Proven Faithful
By Danielle Herrmann, Program Director (2005)“God uses people who step out in faith, who leave their comfort zones and say, ‘God, I’ll get involved if you give me the courage, strength and endurance I need.’ And when we venture forward in risk-taking faith, God meets us there.” —Paul Borthwick
I read this quote while sitting in my dorm room four months ago. It was this quote that brought me to the point of saying, “Yes, I’ll spend the summer in Boston.” Little did I know that this quote would encompass my entire summer.
Spending a summer doing Boston Project was an incredible adventure, a crazy risk and the most expansive classroom I would ever sit in.
It was week two of a summer of Boston Project adventures. I was a Program Director. This was exciting and scary seeing as I was leading a group of 26 students and four staff, yet so far so good. We had an amazing group of teens ready and willing to serve in any way possible. Their desire to learn more about our Heavenly Father challenged my complacent ways and the most difficult task we had had to deal with was trying to bring a close to a spontaneous, student lead, late night worship service. Standing back I saw that this was going to be a good week. That was Tuesday. I had no idea what Wednesday would hold.
It was early afternoon when we got the call that we would have to move all the students, staff and our entire summer set up out of the church we were currently staying in. Due to some complications the church could no longer house us and we needed to move out immediately. Where were we going to go? What were we going to do? How was I suppose to direct these thirty some people when I myself seemed absolutely clueless?
With a pit in my stomach I proceeded downstairs where all my students, staff and adult leaders sat waiting for further instructions on a work project. I’m sure my face held as much emotion as my words as I announced that within the next four hours we needed to move out of the church and into… well, I didn’t know where we were moving to, but I’d let them know.
I waited for the astonished faces, groans of disbelief and glaring eyes of disappointed leaders. Instead I was enveloped in smiles, shrugs and shouts of “let’s sleep in cars… I call the Ford!” I looked around and saw the teens and leaders alike discussing who would sleep in which car, and how fun it was going to be to switch to another living situation. I immediately assured them we wouldn’t make them sleep in cars and to thank them for their positive attitudes.
Astounded, I receded upstairs to the office to conference further with Paul and Keith about our next step in moving out. With three days to go this was a huge crisis and these teens should have wanted to go home, yet on my next trip downstairs with the latest update (which was we’re still waiting to find you a place to sleep) I was brought to tears by the sight that lay before me.
There stood twenty-six people in a circle with heads bowed, eyes closed praying for a new place for us to stay. Who was I to complain? If these teens can trust that God will provide, so can I. The stress was shed like scales and a peace enveloped my heart. Within a few hours we found some places to stay and had an amazing rest of our week. It was a week full of growth, vulnerability and ever-growing faith. The youth group was amazingly flexible and my staff supportive in ways I could have never predicted.
In Matthew 6 Jesus speaks on worry and says, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” Ye of little faith. When I look back not only on this one incident but the entire summer I wonder how many times God looked at me and uttered “oh ye of little faith, have I not proven myself faithful?” for he has, more times that I can count been faithful to me.
What an amazing and wonderful thing to know that we serve a Heavenly Father whose love for us expands our plans and ideals, to know we have a best friend who is always looking out for us, and to know that we need not worry for he provides for the sparrow, he will provide for me.
