Pathways Summer Internship

I'll be surprised if anyone ever reads this, considering I abandoned my blog for the Spring semester of school. I think of a blog as a place of reflection, kind of like journaling, but I was so busy this past semester that even my beloved moleskin journal saw less ink.

In the fall of this past school year, I took an incredible class on ethics (particularly Christian ethics) which I illuminated in my earlier posts. A focus of the course was on how we, as the Body of Christ, are called to be with each other, particularly with the poor, abandoned, and forgotten of the world. I spent this past semester stressing over where I would be this summer. Every full-proof plan I made fell apart, one after the other. I have never been so humbled. Thankfully, I am a part of an incredible ministry here at Duke called Pathways which focuses on helping undergraduates discern God's call for their lives. After fighting God's call that I was supposed to be a Pathways Summer Intern, I finally accepted the offer, having no idea what my placement would be or why I needed to be here in Durham this summer. This was the beginning of my summer's focus: letting go of my perfectly-crafted plans and trusting in the Lord.

The Pathways House is alone enough to reflect on. Once an eyesore on the West End neighborhood, it was known for prostitution, drugs, and even homicides (I have never mentioned these facts to my parents - sorry, mom!) When Dean Wells of Duke Chapel began discussions of participating in the life of the neighboring West End neighborhood more, the neighborhood asked them to look at this house. There is an eloquent video on the Duke Chapel website about the house's transformation. I encourage you to watch it. http://www.youtube.com/user/dukechapel#all/uploads-all/1/BdIPercZCgM.

Two weeks have quickly past since I moved in. At my internship placement, I have begun the process of getting ready for Asbury Temple UMC's summer youth program - the Wright Room. Sarah (my friend and the youth director) and I have been cleaning, emailing volunteers, and hanging out with the youth. The church is mostly run by lay leadership and passionate community members. I have already learned so much about how to chill out and be church. Today was full of laughter and love at the post-service celebration, "Fiesta Time!" for the students as they ended the school year.

Life in the House is full of family love. We sit down to eat dinner together almost every night. I can't even remember the last time I did that so much away from home. We have experienced random visitors to our front porch who seek shelter from the Durham sun as they wait for the bus or as they converse with friends. We have had to call the police because a confused immigrant had parked his truck in our driveway (trapping all of our cars). We have enjoyed the musical stylings of a local trumpet player who, with eyes closed and headphones in, played his heart out as he waited for the bus. We have experienced rain in the kitchen and prayer room as the roof revealed some flaws. We have experienced love.