“It started out as a feeling, which then grew into a hope, which then turned into a quiet thought, which then turned into a quiet word, & then, that word grew louder and louder…”

When I was a little girl, I had this little vision of what my life would be where I would live in the town that I grew up in forever. My little girl world was too small for anything but simplicity, even in my little girl relationship with God. There wasn’t even enough room for any of those mysterious ways you always hear about.

When I was less little and turning nineteen, moving to 119 miles away to Newark, Delaware seemed like the worst idea I’d ever had, but sometime while I wasn’t looking, my life got big enough for there to be room for you-know-who’s mysterious ways, which I would eventually realize were very much at work in my life turning this quiet girl into a young woman who is in love with her life in Delaware and who knows how to use her voice – and what she wants to use it for. It was about this time that the adventures started.

In the just-over two-and-a-half years since my twenty-first birthday, I have (in no particular order):

-Answered the call to start the ordination process in my home diocese, the Diocese of New Jerse

-Met more incredibly amazing people than I can count (Their handprints cover my heart, always with me)

-Helped plan the Gather S.e.e. the Light: The 2008 Gathering of Episcopal College Students

-Called three different states home... simultaneously.

-Spent a week insulating apartments in Oarja, Romania with Team Nutella and Habitat for Humanity Global Village

-Chaired a wonderful-but-dysfunctional (and surprisingly now non-existent) national ecumenical student group

-Had my life fall apart… and then back together again (Happens to the best of us, right?)

-Learned time and time again that I could not have picked a better major than English Education

-Survived student teaching 173 fabulous high school seniors at Christiana High School

-Had an amazing summer internship (with some really remarkable people) helping to launch young adult ministry in the Diocese of New Jersey

-Fallen in love

-Served as president of an amazing campus ministry and a fabulous regional campus ministry leadership team

-Had another incredible summer internship learning about parish ministry at St. Peters by-the-Sea in one of my favorite places in the world – Gulfport, Mississippi.

-Answered the call to serve as a missionary for the Episcopal Church

It’s that last one that brings me here writing to you. In November 2008 (during the time I mentioned in the list above when my life was less than together), I watched the movie Across the Universe and started thinking about this program I’d heard of called the Young Adult Service Corps (YASC), a mission program run by the Episcopal Church. It seemed kinda crazy, and since I was under more stress than usual and still had another year left in college, I put the idea on the back burner (but while at Gather 2008 over New Year’s, I seized the opportunity to learn as much about YASC as possible from people who had done it and people who ran it). Then, I walked around for a year distracted by other adventure, but always wondering about this remarkable idea – this call - always in the back of my head. Once, someone almost succeeded in giving me a beautiful reason compelling enough not to leave for a year… but in case you haven’t heard, God is the master of not being out done. Life is full of unexpected turns.

In the months before the 2010 application deadline for the Young Adult Service Corps, the tide came in, and the waves on the shore got bigger and bigger, calling me to submerge myself in this next great adventure. After some serious prayer, a barrage of promotional emails from church mailing lists my leadership positions got me on, and more than one of Newark United Methodist’s incredible Wednesday Taizé services (I seriously recommend these to all of you), I answered the call to fill out the application, and by the time I got to the discernment weekend last February (where I met the group of rock star aspiring missionaries pictured below), I knew where God was calling me and where I wanted to be and they seemed to be pointing the same spiritual direction.

Since the discernment weekend, I have the honor and the privilege of saying that I am going to be an Episcopal missionary to South Africa, where I look forward to working for a relief organization called HOPE Africa run by the Anglican Church in the province of Southern Africa (http://www.hopeafrica.org.za/). I’m still anxiously awaiting more information than that, but I’m excited for what I know so far about how I will be serving God over the next year of my life. In the many beautiful places I call home here in the United States, I’ve gotten to see some remarkable people working to live the Gospel in some really extraordinary ways, and now I’m excited to have the opportunity to see people doing this in a community another part of the Anglican Communion. The blessings of some amazing communities have gotten me here. Words cannot express my gratitude to the Church of the Holy Cross in the Diocese of New Jersey (my home diocese); Saint Thomas Parish in the Diocese of Delaware, which has been my home during my college years; and the other places listed on the right in my “I wouldn’t have gotten where I am without…” list – and the journey’s still going. In order to be a proud representative of these communities as I travel to a new one, I need to raise $10,000 (to add to the support that the national church is already giving me) to cover supplies for my work and my living expenses. I know this sounds challenging, but it breaks down to about $30 a day or $210 a week. Every little bit counts, and I truly deeply appreciate any support that you are able to give. (Just click on the link below to download my fundraising letter and mail to the address listed on the bottom of it) Also, I ask for your love and support through prayer as I set out on this journey.

Download my fundraising letter here!

Some amazing people and a whole lot of love have gotten me this far, and I’ll be carrying you all with me in my heart while I go off on this adventure. I heard this corny line in a movie trailer once, “Sometimes you have to be apart from the people you love, but that doesn't make you love them any less. Sometimes it makes you love them more.” My somewhat nomadic college lifestyle has proved to me how very true this statement is!

Thank you all! Feel free to contact me for more information!

Ann Email

You know how lots of online retailers have those “If you liked this, try...” sections at the bottom of product pages? Well, I’m going to have one for each blog entry where I share with you whatever’s inspiring me at any given moment or simply matches the vibes of my current entry.

If you liked this , try...

Songs: “Red Dirt Road” by Brooks and Dunn, “The Call” by Regina Spektor, & “Dream” by Priscilla Ahn

Book: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Movie: Across the Universe