Reflections on the Regis Mission, my personal mission, and Conceptual Change

THROUGH A CIVIC LEARNING LENS: Examining my experience at The Bridge and comparing it with the Regis Mission of "How Ought We to Live?" 
A synopsis of the The Regis Mission Statement: 
Regis University is a Jesuit University built upon Ignition Pedagogy–using personal gifts and faith to make a better world, providing excellence in education to the next generation (such as future degreed nurses), teaching ways to make ethical decisions, and performing Service Learning in communities. As Regis students, we are to reflect on our learning, pursue and disseminate truth and develop personal values that reflect the Regis mission.

• Education brings obligation; we have an obligation to live out our faith. We are called to live in the tradition of the Jesuit predecessors who founded the University: "For the Greater Glory of God," whether we are Jesuit Catholics or Protestants who have also heard the calling of Christ to bind up wounds and heal the broken.
• Catholic Moral Tradition teaches we live in communion with God and others; this communal relationship leads us to promote justice, work toward wholeness, and cultivate an environment where every individual is valued and enabled to flourish.

The Bridge Community Church, where I do Lay Counseling, is an environment the epitomizes the Regis Mission and the Gospel way of life. The Bridge is not a Catholic institution but it takes to heart and lives out many ideas espoused by Catholic/Jesuit teaching. Grace and unconditional love are paramount. For instance, in a study by the church pastor (Ben), these ideas were put forth:

• Paul is urging believers to live a life worthy of the calling they have received. What does this life look like?  Can this life be lived alone? 

• Remind learners that each local church is a visible reflection of the universal church. How does this truth change the way we might view the local church? 

1. Together, we want to know the truth of Christ (vs. 14) 

2. Together, we want to imitate the character of Christ (vs. 15)

3. Together, we want keep each other on mission (vs. 16)

The Bridge encourages continuing education and living lives of excellence, foremost by being in relationship with Christ, then by being educated in truth, imitating Jesus, and seeing every aspect of life as missional. Each person we encounter is someone we can share God's grace and love with.

The actions I have witnessed in my University–from professors/instructors and students– are similar to those I witness at The Bridge: caring, compassion, faithfulness, encouragement, and exhortation. The differences I perceive are not related to actions but to certain points of ideology and theology...yet I have not felt isolation or rejection stemming from these differences. This leads me to believe there are many ways and spheres Catholics and Protestants can work together, communicate together, and be family together. New dialogues should spring up between the believers...

CONCEPTUAL CHANGE: My actions compared with those at The Bridge
I consider myself a relative newcomer to The Bridge Community Church. I resisted joining in and being identified with institutional Christianity after being wounded by individuals who professed faith. I came to The Bridge broken, beaten down, and in despair. I felt as though God had turned away from me because I was unlovable and unlovely.

The people at The Bridge were gentle with me, and yet with each encounter they fed me truth and new perceptions of Christ. They took opportunities to address my woundedness; they corrected me when I had misperceptions and encouraged me when I felt like a failure.

As a result of these actions, and those of others, I found a new relationship with Christ. This is one reason I wish to help other women find freedom. I was bruised by past abuse and trauma...Christ said a bruised reed he would not break. From The Bridge Community Church, and people at Alpha Omega Christian Counseling, I have learned to give grace and tenderness in counseling. I have also learned the ways people believe misconceptions and lies, and I have learned ways to help people see through these deceptions.

From The Bridge leaders, I have learned servant leadership through: 

• conforming to the likeness of Christ.
• cooperation and community building.
• consensus promotion when working on goals.
• concentrating on loving others in community.
• contemplation and conquering the idols in our lives that keep us from relationship and mission.

From the women I counsel, I have learned:

• how to view suffering.
• how to help those who suffer.
• that wisdom at times comes from stillness, from seeking truth, and following that truth even through pain.
• how to trust my instincts and use them in my Lay Counseling (and future MHNP) practice. God has gifted me with insights (that is still difficult for me to acknowledge at times) and my clients have encouraged me to use those insights even in the midst of fatigue and discouragement.
• bravery...and perseverance in the face of great odds.

I have seen some of these women so transformed by opening themselves to what God would teach them about suffering– to overcoming their past and surrendering old resentments–that it propels me to become a better nurse, a better counselor (and future MHNP), and a better Christ-follower. I want to be like these beautiful women who love, in spite of their pain, and trust me to lead them to deeper knowledge of themselves and deeper relationship with Christ...and to eventual freedom.

Sharing in their tears as they face their trauma and abuse...listening to their deep secrets and assuaging their wounded hearts...watching as the "little girls" within them find healing...and being rewarded with shining smiles as God sets them free–are experiences that transcend words.

I learn to listen from listening...
I learn to see from carefully watching...
I learn to be attentive from giving my attention...
I learn to love from loving.

I view my Lay Counseling practice through the model of Philippians, chapter 4: 

• God knows we have anxieties and He desires us to pour out our anxieties to Him and to His agents, then to thank Him for His answers.
• As we pour out anxieties, fears, anger, and hurts, He pours into us His peace.
• When we feel God's peace, He brings us understanding of what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. When we fix our thoughts on these things, our our minds become transformed.
• As our minds (psyches) are transformed, we can put these new understandings into practice...which is mission. 
• As we do this–as we go on mission–we receive the God of peace.
• And the God of peace gives us the ability to do all things...because Christ gives us His strength.

What continues to catch my attention is the way God speaks to my heart and mind through my clients. Many times, when I go to Him in prayer with a concern or fear or problem, the answer or revelation comes to me through listening and speaking with a client. This requires me to stay aware, to be mindful, with each client at each session. It also keeps me searching for further knowledge in my field and further wisdom. I am transformed with each client, with each new nurse/client relationship. This way of seeing things has changed every aspect of my nursing practice, whether it is in an OB-Gyn setting, in disaster areas, or on mission with Dignity:Liberia. I approach people and relationships in a different light. I am less focused on performance from others–or performing FOR others–and more focused on developing relationships. Even when doing diabetic education or teaching seminars on trauma recovery, I am looking for ways to be relational, listening for hurts or needs within others and searching for ways to give grace. This may sound aggrandizing, but I assure you, it is not so. I fail many times, I fear many times, and I fall short of many goals. But God is faithful and true...He always does what is good, right, and perfect.

I have found I make assumptions at times, and at times those assumptions prove false. I am too impatient at times, in such a hurry to finish things...and those are the times I am led deeper into "stillness" and reflection...reminders to slow down, to enjoy the moment, and to savor the new life I have been given. 

These discoveries have enabled me to understand how others react or learn or grieve, how they experience joy and sorrow. By working through my own trauma and pain,  by surrendering to Christ those avenues of control and resentment that have kept me bound, I have been able to love in new ways. I have experienced personal and professional freedom.

I have also found that freedom can be a little scary at times. With freedom comes the obligation to greater self-control, and greater responsibility to those God has placed in my charge as a nurse. 

EVALUATION OF SERVICE LEARNING: What would I have done or said differently as a result of the Service Learning Experience?

• I would have spent more time re-learning psychological nursing assessments and how to initiate a session with a client.
• I am still working on writing Lay Counseling Training material. I would like to finish this soon and present it to The Bridge leadership. I feel as though I have been remiss in this respect. 
• I would have been more active in contacting the leadership directly for a perceived problem, although we did discuss the problem and came to a solution.
• In the future, I will be more proactive and less hesitant in voicing concerns or in keeping boundaries for my personal time and schedule.

I believe the leadership at The Bridge feels my involvement there as a Lay Counselor helps the organization. The leaders continue to refer people to me for Lay Counseling, we have a good ongoing relationship, and we hope to promote gospel-centered counseling even more in the future through training others. 

As I finish my education and become a MHNP, I hope to learn EMDR therapy and provide that as a further therapy tool for those who have undergone trauma and abuse. I plan to continue working with The Bridge as a free counselor/MHNP, going on mission with the Disaster Relief team, and leading teams with Dignity: Liberia to that West African country.

My education through Regis University has given me a better understanding of my calling as a nurse. It has informed me on justice, ethics, professionalism, community disease perception and treatment, health promotion, human dignity, and so much more. Each class has built upon the one previous and each instructor has added to my personal growth. Being a student at Regis University has blessed my life and learning.