I’m sorry for the lack of posts in the last two weeks. This has been my time for a brief return to the US before departing for Mexico, and I have been doing what I can to live into the moment, be present with my friends and family, and focus myself on the year to come.

As of now, I am at YAGM Orientation in Chicago, and it has been unbelievably cool to reconnect with all the people I met at the DIP (interview) event back in April, and to form new relationships with some of the people that I didn’t get a chance to spend time with back then, too. It has been an affirming and loving three days, and I am continually overwhelmed by the excitement that I could not be serving with a more incredible group of people.

Of particular importance to me has been our morning workshops, a series called Packing Your Soul’s Backpack, which relates to some “new” spiritual practices we might want to take with us on our year of service and beyond. The first tool we picked up was Centering Prayer, which I think was difficult for many of my fellow YAGM, but for me finally felt like a worship space I could enter into without hesitation. During the process of applications, interviews, placements, preparations, and now orientation, I have sometimes had to remind myself that our spiritual communities aren’t always what we might first choose for ourselves, and that more important (to me) than sharing creeds or worship practices is forming those communities and living fully in them. But through speaking with Pastor Goinia, our Backpacks presenter, and sharing what has been called “The Quaker Connection” with my fellow YAGM, I’ve slowly been realizing that while I might not be ready to start attending a Lutheran Church again, many of the tools I use to worship can be welcomed resources in Lutheran circles.

My fellow YAGM and the Alum Teams have been asking me thoughtful and thought-provoking questions about my beliefs throughout the week. Yesterday eight (!) YAGM decided to use their last opportunity for Sunday morning worship to attend Quaker Meeting with me in Hyde Park. So cool.

Okay. Back to orientation sessions. I'll try to write again before I depart, but the next time you hear from me I may be in Mexico!!