Leader Orientation

Last time I wrote we had just moved into the unit house in the Springs...and were about to begin our orientation with the other Service Adventure leaders and some of the staff of Mennonite Mission Network. From Wednesday night to Sunday afternoon, we spent our time learning about the Service Adventure program, exploring the area, discussing house setup and spiritual life, playing games, going over policies, and practicing healthy conflict and communication. Eating, making music, and laughing.

It's hard to know how to describe a week like this. Every day reminded me of the orientation weeks I spent at Highland with the summer staff: immersive, exciting, packed full of activity, and hilariously fun. In both cases, the people involved are often meeting for the first time, but they become instant friends; everyone is united in the common goal of preparing to serve in a new context together. It's the experience of preparing for a new job that is so much more than a job, because with these jobs, you can't leave at the end of the workday and forget about everything until the next morning. Your work IS your life, and your life feeds your work.

But a noticeable difference between Highland summer staff orientation and SA Leader orientation is this: At the end of the orientation week at camp, everyone lived and worked together for the following two months. We had bonded as coworkers and friends, prepared ourselves to serve according to the mission of Highland Retreat, and were ready to dive into the new adventure. Together.

By contrast, on Sunday our time together in a group of 8 leaders and 4 MMN staff officially concluded...and everyone left. Daniel and I, of course, stayed here in Colorado Springs, but the rest of our group dispersed to their homes in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania. By the end of August, all 5 Service Adventure units will be open, and the 8 leaders will be spread out over thousands of miles across the country: Oregon, New Mexico, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Alaska. We ended our orientation feeling like we had all found new friends and kindred spirits, and that we're well-equipped to work and serve together....but we won't see each other again until our leaders retreat in January.

In the span of four days, this group of people went from being complete strangers to feeling like close friends. In some ways that feels silly, because how well can I really know someone after only four days? But ultimately I believe that time is a construct, one that doesn't fully capture or justify the human experience. So I do believe that these people are true friends, despite the lack of longevity so far. The next few months will present a challenge of balance in that we all want to invest deeply where we are, and yet the 8 of us are literally the only people in the entire world doing this job...so of course we should communicate enough to encourage and support one another. In a similar way, we will struggle to balance the immersive life in the unit while maintaining our important relationships with friends, family, and home communities. And last week's orientation sessions reminded me that self-care is an important part of the balance equation, too.

It won't be an easy path to pave, but I'm excited to be on this adventure. Although my heart ached to leave my beloved family and close friends and community in Harrisonburg, I am wholly glad to be here. This world is full of truly wonderful people, and I intend to know as many of them as possible.