Colleen Mescall is a graduate of Merrimack College with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies. She spent the year in Chicago working in the Pre-K at St. Margaret of Scotland.

Without my faith, I don’t know that I would have been able to successfully complete my ten months of service here in Chicago. I have always felt that my belief in God is strong, along with my sense of faith, however they have both grown and changed throughout this year a number of times. Various people and situations have made my relationship with God and my faith grow stronger within my experience in Chicago.

Going into school everyday (St. Margaret of Scotland, a Catholic grammar school) to work with the Pre-K children has opened my eyes to a whole different world. Reflecting on this school year now after the classroom has been packed up and cleaned is bittersweet. It is sad to say goodbye to these children I have fallen in love with however it is ultimately satisfying because of the work and progress we have made together. To see the impact I have made on each child and their family truly makes me proud of what I have accomplished this year. To know that my Pre-K kids are more self sufficient, are stronger with their motor skills, are more comfortable socially in reference to making friends and respecting one another, to hear them say their prayers and make the sign of the cross correctly, to watch them behave better and listen more attentively; to overall see their development move up another level has been an answer to my prayers.

My faith has also grown within community. Our prayer life together has been one of the most meaningful things we have shared with one another. I have really enjoyed hearing each one of their ideas of what prayer means to them. I have questioned with them, shared fears, doubts, beliefs, etc. This year has been wonderful because I am here with three other people around my age doing similar work and gathering with one another to pray a few times a week. It is an uncommon situation and one I don’t know that I will ever be in again. I will always be thankful to Beth Ann, Joe and Meghan for sharing that with me.

There have been many highs and lows of this year. It’s been great doing the work I am doing, living in community and having new experiences and it has also been tough to be away from home, away from my family, boyfriend and friends, away from all that is comfortable and familiar to me. Where the ‘unfamiliar’ has been, my relationship with God and my faith has remained my ‘familiar’ which has been such a comfort to me. I know that God is ultimately my biggest support system and with understanding that, it has made the more trying times a bit easier for me. Many times throughout the year I have heard phrases such as, ‘Put it in God’s hands’ or ‘Say your prayers and everything will work out the way it’s supposed to.’ I have heard these quite often (especially from my mother!) and sometimes just brushed them off without putting much thought into them. Throughout the year these phrases have changed from something that was slightly annoying to hear into something that now makes sense to me and gives me comfort. At this point my trust in God is stronger, which has overall strengthened my personal relationship with God. I was pretty nervous at the start of all this for fear of the unknown but now looking back on everything, my trust in God has taken me here to the computer to write a reflection on my faith as well as my experience this year. I trusted in Him and He has helped me to successfully complete something that I wasn’t 100% positive I had the strength to do myself. This is something I will always carry with me.