God Will Give You a Path to Serve: My Farewell to the Mobilization Blog 

Hello! My name is Devoney Duclow, and I have had the privilege of helping launch the Mobilization Blog under the leadership of Libby Barnhill at Mission Waco.

My journey with Mission Waco began in January 2025 during the middle of my junior year at Baylor University. I cold-emailed Mission Waco looking for an opportunity to become involved in their work, and after my first interview, I met Libby for coffee. As we talked, I immediately knew she was someone I wanted to learn from and spend more time with. The way she expressed love for her community, the way she spoke about her calling to serve others since her own college years, and most importantly, the way she welcomed me with open arms from our very first meeting made a lasting impact on me. When I shared that I was a Professional Writing and Rhetoric major, Libby mentioned she had been wanting to start a blog for the Mobilization Team. Looking back now, I truly believe God placed me in Waco and connected me with Libby at exactly the right time to step into this role.

Over the past year and a half, volunteering as a writer for the Mobilization Team and helping with volunteer projects has enriched my college experience just as much (if not more) than my coursework. Mission Waco expanded my understanding of community beyond the comfortable “Baylor bubble” I had grown used to. It taught me the importance of intentionally expanding one's community and being willing to step into spaces and relationships that may look different from one's own experiences.

One of my biggest takeaways from this experience has been realizing that there are countless ways to serve your community. Before Mission Waco, I imagined volunteering at a nonprofit mainly looked like serving meals, sorting donations, or helping with administrative tasks. While those forms of service are incredibly important, my experience showed me something much broader. God opened a path for me to use the skills I was learning in my writing courses and apply them directly to Mission Waco’s mission of “addressing poverty in our own backyard through hands-on compassion.” Through writing blog posts and highlighting the stories of community leaders, volunteers, and neighbors throughout Waco, I began to understand how storytelling itself can be an act of service. Writing can shine a light on important work already happening in our communities and encourage others to join in. It can build connection, empathy, and awareness in ways I had never fully considered before.

Working with the Mobilization Team also taught me the importance of joining those who are already doing meaningful work within their communities. We do not always have to travel states or countries away to find people to serve. There are neighbors all around us who need support, encouragement, advocacy, and friendship. Often, serving begins simply by listening, showing up consistently, and being willing to build relationships. Community is built through conversations; new conversations, kind conversations, and sometimes even uncomfortable but necessary conversations. My time at Mission Waco showed me the value of knowing your neighbors well enough to create relationships where people help and learn from one another. I also learned not to discount your neighbors simply because of your differences. Someone having a different life story, background, or experience does not make them any less worthy of love, dignity, and community. God calls us to love our neighbors well, even when they live in different parts of town or come from different circumstances than our own. 

This experience has changed me not only as a writer, researcher, editor, and communicator, but also as a person. I leave Mission Waco with a much deeper understanding of what it means to serve in community and how our unique gifts can contribute to that work. Sometimes, service looks like construction projects or meal distribution. Other times, it looks like writing stories, building connections, organizing volunteers, or simply taking the time to listen to someone else’s life experience. 

I encourage you to pay attention to where God may be calling you to serve. It could be as simple as walking through a new part of your city, introducing yourself to someone different from you, or reaching out to a local organization and asking how your skills might be helpful. Write the email. Make the phone call. Reach out to your neighbors already serving your community, and God will provide a path forward. You never know how God may use your gifts to love your neighbors well and grow in your own understanding of what it means to live out your Christian faith. 

Thank you to Mission Waco for giving me the opportunity to grow not only as a writer, but also as a community member. It has been such a joy. You have forever changed the way I see community, service, and the people around me.