Growing Closer

Dear Reader,

As you enter my small apartment in quaint, Southern Indiana, the first thing you will see are framed pictures lining a wall. Pictures from all points of time in my life, but there are two of which I find myself frequently reminiscing. The first photo is of three little boys, grinning from ear to ear, piled into a rocking chair. The second, a group of young people, myself in the middle, no one looking at the camera, clearly not ready for a picture, standing in front of the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, Italy.

The three little boys are the sons of the women that I journeyed with at the women’s shelter in which I served. And the young people? My FrancisCorps community whom I think of every day.

I was blessed to be able to serve as part of FrancisCorps 23. It was there I volunteered at Joseph’s House for Women. There I met seven of my favorite people, and there I encountered God like I had never encountered Him before. When I think back to when I started entertaining the idea of FrancisCorps, I was pretty terrified. I was so worried about disappointing my family, going against the plans I had set forth, and the general unknown. If I had leaned into these fears as opposed to listening to the call for something greater, I would not have had these life changing experiences.

One of these experiences was serving at Joseph’sHouse for Women. The mission of Joseph’s House is to house young mothers, either expecting or with young children. My role was to simply be present. I held babies, tutored mamas, cooked dinners, and ultimately formed relationships. The fruits of my time at Joseph’s House always surprise me. I still keep in contact with some of the women with whom I built true friendships. Around Thanksgiving, five months after leaving FrancisCorps, I received a text message from a mom wishing me well and letting me know that she and her son missed me. I cried. Even now, I’m still being changed by my experiences.

I entered FrancisCorps because I wanted to do service work. I saw the community aspect as a bonus. As time went on, this changed. FrancisCorps was the community, and the service work was the bonus. These seven people, Miriam, Jazmin, John, Janet, Olav, Miranda, and Kasia, became my family. Every night I would come home to family dinner, prayer, and some type of shenanigans. We often would comment on how we really hadn’t known each other for very long, but we all agreed we had never had this deep of a connection with others. This was the most surprising aspect of FrancisCorps. Three months after we left Syracuse and the community parted ways from each other, we video chatted for the first time. After logging off, one of my community members simply texted the group, “it was like being home.” That’s right. Home.

Of course, none of this would be possible without God. He was and is the center of it all. My time in FrancisCorps taught me that at the center of God is relationship. We are called to be in relationship with God, with one another, with everyone. St. Francis, the cool guy that he is, really embraced this idea. He lived this out in the streets of Assisi by being in communion with everyone–the leper, the townspeople, St. Clare, his brothers, even the birds! Most of the time St. Francis just showed up. My year of service taught me that this is often where we see God the most–just showing up for the people He has placed in our lives. God is so complex, yet so simple.

FrancisCorps showed me what happens when you give your yes to God. My experience changed me. I look at the world through a new lens, one of deeper compassion, gratitude, and communion. Now working as a teacher, I try to offer the gift of presence to my students. When I feel alone in my new city, I call a community member. When I am anxious, I close my eyes and imagine myself back in the streets of Assisi with my community members, and I recall the deep peace of the holy, little village. And when I start to become fearful about where God is calling me next, I remind myself that listening to fear is what holds us back from the joy God is ready to provide. If FrancisCorps is on your heart, lean into it and turn away from any fear or doubt. When we say yes to God, wherever we are called, He will do nothing but surprise us. He will do nothing but draw us closer to Him and in turn, closer to others.

May Christ’s peace be with you.
Jenna Ford, FC 23

Categories: Alumni Stories

← Back to Stories