The most nerve-racking part of saying YES to JVC for me was the idea of living in community. During college, I had roommates, but we weren’t living on a tight budget, praying together each week, or trying to make every little decision with each other in mind. And I had certainly never moved in with complete strangers before. At least I got to choose my freshman year roommate! The evening before I flew to Orientation, I was up all night worrying about not finding real friendship and trust in my community. I was so excited to move across the country and put social justice at the forefront of my life, and I was so scared that I would feel alone.
My hesitation regarding not finding a real sense of community during JVC went away as I met each of my community members individually throughout our first day of Orientation. They were so friendly and seemed genuinely excited to be a part of this experience. My fear dissipated for good, however, when I crossed the threshold of our house for the first time. I was delirious from being in the car for 10 hours, but the moment I walked through the door of our “casa” I knew I where I was meant to be. I had never entered a space that had so obviously been home to so much joy, compassion, and love.
