I've been so busy painting I've let a week go by since our benefit for Heartline Ministries. I think part of me put it off because I knew it would be impossible to explain how amazing the weekend was.
First of all, I met everyone I will be working with and they are amazing. Throughout the weekend I'd ask one of the other "interns" something like whether or not they liked graphic design. They would say "yes" and I would exclaim, "Great! I hate it!" It's so cool that God has given us all different interests and talents. You know He's in control too when we lost almost half the number of interns we started out with. We could have been left with all photographers, but here the four of us are: I have an interest in videography, Sarah studied photography, Rachel enjoys writing, and Ellie is great at public speaking. (I only know this because I stalked her online prior to meeting her.) I'll have to do a separate post just on these ladies. They have some incredible stories of how God has been working in their lives. It is going to be awesome to work and live with them. :)
I also got to finally meet our director Matt and his wife Jordana. (Click here for a little of their story.) They put God first and it shows in the direction SafeWorld is going. Ellie and I were talking one night about how blessed we are to work with SafeWorld. Only God could have designed this for us. It's funny because our whole internship application was about fighting malaria, like that was all we would be doing. We both saw the importance in that and wanted to be a part of it. I would have been happy working for any organization with a servant's heart. But then we found out that we aren't just fighting malaria. SafeWorldNexus is also working to help individuals we both have a strong connection to. Ellie wants to be a midwife one day. The benefit this past weekend was to build a maternity center in Haiti. I have an older brother with Downs Syndrome. We want to one day add a home for disabled children to the maternity center. We did not know this stuff was in the works when we applied. God is so good!!! It is so obvious He is at work here!!!!!!!
It has been a year now since I graduated from the beautiful and glorious University of South Carolina. It was the best time of my life and I did not look forward to life past it. I knew I would have to get some office job barely related to my major. Then I figured it would take like two or three years until I could look for something else a little better, and then probably a couple years and jobs after those until I could finally reach my dream job. I actually thought God was for this too- that it was a big lesson in patience He wanted me to go through. No.
"Which of you if your son asks for bread will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give to those who ask Him!" Jesus said in Matthew 7:9-11. (Jon Acuff should pay me for this post.) I was reading the blog Stuff Christians Like one day when I came across this particular post. That's how I found SafeWorld and the internship application. When I read through the job description I started crying. It was exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I would get to use my major with media, however I wouldn’t be stuck in a room all day editing. I would be out DOING things with and for people. I prayed to God, but was so frustrated with Him. I said, “You say to feed the poor and heal the sick and that’s what I want to do, and could do, with this organization, but I financially can NOT do an internship. What do You want me to do?!” Then I talked with Jenn at SafeWorld and she encouraged me that God COULD make it happen and they were very interested in working with me. After inquiring/applying for at least 70 jobs this summer, I could not believe this one, the one I wanted most, wanted me. Of course now I can believe it. God wanted me to have this amazing (I quit going to the thesaurus to replace this word.) opportunity all along. I just needed to ask for it. Our Savior said in Luke 15, "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." Man. I could say so much more about this! Instead I will give (another) free shout out to Jon Acuff. I haven't read it but his book Quitter came out recently and is all about this.
He spoke at the benefit last week. (I was bummed I didn't get to meet him. I was serving drinks.) Still, the benefit for Heartline was so much fun! I can't wait until I can share the video we showed. I do have a link to a video SafeWorld made last year. Someone sang this same song at the benefit. It is from Mumford and Sons. I am LOVING their stuff. Their lyrics are AMAZING with a great bluegrass feel. Bluegrass leads me to NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE. If you haven't figured it out yet SafeWorldNexus is moving to Nashville before I get there. I was so excited to work with SafeWorld, I could have cared less where they were located. It is just another good gift from God to put me in such a cool city. I could not have come up with a more perfect job for me. It's all God. Please come visit and please pray that God will prepare me for the hard stuff. I will be going to Uganda in September and probably seeing some heart-wrenching situations. Of course that too is a gift. It is a gift to go and document what is going on. I rejoice in my good gifts.
Why do you complain, Jacob?
Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:27-31
