Around this time of year, most people find it fairly easy to slip into the so called “January blues.” The holidays are over, vacation time has run out, and all of the excitement of the New Year has subsided by now. For many parts of the country – definitely here in Chicago – the days are cold and darkness comes far too quickly each night. In addition to the settling back into the regular grind, this time can often be a fairly lonely one. I know many of us in the Lutheran Volunteer Corps community likely have made voyages home over the last few monthsRead More →

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We are in the season of setting New Year’s resolutions. It seems everyone is making a resolution to do something. To eat better/cleaner. To lose weight. To work out more, clear your skin, find a new job, start dating again. These resolutions are fine on their own, but the way our society treats them is not. New Year’s resolutions are prescribed and executed as big, abrupt changes which we expect to be easy and work essentially overnight. But that is rarely how they unfold. Maybe you’re good about your diet or workout routine at first, but once you mess up, you think you’ve lost theRead More →

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Grey text box with words "Problematically Comfortable" in black

Ahna is a current LVCer in Washington, DC, serving at the Government Accountability Project. This is her story of and reflections on her experiences related to the Kavanaugh hearing and accompanying protests. This is post 3 of 3; her first post is here; second is here. ~~~~~ On October 6th, 2018 I was arrested on the steps of the Capitol. I was protesting the imminent confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. When people found out, they asked what being arrested is like. They asked with a gleam in their eyes, a smile forming on their lips, and a palpable anticipation for the badass protest storyRead More →

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With December comes a rush of holiday markets, Christmas music and city lights in Washington, DC. As a house, my roommates and I have also realized that this month comes with its fair share of busy calendars and hectic work days. These full days come as an even larger load for me, as I have spent the past four years attending college in the city. While balancing various communities of friends and loved ones, the intentional part of our LVC community has pulled me into finding small joys at home. The consistency of roommates at home has been exciting, challenging, and stressful at times, butRead More →

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The beginning of this year has been challenging for me – I transferred placements early on, my partner and I are doing long distance, and I was trying to authentically engage in a new community where I didn’t feel like I fit in. After the retreat, something had changed – I even felt sad to say goodbye for a week as I went home for Thanksgiving. A bit of reflection on our shared time at the Midwest Fall Retreat, helped me to realize that it was a pivotal moment for me in my journey as a Volunteer. I was a bit apprehensive about the retreat,Read More →

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