We cheered on so many ServeHere Alumni this past month as they graduated and could not be more proud of each and every one of you. So our Executive Director wrote you a letter... Dear Graduates,
Look at you. You have made it to the end of your time in college. Many of us in seasons ahead of you look at you and wish you didn’t have to walk through some of the things you have… that impulse is fear. When I take the time to pray for you, to put that fear aside… I feel something completely different. Hope. While I am sorry for some of the things you have endured, certainly for some of the hardship you have watched unfold.. I am also so grateful for what you have lived through the last 18 months. Because now I can look directly to you, with all of the confidence we can muster up, and say : YOU WERE made TO LEAD TODAY. RIGHT NOW. With the tragedy, beauty, curiosity and confusion you have faced, you are leading us forward. And I am so glad it’s you. I have seen you step into a space that rejects division and easy answers. You have wrestled, shaken, laughed, prayed, and served. I’m not just trying to encourage you from a place of mentorship, these words I am saying… these words are coming from a place of submission. Yes, I am a season or two ahead of you. I’m leading the way right now for a while. But do you want to know how invested I am in you? … I am trusting you with my kids. I believe in you based on what I have witnessed God do through you… and now, I am saying to you. You were chosen for the job. Lead them well. God is not concerned with your career or trajectory, he is concerned with how much of your day- every day- you you will trust him with. He is ready to shepherd you through a life anchored in Him, wherever you are. You are the one in any office who will bring gentleness, justice, and friendship to the people in the corner. You are the one who will give generously, sacrifice comforts, and reject idols. You are the leaders who will stand in the gap, following the ways of Jesus. Simply Jesus, and nothing else. I am so proud of you. I believe in you. Your gifts are on purpose. Everything is going to be okay. Iesha Boitmann
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After a year characterized by uncertainty, we are so excited to announce that we have officially kicked off the ServeHere Summer 2021 program with five incredibly gifted, Spirit-led women. What this year’s class has stepped into has not been easy. They have not only stepped into world-class internships, but they are opening up themselves to a program like no other. What we ask of our students requires a willingness to use every part of themselves to glorify God, process through some challenging questions of faith, and a complete surrender of their idea of success. Every year our inbox is flooded with applications of students who are rising juniors and seniors. We have multiple interviews with them and spend the spring praying for those who will join our program. This Summer’s class is made up of rising seniors and recent graduates of Texas A&M and the University of Texas. There are a wide range of passions and career paths ranging from accounting to nursing to education. A summer with ServeHere provides many learning opportunities. The students’ new classrooms are the internship placements where they are challenged to apply what they have learned in their field of study in order to make a real impact. They also meet one-on-one with a mentor and in weekly group sessions where they tackle a challenging curriculum designed to prepare them to lead a life of significance. This summer, internship placements were made in five different non-profits around Austin. Most of these organizations serve populations that struggle with poverty. But their clients’ circumstances are very diverse — spanning the homeless, displaced and disadvantaged youth, young mothers, and villagers in Africa. We have also partnered with two incredible Non-profits whose main focus is on providing holistic women’s health care and promoting literacy across all age and people groups in the Austin area. Our Summer 2021 Non-profit Partners Mobile Loaves and Fishes – lifting up Austin’s homeless population Texas Reach Out – providing post-prison transitional housing and support The Source – providing high-quality, whole-person health services to women throughout Texas The Archibald Project – using stories to educate people to care for vulnerable children Education Connection – helping children fight illiteracy and decreasing school dropout rates Previous summers have proven that the work our students do inside these organizations is both interesting and valuable. They are given more responsibility than students in traditional internship roles. While they are developing job programs, micro-enterprise programs, after-school curriculum, engineering best practices, marketing plans, and telling the stories of the organizations and the people they serve — they are also sharing the love of Christ. Our kick-off session gave our students a chance to meet each other, reflect on their past year, participate in group discussions, and contemplate their goals for this summer. Already it is clear that this is a very engaging group of young adults who are motivated to live a life of significance! |
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