unsure. Writing a travel blog does, however, give me a unique opportunity to share my experiences as I anticipate my year of service in Scotland. It provides a way for you to accompany me on this journey. Busy schedules, differing time zones and varied responsibilities for each of us can create barriers for communication. I hope this blog will create a bridge between us and connect us despite these challenges.  

Who would have thought that I would be preparing to start a year of service in Edinburgh, Scotland? 

You may have noticed I have been infected by the travel bug. I am reminded what it was like two years ago when I was preparing to move abroad to Oslo, Norway for the first time through Concordia College. Time is repeating itself as I pack my oversized suitcases as the seasons begin to change from summer to fall.

I have found it is impossible to describe to others my intense desire to stay in the presence of my family and closest friends, while at the same time, wanting to leave and explore the unknown. I am fascinated that parallel lives are existing everywhere even when I am not there to witness.This fills me with the desire to immerse myself in other cultures and lives and experience other people’s realities; their joys, struggles and beliefs. This makes me want to jump at every travel opportunity that comes my way. 

Jump may be the wrong word. I prayerfully entered into the ELCA’s Young Adults in Global Mission selection process, not knowing the outcome. Through many conversations, interviews and more interviews, I was selected and matched with Bethany House in Edinburgh, Scotland. This is a homeless shelter and a program designed to equip its residents to move on to better opportunities. While I will function as a volunteer, I hope to use my social work training to assist these residents to do just that. 

   

The time has come. The best way to describe my current feelings? I’ve been strapped on a roller coster ride and it is slowly rising to the top. I am anxiously preparing to hear the click of the mechanics to begin the ride, dropping at high speeds, plummeting towards the ground. It’s the anticipation that is the worst part. 

This weekend is a blessing. Knowing my family, you are most likely aware of our closeness. Summer only amplified our family time with our lake weekends. Through many texts and phone calls, it was becoming apparent that my three sisters were not going to be able to come to the cabin due to prior commitments. I could see the worry and disappointment in Mom’s eyes. She wanted desperately to get us all together to have one last meal with everyone present. A year is a long time to wait to be together again. 

Our prayers were answered. Siri, the committed volleyball player and teammate that she is, got the ok to leave town during her busy pre-season schedule. And Leah and Maren were able to juggle their schedules to make it work for them too. I couldn’t ask for a better way to be sent off on this journey than to have one last day with my family, including Grandma and Grandpa and aunts and uncles. 

Sometimes I get the vibe from people questioning my decision to accept this year of service. I feel their eyes say things like “If you are going to miss them so much, why are you going?” or “Why put yourself through that pain and suffering?” The truth is, our closeness is what gives me the courage and strength to follow this dream. It is because of their love and support. Our bond isn’t at risk due to geography. 

While this year is going to be very different than those four and a half months I spent in Norway, I have a sense of comfort in knowing I have gone and I have come back home. I am trying to enjoy the time I get to spend in the states doing things I love with the people that matter most. 

I am reminded of the advice my brother-in-law, Dustin, said before I left for my semester in Norway. We were in the car on the way to the Fargo Country Club with decorations for Leah and his August wedding. Dustin told me to remember and hold on to the feelings of anxiousness and anticipation because in four and a half months, I am only going to want to go back and do it all over again. He was right. The semester was a dream. 

The power of hindsight is truly amazing. One of my many goals for this year is to live fully in the moment. I want to live a life of intention and purpose with the people of Edinburgh. 

So it begins.