It's the end of my fourth week of interning here at Lancaster (we only work four-day weeks, so Thursdays are our Fridays...howdah!), and it's been another good one. I spent the first part of the week mainly working on a poverty curriculum that HOPE is producing for small groups. The curriculum has been written, and my job is to help edit it. This involves some research, so I get to read snippets from really interesting books like Walking with the Poor, as well, of course, as doing some digging in the Bible to make sure we're backing up what we say.
The end of my week involved helping to fill out some webpages that we're doing for Homes for Hope (H4H). H4H is a nonprofit that provides funding for HOPE through partners in the homebuilding industry who donate the proceeds from homes that they've built. It's a really neat program, because many of the subcontractors and suppliers also donate or discount their services. And it was a good switch from writing and editing work, because I had the instant gratification of seeing what I'd done in the web software become an actual web page. Of course, it was also frustrating at times, but at least I had the software to blame instead of my own writing.
Tomorrow (or, most likely, today by the time I finish this post) I'll be working at a farmer's market over closer to Philly. One of the people who works at HOPE knows the guy who owns the stand, so he's worked it out for a couple of us to work there Fridays over the summer. I'm heading out before 6 in the morning and getting back close to 11 at night, so it'll definitely be a full day, but I'm really looking forward to it. Potentially, I'll have awkward stories next post about my first experience trying to sell produce. But on that note, I'd better get to bed so that I'm not too sleep deprived my first day on the job. Good night everyone!
18 June 2009
09 June 2009
Writing, writing, and more writing...
In my third week here at HOPE, I'm realizing that their warning that the summer would go by quickly is going to be quite true. Already, I've gotten to work on a variety of projects, which I love, because there's always something new to learn, and it makes for some good variety when I get stumped on a project (which often seems to happen). One of my favorite projects right now is coordinating the Thurman Award, which HOPE awards to one of its clients each year who has truly lived out the mission of HOPE. Some of the most encouraging client stories are ones of clients who are so grateful that they use the profits from their loans to help not only their families but their communities as well. I'm really excited about reading the different nominations, and I'm glad that I don't have to be one of the judges!
As part of the internship program, we all read several books over the course of the summer that are relevant to Christian microfinance. We're currently in the middle of a book written by HOPE's president, Peter Greer, called The Poor Will Be Glad...we've even gotten advanced copies since it's not scheduled to come out until the fall. Talk about perks! (And I'm partially joking there, but mainly serious because I love books, so I think an advanced copy is pretty cool.) The interns who are here in Lancaster have been getting together for breakfast every Wednesday to discuss the reading for the week, and it's really one of the highlights of my week. I mean, I already love breakfast foods, and the discussion is really interesting, even (or especially) when we get off topic. We've ranged in topic from short-term missions to the validity of statistics to political systems to a debate about what rights we're given Biblically. It's a good way to begin a Wednesday; I highly recommend it:)
As always, thank you for your prayers! I mentioned last time being stressed about looking for apartments in the fall, but this weekend when I was back in Pittsburgh, I signed a lease on an apartment. I have had trouble trying to find leases shorter than a year, but I was able to sign one for six months! I think that the time between me finding the ad and me signing the lease was something like 3 days, which seems more than a little miraculous. It's a good reminder how much God is working even when I'm completely distracted with stress and worry...and a needed one!
As part of the internship program, we all read several books over the course of the summer that are relevant to Christian microfinance. We're currently in the middle of a book written by HOPE's president, Peter Greer, called The Poor Will Be Glad...we've even gotten advanced copies since it's not scheduled to come out until the fall. Talk about perks! (And I'm partially joking there, but mainly serious because I love books, so I think an advanced copy is pretty cool.) The interns who are here in Lancaster have been getting together for breakfast every Wednesday to discuss the reading for the week, and it's really one of the highlights of my week. I mean, I already love breakfast foods, and the discussion is really interesting, even (or especially) when we get off topic. We've ranged in topic from short-term missions to the validity of statistics to political systems to a debate about what rights we're given Biblically. It's a good way to begin a Wednesday; I highly recommend it:)
As always, thank you for your prayers! I mentioned last time being stressed about looking for apartments in the fall, but this weekend when I was back in Pittsburgh, I signed a lease on an apartment. I have had trouble trying to find leases shorter than a year, but I was able to sign one for six months! I think that the time between me finding the ad and me signing the lease was something like 3 days, which seems more than a little miraculous. It's a good reminder how much God is working even when I'm completely distracted with stress and worry...and a needed one!
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