A Shift In The Life of an Intern
Good morning, afternoon, or night, friends and family of The Study Center at State! For this week as an intern, I wanted to highlight what my shifts look like on Wednesday mornings and Thursdays nights.
At the Study Center, Wednesday mornings are BREAKFAST TACOS brought to you by Chef Shane Tillet, an NC State YoungLife Alum. I start the day by opening up shop at 7:00 am with the other guy interns, Will and Ethan; these first 30 minutes of the morning, where I set up the house and get the coffee ready, are quiet and still – from the empty house and soft worship as Shane sets up his breakfast taco workshop. From 7:30 the house slowly awakens as a family group from Summit college starts the day with morning prayer and by 8:00 the house is alive and active as the CRU sorority Bible Study arrives and NC state students start piling into the house for the breakfast tacos. By this point of the morning the house is bursting with conversation and laughter from students from different ministries, years, backgrounds, and personalities. This is my favorite part of the morning shift as I bounce around from grilling sausage and eggs, hopping between conversations, and getting to meet new friends. Towards the end of my shift, the house begins to slow down again as I start to clean up.
Thursday nights look different as the house looks more like a study center at the start of my shift at 4:45 with students spread out all throughout the house working on their school work. At the start of the shift, Ellarie and I reset the house, refilling coffee, snacks, and any dishes. The next couple hours are a little slower where I get to catch up on any reading or schoolwork for a little while getting to talk with any groups in the living room or kitchen. Around 6 is when I start to get hungry, so I will usually cook dinner. I enjoy cooking for people, so oftentimes I’ll invite others to the study center for a meal. This past week was an easy ground beef pasta with Trader Joes pepper pesto. By 7, the house erupts very briefly as two Ignite and one Summit College bible study groups enter the environment. At 8, Ellarie and I check in on all the bible studies and take any snack or drink orders, and after we start to get the house all cleaned up and prepped for the next day. At 9 all the students funnel out of the house and we close up shop.
These are only two shifts of the week at the Study Center at State and they are teeming with fellowship, growth, and life! It is a real joy to know students and their stories as an intern and invest in a familiar place that feels like home! Specifically, my Wednesday mornings remind me of Acts 2:46-47 – and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people.
