The Metaphorical AAA

After my YAGM year serving with St Chrysostom's Church Manchester, I took the time to travel to a few countries in Europe, say goodbye to the friends I made in the UK, and then traveled home to settle into the United States life once again.

First and Last group photo of the YAGM UK group. This is the amazing group of young adults who all acted as a support to one another throughout our year on that amazing little island.

There was so much that I learned, grew, and flourished in this past year, and now that I have closed the chapter on the last year of mission work, I find myself asking the Great Unknown before me what I should do next?

A group shot of a Mad Hatter Tea we had at St C's before I left.  My year in Manchester was made so special because of these people and so many more.

There was already a plan, apparently.  Before I left Manchester I had an un-looked for email from a pastor I had known at the end of my university days.  She asked if I would be interested in taking a new position at her church as a Communications and Ministry Specialist.  I took the calling, and now two months after I ended my service with St C's, I am beginning a new ministry with Muhlenberg Lutheran Church in the VA synod of the ELCA.  A short two hour drive away from home compared to the vast ocean I lived across the past year.

Getting here, though, has been a wild ride.

The day before I began work I intended to move down to stay with friends temporarily who live in town while looking for an apartment.  Other than some patience in the process of discernment and hiring with the church, everything about the last two months has been enjoyable.  Everyday has been a new kind of joy except possibly yesterday.

Yesterday was a bit of a growing moment for me.

We begin with the flat tire as soon as I woke up - unfortunate but not too big an obstacle.  A flat tire is a normal part of being a car owner, and getting it fixed is relatively easy thanks to my supportive Step-Dad.  Great, that was dealt with in barely over an hour, bags packed, and I'm on the road to meet Mom for lunch before I head out on the two hour drive.

I carefully drove out Interstate 66 for fifty miles, watching my speed and what I drove over to make sure no extra stress was put on my tires when all seemed for naught as I passed mile marker 10 and suddenly my car started jerking.  Great, flat tire again.  I throw my caution lights on and pull over on the side of a majorly busy highway to put the spare on for the second time that day, turn around, and drive back into Northern Virginia where I could meet my Mom after work and get a new set of tires.  Not really what I intended to do today, but it should be manageable and then I can be back on the road in no time.  An incredibly kind stranger who had been following me pulled over and helped me change the tire (Which we found had completely blown the inner wall), and even suggested somewhere to get a new set.

We now find ourselves at Costco, getting the back two tires replaced.  It took twice as long to travel the distance back East as it had taken to go West.  Along the way, though, I saw a dead black bear along the side of the road, various beautiful small towns full of civil war history, landscapes that were utterly gorgeous, and I had a good cathartic cry.

It takes the guys in the tire center forty minutes to get the job done, bless them, and my Mom is there with me to sooth my nerves and help me make sure all the paperwork is dealt with properly.  My carefully cultivated cool has been a bit tested by all of this, but thanks to some frozen yogurt recovered well.  

Getting ready to hit the road again, we find that this very troublesome day has not quite taken the last punch out of me yet.  This is a long story, and believe you me, it was much longer to live through yesterday than it is to type it up and have you read it.

My front brakes are making a horrible noise as I leave the parking lot, despite being changed the previous summer they are worn through, and as Mom and I discuss our options, I completely lose it.  She has selflessly offered to switch cars with me to deal with changing the brakes out and allow me to start my new job today without worry of transportation.

And all this could have been a nightmare that made starting work today seem like a bit of a bad omen.

Honestly?  I think it was the best reminder of the Metaphorical AAA I have watching my back through family and friends and complete strangers who all care so deeply for me and their community.

Who is your Metaphorical AAA?  Do you act as as the Metaphorical AAA for someone else?

What More Can I say?

Wow.

What more can I say?  I have just had an amazing week with YAGM in Chicago, the amazing love and support that was shared during that week completely amazing me.  It was outstanding to witness so many young adults who are in the program, alums of the program, or fervent supporters come together to share such a profound experience.  

It was a bit  exhausting, too.  We had breakfast at 7:30am, and our last session ended at 8:30pm nearly everyday, with only a few hours to process all the intense sessions and delicious meals throughout the day.  There were so many uplifting people all in the same boat, though, so no one really felt how exhausted we all were due to the excitement each day brought us.

Ryan(L), Rebecca, Haley, Luke, Mycah!, and Nicholas(R)

Some of my fondest memories come from the times when my small group met, comprised of people who were all going to different countries (or in the case of our alum, had served in a different country), so we all brought unique perspectives to discuss with the other.  We also made it a point to have fun, heading down to the Lake Michigan beach on our first day to relax in the windy sun while talking about our journey's to that point (pictured right), or setting up someone's slack line (a wikihow article on what this crazy fun contraption is) to enjoy for some stress relief midway through the week.  We found a quiet space to practice meditation, and wrote each other encouraging notes to read in a few months when we need a taste of home.

Waiting for my flight to take off!

After all of this community building we constructed within seven days, it came to pass that everyone started to leave in their country groups to head off to serve, after having spent a week building us up in faith, spirit, and soul in preparation.  I had the interesting experience to be able to fly directly to my service site, and will head to my in country training in a few days.  It was a bit of a fiasco when I arrived to O'hare, but I suppose that's why YAGM gets us there so early!  I thought I was flying with British Airways, but as I found out an hour or so after I'd arrived while waiting for the ticketing counter to open, I was actually flying American Airlines which was located one terminal over.  So, hauling all of my luggage with me, I caught the tram to the other terminal, finally figured out how to check in, waited through the long security line and had a quick lunch, then waited around two more hours for my flight (as a fun joke, I had McDonalds in the airport for my last meal in America, if anyone was wondering).  My flight was then delayed by about an hour for departure, and we had a delay getting to the gate upon arrival, and then the line for boarder patrol was an even longer painstaking wait to get through than security had been.


The welcome I received upon arrival once I was outside the airport was amazing, everyone here in Manchester has made me feel very at home already, and I've just finished my first full day here in town.  I have already experienced hanging my wash up to dry, and had too many cups of tea to count.  The weather has been sunny both yesterday and today, which is a complete misconception of how it usually acts (so I am told).  Soon I will head to Leeds for in country training, and then back again here to Manchester to really begin my year of accompanying these wonderful people who are apart of Saint Chrysostom's Church.

I would like to invite any of you who are interested in receiving a more formal newsletter that will come out every couple months, please send me your email!

In peace, and with a cheerful smile,
Mycah 

P.S. Clearly I had a lot so say other than 'wow'!