One week!

It's funny. I thought that I would be so nervous about going to Georgia this summer. I guess in some ways I compared it to Chicago- which sounds kind of crazy. The two are almost nothing alike. I'm going to be away from my family, but I'll still be able to call them and they can visit me and all. I'm not trapped or anything. While I haven't "met" anyone from Roswell yet, I've talked on the phone and emailed with them. I have a friend that lives in the area (hi Alyce!) that I can call if I need something. From what I can tell via email, I'm going to be living with an amazing couple this summer. And to top it all off, there are tons of cupcake shops in the area. I've always wanted to experience the "big city" and I have a feeling that this will be a great summer. Will it be different? Sure! I won't be working with the same kids I always have. I'll have to learn how to drive in real traffic (if you know me, you'll know this will be the hardest adjustment). But, this is real life. I'm growing up. Since I want to work in the ministry, it is natural that I will probably have to leave my home church to find a job. I may end up having to move "away". But, I can trust that because I'm following God's direction for my life, he WILL take care of things.

I mean, this internship was definitely a God thing. In a time of economic uncertainty, finding a summer job (that pays real money) is a blessing. Churches are having to cut costs, and some aren't hiring interns anymore. But, on a whim, I posted my resume on a youth ministries site. I heard from a few youth pastors, but they were all far away. Like Texas far away. Would they be fun? Yes. But, not ideal. A few days later, I get an email from a Middle School director in Georgia. They were looking for a Middle School girls intern for the summer. Right outside of Atlanta (one of my favorite cities). And, to top it all off, we had the whole six degrees of separation thing going on in an almost creepy, but perfect kind of way. I interviewed and a few days later got a job offer. The way things came together showed just how much God had a role to play in it.

Granted, I'm not there yet, and I am certain that this summer won't be perfect. At some point in time, I will question why I'm there and get frustrated. Something won't be perfect. Some event won't go right. Those kinds of things always happen. But, I'm hoping that I can remain calm and be patient. I'm going to be stretched this summer. I mean, there's a tubing trip. I can't swim. This could get interesting. But, in the middle of it all, I've got to remember that God has a plan. A plan more perfect than I could imagine, and he's going to work it all out. I mean, a year ago, I never thought I would go into youth ministry. Middle schoolers scared me. High schoolers really scared me. I didn't know if I'd be able to relate. But, I had the best time last summer getting to build relationships with my girls. And now? It might be a future career path. Now, I'm spending the summer in a different city with different girls building different relationships with them. I'm sure there will be all kinds of fun adventures (such as me getting lost in metro Atlanta). I'm just so excited that a week from now, I will be THERE. One week. I better get started packing (and cleaning my room since I told Mom I'd do that too)!