Recently, I jokingly voiced this question to my housemates as we watched two "frat boys" cross the street in an area of town that lacks the infrastructure to ever really be considered pedestrian-friendly. I confess that I so unfairly judged them based off their white skin, clean-cut appearance, and preppy clothing. Walking down the street … Continue reading “Have you checked your privilege today?”
When I first began my YAV year, I wrote a blog post about struggling to know how to respond to people when they thanked us for our service and remarked at how "good" we are to be taking a year to do mission work (post linked here). I'd hoped that as the year went by … Continue reading A New Understanding of Mission
As I enter into the last 1/3 of my year, I've put together a few pieces of advice for future YAVs - but I think they also double as life lessons I've learned over the past 7 months. Expect the unexpected. There's no such thing as a normative YAV year. Let me say that again … Continue reading Honest Advice for a Future YAV
For the second time during my YAV year, I had the unique opportunity of visiting the U.S. - Mexico border through the organization Frontera de Cristo. When I went last November alongside other YAVs from Albuquerque, Tucson, and Austin, the experience was absolutely eye-opening for me. It was heavy and emotional, but every day, I … Continue reading Redefining Joy // Border Delegation, round 2
As always, life as a Young Adult Volunteer has been unceasingly busy, especially over the last month. So much so that it's been really challenging to stop, pause, acknowledge, and reflect. However, as I've mentioned in previous blogs posts, these practices are so important to my mental health. Sometimes it's hard to find the time … Continue reading Seven. // Monthly Updates
Sometimes you get too busy living this crazy life, that it's hard to stop to reflect on the everyday stuff. These past three months have been full of both sweet, soul-filling moments and challenging periods of growth. This week, I'm finally stopping to catch up and intentionally practice gratitude. Using my daily #thegoodlist and photos/texts/journal … Continue reading THREE – SIX. // Monthly Updates
For what feels like my entire life, my identity has rested in the role of student. My parents, both well-educated and committed lifelong learners, instilled the value of education in me from an early age. I have lived a privileged life when it comes to education, one of choices, access, and consistent, never-ending support and … Continue reading Born to Succeed // Inequities in Education
Last weekend, I skipped church to attend the 2019 Albuquerque Women's March. However, even though I wasn't sitting in a pew, I still felt like I was experiencing "church." As we marched in downtown Albuquerque, chanting and holding signs with thousands of others, this experience reminded me in the most unexpected way of my transforming Pilgrimage experience from a few months ago (you can read my blog here if you missed … Continue reading Isn’t this what church is?
If you've missed them, check out the first two stories from my immersion trip to the U.S.-Mexico border last November: Part 1 and Part 2. After five days spent unpacking the many layers of our immigration system and experiencing it firsthand, I've realized that I have so much more to learn. Sharing these stories has … Continue reading Stories from the Border // part 3.
This is the second in a series of stories from a recent trip to the U.S.-Mexico border. If you missed the first, please read it here. My attempt at telling these stories is not to speak for those that we met living in the borderlands - or the hundreds of thousands of others experiencing similar things - but to share what I experienced and the ways that it is already beginning to shape me. Along the Port of Entry, two rows of concertina wire, added the day before we arrived in Douglas-Agua Prieta, serve … Continue reading Stories from the Border // part 2.
servinginstripes.wordpress.com 