My first year of service in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps
NorthWest has come to an end. My year in Ashland has been full of both
blessings and challenges. I have loved becoming part of a small community in
rural Montana. I love that they know who I am at the post office, that people
stop by our house to share their garden vegetables, that when I call the bank
they don’t have to ask to spell my name. The Northern Cheyeene and Crow people
have taught me so much this year. I have felt the Creator move my spirit to
fall in love with this place, this sacred land. The Great Spirit has let me
experience great healing here even in the midst of much sorrow and struggle. It
is a place where it is healthy to grieve. The reservations here and their
people have seen so much suffering and pain that healing is an essential part
of life. I no longer feel that I have to hide my sorrow or suffering because my
community here understands those feelings in a way the rest of the world I have
encountered does not. There is a space for healing and a grace that comes from
the sacred land and sacred people here. I care for my students so much that I
cannot imagine leaving them after only one year. I feel blessed that I will be
able to stay with them for another year with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps
NorthWest. Please continue to pray for me as I serve the Northern Cheyeene and
Crow students at Saint Labre Catholic Indian School.
I will be home in South Bend, IN for the next couple weeks
relaxing a little bit before by second year of service begins in August!
