Interns

     First off...a note...  We FINALLY had our shutters installed yesterday! Yes, it was the best Valentine's Day to date! There was no street light coming in on my pillow last night, no early morning sunrise laser beam hitting me in the eye this morning. Ahhh.... I am so very thankful for shutters!
  
     Yesterday, while we were getting our shutters installed, I continued my trip down memory lane. Thinking of Costa Rica naturally made me think of Sean, the super intern, and as I thought of Sean, I was flooded with thoughts of the other best intern in the world, Claire.
     As a youth pastor, you have the opportunity of working with all types of kids. Some are shy, some have the personalities of a talk show host! Others are brainiacs, and some require hand-holding. There are the loud ones, the quiet ones, the athletes and the drama queens. And then there are the special kids, the ones that tug at your heart each and every day and remind you why being a youth pastor is the best job in the world.

Sean Devolites and Claire Sparks are two of those people. 

     I first met Claire in December 2004. She was a sophomore in high school then, and now she's finishing her senior year at Lewis and Clark College in Portland. During her high school years, she was quiet and ended up spending her junior year in Europe. When she returned her senior year, we really began to bond. She was always at Donuts & Devos, and Sunday afternoon youth group. She was a leader on mission trips and the historic beach retreats. One Sunday afternoon at the Texas Rock Gym, we were enjoying a snack and I asked her what her summer plans were. Nothing was firm, and I asked her to consider being my summer intern. It was the best question I had ever asked a senior in high school.

With Claire in St. Petersburg, Florida

     Claire started the summer, and I quickly realized that I didn't know how I ever did ministry without her. That first summer, I was prepping for my first ever Living Waters trip. Claire ordered all of my supplies, completely packed the bags to appropriate weight, and had me organized and ready to go. Not only that, but she had plans for the youth group while I was away, and I knew youth ministry would not stop with me out of the country. On our youth mission trip to Tennessee that summer, she was my sanity, as we had one little darling who decided not to be a "perfect" youth group member that week. (All CCP folks who are reading this will cringe with the memories!) She even took on solely teaching the Sudanese Sunday school class...as she was supposed to be teaching with another pastor, and he bailed! Claire needed no direction; she had enough initiative for the both of us. She was dependable, encouraging, creative, and I loved her so much that I begged her to intern a second summer. She agreed, and while I pushed her a bit outside of her box (think teaching the Book of Job to a group of senior citizens!), she handled it with poise! Claire even took the "Box of Sin" skit and turned it into "The Box of Sin: Remastered!"
     Claire has since become one of my best friends. We experienced Haiti for the first time together. We cried and laughed and depended on each other. She was even our first visitor in Vegas, as she spent Thanksgiving with us! As I looked through my pictures, there are so many of me and Claire together that I could hardly choose just one! However, the one above is the picture that Claire framed for me when she returned back to school after that second summer of interning. That picture frame has been placed prominently in my office and now my house, and I will never be thankful enough for the friendship of Claire.

With Sean in Raleigh, NC

     Which brings me to Sean, the super intern! Sean grew up at Herndon UMC, and I would go as far to say that he is the golden child of the church! The church family surrounds him, encourages him, and loves him like no one I have ever seen. With the flash of a smile, the young man can raise enough money to send an entire youth group on an international mission trip! My first week at HUMC was actually the Senior High Mission Trip week. Talk about being thrown into the fire...!! It was an absolute blessing-filled week. Sean jumped into my van for the ride to Maryland, and an instant bond was formed. Though he was in college, he was along as a chaperone and spiritual leader for the youth. His wisdom amazed me, and the way the youth flocked to him for advice, leadership and friendship amazed me. Throughout the rest of the summer, he was around for service projects and card games and movies. He was an inspiration and encouragement to me and made me feel immediately at home.
     We first started talking about a summer internship during the fall. I could already see that Sean will be a natural pastor; the boy can preach like none other. He came back to lead youth group several times throughout the year. When we sat down to start planning for the summer, we quickly saw that we were going to die with the amount of activities. His internship would kick off with a mission trip to Mexico, followed by a Senior High Lock-out, a Senior High Mission Trip to Louisiana would follow two days after high school graduation, and then a Summer of Service would kick-off...and Vacation Bible School. Oh wait, then the Junior High Mission Trip...and finally Upward Basketball Camp! I am getting tired just thinking about it... I don't know how in the world we survived it!
     Poor Sean took everything I threw at him with a grain of salt. He preached, he led, he organized, he lost his passport (see yesterday's post), he took the jobs that no one else wanted, and he served.  While the rest of us flew to New Orleans, he rode in a truck all the way to and from Louisiana, just to ensure our tools and luggage arrived in one piece. He even sat with me in the emergency room for hours as I tried to pass a kidney stone!
     I can still hear Sean's voice saying, "Ashleeeey!" He's a great brother, a best friend, a confidant and a ministry partner. It would not be an understatement to say the he taught me much more than I taught him.

     I am so completely blessed and thankful for Claire and Sean. My ministry is deeper because of what they taught me. I am thankful for not only their friendship, but for becoming part of my family. In their own individual ways, they are two of the best ministers I know.