Here's a shot he took of me just last night!
I wouldn't be lying if I said that you're already behind on the first night you show up for class! How can that be? Did I miss an assignment that was to be completed prior to arriving? No. Was I to have read one of the assigned books before showing up? No. The 50 page syllabus? Yes! (and I did that). But it wasn't until the day after the first class that we received an email explaining that our hours for the week actually began four days prior to class (Wed.) The meter began ticking on Sunday!
We are required to put in 400 clinical hours a quarter, which averages about 34 hrs. each week (breakdown is below) for the 12 week term. Lucky for me, I serve in the homeless branch in Salt Lake City, and every Sunday is filled with ministry time. These folks' lives are, for the most part, in shambles and they need a listening ear and a boost of confidence. We certainly cannot solve all of their problems for them, but we can allow them to come as they are and we welcome them with open arms and hearts. I am incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to serve this population.
On the Tuesday evening prior to the first class on Wed., it so happened that that was the Relief Society's monthly scheduled time to visit the homeless shelter with our husbands, who go weekly. We dress up in Sunday clothes (and TOTALLY stick out like sore thumbs!) and walk from the parking lot down the street and into the shelter doors. People are gathered on the sidewalks on either side of the street, many right in the street itself. (A SLC police officer once told my husband and me that that block was by far the most dangerous spot in all of Utah.) It can be a wee bit daunting, but so far we have been treated well, with lots of "hello's" and excited waving. For some reason, folks seem to be more respectful when we are there than when our husbands go without us. I'll take it!
The Road Home in Salt Lake City
We visit with whomever decides to come join us in the family area. There are single folks, married couples, and entire families there. Seeing the young children and even newborn babies can be quite heartbreaking. (They are exposed to drinking, drug use, foul language, violence, smoking, etc. It's pretty awful.) Some have just arrived and need someone to listen to the tale that landed them in these unfortunate circumstances, others want to talk about where to go to church services, receive Priesthood blessings, and some are looking for Church assistance. And then there are those who are simply there just to be belligerent. Lucky for me, I haven't had to deal with them like my husband has. But it is understood by all of us that mental illness is the most common theme among the population.
This would NOT be the shirt my husband wears there! :-)
At any rate, with those hours already in place, and the reading and writing I started to do, I managed to get 33.5 hours for my first week. Not too shabby! This past week, though (my week ending last Sat.), I had put in 43.5 hours. There is so much to do! Here's a breakdown:
15 hours of ministry time (visits with patients and other folks who have something bothering or upsetting them that they need to talk about. We then practice the skills we're learning.)
The remainder of the approximately 19 hours is made up of the following:
Reading - We have 5 assigned books and need a total of about 700 pages each quarter; can include scriptures, lesson materials studied for Church, etc.
Writing - Book reports, weekly case studies (those are LONG!), weekly responses (11 questions), journal writing (or this blog!), and due next week is a 38 question "Religious History Inventory" that explores your beliefs and practices, beginning from your childhood.
Supervisory Sessions - Meeting every other week or so (six required) with one of the supervisors, one on one for an hour. I had my first one yesterday. I loved it!
Class Time - 4 hours a week. and it's packed full of good stuff. Rumor has it that it can be quite intense at times. You simply will not escape the deep look into your own self and where you need to change. You can quit, but that would be your only way out. EEEEEEEK!!
Seminars, Trainings, etc. - This should be great! The
Parliament of the World's Religions is coming to Salt Lake (mid-October)
as is the World Congress on Families (end of Oct.). Both of those are a
BIG deal and I'm so fortunate they will be right in my city, just down
the street. WAHOO!!! I also have trainings to attend with the
hospice companies I'm volunteering with.
So you want to be a chaplain? Go for it! But it ain't just a walk in the assisted living center. It's work. It's time consuming. And in the end, it is purported to be life changing. I'll let you know . . .
