Where They Are Now: Julie!

We hope you have been encouraged so far as you’ve read how God is still working in the lives of our former interns! We serve such a great God, who never forsakes us and continues to work in the lives of His people no matter where they are. How gracious He is! Continuing with this series, today we are following up with Julie! Julie came as an intern in July 2013 from Vermont. She came to receive training to bring back to Hearts of Change, a residential ministry for women in which Julie serves as the director. Let’s hear how God is working in her own life, and in her exciting ministry!

What are some things you learned during the VOH internship, and how is this helping you now?

“One of the greatest things spiritually was learning the mix of both truth and grace. I was so grace-filled it was very hard to be truthful and straight-up when other needed it. I would be like, ‘well, that’s okay,’ but without speaking truth. It’s like kayaking with one paddle – you don’t go very far. We were called out to be both gracious and truth-filled. It was a huge step for me to be open and honest with any lady, but I learned that you can’t have one without the other – you need both grace and truth.

Also helpful was seeing how the house was run. In my ministry with Hearts of Change before the internship, I was floundering. The internship taught me how a home can be run well. The things God taught me were immeasurable – it’s been amazing. And you can’t ask for a better way to instill it to me than being able to live it for a year.

Something that has been challenging since the internship is the fact that my church is such a young church. It is difficult to handle all the changes. But one day during the internship I was scheduled to sit in on a counseling session with Jerry Jaimeson, who has been with Faith Church since the beginning. His counselee didn’t show, so we got to talk and he shared with me all of the decisions and changes that were made as Faith was just beginning. Hearing the changes and challenges of the church and how he stuck with it and stayed faithful to what God was doing at Faith helped me in my church that is just starting out with a lot of growing and changing. I have also used what he shared with me that day here with other church members who are struggling.”

Tell me about your ministry, Hearts of Change.

We are a residential ministry serving women dealing with addictions, homelessness, domestic abuse, and any other problems women may have. The basic focus of the house is to teach them Christ. It is much like Vision of Hope in that we have counseling each week and a set schedule. We have 5 beds in the house. Lately, we have been able to serve a woman from our church who needed a place to stay. Our house hasn’t filled up, which is hard, but I know I need to wait on God’s timing. It’s different here – we are not the Bible belt and see a lot of drug abuse. To offer a Christian home isn’t something women run to around here, but I pray for them and wait for God’s timing.

I am hoping to find ladies to come for a 6-month internship with the ministry. I would have never even thought of having an internship for our ministry until my internship at Vision of Hope. Information about Hearts of Change and our internship opportunities can be found on our website, www.heartsofchange.com.”

What is one thing you want others to know about the VOH internship?

“When you look at the application and policies on paper, don’t be afraid! I was so nervous because it sounded so strict and I thought I would never be able to do this! But it’s not like that – it is so full of love and grace. I would tell ladies not to be intimidated. It’s not what you think in there. The ministry of Vision of Hope is full of grace and truth.”

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.