Email: Kelsey Benn

Howdy Everybody,

These past two months have been a lot of fun. I am sorry that I have not written a newsletter in a while but I have had a lot of computer problems resulting in two trips to the repair shop. I am still working four days a week at Café 458, preparing lunch for our clients. Afterwards, I go to help with after-school program near my house. Since the last time I wrote, our house has enjoyed several group activities, including the MLK Jr. Center, a concert, staying at a men’s night shelter, the circus, the Atlanta Fair and an “exploring vocation” retreat. We also got two new housemates this past month. I have also read and studied some new books.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Center is a civil rights center in Birmingham, Alabama. The center walks you through the fight for civil rights both in Alabama and the rest of the United States. The Birmingham center is much broader than the MLK center in Atlanta, which we visited earlier this year.

My housemates and I also went to a Jeff Tweedy concert in Birmingham, Alabama. Jeff Tweedy is the lead singer for the group Wilco, which is my housemate Alicia’s favorite. I have never heard of Wilco, but I enjoyed the experience.

As a house we stayed at the men’s night shelter at Central Presbyterian Church. Some of us stayed up all night long reading, playing cards, and making lunches to give to the guys in the morning.

I went to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus with my friends Josh, Michelle, and Amber from work at the Café. The circus was as good as I remember as a kid. They had everything from elephants to motocross motorcycles. The last act was the coolest—a sphere shaped dome and seven motocross motorcycles in it at one time!

We got two new housemates this past month. They are a married couple, Beau and Tegan, from Michigan. They transferred to our community from a sister program called Mission Year. Our house of five has grown to seven, and we are all learning to adapt, but so far so good!

One of our first activities with our new housemates was a visit to the nearby Atlanta Fair. It was my first time going to it. It had all the kind of rides that I love including some that I had not ridden since the last time I went to the amusement park in Panama City Beach.

The “exploring vocation” retreat was held at the Calvin Center, a retreat center for the Presbytery for Greater Atlanta. On the retreat we did discernment exercises to help us figure out our calling in life. My discernment question was targeted at a possible career in law enforcement or the military, which I have long desired. I would appreciate any feedback you might have about these potential careers.

One of our house activities this year has been to read and discuss books together. I have read three books these past two months, two with my house and one with my church. The two with my house were Jesus and the Disinherited and Nickel and Dimed, which are both about people who are not as privileged as I am. The book with my adopted church for the year is called What about Hitler? It deals with the “just war theory” and pacifism. The book discussion was lead by the pastor of the Mennonite church that I am attending down the street from where I live.

I have some great news! I will return to Presbyterian College next fall. Go Blue Hose!

Until next month,

Kelsey