My friend, Angela Harris, and I had the great fortune to spend 9 weeks volunteering with the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ (PHJC) in Igoji, Kenya this summer.  Angela’s skills with logistics made her a perfect fit to work in the procurement section of St. Anne Mission Hospital.  My proposed task was to teach English in the local school.  However, since school was on break, I was able to contribute by folding hospital laundry, helping the Aspirants improve their English, and researching possible funding sources for the hospital’s goals.

During my time there, I frequently heard this phrase: “Let us appreciate _______.”  That meant that someone would be thanked or honored by a round of applause.  Daily, we appreciated God, but often it was another staff member.  So, at this point, I would like you to help me appreciate, in a Kenyan manner, those I’d like to thank.

First, let us appreciate the Poor Handmaids in Kenya for their humble service to God, their community, and for their amazing hospitality.  What an inspiring group of women I’ve met! 

Let us also appreciate the staff at St. Anne, who tirelessly provide care to their patients, and lovingly accepted Angela and me as part of their community…and didn’t laugh when I called them the wrong name and mispronounced the few Swahili words I tried to learn.

In addition, let us appreciate the beautiful people of Kenya, who so warmly greeted me on my daily walks, returned my waves, offered me rides and helped me buy supplies at the local stands.  I was usually the only mzungu (white person) around, so I got quite a bit of attention.

Finally, let us appreciate the PHJC Volunteer Program and Sr. Connie.  This was an experience I’ll never forget.  Along with that appreciation, I’d also like to encourage others to become involved.  The Volunteer Program has provided me with so many life-changing and thought-provoking experiences, and I’ve been able to meet and watch an incredible group of women following their charism. The opportunity is available to others, and I so appreciate that it was given to me. 

I just returned from 15 days on the border with Sr. Connie Bach and five other volunteers. Our experience was to live and work at a refugee shelter, Casa De Refugiado, in El Paso. What an exhausting and thought provoking experience this proved to be. Together with the rest of my team, we spent 14 days working much more than our eight hour shifts. As the guests arrived at our shelter (a former warehouse) from their ICE bus, they were greeted with food and water. Next came an intake process, a visit to a hygiene room and clothing room to get what they needed. A playroom was set up while we were there for the many children at the facility. And a makeshift clinic was also available. We prepared food, mopped, passed out supplies, sorted donations, took guests to their airport and bus station, made phone calls, watched children, did laundry, packed food, vacuumed, cleaned showers and got a small taste of what it is like to be someone seeking a better life in another country. Along with the latter comes the realization of how lucky we are to live in a safe country. While there we had many discussions about our responsibility regarding the border crisis. . . as Americans, as humanitarians, as Christians. One longterm volunteer shared her response when overwhelmed with so many issues. She asks “What’s mine to do today?” What a valuable takeaway . . . whether working at the border or in our regular, everyday life.

This is my second volunteer experience with Sr. Connie and I’d like to thank her and the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ for providing me this opportunity. I’m still processing it, have shared what I learned with others, and will continue to ask, “What’s mine to do today?”