Do You Want A Real Internship Or Not?

It was a discussion like we had never had before.  Married 10 years, Joel and I were looking at where his one year of Internship would be located during his third year of Seminary.  We owned an old house, full of bats and things that needed fixing, but it was ours and gave Joel a sense of security.  We were a family of 6 so there were only three places available for our crew to go on Internship unless we stayed right where we were in St. Paul, MN.  One was in far northern Minnesota.  It just did not feel right so we eliminated that one.  The second was a larger church in my home town of Austin MN.  That seemed too easy with family in town and everything familiar around us.  The third option was a 4 point parish in Malta Montana.   A new adventure.  Montana seemed like the right place for us, but Joel was worried about selling our house, that also had a rental income coming in, and not having a home to return to for his final year of Seminary.  Taking care of our family was Joel's priority.  It made sense.

 I can still see us sitting around the dining room table discussing it all one early Spring evening..  Joel, his cousin Luther who was a good friend, and myself.  Joel had his heels dug in as Luther and I encouraged him to consider the opportunity ahead of us.  Finally I said to Joel, "Do you want to have a real Internship or not?  Are you going to let fear get in the way of what I believe is God's plan for us? "

It was unusual for me to hold my ground on something so important, but I truly just knew deep inside that this was part of God's plan for us and He would work it all out.  Joel let out a big sigh as he realized he was letting fear get in the way of trusting God.   He said to us,  "Let's do it."

It did not take us long to sell the house and before we knew it we were packed up and heading with our four kids and two cats to Montana.  Our year in Malta changed our lives forever.  We fell in love with Big Sky Country and the people who inhabited the northern part of the state near the Missouri breaks and Little Rockies.  It shaped our lives and Joel's ministry.

Sometimes we need to step out in faith, when it does not seem practical or make a lot of sense to us or to others.  We step out because we can trust the One who leads us.  His plans for us are always good.  And remember how worried Joel was about a place for us to live his final year at the seminary?  About two months before we would be heading back to St. Paul we received a phone call from a man who was going with his family on internship that coming summer and was looking for someone to live in their home for the year they were gone.  He told us that if we paid the mortgage,  he would give us the profits of that year with us when they sold their home.  We not only had a sweet little house to live in, but made  some money.  God certainly blessed our obedience.  He loves to work things out for good to those who love Him.