Living Simply

Becoming a Young Adult Volunteer means that I have committed to spend the next year as a part of an intentional community, dedicated to living simply, growing in faith and discipleship and serving God. 

Living simply means so much. Not only does it require the obvious step of living on a limited income while I'm abroad, but I have been preparing for it in other ways as well. As a part of the fundraising process, and in preparation for a year away from home, I have been sorting through my possessions to sell or donate the things I can't use anymore. My pack-rat tendencies are fighting it, but I figure that's better than paying for a huge storage unit! 

On that note, does anyone need a washer and dryer?

I think it's pretty well known that I'm a first-rate worrier. Trust me, I've considered everything from whether I'll need that shirt again to whether I can find a job when I get back (yes, more than a year in the future). I've heard it said that the YAV experience makes you "rich enough to be poor for a year" - so I stand here at the beginning of this process excited to be in a place where I can give up my concerns and truly put others first. 

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

Matthew 6:25-27

P.S. - congrats to Katie for winning my non-contest for naming this blog (both of the top vote-getters were her suggestion)! Visit her at http://www.ampersandanddash.com/.