Every American has a dream about the kind of life that would be happy and fulfilling, usually a life that each one can aspire to. The dream may include a home, family, and good income. For immigrants to this country might be freedom and citizenship. Just as individuals have dreams, America also has dreams as enunciated by our prophets and presidents: Martin Luther King dreamed of equality and freedom for all; Franklin Roosevelt talked about the four freedoms; and President Kennedy dreamed of a corps of young volunteers who would go into other countries to share their skills and promote peace in the world.
I was one who volunteered although instead of going into the Peace Corps I joined the Church of the Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) program. My dream was to do as Ben Franklin recommended: do well by doing good. BVS was a way that I could do that. BVS had been around for about twenty years and had similar goals as the Peace Corps: young people sharing knowledge and skills with the poor and needy. We were not missionaries but demonstrators of peaceful, caring activities.