A Car, Kindness, and Conferences

This was an exciting week for me, mainly because I now have a CAR! I have been looking for several months now, and it feels surreal to finally have something. My car is a 2005 Hyundai Elantra. I am still figuring out what her name is, but she is blue! My car has already been making my life dramatically easier, and I feel like a "true" Arizonan with my Arizona license plate.

These were some other highlights of the week:

-On Tuesday, I went to the St. Francis UMC's Council on Ministries. It is a monthly event for church committee meetings. I met the new pastor of St. Francis, invited congregation members to the dinner we are having next week, and engaged in enjoyable and meaningful conversations about outreach and ministry.

-On Thursday, all the women in our office got temporary "Be Kind" tattoos. (I found some in a drawer I was organizing.) Be Kind is the motto of Ben's Bells, a local organization which promotes and recognizes acts of kindness.

-Thursday evening, we had our monthly Refugee 101 Volunteer Training. Heather and I give this presentation together. It is a long day, but I always enjoy it because the information is so interesting and the attendees are always so engaged. I love teaching people about refugee resettlement and having conversations with them about their own experiences with refugees.

-On Thursday night, I spent time with my friend Carly. We went out for a light meal of an appetizer and dessert. Our dessert was a s'mores pizookie and it was amazing -- chocolate cookie with peanut butter, marshmallow, and ice cream. (Pizookie=pizza cookie and I am convinced it is an Arizona thing, though you are welcome to tell me if you've had one elsewhere.)

Dragonfruit

Figs-all from one tree!

This week at Iskashitaa we harvested figs and dragonfruit! I now have a dozen fresh figs in my refrigerator!

-Last night, I spent the night at the YAV house (the house for the Presbyterian Young Adult Volunteers) with my friends Amy Beth and Heather.We made quinua pizza balls, watched Mean Girls, saw the sunset, and overall had a very enjoyable time.

The next couple weeks will be busy for me:

-On Monday, I'm attending a Food Safety class so I can get a Food Safety Certification in Pima County. I'm also planning to go to the DMV so I can register to vote in Arizona.

-On Wednesday, we are having our Food for Thought Potluck Dinner at St. Francis. This is a dinner we have every other month that I coordinate. It is meant to be a time of community building and a time for refugees to share their traditional foods. We usually have wonderful conversations, and at our last dinner we also got to hear some wonderful music!

-On Thursday, I'm going to a conference in Phoenix called Mission U. This is a conference put on annually by the United Methodist Women. I'm taking two different programs -- the Roma of Europe and the Church & People with Disabilities. I think it will be very informative and a great opportunity to connect with United Methodist Women in the Desert Southwest. I'm also leading a Focus Group where I will share about Iskashitaa and the US-2 program. The UMW gave me a scholarship to attend this conference, so I am very grateful and excited!

-After I get back from Mission U, I'm headed off to another conference called the North American Round Table. This is a conference held annually at a different location somewhere in North America, and this year it is in Phoenix. It is a gathering for people in ministry with refugees. At this conference I'm doing a table talk about Iskashitaa's harvesting model. I'm looking forward to meeting people who work with refugees around the continent!