Initial Thoughts

There have been many times that I have actually thought about recording my experience this year working at Bread for the City and living as a Jesuit Volunteer. The times when I sit down for a disability interview with one of my Social Security Disability clients... the times when I find myself hearing words of wisdom from my coworkers - shaping the way I look at serving others... the times my community members help shape me into being a better man... the times when I see passion in the eyes of advocates across the city, striving to make some sort of positive social change... the times when I hear the appalling stories of people who call searching for help... the times when my Social Security clients win their hearings and are thus guaranteed an income for the rest of their lives... the times when I feel helpless because I cannot give someone an answer besides "I am sorry to hear your story..."

In many ways that are still not tangible, I am being shaped by these moments. I am shaped by Monday intake, when 30 individuals walk in for legal services at Bread for the City, hoping that perhaps our attorneys will take on their case. I am shaped by the chaos and by the conversations that result when I go out to speak with a client. I am shaped by the expressions of utter joy and pain, and am reminded of my common humanity when I intentionally listen.

Experiences like Monday intakes, and the relationships with my Social Security clients help me enter the lives of the people who come to Bread for the City each day, and who live in my neighborhood. They help take my macro-oriented mind, focusing on policy level issues, and connect a real face and real emotions with the choices of society.

As I am beginning this new calendar year, and prayerfully considering a second year of Jesuit Volunteer Corps, I believe writing about my experience, my reflections, and the insights I am learning might help me develop as a young man. Perhaps through these writings, I can begin to make sense of this experience and discern how best God wants me to make an impact in the world we live in.