Its already nearly halfway through my time here at JPUSA. In three days I will be leaving to join my family for the extended family vacation. Although I always love spending time with my extended family, but I haven't been able to look forward to the week to come yet. I have been so involved here at JPUSA with my group of friends that I have made. People seemed to come out of the walls as I forced myself to leave my room. I found random reasons to spend time in the garden relaxing or simply sitting in the diningroom in the evening. Enough about making friends though. My daily life now feels like a life I could truely see myself living. Working each day doing service, living simply, and surrounding myself with friends who welcome conversations about deep intimate issues, while feeling free to be like giddy children who can't stop laughing. Surrounding myself with people who are devoted and outspoken about their faith has been a big change from me. In college my friends were nearly all believers, but most were not outspoken. What was at first uncomfortable for me to hear, became encouraging as I explored my faith. I still maintain the belifs I have formed during my first two years at GC (Goshen College), but have gained a new openness for evangelicals and people of strong faith. I have started to see the christians I have been looking for that dedicate their lives to living out their faith in Jesus' name. The early church calls us to abandon our "nuclear family" life style and pick up and take our family to live in the community of belives. People in the NT picked up their stuff and followed Jesus. Living in a community where no one earns a salary, creates and incredible level of equality, community, and sense of care for eachother. There is an equality and repsect between people who work highly qualified jobs that in the end earn the community more money and people who work dishes all day because it is something that needs to be done in the community and allows for others to dedicate more of their time towards their job. I have worked a week and a hlaf doing dishes and about another two weeks as an electrician's assistant. My life seems to be in balance here at JPUSA. I work, serve, and live in community. I don't think I feel called to live here perminantly, but only time will tell, as I leave the freindships I have made here and the lintentional lifestyle of choosing to live in community.
Thinking ahead to leaving for Argentina I can't help but wonder how my sentiments will change in the post JPUSA life style. They say you don't know how much you love someone (or some place) untill it's gone. JPUSA will be gone in some sense when I leave for argentina, but I plan to stop by and say hi for a while when I fly back into chicago when ever it is I make it back to the U.S.
In all things only time will tell, but for now I will be working to make use of each day and each opportunity.
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