For my PRIME I am interning at Willow Creek Community Church's junior high ministry called Elevate. My mentor is a man by the name of Jason Raitz. I'm really excited to be going. I have really enjoyed talking to Jason on the phone and kind of getting to know him. He seems like a great guy, and I know there is a lot he will be able to teach me. You can check out Jason's blog at http://raitz.blogspot.com/. WCCC is located in South Barrington, IL which is just outside Chicago.
For housing, I was blessed to have Jason help me to find a family to stay with. The Swofford family has been generous enough to allow me to stay with them for the first half of my internship. I have spoken to Carolyn Swofford over the phone, and they seem like a very nice and generous family, and I can probably learn just as much from living with them as I will from Jason. In the Fall I will be staying with the Korizon family. I have not met them yet, but Jason has told me a lot about them, and I am very excited to meet them as well.
I am really excited for this opportunity because I think it will be a great growing experience for me. All I have ever known is small town Indiana, and now I have the opportunity to try out living in a bigger city. Hopefully this will open my mind about bigger cities. I also am looking forward to learning from such a revolutionary ministry. Not many people get such an awesome opportunity, and I couldn't be more thrilled to be interning with Elevate.
Interning with Elevate is not without its difficulties, though. For one thing, Elevate will not be able to support me, so I will have to be raising my own support. (Some of you will be getting letters from me soon.) The hardest thing for me is the fact that I will have to be away from my fiancee for 3 months straight. Because she is from Maine, and is heading there for the summer, we won't be able to see each other until we go to our friends' wedding in August. She leaves for Maine tomorrow, and my heart is aching just thinking about it. (I know that sounds cheesy, but it's true).
If all of you could please be praying for me on this journey, it would be much appreciated. Please pray that I will grow and learn on this experience, and that I continue to grow closer to Christ. Also, be praying for Darah and I as we go through this difficult time of separation.
Thanks for everything, and check back often to see what is going on with my PRIME experience.
Until Next Time,
Peace,
Jake
