JAMLAC (Denver Internship and Second Home)

After a day-long retreat with my co-workers in a beautiful suburban/rural house today, it occurred to me that I have never officially blogged about my internship. That's a pretty crazy concept as I spend around 21 hours there on a weekly basis; I love the clinic as a second home and the staff as a second family. For my entire time in Denver (around 2.5 months), I'm working with the Justice and Mercy Legal Aid Clinic (JAMLAC, for short). The clinic is connected to an organization called Mile High Ministries, so I'm connected to JAMLAC primarily and Mile High on a larger scale. Every Tuesday morning, Courtney (my fellow Gap Year student at JAMLAC) and I go to staff meetings with all of the Mile High staff. Every Thursday afternoon, JAMLAC has staff lunches where we eat together (generally catered or donated from a client), share stories, have "gratitudes" (everyone tells 1 thing they are thankful for), have "check-ins" (a few people tell about their week), have "appreciation" (throughout the week, anyone at JAMLAC can put a note of appreciation for another member of staff into a jar, and it gets read at staff lunch), and have a book club (a wife of one of our staff members is a Christian author, and we are currently reading her book Down We Go about social justice). In all honesty, the staff at JAMLAC is what has made my working experience there so meaningful. Through their complete acceptance of me, their joy in the good and bad, and their desire to follow God in pursuing justice, I have learned what a true community of believers should look like. Although our work, aiding abused women in the legal system, has the potential to become very disturbing and overwhelming, the staff is very intentional about keeping the atmosphere light and allowing God to work in all situations. 

In my work with JAMLAC, I do things such as answering the phones (in English or Spanish), making appointments, sitting-in on in-takes (the first appointment potential clients have, in order to take down information on the case and decide if our attorneys will be able to represent them), going to training sessions (past session topics have included Sexual Abuse of Children and Domestic Abuse), translating for the clients and attorneys in court, and any other odd jobs the staff needs such as copying or making flyers. As our office is specifically designed to aid the impoverished, we also have a few key fundraising events. In addition, if I haven't already hinted, a large portion of our clients are Spanish-speaking, so my Spanish has definitely come in handy (luckily, many of the other staff members are native speakers). The atmosphere is incredibly appreciative and uplifting. I hope to work long-term in a similar environment one day. In addition, the work we provide is truly life-changing for our clients. We are one of very few clinics designed for the impoverished, and the amount of need is overwhelming. Recently, Courtney and I attended a final court case, on our own time, for one of the cases we had been working with since it came to JAMLAC. It was amazing to truly feel the anticipation and emotions along with our client throughout the entire process. It sounds stupid, but it consciously occurred to me that this was her reality. While I could go back to a peaceful home in a few hours, she could not escape the antics of her abusive ex-husband and the stress of raising two young daughters (in therapy for the abuse they had witnessed to their mother). The ruling of the court would decide a large portion of her future. Through a true miracle (after much prayer!), our attorney was able to secure our client a year-long restraining order against her ex-husband, in which time he will be moved to another base through the Air Force. It was the best outcome imaginable, and I could see the relief on our client's face. It's in moments like that when I really appreciate JAMLAC.

Here's an excerpt about JAMLAC from a reflection I wrote for one of my supervisors:

           "When I was in the fifth grade, I decided I wanted to be a, “missionary.” When most people think of missionaries, they think of long skirts, orphaned African children, or penetrating risky political situations to share the Gospel. Although I believe these are all valid definitions of the word, I have come to consider all Christians as potential “missionaries” simply by positively influencing those around them. In my estimation, lawyers who work for the poor epitomize urban missionaries. Their concern for their “neighbors” is exactly what I had been taught as a child; they are mimicking Christ. Instead of working outside of the framework of society, as the generalized missionary does by traveling to other countries or aiding others materialistically, the Christian lawyer supports the disenfranchised inside the system. They use the government policy and societal structure to bring relief. Instead of making the organized world seem like the enemy that must be fled, they find ways to use it to their advantage. It’s brilliant and should be obvious: to use the system the way it was meant to be utilized."

    
Especially after the retreat with all of Mile High today, I am profusely thankful to be surrounded by such strong examples of the Holy Spirit working through a variety of types of people. I admire every single person in the organization. God has blessed me with over a dozen role models and mentors, and I am definitely trying to absorb their presence as much as possible while I'm here. I've had extensive conversations with many of the staff, and I've even gone out to coffee with a few of them in order to more fully connect and be mentored. With this type of training, I feel prepared and supported to meet whatever God has in store for me. I'm just drinking out of a fire hydrant and loving every minute of growth it provides. 

JAMLAC staff/volunteers