Week Three!

This week has been a bit of a roller-coaster. Some days were really great and others were very frustrating. However, whatever kind of day it was, I learned something really valuable every day. I'm learning a ton about photography, particularly about lighting and the studio. I'm learning a lot about myself; that I need to lighten up a bit and not be so perfectionistic. Between my leadership and Faith and Culture class, I'm learning a lot about God. During my Reflection Time (a time on Thursday nights that we set aside for reflection and worship) I am learning to be still and listen to the Lord.

Here are some photos so you can see what I've been up to this week : )

This is what I've been doing during work hours for the past week and a half. I have now finished all of the products they needed for "The Village" shop, located in the visitor's center, to use for their online store. Products ranged from Wycliffe insulated cups, to bracelets made in countries where Wycliffe is currently working, to informational books and DVDs.

On Monday I will get to start taking pictures of the artifacts that Wycliffe has at their headquarters. My trip to Guatemala is coming up soon so I will also be learning more of what I will need to know for being the photographer there.

On a Thursday night during Reflection Time, I spend some time singing along to worship songs on YouTube, and journaling my prayers. This is such a great opportunity to take some time to get refreshed in my walk with God and reflect on what He is doing in my life and may be calling me toward in the future.

Friday at work is "Casual Friday"! We like wearing jeans while we serve!

After a long and stressful week, we headed out to Downtown Disney for a chance to relax and spend some quality time together. We had dinner at The Earl of Sandwich and then wondered around the various shops taking pictures with all of our favorite characters along the way.

Today, I made some homemade pumpkin bread for my roommates and for some of our staff who happen to love it as much as I do! Today is for laundry, journaling, blogging, cleaning, catching up and relaxing : )

Thank you for continuing to pray as I serve here at Wycliffe. I am still lacking about $1,000 in support so that is a definite prayer request. Also please pray that I will be receptive for what God has to show me - about life and about the future.

In Christ,

Stephanie

First Work Week!

This was my first week of actually working in the office, and may I just say I respect adults so much more now!!! We all struggled with getting up "early" and working straight from 8-5. We're so used to going to classes and then hanging out in our dorm and then back to class etc. At the end of a continuous day of work all we wanted was a nap haha : ) By the end of the week I was mostly used to the schedule and was having lots of fun taking pictures! My current assignment is to take product photos for the gift shop that's in the Wycliffe visitor's center. These photos will go online and will hopefully help sell more products and in turn help further Wycliffe's ministry! Many of the products sold there are hand made in countries where Wycliffe is currently doing translation, which is really cool! Here are some example of things I've been taking pictures of:

On Wednesday nights, different Wycliffe members have signed up to host us interns for dinner. This is such a great opportunity for us to meet people from all walks of life who work for Wycliffe. Last Wednesday, David and Carol Conner hosted us for supper. After some sloppy joes and homemade potato salad, they took us for a walk around Saint Cloud, which was absolutely gorgeous at sunset. Take a look:

We also grabbed the opportunity to get some group photos:

From Left to Right: Erin, Jordan, Stella, Josiah, me!

We also saw a rainbow at their house!

On Fridays or Saturdays, we get to go out into the community with the intern staff for "Community Fun Day"! This Saturday we went to Ponce de Leon springs about an hour and a half away. These springs were once thought to be the Fountain of Youth. We shall see : )

There is a restaurant there called the Old Sugar Mill which is famous for it's pancakes. Each table has it's own griddle and they bring you delicious batter and toppings and you get to make your own : ) When we got there, the wait was 3 hours (!) so we hiked around for a bit and the swam in the spring. The temperature is 72 degrees year round and felt great compared to the muggy, hot air : )

 We saw lots of wildlife on our hike!

 At the Spring

 Inside the restaurant

 Some pancakes I made, Pac-Man style : )

I made lots of baby chocolate chip pancakes. They were awesome!


So, I am definitely settled in and having lots of fun! Please keep praying for my finances, as I am still lacking quite a bit. Also, please pray that I would excel at my work, and do it for God's glory!
Thanks for your continued support!

Hello from Orlando!!!!

Welcome to my blog about life as an intern at Wycliffe Bible Translators in Orlando, Florida. God has been so gracious to allow me to be a part of this incredible program! He has provided for me so far in many, many ways. He has given me two wonderful roommates, Erin (erinjheizelman.tumblr.com) and  Stella (steallaatwycliffe.tumblr.com) and two other team members, Jordan and Josiah. We all get along great and our staff has been incredible in their welcome and encouragement of us. They have never stopped reminding us that each of us is here for a reason, and that is a great encouragement to me! As supporters of me at this internship, you get the unique privilege of seeing behind-the-scenes of our experiences here in Orlando : )

I have now been at the Wycliffe Headquarters for a whole week! This past week has been our fun, crazy orientation week. Tomorrow we start our "real work" and I can't wait to get started! but for now, here's a sneak peak at what orientation week looked like :)

This is my bedroom that I share with one of my housemates, Erin. Stella lives just across the hall in her own room : )

Here's our kitchen.

living room.

bathroom complete with a palm tree shower curtain : )

the staff has been praying for us for months!

On Tuesday we did a "Race Around the Lake" where we faced off the staff in an intern vs. staff group of mini games. In this particular game we had to put together a Bible verse that was made out of linguistic symbols.

on Wednesday we had a scavenger hunt around Orlando and ended at Menchies, a frozen yogurt place.

on Thursday we had our first Faith and Culture class where we wrote down all of the countries the interns and staff have either lived in or visited. It was quite the list!

On Friday we drove to a ropes course about an hour and a half away and worked on some team building stuff and just getting to know each other more in an out-of-the-office setting. It was a super fun day!

So, the fun week is over and the work will begin tomorrow : )

I am pretty excited about getting to start some photography stuff but am a bit nervous too! I covet your prayers for a low-stress week and also about my finances (I still have about $1200 to go). Thank you for your on-going support of this summer! You all are fantastic!

In Christ,

Stephanie