Annie Martin started serving as an intern at Vision of Hope in July of 2014 and became our Intern Coordinator in June of 2016. After serving for six and a half years, Annie will soon be returning home to Tennessee to be with her family. We have loved having Annie serve with us!
Annie grew up in a Christian home where her father regularly did devotions with her and her siblings, and one day he taught them about how Christ died for their sin. Annie states, “It hit me that day that Christ didn’t just die for the whole world, he died specifically for me.” She started to cry, and her dad discussed with her how knowing the message of the gospel requires a response: to accept or reject—and Annie chose to accept. Since then, she has learned a lot about her sin and forgiveness in Christ.
Annie completed her bachelor’s degree in interior design at Tennessee Tech University. While she was there, a love for hurting people was enflamed as she connected with people that were hurting and suffering. She knew that she could share the gospel with them, but when it came to dealing with issues like suicide, self-harm, and drugs, she did not know how to give them practical help. Because she wanted to gain more knowledge about this area, she decided to become a Vision of Hope intern in the summer of 2014.
Annie chose Vision of Hope because of its sole focus on using the word of God for counseling. Because her dad was a pastor and biblical counselor, she got to see first-hand how Scripture transforms lives. Growing up, Annie knew she had gifts in serving others and she wanted to use them, but she needed more training. When looking at residential centers, she knew from the beginning that she wanted to work with a ministry that counseled solely based on the Bible. She commented, “I knew there were other places that are residential counseling centers, but they weren’t strictly a biblical counseling center. I knew that if I was going to be serving in a place and getting training, I wanted it to be firmly grounded in God’s word.”
Quickly, Annie fell in love with the way she saw God’s word transforming lives and how exciting it was to be a part of it. She states, “When I was offered the intern coordinator position, it was one of the easiest decisions I’ve had to make. Being able to stay at VOH and continue helping transform lives was very exciting. I’m very thankful to have worked here for as long as I could.”
Annie’s favorite thing about Vision of Hope has been the people she has worked with. She has loved getting to have fellowship and community with everyone, and also be able to share burdens with her fellow staff. They’re able to exhort and encourage one another when need be, but also enjoy each other’s presence and share a lot of laughter. She is very thankful to have worked with a team that loves the Lord so much.
Annie learned a lot during her time at Vision of Hope. Something that stands out the most to her was the realization of mass suffering in the world. She comments, “There’s more suffering in this world than I ever imagined, and God and his word are more sufficient to address that suffering than I ever knew. . .seeing God transform lives that have been so wrecked by sin has been amazing.”
Annie plans on continuing counseling women and also wishes to join the wedding planning industry. She has had a big impact on our staff, interns, and residents, and we can’t wait to see where the Lord guides her next.
