The End...Sort Of

I've had a lot of time to think about this post. And judging by the "nudging" I've received from some of you faithful followers, I've probably taken a little too much time to consider this post. =D

I use the word "consider" pretty liberally. My "considering" has included a lot more than just thinking about what I should write. Since I've been home, I've been spending quite a bit of time being, well...just plain lazy. I've been catching up on my reading, playing Monopoly with my family, baking delicious goodies, hiding away from the oppressive heat, tickling my baby sister, and enjoying girls' nights made up of Chinese food, chick flicks, and friends. I've been such a bum!

But I have worked on a little something since I've been home. As part of the internship class I am enrolled in this summer, I am required to write a paper about my internship experience. So, last weekend, I holed up in my room and reflected on the past six weeks of my life.

From June 1 to July 13, I worked as an intern at Shepherds Ministries. I can honestly say it was one of the best experiences of my life. I always knew it would be, but this internship never ceased to exceed my expectations.

Have I told you that I had worked on landing this internship for nearly two years? In 2010, I visited Shepherds Ministries with my church youth group. I was a sophomore in college, and I acted as a sponsor on what was my second visit to Shepherds. While there, I learned of a communications internship, and my interest was immediately piqued. Just a couple months after that week of volunteering, I contacted a friend at Shepherds about this opportunity, and thus began a 21-month-long chain of e-mails and phone calls between my wonderful supervisor, Susan, and me.

There were ups and downs, glimmers of possibility followed by gray clouds of bleakness. There were times when I wondered if this thing I was pushing so hard for was something that God really had in mind for me or just something I selfishly wanted for myself. But I kept trying, praying all the way that God would shut the door for good if He really didn't want me at Shepherds.

I was persistent, to be sure. Probably to the brink of annoyance, at times. But I didn't give up, and Susan didn't give up, and God never said no. And at some miraculous point, He made it all come together and work out perfectly.

My time at Shepherds was so beneficial because of the workplace experience I gleaned. I've been studying this thing called corporate communications for the past year, but I didn't know for sure what a career in this field was exactly like until I went to Shepherds.

I love the variety of this type of job. You definitely do not do the same thing day in and day out. And there was lots and lots of writing to do, which made me very happy! I also enjoyed gaining the experience of working for a non-profit organization. Tacking that factor onto a career adds in a whole new element of variety. There's always something to be done, and you may be asked to help out, even if that certain task is not specifically listed on your job description.

The camaraderie among coworkers at Shepherds is fantastic! It's easy to tell that you are working in a Christian environment. At Shepherds, there are things much more important than working as many hours as possible or trying to climb up the corporate ladder. Things like your coworkers' well-being or your desire to do your best or your love for the clients.

That's the best part of all: the clients and students at Shepherds. They are the reasons why every employee goes to work each morning. They are the reasons why churches and schools come from across the nation to experience Shepherds. And they are the reasons why I traveled seven hours to live in a little village of 5,000 people for six weeks during my summer.

Sometimes it sounds a little crazy. I live less than an hour away from a giant metropolitan area. Why didn't I try to get an internship at one of the hundreds of businesses in that city? People have asked me that. People have looked at me in shock or surprise when I told them I had considered interning at an opera theatre or a history museum or a hospital, yet I forsook or turned down those opportunities. "Why?" they ask.

I always indulge in a tiny, secret smile when people stare at me with that concerned, sympathetic, "you poor fool" look. You see, I know something they don't know. I know that choosing to intern at Shepherds Ministries was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I know that most likely, I would not have been near as happy interning at those places as I was interning at Shepherds. I know that this was all in God's plan for me, and I feel so blessed to have had this experience.

My internship has ended. I am finished with that chapter of my life, but that doesn't mean it's completely closed. This chapter, this moment will influence many other future chapters of my life.

I am deeply connected to Shepherds. I have been for awhile, but these past six weeks have only strengthened and nurtured that relationship. I consider myself a self-assigned advocate for this organization, and I wish everyone could experience the unbelievable things that are happening here.

So, yes, this is the end. But in a way, it's also the beginning. I don't know what's in store for me next or when Shepherds Ministries and I will cross paths in the future, but I do know that this internship was more than I've ever dreamed of and something I will remember for the rest of my life.