Journals!

So Bethel College, the school I will be attending next year, recently started a program in which they give college credit for service work. I'm psyched for this opportunity! Although it does come with the added work of having to write journals to send to them every two weeks. But this also gives me something new to post on the blog, woohoo! So here's my first one. It's just kinda a general overview of what I'm doing this year and is old news, but hey, maybe I said something you haven't heard before.

Journal #1 – March 5, 2012

            This being my first journal entry, I figure I’ll give you some background information about me, my decision to do Service Adventure, and what I’ve been doing in Philippi, WV for the last 7 months. Here it goes!

            My home church, First Mennonite of Newton, has always stressed the importance of voluntary service. I first became aware of the opportunities after high school my freshman year in youth group. A large portion of the senior class that year, who I had gotten fairly close with, decided to do service after high school. That stuck with me, and from hearing stories of their experiences and others’ in the church who had done mission work in the U.S. and overseas, it sounded like something I wanted to do. I began looking into service options for myself several months into my senior year. I knew I wanted to go somewhere out of state where I would be taken out of my “comfort zone” and into different surroundings, but I didn’t think I was ready yet to go out of the country, to somewhere completely foreign. That led me to Mennonite Mission Network’s Service Adventure program.

            I knew that one of the girls who was part of that senior class during my freshman year of youth group went to Philippi for her voluntary service year and worked in a clinic. I figured that this would be a great placement for me, given the interest in the medical field that I had developed during my junior and senior year of high school. I looked into the program and location more, talked to mission network people, friends, family, and prayed about it, and made my decision to apply to the program. I wanted to be sure to get the placement, so I applied really early and got accepted around November of 2010.

            My job at the Myers Clinic has been a huge learning experience. I’m so glad I got the chance to be where I am! Not only am I learning so much about the medical field, I also get to work with some of the craziest and fun co-workers ever! Their hospitality and generosity to me since my first day here has been incredible. But as for what I actually do: I spend most of my time in the walk-in center of the clinic. It’s a small family practice with just doctors and two physician’s assistants. I help the nurses with whatever needs to be done. The majority of my time I spend answering the phone, taking patients’ vitals (height, weight, blood pressure, heart rate/respiration rate), and calling pharmacies to fill or refill prescriptions. I also do some work with patients’ charts such as scanning in documents to the computer and updating shot records. I also learned how to hook patients up to the machine that does EKG tests, give nebulizer treatments, and fill syringes, although I’m not allowed to give shots. I’ve also been able to observe several procedures such as biopsies, steroid injections, and pap smears. I’m very grateful I have been able to be such a part of the medical aspect of the clinic, and not just the booking or reception work, as I hope to study pre-med or biology next year in college.

            I also work as a tutor or “mentor” in an after school program for elementary school kids twice a week. I love working with kids, so I’m enjoying this second job opportunity immensely! For the first 45 minutes of each day, we work on homework, then have snack, then games. It’s been great to see how the kids have progressed and are learning so much! It is often difficult to get them to settle down and working on their homework after a long day at school, but I’ve learned how to handle them and am so proud when I see them come back week after week and improve! It’s also been so fun to build relationships with the kids and learn more about their interests and their lives.

            One of my main goals for myself for this year was (and continues to be) to get out of my “comfort zone” and learn to rely on God more fully. I’ve lived in Newton, gone to the same church, and had mostly the same close friend group all my life. I wanted to go somewhere unfamiliar where I would need to trust that God would lead me to the right place and the right people. Being away from my family and friends has definitely been difficult at times, but being thrust into a new town where I don’t know anyone has been incredibly rewarding. I’ve learned to be more outgoing and share more about myself with others. I’ve also learned to love the community living aspect of Service Adventure. I live in a house with four other people ranging from the age of 18-20, our leaders who are a young couple, and their two children who are 3 and 5. It’s also been great to be a part of the local Mennonite church in Philippi. It’s a small group – just 20 or so people on a given Sunday. The way they all contribute to the church to keep it running and care so deeply about each other continues to amaze me. Philippi is also the oldest Service Adventure unit, going strong since 1989, and the church has been supporting it every year since then. It’s incredible the time and sacrifice the congregation make to help keep us comfortable, occupied, and making the most out of our year here.

            I feel like I’ve grown a lot in the last seven months, but I know I still have a ways to go! It feels like the time has flown by! As it gets closer to the end of my service time, it is easy to focus more on plans for the future and what I’m going to do next year, but I know I need to stay focused on the task at hand. I look forward to making the most out of my last 3 months here!