Memories From My Summer Internship (2007)
This time of year at Grace is always a bittersweet one for me. First off, we get to be a satellite site for the Willow Creek Leadership Summit, which is awesome. But it’s a little bitter because it marks the end of the summer for our interns.
For me, it reminds me of my summer as an intern at Grace in 2007, and little did I know that it would be a new beginning for me.
Where I was in life
When I started my internship at Grace, I was nearing a turning point in my life. I was about halfway through my degree program and had been working at Marsh for the past eight years. I had applied to be JD’s intern for the summer, mostly doing web site related stuff and had hoped to cram in some of my school internship requirements along the way. Well, I didn’t fulfill my school’s internship requirements, but I still had a great summer!
The fun of being an intern
The great thing about the internship program was the leadership of Aaron and Linda. They did a killer job making us feel welcome. One of my greatest memories from my intern summer was the retreat we went on. I had been struggling with anxiety disorder over the past eight years and up until that point had never spent the night away from my house, nor did I let anyone drive me anywhere. It’s funny looking back now and seeing how those obstacles kept me from so many things, but I can only rejoice in the fact that I no longer have anxiety in those areas.
The intern retreat was cool for numerous reasons. One, as I mentioned, I began to overcome my anxiety disorder that summer as I stayed the night with the interns and let Aaron drive us around. Ha ha! I remember going to Beth’s house and having lunch, having fun at the Indians game, staying the night in the Westin, waking up in the morning to go to Holliday Park in the early morning to spend quiet time with God. I remember going to Lynn’s house and watching a "welcome video" that the staff had put together for us. In fact, here’s a clip!
We concluded our intern retreat by going to St. Elizabeth Ann Seaton Catholic Church which has a beautiful chapel and we spent time praying over each other, it was a moving moment for me.
The rest of the summer
The rest of the summer went by fairly fast. I really loved working with JD in our little office, he had the big desk, I had the little desk.
Now that I work in JD’s old office, I miss having an office buddy. It was nice to just have random talks from time-to-time, to hear his phone play "Linus and Lucy" when his wife called, to be able to ask really random questions. He is also a big tech geek, so it was really easy for me to keep up with technology. Oh yeah, we also waited in line so that he could get one of the first iPhones when it was released… ahhh, bonding times!
I’ll never forget the times we went to McAlister’s with Serena and friends, the way he was honest with me (livin’ out loud!), and his overall cheery self. JD was a good boss and is a good friend. 
Where I’m at now
Well, it’s no surprise that I’m on staff at Grace. JD had started to branch out on his own with web development and ended up taking a job at Fishhook where he is the e-strategist. Not long after my internship was over with, I applied for JD’s job. It’s been an interesting journey as I look back and realize that three years have passed and all of the changes that have happened in my life (you can read about some of that here). I wish I could write more about my summer, and perhaps I will. If you peruse through the blog you’ll find bits and pieces of what’s culminated over the past three years since I was an intern.
Looking back, I had a feeling that my life was going to change that summer, I never dreamed I would be where I’m at today or have the incredible privilege to work with the people I do. The people I work with and the people of Grace Community Church are my second family. Every weekend when I go to church, I am so thankful and blessed to be here.
And for your enjoyment… some pictures from that summer.
