 Doing ServeHere is one of my favorite things I have done in college. This program allowed me to experience the non-profit world and gain experience, use my gifts, and address my faith questions - many times it seemed too good to be true.
I explored my gifts and learned what I like and don't like, and it has encouraged me to pray for these specifics in a future job. I learned how important it is to believe in the mission of the organization you work for. The community I experienced with my fellow interns was unlike any other. This summer I had the be surrounded by other believers who are also in the thick of discovering what they want to do with their lives. For the first time, I felt I was not alone in my wrestling with the questions. Having other interns who were placed at non-profits all around Austin was incredible because it both encouraged me, and taught me so many things about all the organizations they worked for. Everyone's internship roles were so different from one another, and their work went towards such varying missions. Every week, we came together to hear from guest speakers about their life's experience and their professional paths. Hearing their unique stories and experiences helped shape the questions I am asking and it gave me perspective about how much we really don't know what to expect from God. i have been encouraged to love God, love His word, and love his people above all else.
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 From a young age, we are constantly being asked some version of “what do you want to be when you grow up?”, and that was a question that I always dreaded. I would always start my answer with “I think” and end it with “but I don’t really know” or “we’ll see”. Heading into college at Texas A&M, business seemed like the easiest answer, so I went with it and figured that I would make decisions about the specifics later. Surprisingly, my reluctance allowed God to shape what I thought I might want to do into something I would do for his glory.
My freshman year of college, I never could have told you that my hesitant decision to major in business would turn into a passion for non-profits. Through my time with ServeHere, I have learned so much about the patience and the waiting that God calls us to as we navigate a world in which everything seems to be moving a mile a minute. Even further into that, I never could have told you that I would be placed in an internship with a nonprofit that serves the people that I have such a heart for. I could give you a list of dozens of technical skills that I learned during my internship (project management skills, website design, rebranding, donor management platforms, content creation, the list goes on), but my answer will always be that I got the chance to have a deeper understanding on how to better serve people from hard places. I learned methods of Trauma-Informed Care that can be applied to relationships in my own life. I had the chance to see numbers and statistics come to life and got the opportunity to work on a team who have personal passions that turned into career-driven goals. I worked with our partners to provide trainings for foster families who feel stuck or unprepared. These are all things that I would have never had the chance to experience firsthand in a classroom setting. Specifically through Serve Here, I had the unique opportunity to experience community through our intentional time set aside every week with all of the interns to pour into the Word and hear from community leaders who have allowed God to guide their careers. I experienced a deep relationship with a mentor who was there to guide me through the ups and downs that are inevitable in any job. Overall, it was a remarkable experience in which I gained invaluable friendships, professional experience, mentorship, and a deeper relationship with Jesus. If you intern with ServeHere, I promise you that you will get to experience the same things.  My summer interning with Serve Here has been the most fruitful summer of my life.
Through the leadership of older believers, the community of other interns, the wisdom of guest speakers, and my internship, I have learned and grown in ways that have exceeded anything I could’ve expected. As a Marketing Intern for Mission of Hope, I got to explore the back-end of missions, something I previously knew little about. I became more confident in my strengths and worked through my weaknesses, and I felt incredibly blessed to work alongside people who love the Lord deeply. I now have a stronger sense of the things that excite me and drive me, of what I desire in a career, and I have a clearer idea of the steps I want to take after I graduate. Spiritually, I got to know the Lord so much more through the people He surrounded me with. God intentionally weaves people into our lives for specific purposes, and I got to see that play out in the most beautiful way this summer. Through ServeHere and Mission of Hope, I have felt the depth and power that relationships centered on Christ can hold. From the sacrificial love, guidance, and support of my mentor, to learning from and building friendships with other interns and coworkers, I have experienced the life-giving unity of the body of Christ. What I learned this summer will impact me for life, and I’m so grateful that Serve Here is part of my story! |
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