An Ode to Good Shepherd Volunteers

Simply Living does not come easily. However,

For us it seems to come naturally.

Searching for our Spirituality and discovering this tenet,

Learning our own ways to be tranquil and at peace.

Loving our Community members,

The good, bad, and the ugly.

Advocating in the world of Social Justice,

Finding our own voices we never knew we had.

Creating ways to Just Love through help from

Our supervisors, GSV Staff, Sister Mary Euphrasia, and Good Shepherd Sisters.

Going into the year so fearful, anxious, not knowing what to expect;

Ending the year with new skills, friends, experiences, and outlooks on life.

Thank you, GSV, for an amazing 2 years of experiences that will last me a lifetime and forever keep me grounded. Thank you for giving me standards to live by and showing me how to Just Love everyone that crosses my path.

To all the GSV Staff who have come and gone during my two years of service:

Thank you for all your time and efforts towards making these years the best for the volunteers.

To the Good Shepherd Sisters who host and work directly with the volunteers, and the Good Shepherd Sisters all over the world:

Thank you for always being a listening ear, friend, mother, grandmother, spiritual guide, and so much more to all the volunteers you support.

Kassy and Allie (LA Community '16-'17) with the Sisters of the Good Shepherd serving at Good Shepherd Shelter in Los Angeles, CA

Andrea and Allie (Bolivia '17-'18) attend Sisters of the Good Shepherd vow renewal in Sucre, Bolivia

To all the supervisors and staff who do their best to help their volunteer grow professionally, mentally, emotionally and physically:

Thank you for all the passion you put towards the GSV program and the volunteers you receive.

2016-2017 Good Shepherd Shelter Staff and GSVs

To all the clients, students, mothers, and children I have had the pleasure of serving:

Thank you for being open to my opinions, thoughts, and ideas; thank you for teaching me so much more than I could have ever taught you.

Women lead the march against domestic violence with Levantate Mujer in Sucre, Bolivia (2018)

To all the volunteers I was able to work with these past two years:

Thank you for being my peers and showing me new walks of life. I have learned so much from each and every one of you.

GSV Domestic Volunteers 2016 - 2017 Back Row (L to R): Karina Winn, Emily Mazzola, Cynthia Garcia, Kristen Alestra, Kassy Villarreal, Shannon Sophy Front Row (L to R): Marianna Hernandez, Allie Reynolds, Anna Engstrom, Cheryl Rozinski

GSV Volunteers 2017-2018 Back Row (L to R): Josh Guerrero, Spencer Carter, Amethyst Lewis, Sam Wirth, Kiara Murphy Front Row (L to R): Amore Alvarenga, Allie Reynolds, Justine Worden, Andrea Gaitan, Christine Driscoll

To my community members Kassy and Andrea:

Thank you for being the best team to go through these experiences with! I could not have done it without your love and support.

GSV LA Community '16-'17 Allie Reynolds and Kassy Villarreal

GSV Bolivia Community '17-'18 Andrea Gaitan and Allie Reynolds

Allie and her mom, dad, and brother at her send-off party before her year of service in Sucre, Bolivia

Lastly, to all the family and friends at home:

Thank you for being so patient and supportive with my decisions to move all over the world! I wouldn’t have been able to take on these challenges without a great support system at home as well!

I simply Just Love everything about these past 2 years, and couldn’t be happier or prouder to be moving on as a Domestic and International Good Shepherd Volunteer Alumni.

Written by,

Allie Reynolds

LA Community '16-'17

Bolivia Community '17-'18