Nicole Graham

Hey, guess what! I changed my major…again. I just typed “I promise this is the last time” in about six different ways, but let’s be real… I have no idea if this is the last time. But this is what I do know:

—working at the Y this summer has been a blessing in disguise. I find myself frustrated multiple times a day every single day. I see way to many kids that need Jesus, but aren’t getting enough of Him. I want to fill them up, but I can’t just open up and share God with them. I’m too busy teaching music and talking about the 4 core values. I want to share the Gospel with these kids, but I’m stuck living by example. If I’ve learned anything at all, I’ve learned that you need to spell everything out with a 5 year old. I want to minister to them.

—I took Synoptic Gospels last year, which was an upper division religion course. I fell in love with it. It was the first class that I legitimately grew from. I even enjoyed writing a 20 page exegesis. If I could take religion classes all day, every day….I would be thrilled.

—Basically, it’s come down to the fact that all I want to do is share Jesus with people, and I feel like I need to learn more before I can effectively do that. I know that getting a degree in religion will help me become the most well-rounded person that I can be. I know it’s not the most conventional, but I feel at peace with this decision. So many doors have been opened career-wise, and I know that God will provide. So whether I end up at seminary after college, or in Ecuador as a missionary, or here working for The Yuyani Project, or as a CRE at a college, or a coordinator at the YMCA, or even something that I couldn’t even dream of right now, everything is going to be alright. I’m so excited to start this chapter of my life.

When I get sick I can wear a leopard snuggie, watch a season of Fringe, and have my Mom make me grilled cheese whenever I’m hungry. Best sick day ever. Now I just need the annoying, unexplained chest pains to leave.

I ended last summer saying to myself, “I will never, ever, ever spend another summer at home, ever.”  I began looking for summer jobs in September, but quickly realized that I had no clue what to do. As an education major I don’t need an internship, so there was no point in applying for half of the ones that I wanted to go for.  The only option seemed to be a Christian summer camp, as a lot of my friends were planning on working at those around the country. I started the application process, but 21 credits got in the way of me ever finishing a single one. So here I am, living at home…working as the music specialist at a day camp. I spent the first two or three weeks at home pissed at the world. I hated living in Pontiac, and I began to resent my job. I kept hearing about all of the awesome ministry opportunities my friends were having, and I felt useless at a camp where the kids never seem to listen to me.  There have been times that I’ve had to scrap the music lesson I have planned because kids complain about how much they hate music.  I felt so useless.  However, here I am after my first month at home, and somehow I’ve grown to love it.  Something clicked and I learned to look beyond myself.  I quit worrying about how to have my  best summer ever, and started focusing on serving those around me. Somewhere along the way I’ve realized that I am going to be useless unless I seek opportunities to serve and minister every day. More than anything this summer has taught me to be content despite my circumstances. Instead of being in an environment where the Holy Spirit is basically shouting at me, I’ve had to open my ears and look a little bit. The point is, once I got over myself I’ve found that God is present everywhere. No, I’m not in Ecuador. No, I’m not in the city. But I’m loving a lot of kids that need a lot of love, and learning how to serve them better every day.