We started our final week of orientation today, packed with sessions on international leadership for human resources, responding to trauma and finance. It’s been a great set of weeks with so many conversations about best practice. While I am new to the organization, learning from others about the many positive changes Mennonite Central Committee continues to make in it’s practice inspires me. It’s invigorating to learn about the relief, development and peacemaking practices that have been implemented and are growing and changing with the organization. It’s sobering to think specifically about what we might do in case of a security risk or what to do with a report of child abuse or sexual assault. And it’s encouraging to hear how MCC is making strides to treat all it’s employees across 55 countries with the same dignity, respect and equity that we have come to expect from partner organizations. One of the key phrases I’ve picked up here is: “how you do something is just as important as what you do”.

Perhaps my favorite part of orientation has been the people. I’ve spent many, many hours these weeks around tables listening to people who are from or going to Colombia, Mexico, Vietnam, India, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Brazil, Mozambique, Cambodia, Malawi, Honduras, Nicaragua, China, Indonesia, USA, Canada and South Africa. Together we question, learn and share from our experiences, and it is so life-giving. We’ve also had a wonderful time laughing together between talking about serious and important things. I am so grateful for the people who are doing this relational work and I am excited to join them.

The girls have fully settled into Orientation mode. They were not much interested in the goodbyes of the weekend. Final goodbyes to friends, family, church and the house brought emotional upheaval to their parents. As we said goodbye to the house and I cried in each room, Charlotte kindly waited until we were done and then asked “so…when do we get to go back to orientation?” I am grateful for many wonderful memories in Red Hill and I am also grateful to be back at orientation.