Progress

Since arriving in DC at the end of August I have learned many things. I have no issues navigating the cities metro and have a better understanding of where major geographic locations are. The greatest amount of progress has been made at work. After 5 months I am now starting to create seminars with the assistance of my supervisor. While creating one this past week I realized just how far I have come. Finding information in various files on the computer and speaking with group leaders is no longer the daunting task it used to be. These activities are now part of my daily routine and provide me with the basic skills that are so essential to my work. In addition to creating my first seminar I am also preparing to begin facilitating the opening portion of a seminar. I'm still nervous about how I will perform my first time but am confident I will do OK thanks to the support from my colleagues. I'm also grateful for the continued support of my family, friends and other Young Adult Missionaries.

The Art of Unlearning

How do you lead a group conversation? What is a good facilitators role in discussion? These are questions I thought I had the answers to before experiencing my first two seminars. College taught me many valuable skills about how to effectively lead. The problem is the style of leading I was taught focuses attention on the presenter. This is the greatest hurdle I must overcome before I will be ready to facilitate a seminar. I have 22 years of learning working against me. In order to conquer this obstacle I will have to combine the new lessons I am learning now to my past experience. My role in these seminars will be that of a participant and making sure discussions do not get off topic. A challenge to this style of facilitation is trying to keep everyone involved knowing that some people will want to dominate the conversation. I will also need to learn much more about the issues being discussed. Before coming to DC I thought I had a basic understanding of the issues I would be working on. I have now realized that I know next to nothing about the topics that will be discussed during seminars. My knowledge of these topics comes from the media and my college textbooks. While these sources of information can offer insight, I have realized that there is a whole side to these issues that I never knew existed. In order to learn more I will need to find new resources. Thankfully I work at an agency that has people who work daily on the issues I need to learn about. This has allowed me quick access to new resources and the chance to talk with others in the office. DC is proving to be better than I could have imagined and I am greatly looking forward to seeing what the future holds for me.

Exploring

The past 2 weeks have flown by thanks to all of the exploring I have been doing. I have now seen every memorial in the National Mall and will be starting to visit the Smithsonian Museums in the near future. I also finished a 6 week diversity course on mass incarceration last week. The course was alot of fun and I would encourage everyone to read "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander. This Wednesday I am looking forward to starting a 4 week course on mental health first aid. The course sounds great and I am anxious to put my psych degree to work. The best part of last week was that my road bike was delivered and is now at a bike shop being repaired. I cannot wait to get back on it and begin exploring all of the trails in the DC area. Work has also been going well. I am starting to learn how to set up seminars and have been meeting with many of the people who speak during seminars. Yesterday turned out to be a very relaxing day since I spent most of it at the library reading a book and checking a few out. I will also be going home for Christmas and cannot wait to see my friends and family. It will be good to visit everyone and I am also planning on making a trip to the Duluth Harbor for some R&R. I miss visiting Lake Superior but I am keeping up to date thanks to the harbor webcam and online shipping schedule. I have also been listening to the NDSU football games and the Bison are now 7-0! They are fun to listen to and a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

1 Month

Hello again... I have been in DC for just over a month and am loving it. The time seems to be flying by and there is so much to see. I got my library card last week and am enjoying the huge network of libries in the area. I am also exploring the many parks in DC over the weekends and spending time learning the area around each of them as well as reading a book and watching the activities around me. A few weeks ago a 6 person brass band showed up at one of the parks I was visiting and played for 5 hours straight. The music was great and it drew in a large crowd of spectators. I have also begun planning short trips to nearby attractions such as the National Zoo and Great Falls Park. The weather has cooled off slightly but it is still getting into the 80's a few times per week. Fall is taking its sweet time getting hear which is fine since I am still waiting for UPS to pay me back for damaging my road bike. I am starting to miss my family and friends but Skype has proven to be a great way to stay connected with people back home. I also attended a potluck on Saturday and met many other young adults volunteering and working in the DC area. I look forward to meeting them again so I can develop new friendships. Lastly thank you all for your prayers and support. I greatly appreciate them and leave you with this small bit of wisdom in return.

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor touched ... but are felt in the heart.” -Helen Keller

Rainy Days

After a week in DC I must say that I am greatly looking forward to the next two years. I have settled into my office at the General Board of Church and Society and am thankful for the wonderful staff. My first week here has also been very eventful. I experienced my first earthquake and DC is under a hurricane watch until tomorrow afternoon. Aside from the odd weather I have also discovered the joys of the massive variation in restaurants around the area and to my dismay discovered that food costs a fortune out here. I am also greatly looking forward to riding some of the bike trails in the area once my bike is replaced by UPS. Many of the bike shops here also have 3 to 4 group rides per week which will be very enjoyable to take part in.