Something Bigger

Hey friends!

In my last post I shared some of my (mostly stressful) thoughts about orientation. Another thing I keep thinking about, though, is how incredibly thankful I am to be part of this little YAV world of ours. I remember hearing about how much it would mean at orientation the first time around, but I feel like I get it now. That's not to say that I didn't realize it was something big last year, or that all the new YAVs can't get it now. But several times during orientation last week I was almost brought to tears with thoughts of YAV friends new and old, the ones that I've known for more than a year now and the ones I've known for just a couple weeks. Despite the rough patches that inevitably accompany a year of service (or any year, for that matter), it is unbelievably comforting to know that you are part of something bigger, and that your friends scattered across the world are, in perhaps slightly different ways, going through similar things. And it lasts longer than just your year (or two) of being a YAV.

Tropical Storm Lee has been making it's way through New Orleans over the past few days, and several YAVs sent texts and messages to make sure we were alright. When my birthday happened during orientation, I found out that my fellow former Nashville YAVs had all signed a card and sent a present for me. When I was at Montreat this past summer, two other small group leaders were YAVAs. None of these are probably huge deals in their own rights, but put together they give me confidence that I am part of something pretty incredible. And as I head out on this journey towards seminary or wherever else I end up, I can rest assured that I will have cherished friends along the way.

One of my fellow New Orleans YAVs shared this quotation (from David Nicholls's novel One Day) with me...

"What are you going to do with your life?" In one way or another it seemed that people had been asking her this forever; teachers, her parents, friends at three in the morning, but the question had never seemed this pressing and still she was no nearer to an answer. "Live each day as if it's your last," that was the conventional advice, but really, who had the energy for that? What if it rained or you felt a bit glandy? It just wasn't practical. Better by far to be good and courageous and bold and to make a difference. Not change the world exactly, but the bit around you. Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well. Experience new things. Love and be loved, if you ever get the chance. 

So here we go, YAVs and YAVAs all over the place, trying to change the bits of world around us or at least make a little bit of a positive impact. (Because make no mistake, being a YAV changes the way you see the world even after your year is up...at least it did for me.) Probably I won't change the world in New Orleans, but if I can brighten somebody else's day or make the slightest bit of difference then that's good enough for me. If you count all the current and former YAVs and add up all those slightest bits of difference, it counts for a lot. We might not be revolutionizing policy or overturning entire systems of injustice, but all those bits can add up to something bigger. Something way bigger. Just in the US, here's where YAVAs are living now (and before you all think I'm creepy and found/typed in addresses, I found this map on the YAVA blog)...

Blue = one YAVA, yellow = 2-6, and pink = 6+

In the words of Needtobreathe, we're "just tryin' to make the world a little better, you know, shine a light." And we're not trying alone.

Love,

Allison