Humid and picturesque were my first impressions of the historic streets dripping with Spanish moss, antebellum architecture and Southern charm. As a city boy from the DC area, I never thought I’d find myself living in the Deep South. The same Sister of Mercy who had sweet-talked me into choosing Savannah as my placement site – who I’ve since fittingly dubbed “the nun who gets it done” – had picked me up from the airport and was now giving me a driving tour of the city that would be my home for the next year. When we got to the volunteer house, my MVC counterpart Betsy and I were greeted with hugs from our support team as well as Grace, the MVC alumnus who would become our community member, local guide, pickleball partner, and dear friend over the course of our service year.

I joined MVC during a transitional period in life. After college, I had worked for a few years in a job that had run its course and I was seeking a new start in a new place alongside new people, living out a new mission as a man with a newfound faith and a desire for new direction in his search for a more meaningful career path. I had looked into a number of volunteer programs but none worked out. A longtime family friend who is a former Mercy Volunteer and current Mercy Associate recommended the program. From my first point of contact with the MVC staff, I felt welcomed and wanted in a way that I hadn’t found in the other programs – and the journey began.

Savannah has lived up to its reputation as the “Hostess City of the South”. The hospitality and love I receive from my coworkers, neighbors, local MVC support team and community-mates has been one of the many treasures of the experience. I found that it even extended to strangers. During our first week in the city, Grace took us to a favorite lunch spot and we overheard a group next to us talking about Jesus. New in town, I was seeking to find a church and build a faith community so I took the risk and introduced myself. They invited me to their Bible study, welcomed me with open arms and made me one of their own. I quickly became a regular and even started playing drums for their worship band. Two of the pillars of MVC are “Community” and “Spiritual Growth” and I am grateful to report that here in Savannah, through this group and the many other wonderful connections and encounters, I’ve found an abundance of both.

As I had joined the program hoping to learn more about myself and find clarity of career and calling, it was most fitting that the theme of this MVC year is “Come Alive”, based on the famous quote by Howard Thurman: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” One way I’ve done that is by researching different career paths and praying for discernment of my true, God-given identity and purpose. Through the work at both of my (awesome!) jobsites, prayer, spiritual exercises and many, many conversations with people who know me or who work in interesting career paths, I’ve begun to uncover that true identity, along with different aspects of work that excite me. The journey of discerning the vocation that is most aligned with my strengths and identity, the career that will make me most “Come Alive”, continues day after day. And while I don’t yet know exactly “what I want to be when I grow up”, I’m closer to finding that next best step; and I’ve found a new sense of peace in the uncertainty as I try to live out the timeless proverb: “One day at a time!”

Gabe Moses: Savannah, Georgia