This is the fourth in a series of posts from Student.Go interns who are “being the presence of Christ” alongside CBF field personnel and partners in communities across the globe over the summer months. This piece was written collaboratively by Hannah Stuart, Julie Dumbaugh, Claire Kermitz, Amanda Humbert, and Grace Hazelgrove – Student.Go interns serving at Touching Miami With Love ministry center in the Overtown community of Miami, FL.
Love, the one word that can describe that indescribable emotion after a summer full of complete jubilee, frustration and breakthroughs. It is what brought together five interns from five different backgrounds. It is what TML embodies, love for each other and the love of spreading God’s love.
Six weeks to make an impression, six weeks to leave an impact bigger then ourselves. It seems feasible and easily attainable, however there are days and moments when frustration gets the better of us all. When our countless conversations with the same child do not seem to take root, or we feel as if there has been a regression with behavior or attitude rather than progression; frustration seems to be the only plausible emotion.
Even with those frustrating moments throughout the summer, the moments that we hold dear and cherish are the ones where it almost feels as if the weight of God’s love is bearing down.
A perfect example is a moment that fused our complete frustration and God’s great love. During recreation time one of our boys stormed away from a situation where he could have chosen to fight. Instead, he made the choice to walk away and remove himself from the situation. Through his tears, while he was talking with an intern, he revealed the beautiful truth behind TML. He was upset and mad, as he said simply “they just don’t get it.” To him the other boys do not understand the heartbeat of TML. In a way that only a fourth grader could put it so eloquently, he simply stated, “TML is all about the love!” Still through his tears he went further in his explanation and listed off the rest of the fruits of the spirit.
Even through his frustration, love is at the center. Love is what changes people when they come here, whether just to volunteer for a day or intern for the entire summer. These stories are the ones that leave the impression on your heart when you leave. As much as volunteers, interns, and staff are here to change lives, we walk away just as changed from the love that is flowing out of the yellow building located in the heart of a tough urban neighborhood.
Student.Go TML Interns 2011 - Julie Dumbaugh, Hannah Stuart, Grace Hazelgrove, Claire Kermitz and Amanda Humbert