Welcome!

 

One of my deepest passions is learning about and experiencing cultures different from the one that I grew up in. After graduating high school I spent a total of 12 months in 5 different countries (Cambodia, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Costa Rica & Eswatini) with a gap year program through a Christian missions organization. This was undoubtedly a major transformational year in my life and faith. After a year and a half break from school, I started attending Whitworth University in January of 2020 majoring in Spanish Language & Literature and Peace Studies with hopes to work/live/serve in Central America in the future.

 

My years at Whitworth deeply challenged my understanding of faith as I began to learn about what it means to seek justice as I follow Jesus. My understanding of the gospel expanded from a more individualistic understanding of salvation to a holistic gospel that touches every part of society. I am currently wrestling a lot with what the Church's call to be "missional" means, especially considering the backdrop of the missions movement and colonization's intertwined history with Christianity. There's many ways that 'missions' has diverged from the vision that God has for shalom (flourishing, wholeness, communal well being), and I find myself thinking about what it means to have a grounded theology of place while also considering God's intentions for his people to move about in the Community of Creation. 

 

This spring (2024) I had the chance to return to Central America through Whitworth's Central America Study & Service Program (CASP) as the graduate teaching assistant. I had the opportunity to participate in this program as a student during my junior year, and it was so deeply formative. I am so honored to have the chance to return to these communities in Guatemala and Costa Rica that played such an instrumental role in my spiritual formation two years ago. It is also such a gift to get to walk alongside the new CASP cohort and support 10 Whitworth students as they now embark on their journeys and work with ministries, non-profits, and schools in San José, Costa Rica.

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As of June 2024, I am preparing to spend this next year in Central America, specifically with the intention to understand more about the migration crisis of the current moment. I glimpsed some of the heartbreaking realities of the people who are making their migrant journeys while with this most recent cohort of CASP students, and have found myself with an unexplainable tug that is guiding me to spend this next year conviviendo with a community that is seeking to offer a neighborly welcome and affirmation of dignity to the thousands who are passing through the town each day.

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I'm also in a season of preparation for beginning seminary at Duke Divinity in the fall of 2025. I never envisioned myself attending seminary... but I guess we move, paso a paso, when the Lord keeps subtly (or not so subtly;) guiding in a certain direction.

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This blog is intended to be a little window into what I am learning + processing, but also to engage with my community about these things. Please feel free to comment or reach our for more conversation! We are meant to wrestle together.

 

Thanks for being along for the journey:)

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