The Interns Are Gone...

It is quiet.  The interns are gone. The morning is not filled with the sometimes bubbling and sometimes tired faces of interns bouncing or stumbling through my patio door.  How did my door become the entry point to the building?  I asked myself this many times this summer but, now with damp eyes, I wish they were rolling into work. 

Summer is almost over and the staff granted the interns four days off to play before school and college preparations took over.  I am going to miss them.  They brought life, help, effort and challenge to this place. I love them.  I love their passion.  I love their struggles to learn and to mature.  I love their fervor and insanity.

I love that someone in this generation wants to look into the eyes of ministry to see if she is the bride for his life.  I love that these young people will forever have the ability to be more valuable and available to God.

The interns slave-like work was rewarded with exposure to and training from some of the most incredible people with whom I have ever worked. The program is just as challenging to the staff that must learn to lead, train and guide these young people.  All of that comes at great personal and professional cost to the staff and I am equally proud of their investment and sweat equity that has been placed in these young people.

It was a good summer. Too quickly it is over and I find myself this morning richer and sadder at the passing of this great moment.  I already miss their silly comments, to sure propositions, deep questions and mostly, their love.  My comfort is the hope, the surety, that I will live to see these seeds sprout into incredible careers, parenting and, mostly, Christian leadership.

Here’s to the kids.  Here’s the staffers.  Here’s to God.

(Over the next few days, I will be sharing the interns comments on their summer and the staff's remarks back to them.  I think you will be interested and learn quite a bit.)