Lessons Learned in Service

3/10/2020

BY ELLIE DUNN, DSHA '16

Ellie Dunn, DSHA '16, now a student at Creighton University, addressed seniors at the Vocare send off and prayer service February 28. She spoke about her Vocare experience, as well as her service experiences beyond DSHA.

“Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the mornings, what you will do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.” I wanted to begin with this quote by Fr. Pedro Arrupe S.J. because it helps me articulate how service experiences have helped me define where I find meaning in life.

Four years ago, I can remember sitting in your seats, unaware of how impactful Vocare would be for me.

I have reflected on the lessons I have learned during service experiences and encounters with poor and vulnerable populations. My Vocare experience at Kagel Elementary has helped lay the foundation for many of my current passions and endeavors.

During my time at Kagel, I discovered a passion for working alongside minority populations who lack the resources and opportunities we may take for granted. My Vocare experience opened me up to the idea that service opportunities should not be viewed as “a one and done” fulfillment. Instead, I began to see service as a way of life, something that I could integrate into my life regardless of what college I go to or career I pursue. Nobel Prize recipient, Rabindarnath Tagnore once said, “I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”

Currently, I am a senior at Creighton University studying Psychology, Spanish and Latin American Studies. I feel bittersweet to know my undergraduate experience is nearing an end because during that time I have continued to build upon the foundation laid at DSHA.

My college experience has been deeply defined by service opportunities, locally and internationally, sparking a desire to dedicate my life to bringing justice, compassion, mercy, and grace to our world. All these experiences have been very enlightening and have taught me unique lessons on how I can serve a community in a more thoughtful and effective manner.

One lesson I learned from the community of Cañafistol during my semester in the Dominican Republic was the importance of recognizing the strengths in the community rather than assuming I know how to best serve. Engagement and empowerment of the individual or group should remain at the heart of service. A central part of the semester program involved living in a rural campo (village) to work on a project benefitting the whole community. Before deciding on a project, we met with the cooperador, or leader of the community, to see what the greatest needs of the community were, existing resources, and if the community would have the necessary infrastructure for the project to be sustainable. After assessing these factors, we devised a plan to build an aqueduct with the community, which remains functional today. Before you begin your time at your Vocare site, I urge you to familiarize yourself with the agency and individuals you will be serving and to go into the experience with a humble mindset so that you can build upon the pre-existing strengths of the organization, learn something new, and contribute your unique gifts.

Another lesson I learned in service occurred this summer at a migrant shelter in Nogales, Sonora, México. After hearing in the news about the horrific conditions migrants were experiencing in detention centers and the dangerous journeys many were taking to escape violence in their home countries, I felt drawn to look for opportunities to serve on our southern border. At a Catholic conference hosted by the Ignatian Solidarity Network, I learned about the Kino Border Initiative, a binational organization that “strives to respond to the most critical needs of migrant families and individuals by respecting the God-given dignity of the human person… through humanitarian assistance, education and advocacy.”

Sitting with Maria and her three young children, who had escaped domestic violence in Guerrero, México, I was overcome with a sense of powerlessness wondering what I could do to change the immense suffering I was witnessing of Maria’s family and many others visiting the shelter. One day, I confided in her that I felt I was not doing enough to change her and her family’s situation. Her response provided me with a crucial lesson I have learned while serving. She grasped my hand and quietly told me “pero estás aquí”— “but you are here.” Maria taught me the importance and power of accompaniment or the “ministry of presence.” During your two weeks of Vocare you may feel yourself questioning the difference you are making because you do not see a physical result, but when you begin to have these doubts remember that just by being attentive and thoughtful to the needs of the agency and those you are serving, you are making a difference.

When we open our hearts to the needs of others, our capacity to grow in mindfulness and empathy flourishes. Vocare offers us immersion in an area of need to which we give of our hearts, unique talents and abilities, that I know each one of you possesses in abundance.

The last lesson I wish to leave you with is one that I hope you will continue to think about beyond your Vocare experience. It centers around a model called the “two feet of love and action,” which was introduced to me in a theology course I took at Creighton. This model helped me connect a piece I felt was missing from my service experiences. First, the model addresses a mode of addressing inequities that I was witnessing and second, the process of delving into the “why.” Though I found meaning in acts of service, I was unsettled by the reality that the students I worked with at Kagel would continue to be confronted by obstacles to reach a higher education, that migrant families would continue to be separated and put in jail-like conditions as they sought safety in the United States, and that many other rural Dominican villages would continue to lack access to clean water. Although service is necessary and important, without justice and advocacy, systems of oppression will continue to perpetuate inequalities and acute suffering. Working for justice means looking for sustainable solutions which target unequal systems and structures. Let your eyes be opened to the need for social justice as you offer your service. You may become an advocate through a career as a teacher, accountant, social worker, lawyer, medical provider, or as I plan, a bilingual therapist.

During this experience, you may find yourself being pushed outside your comfort zone; lean into that discomfort because sometimes this is where the greatest growth occurs. Lastly, challenge yourself to set aside any biases or preconceived ideas you may have about the population you are working with and be open to this experience which may lay the foundation of a life rooted in service.

I will be praying for each and every one of you during your experience and I am excited to hear about the meaningful relationships you create. I will conclude with one last quote that has always resonated with me when I do service, spoken by Mother Theresa, “the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

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