Oh, hello there blogosphere! I almost forgot you were there!! This post will be a sum of a few months since I have neglected this space for so long! There’s a bunch of word here, so I threw in some pics to save your eyes! :-) The beginning of 2015 contained many surprises, blessings, and challenges.

Surprises:

I was connected with Rick Carus and Andy Davis, who are pastors in the Presbytery of the Minnesota Valleys. Rick Carus is the Executive Presbytery and Andy Davis is the pastor of Union Presbyterian Church. Hopefully this will become a fruitful and joyous partnership!

Developing a positive rapport and building relationships with the guys is one of my favorite parts of working at Clifton Sanctuary Ministries. Developing these relationships has been a huge surprise to me because I am the exact opposite of the population we serve at Clifton Sanctuary! At Clifton the men are all 35 years old and up, while I am a 22 year old woman. Despite our gender and age differences, there is no shortage of things to talk about with these guys! They’re pretty awesome.

Recently Katie, a fellow YAV, and I were able to go on a Women’s Retreat with the members of Central Presbyterian. The topics we discussed were definitely a shocker for me! I am a southern girl who grew up in a good ole Baptist Church. As you can imagine, my beliefs about the Bible tend to lean more on the conservative side. At the retreat we talked about marriage/relationships and I was introduced to numerous new ideas. It was also great to sit around and chat with the ladies all weekend!! I’m really starting to feel like a PresbyBaptist since I am with the Presbyterians so much!!

Blessings:

Just in case you haven’t noticed yet, I really enjoy working at Clifton Sanctuary. One of the most appreciated blessings I have experienced while working here comes in the form of the Executive Director and Chaplain/Case Manager. Clifton is a very small organization with an even smaller staff. When I got here I had absolutely no experience working in an office environment. Alice (Director), Prince (Case Manager), and Gordon (Treasurer) all helped me to become acclimated to this space in a caring and efficient manner. They literally sat next to me every day for at least a month or two and explained everything I needed to know in great detail. Now Alice and Prince have been working here for 15 and 14 years respectively (That’s more than half of my life!), so they know their stuff. From having personal conversations with them to just working with them on a daily basis I have learned so much. They really are awesome people who have really shaped my YAV year.

One thing that is very important to serving marginalized populations is education. There are many skills and a great deal of training that goes into helping others. Most case managers and people who run the nonprofits we who refer men to Clifton Sanctuary have 2 things in common: experience and degrees. In May 2014 I graduated from Tiffin University with absolutely no intentions of ever attending school again. I have since done a complete 360. I am currently doing online courses so that I can become licensed. At this rate, I will do so by the end of 2016. It all started with a conversation with Prince one day. He was telling me about all of the schools he had attended and how they related to his experience at Clifton Sanctuary. This conversation then reminded me of a man experiencing homelessness named John John who told me that it’s nice for people to serve, but it’s way more beneficial to have a degree and to be able to provide necessary support services that a volunteer can’t. Sooooo I’m in a Master’s program now…

My church family is very important to me. They have shown a serious outpouring of love and support to me since I’ve been in Atlanta. I attend Israel Missionary Baptist Church in Kirkwood (2071 Hosea L Williams Dr. If you want to visit!) Me and my siblings grew up in this church! People have really gone out of their way to give words of encouragement or provide donations and the like. I am really happy to be a member of such an awesome congregation. One thing about Israel is that it is only a few minutes away from where I work! Unfortunately, no one from my church even knew that Clifton Sanctuary existed! My goal is to now involve people (especially the men folk) at my church in the things we do here at Clifton! We are literally neighbors, so I think it is important to build a relationship between these entities.

Sanctuary of Israel Missionary Baptist Church

Challenges:

Since I’m a student again I never sleep. I go to bed between like 2-4am, wake up for work around like 8am. Then it all repeats the next day. This is a slight challenge because I really like to sleep. Alot…

A big challenge for me has been with a family member. We are a pretty close and talk on a regular basis. In our conversations in 2014 they did not tell me their health was declining. They had a small issue with their foot that turned into a full-fledged problem requiring emergency surgery. They’ve been recovering for the past couple of months, but must now rebuild their life. The surgery and subsequent recovery period interrupted every aspect of their life. It is difficult to see a family member struggle and have little to offer them. Please walk in prayer with me and my family for continued recovery!

A more abstract challenge for me deals with the idea of simple living. As with every other aspect of this program, my fellow YAVs and I have different ideas on what this means and how to do it. I have grown up as a part of the working class. My parents have always held a few jobs, as well as doing things on the side to make ends meet. I’m not sure what the true definition of simple living is, but so far, it just seems like normal life for me. I save and reuse everything so that I don’t spend money twice. Going to a thrift/vintage store isn’t a new, cool fad; it’s a shopping spree for me! Using public transportation isn’t some brand new novelty aspect of my volunteer year…. It’s the only way I can get to places too far to walk to. Everything I own can fit into my suitcase and 2 bins. I can also definitely tell you how to live without every utility. These aren’t voluntary choices though. This is my life… So yeah… The idea of simple living has been a challenge for me. Maybe there’s a deeper definition that I’m missing though! Feel free to share what your idea of simple living is! As previously stated, it’s different for all of us.

The challenge that bothers me the most is the constant “What are you doing with your life?”

Yes. I made the conscious decision to live in a communal space where we all go to work for 32 hours a week and get a stipend of $100 for necessities. I budget my $100 each month to pay my bills and get all of the other things I need throughout the month. I’m fine with it; many people in my life are not though. They don’t understand the idea of me thinking that God called me to have this experience of service. Some people can’t wrap their minds around the idea that I genuinely enjoy being a YAV and the experiences it has afforded me. They think it is ridiculous for me to say I want to dedicate my life to serving people struggling with homelessness after I’m done here, they say (and I quote) “That’s someone else’s job!” -_- A girl (freshman in college) actually gave me a pep talk about how it’s good to volunteer, but I need to make my own money and stop trying to work with homeless people because they can’t pay me. This made me think of Alice and Prince and how long they’ve worked at Clifton Sanctuary. They aren’t getting the huge salaries that people who work at Fortune 500 companies are getting, but they keep coming back here year after year. Deuteronomy 15:11 says: “For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’” I am sincerely perplexed when people live their life as if it is the duty of someone else to help our neighbors. No, silly people! God has called is all to be servants to one another! But seriously, people really need to stop asking me that question…