On What's Next?

What's Next?

With your term of service coming to an end, how did you approach the question of "what's next?" ?

Anita Saira Morawski, Redeemer Ministry Corps, Philadelphia, PA

The daunting question of "what's next?" was somewhere in the back of my mind probably from the beginning of my volunteer year. Not that I already wanted it to be over! Au contraire! The security of meaningful work, a community of friends, a network of supportive people, and the luxury of not worrying about housing, food, etc, was not something I was eager to let go of! But I knew that the year would come to an end, and that I needed to at least be thinking about what's next.

It was around February that the question became pressing. And it started filling me with anxiety and confusion, as I still wasn't sure "what I wanted to do with my life." I knew that with all big decisions and transitions, I had to pray about it, and trust that God would guide me down the right path. If I put it in God's hands, I couldn't go wrong. I was also proactive in that I made a list of my options, and the pros and cons of each. And I bounced it off of people who knew me well - my family, my community, my program director, my friends. Slowly, anxiety and confusion gave way and I was filled with a peaceful knowing of what the next step would be. And I also came to realize that I didn't need to figure out my life by July!