The Blessings of Knowledge

God has given us a wonderful gift – minds with the ability to continuously learn! We can easily feel overloaded with information. Perhaps you’ve just begun a new job in which you are trying to learn everything at once. Or perhaps you have just had your first child and feel as though you have no idea what you are doing. Sometimes learning can seem cumbersome, but our ability to learn can also be such a blessing!

2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” In some translations, the word “study” is used in place of the phrase “be diligent.” God’s word encourages us to have a mind that is diligent to continuously learning more about our Savior. This knowledge is never burdensome or wearisome, but instead brings hope, joy, and purpose to our lives! God has created us with the incredible capacity to hold information, and when we use that ability to grow in knowing Him more deeply and becoming equipped to help others by “accurately handling the word of truth,” we are living truly blessed lives.

One of our current interns, Annie, shared with me about her experience here so far and all that she has learned. You can read Annie’s testimony and how God brought her to VOH here. Her internship with us thus far has been such a blessing, and we hope you are blessed and encouraged by her story as well:

Since beginning my internship here at Vision of Hope I’ve had the opportunity to participate in some really great learning experiences. I’ve been able to sit in the counseling room at VOH and witness firsthand how God is using the counselors here to change the lives of the residents. This has been a blessing to be a part of because I am able to understand more about the residents that I’m with and I get to see their heart motives more than at any other times throughout the week. It’s also a blessing cause I get to see the counselor grow in the way they help each resident as well as in their walk with the Lord.

Another amazing learning experience was the chance to take the 11 week counseling  training course through Faith Church. I found the teaching so applicable to what I was personally going through at the time and it was incredibly helpful when it came to the way I thought about relating to the residents. I was very fortunate to have my Mondays free in order to take that class.

I’ve learned so much in the last 8 months from both Vision of Hope as well as Faith Church. The internship that VOH offers provides more learning opportunities than I have been able to take part in, but I have been blessed by the ones that I have been a part of.”

Wow, what a tremendous reminder of the blessing of knowing God and learning more about His word and its power! If you would like to experience the opportunities that Annie has had through our internship, please contact Jenn Heikkinen at jheikkinen@faithlafayette.org.

Bethany Dunn
Bethany heard about Vision of Hope while attending Word of Life Bible Institute in Florida. When she began praying about what God wanted her to do after graduating, He kept bringing Vision of Hope to her mind. Knowing that there was an internship available, Bethany applied, was accepted, and began her internship with VOH in July, 2012. Since then she has been amazed at the opportunities God has given her to learn more about His Word and how it applies to everyday life. Bethany now serves on staff at Vision of Hope.