…there is hopeful joy in Juneau?!

Let’s take it back to about a week ago. The anticipation to arrive in Juneau was killing me! The mixture of my impatience (as usual) for JVCNW to begin and the exhaustion of my emotional funds from my excitement early on in the summer left me with a bitter, yet emotionless “taste” in my mouth when hopping onto the plane to Oregon for training. The weeklong training was a roller coaster. I was battling this bitter taste that continued to seep into my present experiences, tainting their unique value, and hindering me from fully expanding my palette of experiences. But, I was also blessed with many positive experiences with the community, staff and the Oregon environment at orientation. Furthermore, I felt like I was living in the “in-between.” I was in-between living the dream at Regis University with the right amount of support and challenge in almost every aspect of life, and a completely new environment without a foundation to take an intentional step.

But, as usual, I was cleansed of this bitter taste. My community’s program coordinator (PC), Sally, plunged into the sea of my confused emotions and grabbed ahold of my heart by peering into my eyes, grabbing my shoulders, and giving me a blessing the night before my community headed to Juneau. Her blessing immediately reorganized my emotions and thoughts that were engendering this bitter taste of dissonance. After the blessing, every aspect of my being at that moment pointed towards the kids that I will be serving. Every piece of my past that led me to Juneau was now given a concrete purpose, and I felt empowered and honored to take on this challenge of being a Behavioral Health Associate at Catholic Community Services.

 

In retrospect, I find this roller coaster of emotions, or lack thereof, perfectly nestled among other experiences. While in Kansas during the summer, I began reading about the new Pope. After all, he is the leader of the Catholic faith! I figured I should learn a little about him. While reading some of his meditations, I stumbled upon a helpful meditation about “hopeful joy.” This meditation called the reader’s attention towards “Christian fear, Christian sorrow.” Jesus himself had fear when praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, in regards to his crucifixion and what God was calling Him to do. Furthermore, I am not sure if the Pope has seen Batman, but he similarly commented on the fact that it is always darkest right before the dawn. Christians experience pain that sometimes seem inescapable. But, this pain covers the joy of the Lord; “a joy that is purified in the fire of trials.” This joy is not felt in the difficult times, but comes after. Following God’s path is not always easy, and when we are called to embark on His journey, I can anticipate these mixed emotions and “Christian sorrow.” But, more importantly, I can anticipate these sorrows and pains being purified into a joy that warms me to my core and from my head to my toes. Now that I am living in Juneau with my community, I am cherishing this hopeful joy.

 

I SAW MY FIRST BALD EAGLE!! Apparently there are two who are mates, and they have lived in the ridge by our house for several of years. Surprisingly, they must seem to get along with their noisy neighbors, the Seagull family. To add to the list of joyful experiences, my community and I broke bread with our support community who are mostly past JVs (Jesuit Volunteers) in a welcoming and beautiful house. My tummy and my spirit were overflowing with joy. They have plenty of connections to help my community and I get involved and they are eager to make our service year the best that it can be. I learned that there is an active ice hockey team, volleyball league, and plenty of fishing, hunting, and whale watching that I am planning on participating in. To make this visit even more joyful, the scenery is unbelievable! We are nestled in a valley between massive mountains (that are different than the classic rocky CO mountains and are instead covered in deep forest green pines) that are entangled in fog. I’ve never seen so much fog in my life! To make these mountains even more epic, there are lines of waterfalls that cascade down the sides. It’s been such a deeply felt blessing to live in this mystical and appreciated environment. Furthermore, my community is wonderful. I’ve been told we’re in the honeymoon phase; we all listen to each other and get along so well. We’re a goofy group that enjoys expressing ourselves to music in the mornings, but who can also engage in thoughtful discussions. I am growing where I am planted.

 

I greatly appreciate the support. I have been tapping into my prayer bank often these days. I hope all are doing well. Peace and blessings.

 

Love your Alaskan friend,

Genevieve


ps. pictures are coming (it's taking waaaay to long to upload them). And my community and I start at our service sites tomorrow, so please keep all of us in your prayers.