As I was discerning the next steps after high school, I felt called to look at a year of service. At the beginning of my senior year after much prayer, I reached out to a family in Peru as I originally wanted to serve internationally. My plan ended up falling through, but they connected me with a religious brother that works with Saint Paul’s Outreach. He sent me a pdf file of several different missionary groups and on a whim I filled out the interest form for Source of All Hope. Out of all the various forms I completed, Source was the one who pursued me most actively. As I continued farther into the application process, I felt the Lord calling me to serve the poor here in the States. Throughout my entire discernment with Source, the Lord kept deepening my trust in Him and my desire to serve the poor. After taking a trip to Baltimore the spring of my senior year, I fell in love with the community and the way that the missionaries were on fire for their faith and mission. I came back with a short period of time to make a decision and was worried that I wouldn’t experience peace in my choice. In a conversation with my dad, he told me that he had been praying for me and felt the Lord urging him to encourage me to take this leap of faith. Our conversation gave me peace and showed me that the Lord was in this decision. A few days later, I wrote an acceptance email to Source, said a prayer, and sent it in. I’m really excited to live this adventure, get outside of myself, and take this time to love those in the streets in the radical way that our world needs!