• You will be the one connecting people one day – that day is closer than you think
• A good manager should be training their team to take his/her job
• The difference between humility and humbleness / ignorance and stupidity
• Be confident in your abilities, but do not be arrogant
• Constantly balance between your wants and your needs
• Dream big but be realistic
• One organization cannot do it all

These nuggets of wisdom were casually, but carefully, stitched into the fabric of conversations with the CPO, CSO, CFO, CEO, Directors, consultants, and other members of the NLCS family. The ‘life lessons’ listed above come from a very long list of things I learned during my 8 week CAPS Fellowship at National Lutheran Communities and Services. (I would love to share the stories that accompany the bulleted list above, however I do not have space in this forum. Please ask if you are curious!)

Behind the scenes of our video shoot. I was able to help interview the Chief Philanthropy Officer, Kathryn Baerwald.

 I developed many skills because of my work with NLCS; some of which  include – producing a video, researching end-of-life care, creating donor profiles, communicating with grantee sites, etc. It was through these tasks and wonderful conversations that the purpose of the CAPS Fellows Program became wonderfully clear – we are ALL called to a life of service. This fellowship program calls students to  action and provides a pathway to discern that call.

“You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”  ~Woodrow Wilson

Throughout my time at Valparaiso University I have had a myriad of opportunities that have called me to action – alternative spring break trips to Washington D.C. and Selma, AL, studying abroad in Costa Rica, SALT projects in Fall and Spring semesters, a variety of classes, and this fellowship program. Each of these opportunities, and countless others, have identified a need and challenged myself and others to get involved in that cause.

The CAPS Fellows Program is unique. It enhanced an internship into a discernment process, simultaneously connecting me with distinguished alum and building my resume characteristics. I learned the power of listening and how to ask difficult questions, during ‘Reflect-ins’ with other fellows. I gained confidence in my abilities but was humbly reminded of my reliance on others’ expertise. And I gained a deeper appreciation for the opportunities and experiences I have had and how those have shaped my Calling And Purpose in Society.

One of NLCS grantee sites quoted the hymn We Are All In One Mission in their grant application and I have been continually impacted by the following verse:

We all are called for service
   To witness in God’s name;
   Our ministries are different,
   Our purpose is the same:
   To touch the lives of others
   By God’s surprising grace
   So every folk and nation
   May feel God’s warm embrace.

This theme has extended through every aspect of my summer. It holds true in my work, in the mission of NLCS, the work of all the CAPS fellows, my conversations, and what I hope for in the future. We are all called to some form of service – those forms are unique and different but we all hope to affect change and do it with grace, love and compassion.

Hiking in the Appalachian mountains with other CAPS Fellows and wonderful friends!

The delicious cake from our send-off party on the last day at National Lutheran Communities and Services.

It amazes me how interconnected we are. We [the NLCS CAPS Fellows] have found ourselves saying “well you can’t do this without that” or “this is why we need that program” and “I understand how that mission overlaps with our mission”. My string of “ahh-ha” moments have been countless as I have realized the interconnectedness of the work I am doing, the work others are doing and the overwhelming amount of social injustices we are all confronting. This work can be compared to a puzzle, we all have a piece that has a part in a bigger picture. Each piece is unique, connected to another, and the puzzle’s completion is dependent on all the pieces coming together.  This idea lead me to the creation of the puzzle depicted below:

This summer I am working with the Philanthropy (Phil) Team at National Lutheran Communities and Services (NLCS). There are two components of the Phil Team; fundraising and community impact. NLCS started a grant program as a way to expand the impact they have on the older adult community. After conducting a community needs assessment, they defined five major areas of need and selected 15 ministries that were covering those areas. We are creating a video to showcase the 2014-2015 NLCS Community Impact Grant recipients and in an effort to materialize my thoughts I created the puzzle shown above. The red square lists the five areas most afflicting the seniors living in this area, each puzzle piece is one of the 15 ministries that was fully funded (totaling to $198,567) by the NLCS Community Impact Grant. The problems affecting seniors in these communities are beyond the capability of any one organization but together these organizations address each one of the five identified areas of need.

Kathryn and I at the Washington Nationals game on the 4th of July!

I have been fortunate enough to travel with my supervisor Kathryn Bearwald, the Chief Philanthropy Officer, to a variety of these sites. During our visits to Williamsburg, Washington D.C., and other surrounding areas we have been able to witness the overlap that exists among organizations, as well as the dependance these organizations have on one another. Each ministry has a niche market of services, but they complement their limited capabilities with a list of other ministries. Together these organizations provide a variety of opportunities, addressing a myriad of needs.

The beautiful and welcoming chapel located at The Village at Orchard Ridge in Winchester, VA.

Additionally, the CAPS Program provides time for students to participate in a discussion together via Google Hangouts. During one of our “reflect-ins” we [some of the CAPS Fellows] gave a short debrief about the work we are doing this summer. The array of ministries and variety of experiences that everyone shared was truly remarkable. One fellow mentioned the difficulty of choosing just one area of social injustice to focus on. He/she continued to express the importance of knowing one area well, even if there are multiple areas of interest. This person’s difficulty resonated with my own struggle of discerning a specific sector to focus my efforts. As I ponder all of the possibilities, I am comforted knowing that we are all connected and humbled knowing my work is incomplete without the work of others. Similar to the ministries NLCS supports, as CAPS Fellows we are interdependent on each other’s work. My work with NLCS will not directly touch the lives of immigrants, confront the issues of discrimination, or address the challenges in NW Indiana. Therefore, I am obligated to rely on and support the mission of organizations that do provide these services. This does not lessen my responsibility to any one issue; rather it enhances my responsibility to other’s work, challenges me to get connected, and reminds me to be humble because of my dependence on others.

Pequeño mundo! (Small World)
We met Manuel and his mom at a church in DC this Sunday. They are from El Salvador and went to school with one of my professors and his wife. The really cool thing, my professor was one that I spent a lot of time with while studying aboard in Costa Rica.

As I enter the last few weeks of this fellowship I am excited to continue learning, discovering, and pondering. The lessons I have learned, the experiences I have had, and the opportunities this fellowship has provided are numerous! I look forward to sharing more in the coming weeks.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly. Affects all indirectly.” -MLK, Alabama, 1963

I attended church at The National Cathedral with my sister-in-law, Emma, when she came to visit.
“This is the nation’s most visible church” – Dean Hall