I had applied to a few places, but nothing seemed
tangible. I couldn’t apply to medical school because
I owed my college some tuition and therefore I
couldn’t get my transcripts. Being an international
student, especially in Trump’s America, that was a
very scary time. I had pretty much accepted that I
might end up moving back to Nigeria. Then Precious
Blood Volunteers happened.
Growing up in my very Catholic family, my
grandfather made sure we knew that helping oth-
ers, especially those less privileged than we are, was
just as important as prayer and going to Mass. So
naturally, after about 10 years of Jesuit secondary and
college education, garnished with volunteering expe-
riences here and there, I toyed with the idea of a year
of service. I had heard about the Catholic Volunteer
Network from a close friend who was just complet-
ing her year of service, so I put up my profile. I wasn’t
even sure which group or what location I was partic-
ularly interested in. The very next day, I got an email
from Tim Deveney, the Director of Precious Blood
Volunteers. At first, I didn’t think too much of it, just
a really good recruiter who knows his job, right? But
whenever I reflect on my time here, I realize that this
was just another instance of God choosing me.
When I think about my orientation week, one
thing stands out: prophetic voices. I remember all
of us being somewhat confused and asking Tim to
clarify what “pr ophetic voices” meant, and it basi-
cally came down to the ways and people with which
God tries to get through to us. At least that’s how I’ve
chosen to interpret it. It’s the #47 bus driver who has
to sit through long hours of driving the same route
everyday with all kinds of interesting characters,
being part of conversations she’d probably rather
not have if she did not have to be there. Patience.
It’s John Lee, my ex-housemate and fellow volunteer
who picked out monthly challenges to make the
most out of his experience and ended up starting a
podcast that is currently on iTunes (I have never met
anyone so insistent and intentional about self-de-
velopment). It’s one of my patients at the clinic, who
I’m pretty confident is/was part of a gang, who came
back just before leaving to say thank you for making
him feel comfortable and cheering him up after he
cried to me while I was taking his vitals. He was just
like me! A person with feelings who cries when he
gets emotional. Gratitude and oneness.
At the beginning, I was mostly concerned with
what and how best I would be contributing to the
people I would encounter during my service year.
But this experience has turned out to be much more
rewarding than I ever imagined. I have gotten to meet
the most amazing set of people who are dedicated to
living the best versions of themselves in the Precious
Blood community. I have made tremendous strides
in my personal spiritual journey. I spend most of my
Sundays as part of the St. Francis Xavier Parish 10:30
a.m. Mass choir. And I will be coming out of this
service year with a full-time job at the kc care Clinic,
God willing.
I am so grateful that God has once again chosen
me—to be part of this wonderful community and to
have this life-changing experience. I sincerely hope
and pray that all of us are more attentive to the ways in
which God is continuously calling and choosing us to
be better people.
(Oh, and just for the record, my family stuck
both with names. My birth certificate actually has
Lotachukwu Raluchukwu written on it. I have two
first names! LOL!)
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March 2018 • The New Wine Press • 11