Vision of Hope is grateful for our interns, and we see God’s hand in bringing each intern our way with their different gifts to help build up the body of Christ at Vision of Hope. They help keep this program running! We count on our interns to supervise the residents and help disciple them in the day to day activities that happen at Vision of Hope. Interns are the ones on the front lines, interacting with the residents, helping in crisis situations, and being there for the residents to help them apply what they are learning in counseling when they are struggling.
Vision of Hope is always looking for interns to join our team. If you are interested in joining our internship team, please contact Annie Martin, our Intern Coordinator, at amartin@faithlafayette.org.
Over the next several weeks, we want to introduce our readers to our new interns who joined the team in July. These interns are already making an impact on the lives of the residents as they serve with compassion and excellence.
Abby Degnan is from Long Island, NY and started serving as an intern at Vision of Hope in July of 2020. She enjoys talking, acting, writing, reading, and serving others and Christ. She double majored in Communications Writing and Theological Studies at Clarks Summit University. Her favorite Bible passage is Psalm 52 because it reminds her to trust in the Lord always, and that no matter what she is going through, the Lord knows and understands her suffering.
Abby heard about VOH through her parents who attended the 2020 BCTC conference. They took a tour of VOH and told Abby great things about it. That summer, after she graduated college, she was planning out her next course of action and a switch went off in her brain that reminded her about Vision of Hope. She looked into it, contacted the intern coordinator, and filled out an application. They were still looking for interns for July, and even though she was originally planning to come January of 2021, she decided to go for it that summer. One week later, she was on her way to Indiana. She comments, “It all went really fast, but I knew that this is what God wanted me to do. I thought ‘well, I can sit around for the next 6 months and do nothing or start this now and do what I know God is calling me to do.’”
Abby struggled with a lot of insecurity, social anxiety, and depression growing up, and it is because of this that she feels a burden to help people with similar struggles. She knows how amazing it was overcome it, and she wants to help others overcome their struggles just like she did. She comments, “I decided that there is nothing more that I want to do in life than serve others, and I think God put me through those trials in my past so I would have this passion and be able to relate and to understand the girls that are here.” During her internship, Abby wants to be a light to the residents, gain her counseling certification, and observe certified counselors in session. She also hopes to continue to grow in her own walk with the Lord and develop deep connections with her fellow interns and staff.
After Vision of Hope, Abby seeks to work full time with youth that have mental disorders and is also interested in adopting and fostering youth when she is older. She is excited to serve as an intern and follow God’s calling for her life.
