Week 1 - done!

  Well, I survived my first week of interning!! Let me apologize in advance because I know that this update will just be a general overview of my first week. I'm still quite overwhelmed, but hopefully soon I will have a better grasp on things and can share more about the specifics of this internship. I can tell that this position is going to be super stretching for me. It's so odd to be in a position of authority over so many people! Every day I've been praying for confidence, while still staying humble. Humble confidence is DEFINITELY something that I'm going to have to develop. It's so easy to second-guess yourself and to remain silent in situations where you ought to speak up when you don't really know what you're doing. It's definitely intimidating, but I know that God is with me every day and will give me all that I need to do the work He has called me to do. He is so faithful and will never give me more than I can handle. At least I have confidence in that!

  Amidst the stress and uneasiness of starting a new job, there have also been some really fun times this week. Every Friday night is GNO (Girl's Night Out) and Friday is one of my on-shift days! I am so excited about this...having an opportunity to interact with the residents outside of the Vision of Hope home and its strict schedule. This past Friday we went to the creek where some of the ladies went swimming in the water. We made paper boats and raced them down the creek, chasing them from the shore as they went. We all had a great time.

  Right now there are 8 ladies in Phase 1, which is the phase I have the most interaction with. One of the ladies is about to move to Phase 2, and we are all very excited! We have welcomed two new residents since I have been here, and I believe we are welcoming another new lady this Wednesday! Getting the rooms filled is very exciting, and to be totally honest it's been really nice to have a couple of girls here who don't know more than we new interns do! I can tell that many of the residents who have been here for a while are having a hard time with so many new interns here. It must be hard to have to be so vulnerable and trusting with someone you just met. This can be discouraging to us new interns at times, but I know that this will pass once we get to know the ladies better.

    There are so many things that I'm learning already, and it's only been a week! So many areas of weakness are being revealed in my life, and I'm excited to strengthen them. Right now I'm learning to be okay with the fact that not everyone is going to like you. This seems like a "duh" moment, but being accepted by people is something that I've always longed for way too much! But here I am in a leadership position and I am new and some of the residents here are not going to like me at all...and I have to be okay with that! I have to remember that I am here to be their authority, not necessarily their friend. I am to love them with the love of Christ and by doing as my authorities instruct me. I do realize that the "not everyone will like you" lesson is something everyone knows and are told throughout their lives, but you never really learn to be okay with that until you're put in a position where you really aren't accepted by all. Oh well, life goes on, and I'm learning!

  Thank you all SO much for your prayers!! I seriously couldn't do this without prayer support. Please pray for humble confidence and wisdom to know how to handle every situation I may face. And please pray that I will be constantly aware of God's presence in my life, as I believe this will help me in the whole "humble confidence" thing.


"For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ." -Galatians 1:10