This summer was the best summer of my life. Not because I went on an exotic vacation to different countries. But because I got to spend the summer interning and working on my passion, I got a look into my future career and I loved it. I was a program intern for Fortress Youth Development Center in Fort Worth, Texas. During the day I got to work with kids who are from Historic Southside. With this internship, I learned so many things.

1. How to truly love unconditionally

Let me start with talking about how amazing these kids are. These kids are so quick to love. They don’t see their odds or care about the statistics, they just worry about whether or not they can play four square. In a world that is dark, especially for these kids, the ability to maintain innocence is so refreshing and beautiful. They are also a handful, trust me the whole summer wasn’t rainbows and butterflies. The kids can be difficult, but ultimately that made me stronger and smarter, in that now I have a better handle on how to discipline using love.

2. How to work with all kinds of personalities and talents.

Before this summer my past working situations never really counted on what other people did or how they did it. Everyone would work pretty independently. Over at Fortress, it quite literally takes a village. In this village, there are so many different types of people. Initially, I found it very hard to mesh with some of my coworkers because they did things so differently than how I saw or how I thought it should be done. Though by the end of summer, I better understood that everyone does things differently, and at the end of the day we all have the same goal. We all have the same mission and that is to change these kids lives.

3. Not every kid is going to like you.

I honestly expected every kid to like me. At the start that is how it was, but once the kids realized I wasn’t afraid to discipline, the tables turned. There was one kid in particular that hated me. I am not sure why he didn’t like me but he didn’t. He would work hard to ignore me and a few times he tried to turn the other kids against me. The important thing I learned is he needed love too, more love. I wish I could say that things turned around and we became the best of friends, we didn’t. Though he did give me a hug before he left on the last day and that was a huge accomplishment.

4. God really does give you callings.

If I am going to be honest, before this summer I thought spiritual calling wasn't real. I thought it was something made up in order to get us to donate to missions. I couldn’t have been more wrong. In this moment, I can say that this is what God wants me to do. God wants me to work with kids similar to the ones at Fortress. Though this all seems scarier now that I know I have a spiritual purpose. I know I can’t turn back now.

At the end of the day, I realize that this summer wouldn’t have been possible without the year-round staff that works tirelessly to keep Fortress running and keeps the building standing. I know it wouldn’t have been the same without my fellow interns. Most importantly, I couldn’t have survived this summer without God and his gentle guiding spirit, helping me through each and every day.