The Next Chapter Begins

Hey, yall! My name's Lynn and I'm serving as a full-time, long-term volunteer with the Christian Appalachian Project in eastern Kentucky for 11 months. I've started this blog to keep my family and friends updated with all the things I'm doing here in Appalachia. Today marks my first full week with CAP and, in some regards, it already feels like I've been here for months!

I'm from western Kentucky, born and raised in Madisonville, graduated from Brescia University in Owensboro in May with my bachelor's in Speech Pathology and Audiology. Brescia really became my home for four years and I was heartily sorry to have to leave. A lot of factors went into my decision to serve with CAP. First of all, although I've lived in KY my whole life, I didn't hear about CAP until the Appalachian special on 20/20 back in April of '09. I started following the blogs on CAP's website and started thinking about volunteering after finishing grad school.

Well, around Thanksgiving of '09 I attended a lecture on campus presented by Tori Murden McClure who was the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic. That's putting it lightly... this woman has done everything! If you ever get the chance to hear her speak take advantage! McClure has worked at a homeless shelter and a camp for adults with special needs. She has a Master's of Divinity from Harvard, a Juris Doctorate from U of L, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Spalding. She and another woman were the first women and first Americans to ski across Antarctica to the South Pole. And I'm sure I'm forgetting some things! (Oh, and currently she's the president of Spalding!) The life she spoke of reminded me that that was the life I wanted to live. I want to do so many different things... and many times those things seem to contradict themselves. Here was a woman who was making it all work somehow. Afterwards there was a reception. McClure walked by me and stopped close to me, but I was too star-struck to say anything. What I wanted to ask her was "How can I live like you?"

That night I spoke with Fr. Larry, the president of Brescia, and Todd Butler, my ministry professor. Fr. Larry had got it in his head that I was applying for CAP immediately, and Butler agreed. (His wife had been a CAP volunteer.) I kept trying to protest, but the more we talked the more I began to realize that if I didn't do this now I may never have the chance. I had already planned out the next few years: go to grad school, get a job. But I wasn't sure that was even the life I wanted. As Fr. Larry said, I was "operating based on fear." It's true. But I also didn't want to wake up, 40 or 50 years old, without the opportunities I have now.

So I made the leap of faith, stopped applying to grad schools, and interviewed with CAP. I originially thought I'd serve in the Child and Family Development program, but fell in love with Family Advocacy. Here we are now! I arrived at the Rockcastle House in Mount Vernon, KY (Renfro Valley) on Sunday, July 11th as the new Rockcastle County Family Advocacy caseworker. I love my job! Jenny, the out-going caseworker for Rockcastle, is still here until August, so she's training me. It's a huge blessing to have her here to show me the ropes. I'll really really miss her when she's gone!

I'll try to post again tomorrow and recap my first week activities. It'll probably be another long post, but after that I'll try to keep these things more succinct!