The Krista Foundation

This past weekend before leaving for Honduras I attended a conference sponsored by the Krista Foundation for Global Citizenship. I was nominated to be a 2012 Krista Colleague by Vicky Medley, the volunteer coordinator for NPH. I was accepted to be a colleague this year, but still only had a vague idea about what that meant. While at the conference in Spokane, it all became very clear to me and I have a newly found respect for the work that the Krista Foundation has done, what they are doing, and their future work supporting those in service around the world. I will try to do justice to the purpose and spirit of the Krista Foundation in this quick summary.

In Memory
The Krista Foundation was founded by Jim and Linda Hunt, the parents of Krista Hunt Ausland in 1999, to honor the memory of their daughter Krista. While doing service with her husband Aaron in rural Bolivia, Krista was killed in a tragic accident. Rather than surrender to their grief, the Hunts turned it into something beautiful that will continue to honor the memory of their daughter. The goal of the foundation is stated very well by them:

¨The Krista Foundation provides mentoring and support and Service and Leadership Development Grants for young adults in their twenties who are engaged in a sustained period of voluntary or vocational service...¨

The foundation provides support and training to volunteers to assist in creating global citizens. Global citizens? What does this mean, how does this happen? Well, it´s a process. A process that I started to think about and delve into during the weekend. I came out of the experience with these thoughts:

Oh myyyy. Thinking is a good thing.

I allowed myself to freak out a little. It's about time I started the process, right? Leaving for 14 months is quite a while, especially with no prior experience. So I allowed myself to actually think about the reality of what was to come and what my fears are.

- Language: My Spanish ability is nowhere near where it needs to be in order to do my job as a nurse, it will    be hard, frustrating, and my brain just might melt here and there. 

- Distance: Not only will I be separated from my family and friends, but also Kurt for the next year. It's a necessary part of this new growth but I worry about the challenges ahead. 

- Change: This one is crucial. Necessary, wonderful, yet kind of scary. I know this experience will change me, but how? It's part of the excitement and the unknown. 

-Culture: None of us can completely understand another culture. Anthropologists do their best, but outside perspectives will always play a role in how each new place is viewed. I'll adjust as best I can.

...and much more but that's a good taste.

The BIG thoughts.

A few thoughts/concepts really stuck with me during the weekend.

• Staying for tea: the practice of opening yourself up to a community and taking the time to stay for tea. Bear witness and accompany the community you're in. 
• It's about the process. If I have no physical object or concrete outcome to show for my work this next year, that's ok. It's ok, as long as I honor the process and the people. Change isn't my job. My job is to accompany, to empower, to listen. My role is to assist and be present in each moment. If something comes out of that, amazing. If not, I can still continue knowing that in one way or another I made an impact and that my work in the world is not yet done. I still have to share and to act. How? We'll see.
• Community is important: I became a part of a new community of individuals that all have very valuable and knowledge and experience to share. Knowing there are others out there I can share my experience with and know that they get it is comforting. 
• Check yo'self! By this, I mean think about your roots, your culture, and how they might influence the way you view the world. It's hard to learn when you haven't even began to analyze yourself. 

That's a start. There are more thoughts to come. With this blog, I have decided for it to be mostly musings from my time in Honduras with a sprinkle here and there of experiences. Up next: the real deal. HONDURAS! Until next time-

Much love,

Alissa