Christmas Letter

I've been thinking of starting a blog over the last few months, specifically because life is really starting to take hold and lots of exciting things are going on.  Stepping into the real world has been a pretty big adventure so far, and not necessarily one that has been completely easy every step of the way.  They should have a class in college that prepares you for not being in college....its so different.  However, I'm excited about life and wanting to keep those of you who I rarely get to see updated about what's happening in my life. 

On this, the 20th of December, I have been working at the House of Charity for nearly 4 months.  It's kind of hard to believe its only been that long, because honestly it feels like I've been there forever.  For those of you who don't know, I'm serving as an Americorps volunteer this year (from September 1st to July 15th) at the House of Charity and what that boils down to is a 1700 hour committment with a few pretty great bonuses in it for me.  I get a little over $5,000 this year to put towards paying back those ever-looming student loans of mine, and I get medical insurance and a pretty liveable monthly stipend.  Not to mention a really amazing life experience, great new friends, and a chance to actually work in something that is making a practical difference in this city that I love.  I get the token "I could never do what you do" response from most people I talk to about this, but I think you'd be surprised how easy it is.  Maybe the hardest part is walking away at the end of the day and not bringing work home....but even that has been an overcomeable challenge.

I often get asked what my day at work looks like, and its hard to describe because its so different every day.  It's part receptionist/part social worker/part zookeeper (I mean that literally, we have lots of service animals).  Depending on the shift you get different experiences.  The morning shift involves a lot of moving and a lot of computer work and a lot of basic social services.  Night shifts involve a need for a lot ot patience and a good attitude, because they are a challenge.  The House of Charity's main mission is to keep people alive, and in order to accomplish that mission we allow anyone to come in (regardless of drug use or alcohol use) as long as they are respectful to staff and compliant with our rules.  Now, obviously our rules don't allow drinking or drug use within our walls, but we do get a large percentage of our clients returning under the influence of one thing or another.  We all have extensive training on how to deal with people that are under the influence and how to handle medical emergencies or outbursts of violence or any number of things, but it still makes for an interesting experience every single day. 

The thing that I love about the House of Charity is that its mission allows us to show love and compassion and basic humanity to people that aren't allowed anywhere else.  We get people who are kicked out of UGM and every other homeless shelter in town because they just can't stay sober or clean, and provide them with the basic things that they need to keep going.  I like that we are meeting people where they are at and being supportive in their trauma, addictions, and mental illnesses.  I think until any of us have walked in their shoes it would be difficult to throw out that old adage of how they need to just "pull up their bootstraps and get with it"...sometimes there isn't any hope left or any boots to even pull up. 

So, it's a rough and tumble crowd, but I like it.   I have the option to do a 2nd year of Americorps at my work, but I've decided I will probably for-go that option for one that I feel much more connected with.  I am looking into becoming a Jesuit Volunteer, which is another volunteer position that works at the House of Charity and was started in Spokane in the 50s.  This program operates much like Americorps, but with a few other aspects that I really appreciate.  I'm just starting to look into that process, so I'll have to touch bases on that later, but that's what I'm looking ahead to at this point. 

Other than work, I've just been enjoying spending time with friends and getting some new experiences in this year.  I hiked my first mountain at the end of this last summer, which was pretty spectacular and was completely spurred on by my supportive friends.  Being afraid of heights isn't especially conducive to hiking mountains, but it turned out well!  I've also really started to get more serious about my running addiction and have started to seriously consider entering a half marathon in late Spring.  I've been running with the Flying Irish Running Club every Thursday night during good weather and just been enjoying that.  Its a 5K run every week and the route alternates constantly, so its a refreshing change of scenery and a fun thing to get me more involved with my community.  I've also just been attending New Community still, which has been a real blessing.  Its such a great community and feeds my soul every time I'm there.  I love that I've found a church that challenges me every week to explore my faith and to trust in God.  I also love that its such a proactive church within the community.  New Community supports so many great missional outreaches in our city and supports so many of my good friends who are going to serve God in other places.  I could rant and rave about that church all day, don't get me started!

Christmas is less than a week away, so I hope that you are all well and enjoying time with your family and friends!  I was reminded yesterday at church about how easy it is to get wrapped up in the rush of the holidays and how simple it is to overlook the reason for Christmas because we've heard it so many times.  It's such a familiar story and those of us that have grown up in the church have heard it so many times that it's sort of old hat.  I want to challenge you to think about the miracle of what happened on this day so many years ago, because its unbelieveable when you let yourself really go there. 

"You're more than a story, more than words on a page of history"

This should be the first of many to come....I'm pretty wordy. 

Merry Christmas!

Dani