Disoriented

I am sitting in the common room at Marydale with some other MVCs as we are packing up for our flights tomorrow. It is strange that I am actually less than 12 hours away from getting on plane that will take me to my new home for the next year. A week of orientation, a slew of connections, many, many new friendships created; it’s been a busy week for me.

I’m feeling a little bit disoriented, which is ironic since I’ve just finished orientation, but I think it is because my mind is so jumbled with what I have learned and experienced so far, and with the impending journey. It’s only 2,500 miles, but it also feels like a lifetime away. I don’t know these people, I don’t know their culture. I don’t what they will think of me, and I also don’t know what I will think of them. I think that scares me sometimes.

We are leaving at 4:45 tomorrow morning, and Jake and Allison, who are working at -------- Indian School with me, are flying out to Albuquerque, where we will meet up with the other community members who are working at --------- Association for Special Education. I am excited to finally get to Arizona, after months of preparation and planning. Every day I grow more confident about going out there, even though I am not entirely sure what I will be doing once I arrive. I think it is awesome that I can use a degree, one that I worked so hard for, to do something meaningful while I have the chance. I know I want to live a life dedicated to service, and part of the reason that I am choosing Mercy Volunteer Corps is because I can travel, serve and essentially, live doing something that I love.

I don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow, or next week, or in a few months. But, with an open heart and an open mind, and the ever growing knowledge of Catherine McAuley and her Sisters of Mercy, I am excited to take those next steps forward that will propel me in the direction of the life God has chosen for me to live.