what am I gonna do?

Since Eric has already let y'all know what he's going to be doing at Henderson Settlement, I figured I'd better catch up!

I will be working in the Outreach Department. If you take a look at that link, you'll see that there are a whole bunch of programs in this department, and I am excited about that! When we went to visit, they mentioned to me specifically about the after-school program and the mothers and infants program, so my guess is that I'll be spending a pretty good amount of time with those programs. (I'm not so sure how much help I'll be in giving advice about infants, but we shall see!) They also mentioned that I might be substituting at the day care center on days that they might be short-staffed, so that should be good, too.

I think it's good that I'll be working with children again. I've found that sometimes when I go to work and I'm really cranky, it's when I hang out with the kids that I feel better.

And the library. Awesome. There's already a librarian down there who's a permanent (I think) volunteer, so I won't be heading it up, but I'm excited to help her with anything she needs or substitute if she takes some time off.

I have to say, though, that one thing that I'm really excited about is the variety of things that I could potentially be doing in this department. I could be working in the second-hand clothing store, the food pantry, and/or the adult literacy program. Or maybe I'll be working with the community newsletter or the women's group or the exercise classes (hahahahahaha!). I'm looking forward to trying a little of anything they want me to do!

Done

I have completed my requirements for my Masters of Social Work degree. No more classes, No more papers, No more internship (I will still be there this summer I will just get a paycheck now).

I see what we will be doing as social work, even if I will be working on a farm. As of now I will be working in the farming department at Henderson. They have a herd of charlais beef cattle, several pigs, as well as greenhouses and an apple orchard. With the cattle and swine they have a program where individuals who want to support the people near Henderson will pay the cost of feed and caretaking for the animals and when it comes time for butchering low income families will apply to purchase the animals at a reduced cost to provide food for the long term.

The economy of the area has been traditionally based on coal and timber. As these resources have been depleted is has become part of Henderson's mission to educate local individuals on different opportunities for land use. This along with providing a minimal income are the goals of the greenhouses and orchard.

I will be glad to be returning to farm work, I have some experience with cattle and greenhouses but the pigs will be a new adventure.

happy/sad

We have been so antsy to get going on our adventure, but today was the first that I realized that there's sadness, too, in leaving my current work behind.

Some days I get frustrated at my job, but I love it. Tonight it hit me that I'm actually going to be sad to leave it. I work with amazing co-workers and incredible kids. I will miss them. I still have so much to learn from them. Hopefully I can pack all that learning into the next few months.

why

A few weeks ago, Jim from work said that he was curious as to why two young people would leave promising careers to be unpaid volunteers. He wanted to know what it was about the organization that convinced us to do this.

That's a really good question.

When I thought about it, I realized that it was less about the organization than it was about something that I've been wanting to do for a long time. I was brought up in a home that was very centered around faith in God. There are a lot of things about faith that I struggle with and a lot of things that don't make sense to me, but one thing that I am absolutely sure of is that service to others is a huge part of honoring God. This is a part of faith that I can do--something that isn't just in my head.

When I was a senior in high school, I wrote a paper for which I interviewed five missionaries (two sets of couples and another woman). It was a chance for me to understand what being a missionary meant. And I liked it. I like the idea of using my abilities to serve other people. It makes sense.

I know that it's possible to do service and still have a career, but I kind of suck at that. For a little while, at least, I want it to be my career to do service.

So. There are people in Appalachia that need help, and I can potentially help them. I want to try.

to help.

My grandfather passed away last night. I write this here because his life--his ideas and his example--are very much related to why we're taking a year to do mission-type work.

Grampsy was a Methodist pastor--both my grandparents were, actually--and, as my dad put it last night, his was a social gospel. I learned from him that to be Christian means to help people, and he did that both by helping directly and by working to make things right at a governmental level.

One of my favorite stories about my grandfather is that when he arrived at the recently-burned home of one of his parishioners, he immediately took his coat off, rolled up his sleeves, and got to work. I'm not sure that those details are one hundred percent accurate, but the point is that my grandfather knew that to live his faith meant to help.

I don't feel called to the ministry like my grandfather was, and I'm not as eloquent as he was when he spoke and wrote, but I can work, and I can help. I am especially glad that we have made the decision to do this year away because I feel as if I am not wasting what I learned from him.

the decision has been made.

Well, we've made our decision about our year of adventure. At the end of September, we'll be leaving to go to Frakes, Kentucky, to volunteer for a year at Henderson Settlement. We were really torn between this organization and Heifer Project's Overlook Farm, but working at Henderson will allow us to do direct work with people in need, which is what we had in mind when we first started talking about running away.

This is a view of the valley at Henderson Settlement's main campus.

We'd really like to be able to run away again sometime down the road, so maybe (hopefully!) we'll get to be at Overlook Farm in the future--we really like what the organization does.