Monthly Archives: September 2013

Early Mornings, Demi Lovato and Inside Out Oreos

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Hey everyone!! It’s my third week of interning so I thought I would give an update!

My internship at the Attorney General’s is going great and I’m having the opportunity to dabble in a lot of people’s jobs. This has been a wonderful experience and has taught me about what I would personally want, or not want, in a job! A few of the fun things I’ve gotten to do include:

  1. Sitting in on a case arguing how long juveniles who have committed heinous crimes should be sentenced for. It was especially meaningful to hear people’s testimonies!
  2. One of the main jobs I’ve been given is to work on a program that will hopefully in the future be presented to high schools all over Michigan. This means I go to high schools, watch the presentations and take notes on what I think should be fixed to make it more relatable for students! I then compile my information and the suggestions students offered and discuss it with the department of Consumer Protection! It’s been a pretty cool project to work on and I’m really thankful for how much respect I’m given at the Attorney Generals; everyday I’m genuinely shocked at how kind people are to me!
  3. There was a press conference held this past Thursday and I helped escort press which was pretty fun! I especially loved hearing them tell a little bit more about their job!

Life Builders has been GREAT! Calli and I love, love going every Wednesday! The people are so great and always make us laugh!! We usually help unload the donations truck and then organize the donations given. This past Wednesday we also got to help paint an apartment for a woman named Carla! That was super fun since this apartment is a surprise renovation so we can’t wait until she sees everything!

Wednesday also marked the first of many dinners Calli and I will be having with some great people who have offered to host us! This past Wednesday we were at the Bohannons and Calli and I walked away from the night feeling really encouraged and also a lot closer! A few things stuck out from the night to me, so I thought I’d share:

1. Nathan brought up the Myers Brigg Test so we began discussing which traits or “letters” Calli and I had. A while back I had taken this test and I was really disappointed with my results because I believed it described an 80 year old woman who likes to sit on a porch and drink some ice tea. It didn’t describe this fun-loving person who I wanted to be, mostly because I felt this was the person people wanted to be around. Nathan discussed with us how it’s really import we learn to accept ourselves for who we are and learn how to control our reactions when something isn’t exactly how we want it to be. I’m definitely learning that no matter how great life is going, it would be easy for me everyday to focus on the one thing that wasn’t exactly how I wanted it to be. So this idea that maturity is having the ability to respond to a stimulus in the right way is something I really want to begin to work at! I think it’s easy for me to think that for me to be happy, everyday has to be perfect. I’m learning more and more that the world will not function exactly as an organized, introverted feeler will, so it’s important to realize things won’t always go my way and then learn how to become more comfortable when something really isn’t how I would have like it to be. *Note- While I’m not a die-hard for the Myers Brigg Test, I believe it is able to offer some valuable insight into how a person feels most comfortable functioning*

2. The second thing we talked about with the Bohannons is guilt, shame and grace. I’ve always been pretty hard on myself when it comes to how I perform in many areas of my life. When I make a mistake, the most common response for me is to play this negative tape in my head that tells me how I’m stupid, a failure, etc. etc. This, obviously, is shame. Guilt on the other hand can be a good thing if it allows us to grow. If I could simply admit I made a mistake but not let this mistake influence my self-worth, then I don’t get myself into a shame trap. Thirdly, I tend to hand out the same amount of grace to others as I allow others (including Jesus) to give to me.  So all of this to say, I have a lot to think about and work on:)

It has been such a great few weeks of discovering more about myself by learning from others! Thanks everyone for your prayers and I’ve attached some pictures from this past week (you can click on them to make them bigger:))

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Labor Day with Calli:)

Labor Day with Calli!

Hey everyone! Well this year of travel is officially underway!! My travel buddy Calli moved in this past Sunday which made everything feel very surreal and it began to finally sink in that I won’t be going back to high school or attending college for that matter! This knowledge felt really weird but also really good. I believe this year is coming at such a good time and will allow me to refresh my thinking and outlook on a lot of issues. I also believe it’s so important for me to take this year and serve others because it gives me a new perspective on the world and what is truly important in life. There are so many 18 year olds who enter college and really have no idea what they want to do or be and so they suddenly believe the world revolves around them and they live in this bubble of, dare I say, narcism? I have experienced this self-absorption at times because it’s so easy to get in a routine an suddenly I find myself forgetting what is really important in life. I truly believe the opportunities I will have on this year will give me a focus and drive that not many incoming freshman have.

I have had a lot of people ask me why I am staying in Michigan for September and part of October so I thought I would explain a little bit more! I have the amazing experience of being able to work for the Attorney General of Michigan in Lansing on Tuesday and Thursdays. I truly feel so privileged to be around such a passionate group of people who works as a team. The past week that I have been interning there I have already learned so much. I would be lying if I said everything was easy for me, a lot of times I’m asking questions and trying to understand letter formats or machines, but I also am trusting in the fact that after this month and a half I will have learned some very valuable lessons and be better prepared for any job I may land in the future!

On Wednesdays Calli and I are volunteering at an organization in Detroit called LifeBuilders. This past Wednesday we went down to help them with their resale shop and all I can say is WOW!! What an amazing experience!! Lifebuilders is located in one of the poorest parts of Detroit surrounded by a lot of crime, gang violence and drug houses. With all that being said, the light that LifeBuilders has been able to bring to this neighborhood truly took my breath away. LifeBuilders has a main building, a resale shop (people can donate to this which then allows people in the community to buy necessities at lower prices). LifeBuilders also has a house that has a music studio in the basement for the teenagers to come and record in! They also bought apartment complexes that people can rent. These apartments not only offer a sense of safety but a sense of community! Lifebuilders has also bought many houses in the neighborhood so that this sense of community keeps spreading! I honestly was completely blown away by the joy and love that overflowed from everyone who was part of this neighborhood. There was a sense of acceptance for everyone and I could sense the love and compassion that Mr. and Mrs. Johnson (they head up everything) have for the community and people; so much so that they decided to move into the neighborhood themselves! They have also started a community garden and have a summer kid’s program! Just on the first day I heard so many unbelievable stories. One woman in particular stood out to me because it happened to be her birthday. She seemed so joyful but we later found out that one night her husband came home and shot her in the stomach and then proceeded to shoot himself in the head in front of their 4 children. A boy who had been showing us around had seen his father shot in the back 2 years before; his huge smile never would have suggested this. These people have experienced such hardships and yet they have this glow about them that just lights them up. I really believe this has so much to do with the fact that they live in a community! These amazing people also taught me an important lesson about not letting experiences I may have had influence my attitude for the negative. The Johnsons were telling us about how this neighborhood is a lot like an onion: you peel off one layer only to find there is another layer that gets closer and closer to the heart of the issue. For any of you who would like more information on LifeBuilders, here is their website: http://www.lifebuildersdetroit.com

Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays I continue my job at the Main St. Deli! I have a busy schedule and I am starting to apply to colleges, so wish me luck everyone!! I’m attaching a few pictures of my internship and will upload some from LifeBuilders soon!

“You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” Psalms 32:7

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First day of work (Calli works at a family clinic)!

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