Adventure #1: New Orleans!

On June 8 I leave for New Orleans, where I will serve for three weeks as Head Cook with Mennonite Disaster Service. My job will be to plan and prepare meals for teams of volunteers who are repairing and rebuilding homes that were damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. 

Mennonite Disaster Service is a volunteer network that responds to people affected by disasters in the United States and Canda, especially those in low-income and under-serviced areas. MDS mobilizes teams to respond immediately to natural disasters -- right now there are teams in Alabama and Missouri assisting with cleanup after recent devastating tornado damage. But where some organizations assist in the short-term following a disaster and then leave, MDS also settles in for the long term, buliding relationships as well as building homes. 

You can find our more about Mennonite Disaster Service here: http://www.mds.mennonite.net/
and specifically about the New Orleans project: http://mds.mennonite.net/projects/new-orleans-la/ 

I'm looking forward to putting my quantity-cooking skills to use with such a great organization. I enjoy the fast-paced bustle of a busy kitchen and I love feeding people. I also love meeting people from many places and walks of life. I find there is so much we human beings have in common, and so much we don't. It's always a learning experience. I'm really excited, too, for the opportunity to explore New Orleans. The first weekend I'm there is the Louisiana Cajun-Zydeco Festival! http://www.jazzandheritage.org/events/lou/

The only thing I'm not looking forward to is the early morning hours. Preparing breakfast for volunteers means getting up at least an hour before they do! I'm sure getting the coffee started will be my first order of business each morning. 

The mission statement of Mennonite Disaster Service says, "While our main focus is  on cleanup, repair and rebuilding homes, this activity becomes a means of touching lives and helping people regain faith and wholeness." Definitely something I can support 100%.


Pictures and stories to follow. And in early July... home to get ready for Tanzania!





 

Maisha is the Swahili word for "life".

“I am glad to be here, in this alarming and disastrous and marvelous world.” [Madeleine L'Engle]

When I was 17 I wrote this in my journal: “Participating fully in life is an act of love for the world.” I haven't changed. Lately life has bordered on overwhelming. So much to do in so little time, so much I won't be able to do because of no time at all. Way too many details to keep track of. Sad and terrible news: war, natural disaster, poverty, homophobia, a worldwide AIDS epidemic that doesn't go away. Friends and loved ones facing huge physical and emotional challenges. The world, as always, in tenuous balance between darkness and light.

But I am here and I want to live. I have never questioned the meaning of life; it is: to participate, to give, to serve, to laugh and love and connect with people and experience things. To be God's hands and feet. That, I believe, is the job description that comes with being human.

In three weeks I leave for New Orleans, where I will be volunteering with Mennonite Disaster Service until July 1^st. http://www.mds.mennonite.net/

I'll write more about that in a future blog post. An information package came in the mail today and I'm definitely psyched.

And in early August I leave for Tanzania. After today's email exchange with the director of the Umoja Arts Centre, I feel encouraged. I asked how she'll be spending her months in the States before returning in Arusha in August. Along with teaching violin at summer programs in several different countries, she will be running a month-long program to expose inner city kids to music through performance. That is one of many things near and dear to my heart. We both think we'll have a lot to talk about. The possibility of personal connection seems real.

Meanwhile I am looking forward to July: Marlee's visit home, outdoor music festivals, gardening, drinking beer on patios, getting together with friends... savouring it all. This too is part of the job description of being human.

So yes, life is overwhelming at times – but it's exhilarating too. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Walking to the edge

"When we walk, praying for guidance, to the edge of all the light we have and breathlessly take that first step into the unknown, we must believe one of two things will happen: either God will provide us with something rock-solid to land on and stand on, or God will teach us to fly." [Luci Shaw]

Life has taking an amazing turn. I have accepted a ten-month violin teaching fellowship in Arusha, Tanzania with the Umoja Arts Centre.http://www.umoja-arts.com/index.html.

'Umoja' is the Swahili word for unity. The mission of the Umoja Arts Centre is “to play a key role in creating an artistically aware and appreciative community of people from all sectors of society regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion and socio- economic background.” It all could not be better.

The job starts in August. I still have some time to get used to the idea. Friends and loved ones are so excited for me. Everyone says I am brave. Perhaps it is true, but right now I am not feeling brave, All the fears and doubts are rattling around in my mind. Fear of not being the right person for the job. Fear of leaving home where I'm known and loved by many, and going to a place where I'll be neither known nor loved by anyone. Fear of too many things changing while I'm away. Luci Shaw's quote about walking to the edge is a great description: I picture the entire Great Rift Valley opening at my feet. 

 

I have to remember a few things. First of all, God has brought me to this place and this is where God wants me to be. So I just have to continue taking one step at a time. Second, I draw strength from the love, support, encouragement, and prayers of many people. I continued to be awed by the abundance of love in my life – more love than I ever expected. It is tangible and it keeps me going. And I want to share that love with open hands. Third, I am inspired by the courageous examples of many people who have risked, dared, loved fiercely, dedicated their lives to changing the world. To all of you – you know who you are – asante sana! And fourth, this is where I want to be. This is my heart saying yes.

Mostly, I am so excited I can hardly sit still. (What else is new?)

For the next three months I will be wrapping up this teaching year and several projects, arranging for the transfer of numerous responsibilities, figuring out what to take and what to leave behind, trying to learn a few words of Swahili, reading about Tanzania, and most of all, savouring day-to-day life and the people in it. Oh, and volunteering for three weeks in New Orleans in June. (More about that later!) 

 Stay tuned!