Kids Alive Orientation
My missionary journey hit i65 N on March 2nd as I left Nashville bound for Valparaiso for Kids Alive International’s new missionary orientation. My first stop was O’Hare International Airport, where I picked up a fellow new missionary named Audrey (now a dear friend) from her flight. We enjoyed dinner with one of my dear college friends, Hallie, at a delicious Mexican restaurant near her apartment. I love when friends become friends!
Our final stop of the first evening was a second trip to O’Hare, where we picked up a “veteran” missionary, Kaela! Kaela currently serves in the Dominican Republic as a trauma care and emotional learning coordinator. I think she’s brilliant, and it was especially fun to spend the time with her because she is going to be my supervisor for my time in the Dominican Republic!
We arrived late in the night at our wonderful host family where we all three got to make their ground floor our home for the week. We began our orientation at 8:30am the next morning!
It’s worth mentioning that the first day of orientation I woke up to find out that the devastating March 3 tornadoes hit Nashville. What a weird feeling to know your city is in distress but to be so far away…
Each day of orientation was full of great information and fellowship. During each section of orientation, we were able to hear from different Kids Alive staff members that work in the home office: also known as the heroes who do the nitty gritty stuff (finance, budgeting, IT, etc) that allow us missionaries to be more present on the field. It was so great to meet and spend time with the people I’ve been emailing over the last year, and I also really learned a lot about Kids Alive operations from the sessions.
I also saw a more full picture of Kids Alive’s history and foundation. Kids Alive was founded in 1916 with the mission of rescuing and restoring at risk children and youth, and it is so clear that the organization is still passionately pursuing this today. From the different representatives from the 12 countries that Kids Alive serves, this orientation allowed me to have a broader perspective on what God is doing through Kids Alive around this globe.
The highlight of the week for me was spending time with the 12 different current missionaries who were also attending the orientation. Half of us were brand new to the field and the other half had been on the field for quite a while, which allowed me to learn from those who have gone ahead and join alongside those missionaries at the same phase as me. I walked away from orientation with a community of fellow missionaries to journey alongside!
Our last morning included an incredibly special Commissioning Service where the Kids Alive staff prayed over us and officially sent us off on our call. It was such a surreal moment!
I was able to meet up several dear friends on my drive back to Nashville (the Smiths and Josiah). Upon my arrival back to Nashville, Stay at Home orders were issued and the “COVID19 quarantine” season began. Truly, this week was a short respite sandwiched in between the insanity of this world. I am so thankful for this week, and the amazingly caring Kids Alive staff, for all of their hard work to make this happen!
