We have just five weeks left in the service term for our current Franciscsan Community Volunteers. The time is flying quickly! Each week, during these last five weeks we will feature a closing reflection from each of our volunteers. You will also be able to find these reflections in our June newsletter. Enjoy this reflection from Anna Konopacky:

My ten months of volunteering have been filled with all varieties of emotions and experiences that would be difficult to fit into one article. When I first entered the program, it was a spur of the moment decision and happened so quickly I had no time to develop expectations. I really had no idea what being an FCV might be like. I think this helped me as I adjusted to a new lifestyle, new people, and the new challenges of my work site.

My work with refugees has presented several unique challenges that I had to navigate and overcome. One is the often-significant language barrier between the caseworkers and clients. We work around this by using our very limited Somali vocabulary and volunteer interpreters and, sometimes, clients’ English-speaking neighbors. Another difficulty for me initially was the unpredictability of the job. As a serious planner, it was at first challenging for me to adjust to plans consistently going awry. After several months, I discovered I am more adaptable than I believed.

Overall, through my work and the life in our intentional community, I feel that I have gained skills and stories that will carry me through whatever entails the next stage of my life.