first day of the last week

p a s s i o n

The first day of the last week of my internship is now complete. It feels like it was only yesterday that I was sprawled out on my dorm room floor, praying and writing letters to raise funds. You know, it’s kind of funny.  Before 2100, I was going to teach English as a second language overseas. I was already accepted into the program I wanted to join and I was very excited, but in my heart I knew it was not the appropriate time and I canceled my session of teaching to do an internship with 2100 instead. A few weeks after I had already made my decision I began to agonize with my mom over whether or not it was the right one.

“Carolyn,” She said, “What do you spend your time praying for? What are you passionate about?”

Her question stopped me cold. I reflected on my life and I realized that,I was lacking true passion. I didn’t spend my time caring for those students overseas so why did I want to go there so badly? My motives were off. I realized that my true intention was not to build relationships with university students and teach them English—I just wanted to travel. Not that traveling is a bad thing, but I knew deep inside that wasn’t the right fit at that point in time.

After searching my heart, I realized that I spend most of my time praying for the people at UIC, InterVarsity, and the entertainment industry. I realized, then, that 2100 was the perfect fit for my life. As I reflect on this I have so much peace because I feel like I am exactly where I need to be. I am so in awe and so happy and excited to realize this. I am glad that I followed that still, small whisper that encouraged me to do 2100.

And it’s great because while I have been here at the NSC, I am moved by the stories that I hear from the departments of International Student Ministries and Missions. So now, I actually care about students overseas whereas before, I didn’t.

l a s t  w e e k

Even though it seems like my workload should be winding down because it is my last week-it’s quite the opposite. Currently I am finishing up edits on a project, preparing for a video shoot that will take place tomorrow, researching for another video that is in pre production, finding people from my campus who can be characters in a 2100 film about chapter planting, and working with Josh to create a network where media coordinators from InterVarsity chapters nationwide will be able to dialogue about the use of media in their chapters.

I am really sad to leave, but I know that I have made an impact and I am confident that God will use what I’ve learned here for good. Although a part of me is becoming deeply nostalgic and I am trying to grab a hold of what little time I have left here, I am also excited for what is to come.

And that concludes my thoughts on the first day of my last week here in Madison.

C

studio tour

“I don’t think this is a good idea! No one is going to like it.” I whined, grabbing my hair with one hand and anxiously tapping my pencil with the other.

“It’s going to be fine. ” Josh said, who was much more sold on this idea than I was.

It was still early in the afternoon and we had already browsed through hundreds of music files and wrote numerous rough drafts of rhymes that we would use for an intern recruitment video. By that point in the production process we had gone through many different ideas. We finally settled on one—a musical studio tour done in one take. I was a pessimist and didn’t think our idea would be approved by the associate directors of 2100 or the director of communications, but it was!

My first feeling towards our idea getting approved was terror. I had secretly hoped the idea would be nipped from the beginning because I didn’t want to pursue is wholeheartedly. Why, you ask? Because I was afraid that it would fail. Josh picked up on my attitude and was an encourager throughout the whole process. If it were not for him and Val’s (another 2100 intern-incredible lady) positive attitudes, the project would not have been completed.

After a session of brainstorming to get the idea more developed, however, I realized how difficult the project was going to be. I was the predominate person in charge of writing the lyrics and after awhile I could not think of anything more to write.

“If the script is not finished by the end of the day we need to move on and go back to one of our initial ideas.” I vowed one morning, feeling slightly overwhelmed.

Guess what? By the end of the day the script was (for the most part) completed!

Then, Josh and I worked out a lot of pre production details. My favorite part was probably recording the song. I just had to sing it, though. Josh did all of the audio recording and mixing. After the song was complete, we showed it to the rest of the team at a ‘show and tell’. On the outside, I was all smiles, but inside I was nervous and felt so vulnerable because I really loved the script and hoped others would as well.

The team approved with excitement and after that, I’m sure I was a much more pleasant partner for Josh.

Then, we blocked or ‘mapped out’ where everyone needed to be during the tour. Because it was all to be done in one take, it needed to be carefully planned. After we ran it over and over again, Josh was introduced to the steadicam, which is the type of camera this sort of project needed to be filmed with. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I walked in the studio and saw Josh with it. The steadicam is a beast of a machine to operate–I don’t think I have the physical fitness to do so. I have never seen one before so I was quite intrigued. If you are, too–here’s a link for a quick description and picture haha

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steadicam#Description

The filming process went very smoothly. We only had to do 6 takes and when Josh and I went to edit the peice, we ended up using the third take that was shot.

The purpose for the video is to recruit interns. I hope it will because I believe it is very important that college students know about this amazing opportunity and the work that 2100 produces. Not only that, but it is beneficial for InterVarsity’s National Service Center (where 2100 is located) to have college interns. They bring a fresh energy to the office and serve as a reminder to all of the people whose lives InterVarsity impacts.

Here is one of the places you can find the video.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=435724967312&ref=mf

What do you think?

C

some input?

I am currently writing two articles for Student Soul, InterVarsity’s online magazine. When I met with the woman who heads Student Soul, I was very ambitious and excited to get a writing assignment. However, the drafts are due in a little over a week and I am feeling slightly discouraged. They are challenging topics.

In one, I am to describe my personal journey through issues of white identity and multi-ethnicity. I feel like I have a strong personal testimony for this one. See, I’ve gone from being apathetic towards different cultures to having a changed heart that sees beauty in diversity.  Do you think this is something people would want to read about?

The next article will focus specifically on theatre culture, which is often highly competitive and morally compromising. I can write about a number of different things here, though. Something I think would be interesting to share are the tensions as a Christian in this community.  If you have any thoughts on this or anything that would make this article more interesting, please share.

This is off topic, but I had a fascinating conversation with a man today who works on the archives for InterVarsity. He was sharing with me some of the testimonies from the people involved with the first InterVarsity chapter. He recommended three books to me and I really hope I get the chance to read them (although my pile is already pretty big!). They are Jesus in Bejing, The Heavenly Man, and Road to Jersulem. Let me know if you’ve read any of these!

C

below is a picture from ONS. I really enjoyed working behind the scenes and helping things run smoothly.

Quick Note

As many of you may or may not know, The Christian Legal Society lost in the Supreme Court case. Now the group must allow leadership positions to students who do not agree with its statement of faith. Read a quick article on how this may effect groups like InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/julyweb-only/37-32.0.html?start=1

show and tell

In my acting classes or writing workshops at school, constructive criticism plays a big role in the whole production process. You present your work in front of the room, and then it’s free territory for people to tell you what works and what doesn’t. It can often be nerve racking and easy for me to feel as though I’ve been personally attacked afterwards, but I find that team critiques help me see things with fresh eyes and from different angles. Getting feedback is not only a very humbling experience, but it is also a very valuable one.

Here at twentyonehundred, we have ‘show-and-tells’. The phrase itself has light, fluffy, positive connotations to it. I tend to think of kindergarten. So when it was time for my first show-and-tell last week, my brain had a mini freak out session because twentyonehundred show-and-tells have a slightly different format than what I remember them to be when I was six. Everyone gathers around a long, slick, wooden table with ready faces, pens, and note-pads. At the end of the table is a large screen where the projects are shown.

It was a little intimidating, but only for a moment! I got very valuable feedback to help me finish editing my piece about the girl whose life was transformed after she learned about Christ during an InterVarsity Bible study. It ended up being a lot of fun!

Throughout the process of this project, I was reminded of the importance of having integrity when editing a piece. Editors have the remarkable ability to turn truth into lies. When you’re handed a pile of footage and have to pull a story from it, it is tempting to manipulate and craft that footage into how you think the story should go. In twentyonehundred, there is no room for that. We tell the truth and stay true to the truth. That is one of the many reasons why I love interning here.

-Carolyn

to chicago and back again

“….I want to see my brother. Please provide a ride to Chicago.” I prayed silently. My brother, who resides in New York, was going to be in Chicago for the weekend before he traveled to Korea to do theatre for an extended length of time.

“If I’m not able to see him this weekend, I don’t know when the next time will be…”  I realized.

Later that day we had a barbeque at InterVarsity’s National Service Center for the new staff. I overheard one of the staff members saying that he was going to Chicago that weekend.

I gasped excitedly, and when I saw that grasped his attention, I made eye contact to begin conversation but all that came out was, “Ummmm…”

He stood there for awhile, waiting for me to speak. When nothing formative left my mouth he asked, “Yes?”

“Oh-well, never mind.” I said flustered. Should I ask this guy for a ride? Would that be weird? I wondered inside. I had only just met him that week.

“No go ahead,” He said.

“Well, see…um…can I come with you?” I explained to him my situation and he said that it would be perfectly fine! So seven hours later I was on the road to the city I deeply desired to go to.

The first half of the way there, the staff worker was making calls.  I didn’t mean to eavesdrop on him, but of course there was no alternative for the amount of space we had in the car, and a couple of things really grabbed my attention. One of them being about international student ministries ( I’ll call that ISM from now on).

What made me perk up when he started to talk about ISM, was that, earlier that day, I met a woman who works with international students in Michigan. Hearing her talk about her students and her job with such passion awakened something in me that is hard to define.

So of course, after this guy got off the phone, we started having open dialogue about ISM. I realized that there is such an important need for people who are willing to partake in International student ministries.  Now, I’ve never been out of the country…I am embarrassed to say, I’ve never even been on an airplane, but to build relationships with people from all over the world and learn about their culture really excites me. What also excites me is the idea of sharing the gospel with international students as well. Some of the students this woman knows have never even heard of Jesus. That absolutely shook me. Having never gone out of the country, I haven’t considered the serious implications of being a Christian in other parts of the world and I hardly realized that some people have never heard the gospel.

Meeting the woman earlier that day and talking to this staff worker on the way to Chicago challenged me to open my eyes and care about what’s going on in other parts of the world.

Unfortunately, my brother didn’t ever make it to Chicago, but I did. Some people might call it a wasted trip because he stayed in New York and I won’t get to see him before he goes to Korea. However, I am very grateful for the conversations I had with the staff worker on the way to Chicago and back to Madison again. Also, It was during that weekend that I was able to spend time with people who are very dear to me in the city.

It was a fruitful trip, indeed.

living with others

     I am going to take a moment to share about the people God has placed
in my life here at twentyonehundred. Let me begin with Angela and
Josh, who are both interns as well.  Angela, Josh, and I have become
quite the trio, placed into the same boat of circumstances.
     1.      We are all miles and miles away from our homes and closest family and friends
     2.      We share a common internship and with that comes common vision and goals
     3.      Angela and I share a host family
     4.      Josh and I share a cubicle
     However, we are three very different people. From day one of our
internship, we were encouraged to take the Meyers Briggs personality
test. Right away I saw how we had different communication styles,
decision making techniques, and ways of perceiving the world and
analyzing situations.
     Instead of allowing our differences to form a barrier between us, I
have grown to appreciate how uniquely we were each created and how all
of our differences can deepen our relationships with one another and
really help us grow and mature.
     Although I am an extrovert, I am often the kind of person who saunters
off to be by myself. This happens because A.) I am being hyper
sensitive about something or B.) I simply need some personal time. I
am not saying that this is necessarily bad, but I am saying that, in
the past, I have missed out on building awesome relationships with
people because I did ‘A’ or ‘B’ excessively. I get tired of ‘dealing’
with people. I don’t want to ask for help because ‘I can do it on my
own’. I choose to email someone because seeing them in person is ‘too
much of a hassle’, even if they are in the same building as me. I text
a friend because having a phone conversation would take ‘too much
time’.
     I have noticed that sometimes, I can be very closed and impersonal.
This summer I challenged myself to not do that so much. Living with a
new family and sharing close space with other interns has helped me
with that challenge. Investing the time to really get to know and
enjoy another person for who God has created them to be is such a
blessing.

     Angela and Josh are awesome. I am so lucky to be able to spend time with them and enjoy their company. Melissa and Brad, the couple I am staying with, are beautiful people. They have taught me a great deal about hospitality and kindness. They are so giving and joyful and I love being around them and have grown to LOVE their two dogs!

I have learned this summer that our lives are meant to be lived with others.

-C