He Knows My Name

So much has happened in the last week and a half that I don't even know where to begin!

Things are moving swiftly here at the Red Bus Project and we're gearing up for our first run of the bus that's happening this Saturday! Not next Saturday, not three weeks from now when we hit the road, but THIS Saturday. As in, 3 days from now. Holy cow! Is this real life?!

It blows my mind to think that this time two weeks ago, even thinking about setting up and running the bus seemed like a crazy idea because it seemed so far off. And now, here we are! Last Wednesday, we received our official job titles/descriptions for the semester, and it was my favorite day of work ever (up to that point-working in our storage unit/on the bus has turned into my favorite work days!). We all have settled into our roles pretty well and we are continuing to learn more about each other and how we work together as a team each day.

With the announcement of job titles, like any big announcement, it's hard not to get too caught up in that. Just because I now have a title at the Red Bus Project doesn't meant that I let that define me. Let me tell ya, that was a struggle for me. My official title is the connections intern, which means I get to do a bunch of awesome stuff both in the office and out on the road! When we're out on the road, I get to connect with volunteers, train them, and engage with students about how they can get further involved in the orphan crisis, along with serving my team! It's literally my dream job (my dad says I got the "gift of gab" from my mom, especially when it comes to talking about something I'm so passionate about, so this tour is going to be a BLAST!). At the same time, being the connections intern isn't all that I am. We all have an idea of one another's roles so we can step in and help when needed, but more importantly, we all are children of God.

I've found in the last week and a half that God has had to remind me of that a lot, several times a day in fact. I can get so caught up in what's going on in my life and all that I've done that I forget who really made it all happen. I wouldn't be here at Show Hope if it weren't for God and His plan for my life. Two years ago, this internship and this organization wasn't even on my radar. If you told me in high school I would be where I am now, I would've thought you were insane (after of course asking what in the world the Red Bus Project was).

That's one of the many crazy/awesome things about God. He doesn't need us. He doesn't need us to plan out our lives and expect them to happen like we want. But He chooses to use us and He chooses to guide our path every single step of the way, from point A to point B, and everywhere in between. We are His. I am His. You are His. That's what needs to define us. Not just now, not just later on, but every single day.

God knows our names. Every single one of us, even the over 140 million waiting children around the world who don't have a mom or a dad to love them, they have a name too. We may not know it, but God does. He knew each of our names before we were even born on this earth. I'm so thankful He does, and not just that He knows my name, but that He knows all of our names, especially those precious kiddos who may not have an identity in anyone else's eyes but God's. We all have identities, we all have something that makes us who we are. It's a question of whether or not we choose to let Him define us, or if we let ourselves define us.

What will you choose today? Will you choose to let your biggest accomplishment define you? What about your role in your family or that job promotion or that title you have at church? What if you chose to let God define you? What if you chose to remind yourself daily that He knows your name?

Francesca Battistelli wrote and recently released a song called "He Knows My Name". The second verse of the song has become like a motto for me as I go into these next weeks as an intern. I've learned in the last couple of weeks, along with letting God define me and letting Him remind me that He knows my name, that I'm not meant to stay quiet. I'm supposed to speak up for the waiting children around the world. If I don't, if these interns (both past, present, and future), if the Show Hope staff and other staff at other organizations that do the same work don't, then who will? It's because of God that I can do that. He gives me the strength every day to push forward and keep doing the work I'm doing that He has set before me.

"I'm not meant to just stay quiet

I'm meant to be a lion

I'll roar beyond a song

With every moment that I've got

True to who You are

You saw my heart

And made

Something out of nothing"

Job title reveal day! We were just slightly giddy! :)

Connections intern!

Surprise day off means a surprise trip back to CU to see my friends! So thankful for these girls and their constant prayers, love, and encouragement!