This year was certainly not what I expected. It had its fair share of mess-ups, miracles and mundane moments to be sure. I missed a few trains and had some growing to do in my racial awareness journey; I met new people who showed me the face of God and felt the Spirit guide me in conversations; I learned new recipes and methods of cooking and even what in the world a daikon radish was ! I had the incredible opportunity to work with Living Waters Center of Hope for most of my time as a YAV in Boston. I served coffee, cut and cooked potatoes, and helped folks get the clothes and hygiene items they needed. I learned the power of presence and of showing up everyday to listen and acknowledge the struggles of folks who walked in the doors. While COVID-19 caused my time with Living Waters to come to an early end, I wouldn’t trade a minute of my time serving the Lowell unhoused and vulnerable community alongside the funniest, most loving and compassionate volunteers. Here’s how they’re adapting: socially distanced tables where folks can sit and enjoy the food served from the window. In addition to my time at Living Waters, I also worked at Eliot Presbyterian Church. Beginning work, I felt like there was a “place prepared” before I came to the congregation. My skills and passions were met, developed, and utilized to grow in faith and discern what I wanted to do post-YAV. While I was at Eliot Church, I helped out with the large congregational events like Thanksgiving and even helped lead the MLK Service Sunday where we packaged over 10,000 meals that went to the local food bank. I also had the most amazing opportunity to work with Eliot’s Confirmation students. I had never been so heartened and impressed by a group of young people than getting to witness the students’ growth throughout the year. I am so proud to have been able to watch them flourish in their faith. Here are the students showing off their completion time for an Escape Room at our Spring Retreat! From the lessons I’ve learned from Living Waters and Eliot Church, I have discerned my vocation and education goals. I will be beginning a Master’s in Nonprofit Management at Northeastern University and starting work at common cathedral in Boston, MA. To learn more about common cathedral, click this link to check them out! I am so blessed to have the support of friends and family (blood relations and church family!) on my side in this new adventure.
The way I came to common cathedral was nothing short of a miracle. After a few missed opportunities to participate in their programs, I was forwarded the job application with a couple of days left to apply. Reading about the nonprofit more closely, I felt my excitement grow. It was so in line with what I felt called to do. After applying and interviewing, several folks recommended to the nonprofit that I would be a great fit for the position. Soon after, I was offered the job! My sense of a “place prepared” that I started my YAV year with continues to my feeling of being where I’m supposed to be at common cathedral. I couldn’t be happier with my next chapter of life.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorHi, I'm Sierra! I will be serving in Boston, MA as a Boston Food Justice Young Adult Volunteer for the 2019-2020 academic year. I graduated college with a major in Philosophy and minored in Classical Studies. Archives
July 2020
Categories |