Sinking Roots
I first heard of the Good Neighbor Project in the autumn of 2023, in the middle of moving overseas. My sister told me of a project that was forming in her area for young adults who wanted to intentionally cultivate spiritual and community growth. I was curious but preoccupied with my plans in France, so I noncommittally told her to “remind me when I got back.”.
My sister took this as a challenge and for several months I was reminded, encouraged, and cajoled to pursue this project. She succeeded as only an older sister can. Upon the completion of my work in France, I stepped into this adventure, externally eager to connect with people and establish and foster a strong spiritual community. I loved when people asked me what I was up to; it gave me the opportunity to sound involved, engaged, and much surer of life than I genuinely felt.
Anxiety is not an unfamiliar companion, and I found myself worrying about all the ridiculous “What ifs?” (I laugh now when I remember being worried all the other participants would be locals who had never gone beyond the county line!)
But deep down, I knew I was truly afraid of connecting, of planting roots. For more than a decade, I had felt untethered to any one place, moving and restarting, moving and restarting. My willingness to engage deeply with community had atrophied and my need for it was distorted.
Yet God placed a craving in my soul for deeper connection. So, setting aside my inclination to drive far away as fast as possible, I grit my teeth, put on a winsome smile and walked into what has become a blessing and an answer to prayer.
The Fellowship that was assembled this year is a unique cohort. Lancaster natives, fellow globetrotters, people who had arrived by way of bigger cities or quiet backroads. Everyone came with a unique story and something to offer.
These last several months have been a small peek into Kingdom goodness. God remains steadfast as the Fellowship grows in our understanding of relating to Him, to one another, to our work, and to the rest of the world. It has been both a challenging and joyful process, and I often refer back to Eugene Peterson when describing our journey: a long obedience in the same direction.
We are creating and refining good life habits, rhythms of embodied spiritual practice to nurture past the completion of this program. Imperfect as we are, we have committed to a path and to one another. God’s goodness prevails; I see all the ways I have been renewed and encouraged in this program: our director guiding us and challenging us, our speakers and dinner-hosting families offering up their time and wisdom, group discussions and vulnerable honesty from my “fellow fellows”. There is still a long journey ahead, but to sink roots and grow deeper with this cohort has been an honor and a blessing.
Born and initially raised in Philadelphia, Vivi also spent formative years in Chicago and southeastern Pennsylvania. She graduated from Asbury University in Kentucky with a BA in Fine Art and Marketing. Since then, she has spent the last few years volunteering in disaster-relief work around the US, working in marketing, befriending immigrants and teaching art classes in Europe. She loves trying new food, retelling family lore, laughing loudly, and noticing the quiet moments of God’s goodness in this crazy world.