Photos of the Week! -VEV

So this week's photo of the week is a little bit later in the week because I wanted the opportunity to post pictures from the Volunteers Exploring Vocation (VEV) put on by the Fund for Theological Education event I attended this Saturday through Tuesday in Decatur outside of Atlanta, Georgia! At this conference I met up with 53 other service volunteers from 18 different organizations and we discussed future vocations within our respective churches, denominations, or a ministry related position possibly and where people feel called. This was a weekend of exploring, discerning and  challenge! We were able to hear from several different seminary professors from Candler and Columbia and other leaders within the social service world, from a the executive director with the L'Arche community to one working with Mission Year, we were really poured into by many different people.

I must admit for me personally it was a fantastic time to step away from my placement site with NOAH and look briefly into how the stories I am hearing and work I am doing will continue to shape my life. NOAH will certainly have a lasting impact on me and I feel it is great to be able to sit back and soak up all that I am learning just for a few moments. It was interesting that as a US-2 myself and two other US-2s were the only volunteers in attendance working for greater than 1 year. Conversation after conversation made me more thankful that I do have this extra year as I am able to stay steeped in Detroit and continue to build community and learn about the people rather than decide what I am doing in 4 months! In addition to being poured into I feel it was a great connecting point to dive deep into the minds and hearts of those working extensively in other denominations and religions. I am so thankful for the experience, the time to make new friends and  take time to catch up with old ones, now back to Detroit with our Bowls of Hope event this Saturday it promises to be a busy week, it is good to be back in Detroit and back with my family here!

Fellow US-2s Sarah McKay (placed in Miami, FL) and Jerrica Becker (placed in Cedartown, GA) were also invited to attend and we were able to catch up, vent and just enjoy sharing experiences!

I suppose this picture doesn't have all that much to do with Atlanta seeing as it is Lake Erie, but I thought it was just a beautiful picture on the way in!

For those old Matthews United Methodist Youth reading, this space may look familiar??

In 11th grade the youth group took a mission trip to Atlanta and we visited this homeless shelter. Welp 6 years later it still doing great an actually expanded to having a worship service, an art studio and a friend of mine is working there now!