I left a little piece of my heart in Tennessee!

I have been meaning to blog about my trip to Tennessee for over a week now but I just never got around to it. So, here it goes!!
     Over my spring break, I was able to go and visit Smoky Mtn.Children Home where I am going to be interning this summer. It was such an amazing trip and I learned so much just about myself and the burden for these kids who don't have a home that God has layed on my heart. I am really excited to go and spend 10 weeks with some great kids who just need A LOT of love!
     After getting there and meeting with my supervisor for a while about specifics and such I was a little worried and not really sure what would be in store for the summer. I honestly was a little scared by some of the stories  that he was telling me about behavior and stuff. I wasn't really sure if this was the right internship for me. I wanted to just get back in my car and drive back to Indiana. After our meeting Mr. Spivey gave me a tour of the campus and of one of the cottages that some of the girls live in. During the tour I really started to warm up to the idea  of being there all summer. During the afternoon while the kids were still in school I had some down time in the room I was staying in for the night, so I prayed for a long time that God would show me that this is where I am supposed to be this summer.
     Later when the kids were all back from school and afternoon counseling sessions, I joined Cottage 1, an all girls cottage with 8 girls ages 12-17, for dinner. Immediately the girls had a bazillion questions for me. It was great getting to know them around the dinner table. It felt so much like a family and not too different from my own family seeing how we always  had different kids in our house for foster care. After dinner I just hung out and got to see what life is like in a cottage with 8 girls. Ms. Peggy, Ms. Ashley and Ms.Paige (house parents) did a great job showing me what goes on and how they manage the house of girls. Their love for the girls shined through so much and I am excited to join that.I even stuck around and chatted with them long after the girls had gone to bed and it was really nice to hear how it is being there first hand.
     One funny story from the night...... I was playing cards with one of girls and talking to a few of the other girls. Like any group of teenage girls there is always drama. ANd tonights drama centered around one of the girls reading the other girl's diary out loud in the living room. Well, this didn't go over so well and next thing I know, an electronic password diary is being thrown straight towards my head and I am ducking for cover. Luckily the girl it was being thrown at did not get hit either. Later the staff told me that this was a mild night and that one chair a night is usually thrown. This should be an interesting summer!
      Later on when I made it back to my room, I just sat thinking and realized that God had made it so evident that night that I was supposed to spend my summer in Tennessee! I feel in love with the girls and the staff and all SMCH as a whole. I am so excited to live there for 10 weeks and really invest in the kids. As I sit here in Chicago writing this I am a little saddened because I miss the girls. I left a little piece of my heart in Sevierville, TN and 8 weeks seems like too long to wait to go back. For now I must focus on the 5 weeks left of school and finals that follow. It will be hard, but Tennessee will come soon enough!

Please pray as I continue to prepare for the summer and that I would finish this semester strong.