Blog from former ENP Intern – Lydia Dawson

When people ask me where I am from, I pause, unsure which place I would call home. I have moved enough times that I have never felt rooted, and I have come to be content, enjoying my own company and taking comfort in God’s permanence. Before my internship at ENP, I would have said that I would leave the Central Valley as soon as I graduated from Fresno State. I have grown comfortable in my transience; getting involved in many different things, meeting many different people, and looking forward to my next change. I have grown to fear commitment.

Before my internship at ENP, I would have said that I would leave the Central Valley as soon as I graduated from Fresno State. I have grown comfortable in my transience; getting involved in many different things, meeting many different people, and looking forward to my next change. I have grown to fear commitment.

I agreed to a 300-hour internship with ENP, and even that commitment made me nervous. I couldn’t help but think that if a better opportunity came along, I would be stuck in Fresno, finishing the hours that I had promised. Now I see that God gave me this commitment to bring a different kind of change, a change in perspective.

During my time at ENP I learned the importance of investing in a place and a people, and I began to see God’s beautiful design for community. I have watched the impact that a church can have when they don’t just serve those in need, but they build relationships, and truly love them.

I have learned that every person has assets that are important to the development of their neighborhood, and all it takes is someone to notice these strengths, and encourage their use.

I have experienced the impact a person has when they are continually present in a neighborhood, despite the crime, the despair, and the misunderstandings.

I have developed a deep appreciation and respect for those who are working to build the kingdom of God in Fresno, and I feel God nudging me, saying maybe this is home. Maybe I have something that people in Fresno need, and maybe there are people in Fresno who will love me and want me.

I am excited to experience this kind of perspective shift. If I am being honest, though, my first impulse is to find something better; maybe I will join the Peace Corps, maybe I’ll be a missionary, maybe grad school in another state or country would be a better option. But maybe God is giving me a chance to invest, to be rooted, to be known.

ENP has helped me to see the great value in forging deep relationships and in committing to see the healing of a city, and I am so thankful to have learned from the intentionality of the ENP staff. Maybe in the future I will respond that Fresno is my home, and know that to be true. I’m excited to see what God brings about through this experience!

If you want to learn more about interning with Every Neighborhood contact us!