...And That's a Wrap!

Hello everyone!

Well, this is it. The day that I have been dreading the past few weeks is finally here - my last day interning at my home church, Calvary Assembly of God. I am feeling very...sad. I actually was shedding a few tears as I headed home last night. Cheesy, I know...but I have developed some close relationships here at the church - especially within the church staff - and I cannot imagine not going to church in the mornings throughout the week, not attending meetings, not planning Sunday services, not singing and/or playing on Wednesday nights and/or Sunday mornings, not directing the orchestra, etc...the list goes on and on.

What. An. Incredible. Summer. Experience.

That basically sums it all. I really cannot begin to describe how this internship has changed me. God literally showed up throughout the 12 weeks that I was a music intern. First off, I am so thankful for Calvary - a healthy church that really welcomed me with open arms when I first set foot in that office. The staff and pastors were very kind and caring that they quickly became my second family by the 1st or 2nd week!

I am also feeling very, very blessed to have such an incredible mentor, Pastor Dan Schmalz - who is truly a humble man of God. He has shared and given me countless advice and wisdom based on his past experiences, as well as given me opportunities that challenged me, yet allowed me to learn and grow at the same time. There may have been frustrations along the way, but looking back, I couldn't ask for a better person to intern with. I have learned a lot from him this summer and have taken away many of his words of wisdom towards my future career. I have shared many of my personal challenges and struggles not only as an intern, but also as a music student, with him and have received great encouragement from him. He is very kind-hearted and is always willing to listen and give advice when needed. I am incredibly blessed and thankful!

The most memorable thing about this internship is that God's calling in my life to be a worship pastor continues to be confirmed throughout my 12 weeks. In fact, more than ever do I feel anxious and excited to be done with school so I can start doing this for a living! It has truly been a passion of mine since I was 12 years old to be a worship pastor who uses her gifts and talents to lead the people of God in worship. Obviously, it is far from being a 'perfect job' because there are still ups and downs in ministry as I myself have experienced even just as an intern. But honestly, I have felt a sense of joy and peace the past 12 weeks as I do what I am passionate about. It is truly a blessing to be a part of life change in the church. Most of all, it is a blessing to do - for the rest of my life - what we will all be doing in heaven: worshipping our Lord Jesus Christ! I have also received many encouragements this summer, not only from the staff and pastors, but also from the congregation, that continued to motivate me to run after my passion of being a worship pastor. What an incredible feeling!

Through this internship, my eyes have definitely been opened to my strengths and weaknesses in ministry. I begin to learn more about myself - my character, personality, and flaws - through the tensions of ministry. These tensions will never disappear but I have been challenged to live and be present within those tensions in order for me to grow and learn how to best work in ministry.

Things have been somewhat crazy around the church because of the transition that we will be making in the next few months to a movie theatre. There has been lots of renovations and constructions going on in that facility and I feel very sympathetic for the pastors and staff who have worked endless hours in trying to get everything figured out in that building. They attended and sat in numerous meetings that last at least 3-4 hours, on top of their own responsibilities for the church. I know they will all be glad when this is all over! I continue to pray for each of them as they make final decisions leading up to the first services in the new building. Nevertheless, it was so cool to be a part of all of this process and witness the construction that is going on! I know that God will do great things through Calvary in the future and I am so very excited to see how it all enfolds!

All in all, I have truly enjoyed interning at Calvary, not only because of the experiences I'm encountering but also because everyone who I work with truly show Christ in all that they say and do, in their character and personalities. What also surprises me the most is that, working in an office is really not all about work and busyness! In fact, even though everyone does their own work, they also have a lot of fun, doing pranks to each other once in a while! What a fun environment to work in...seriously! It really gives everyone a break from their work and just have a little fun - I really love that!

To sum it all up, I just had one of the best summers of my life. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything in the world! I'm so thankful to have been given this opportunity and I will definitely remember the past 12 weeks for the rest of my life - so memorable! Thank you so much for your prayers and support this summer...and of course, for reading this blog and following my journey as an intern as I learn more about being in ministry.

And with that, that's a wrap! To God be the glory!

With love in Christ,
Andrea

P.S. Just a few pictures from my internship...

My mentor, Pastor Dan Schmalz, and I on my last day as his intern...bittersweet!

(Proof that I actually did an internship!)

Doing a quick run-through at 7:30 AM for the 2nd orchestra performance! 

They all did a wonderful job! I'm so proud of all of them! 

The group of orchestra members who I was blessed to work with this summer!

Unfortunately, 4 people were not able to make it that Sunday.

Singing and playing for worship - what I get to do for the last half of my internship, which I really enjoy! 

Time to Wrap Things Up!

Well, this is officially my last week! It still hasn't hit me yet - next week, I'll still be interning, but not really doing much - just wrapping things up with an "exit interview" with my mentor. As I look back on this experience, I am so very blessed. Calvary is such a great church with very encouraging congregation and staff. My mentor has especially been so kind to me - a very humble man of God, for sure! I have been welcomed with open arms like I am family, here at the church, and I cannot thank God enough for this wonderful opportunity.

This week, not too much has happened. I co-led worship on Wednesday night and will be singing and playing this Sunday for services. The worship leading experience has helped me tremendously - I have learned a lot from it and gained more confidence each time I do it, whether by myself or with my pastor. Although I wished I had more opportunities to lead, especially in different contexts, I am still encouraged and excited to feel pure joy and excitement as I lead the people of God in worship. My calling to be a part of the music ministry has been confirmed more and more this summer and I'm excited for what lays ahead.

The orchestra ministry is also going well. This Sunday, we will be performing "Give Me Faith" along with "I Exalt Thee." What's cool is that we're going to have someone sing and lead the congregation in singing the hymn at the end and I think it'll have a very, very cool effect! I'm so very excited - this is the climax of the ministry and although some people have "bailed" on me for the performance on Sunday, the rest of the members are committed and ready to perform. I'm seriously blessed for having such a strong group of people who have been given the gift of music and really have become my family. I hope that as they play this weekend, that God would be glorified and that the hearts of the people in the congregation would be moved and ministered to by the music. Unfortunately, there is no one to take over the ministry when I leave, so I'm also praying that it will not completely fade but that someone will step up and lead this ministry in a way that pleases the Lord.

All in all, this week has been one of the craziest weeks this summer, in terms of preparation for the end of my internship with worship, orchestra, music, etc. but I really have learned a lot. Next week, I'll be writing and reflecting about my internship experience as a whole and really look forward to what God has in store for me in the future.

I'm heading back to Wheaton next Saturday for a student leaders' retreat at Honeyrock for a week, then I'll be on campus a week early before classes start. To be honest, I'm not ready to go back yet - I actually feel as if I haven't had a summer. There is still a lot that needs to be done and I don't want to face the challenge that lies ahead for me my senior year. But, I need to trust and have faith - God will help me through every obstacle and challenge that I face! Glory be to God!

Thank you all for your prayers and support this summer...and for reading this blog - remember, last internship blog coming next week!

Love,
Andrea

And There Goes Another Week...

Hey everyone,

Well, I'm down to a week or so left in my internship. Seriously, where did the time go? I can't believe that it's the end of July...it's the end of my summer...and it's almost the beginning of the school year. I'm heading back to Wheaton in about 2 weeks and it seems too unreal that I'll be beginning my LAST year of undergrad! SO CRAZY!

Well, this week was another chill week - not too much happened, except the weekly happenings, so I had a lot of down time. As my internship comes to a close, I actually don't have a lot to do. Orchestra work is dying down - except leading rehearsals. Worship team rehearsals are still going on and so are Wednesday night adult Bible studies. Other than that, nothing too much.

I helped out the worship pastor's assistant getting things done for Child Dedication Sunday this weekend. There are 12 babies/kids getting dedicated and she had to get all the letters, certificates, slides, and Bibles ready to go. I'm glad I was able to help her out some so she didn't have to do all that...after all, I had nothing to do!

My pastor has been busy with the move of the church and everything, so I often feel bad if I interrupt his time or be a burden...but he has always been willing to help in whatever way he can. He is always willing to listen and give advice whenever is needed, which I truly appreciate. I'm always encouraged and blessed to be mentored by him.

But, God has also continued to challenge me to be patient and humble about even the very little things. Sometimes, I find myself being caught up in my own pride and my own satisfaction that I begin to let it get to me. In fact, each day of my internship, I feel frustrated at something or someone about what I am or am not doing, what my pastor is or is not doing, or even other people. I definitely don't take pride in feeling this way, but I know this is also my weakness. Through this, I'm learning more and more about myself and what I need to change. I believe that God is continuing to work in my heart so I can continue to imitate His ways and become more like Him. I'd appreciate your prayers in this - I know that it won't happen overnight and I probably still have to work on it in 10, 20, or even 30 years but I do pray that God would continue to mold and change my heart so that I can be the woman He wants me to be.

Thank you all for reading!

God bless,
Andrea

Where did the time go?!

Hey everyone!

What a fast week! I can't believe it's the end of the week already! This week definitely went by really fast! Couple of significant things though...

Calvary orchestra was a success - they performed for the first time in decades this past Sunday, the 15th. It went well, especially for the first performance. We all received many compliments and look forward to playing again in a few weeks! We had a rehearsal last night (Thursday) for our upcoming performance and it went well - at least a lot better than I expected! I hope as we continue to rehearse and perform, all of the musicians will continue to become more confident in their playing.

I led worship by myself this week for the adult Bible study on Wednesday night. It wasn't too bad for my first time around but I know there is a lot of room for me to still learn and develop. There were still some awkward moments and silences here and there, so that's something I'm definitely going to work on and hopefully it won't be as awkward the next time around.

Other than that, nothing significant really happened...especially since I'm almost done with my internship in the next few weeks. As I finish my time here at Calvary, I'm continued to be challenged and go out of my comfort zone in different areas of worship ministry. With the experiences I received here, I'm looking forward to what God has in store for me in the future!

Till next time,
Andrea

Prayer Request: I haven't had a great week in terms of practicing and my recital date is not going to change, so please continue to pray for my progress in piano and my upcoming recital and grad school auditions. Thank you!

3 Weeks Left...

Hey everyone!

Well, I just came to a realization that I only have about 3-4 weeks left in my internship. Wait, what?! Where in the world did the time go? This saddens me...mostly because I don't want it to end, which means that I'm going back to school pretty quickly. I'm NOT ready for school to start yet!

In other news, this week has been a good and fast week...yet once again! I played for Sunday services this past Sunday and that was such a blast, as always! It's just super fun for me to be a part of a ministry that leads others to worship our Heavenly Father - I get goosebumps every time!

Not too much happened this week, but the orchestra ministry is getting ready to perform for the first time this upcoming Sunday. We just had a dress rehearsal Thursday night and it's finally coming together! I'm more nervous than anything because I'm only directing and not playing so I'm not in control how it actually sounds, but it's still music to the Lord! :) I still cannot believe I successfully created an orchestra...from scratch! It definitely hasn't hit me yet! There are only 17 people in it now, but hey...it's a start! I'm excited for Sunday and really praying that the music that the orchestra plays will fill the hearts of every person in the congregation and will minister to each of them. After all, that is what worship ministry is all about!

This week, I've also had many conversations with my mentor about different things that are going on in my own life and he has been very, very encouraging through all of it. I'm seriously very blessed and thankful for him and for the opportunity to be his intern this summer. I'm looking forward to the rest of the summer! :) Thanks for reading everyone!

With love,
Andrea

Prayer requests:
*I have big decisions to make the next few weeks about my future and things are getting complicated. Please pray for peace so I can listen and follow God's plan for my life.
*My senior recital is in exactly 3 months from today - pray for continued progress as I continue to prepare with the limited time I have. I also got my recital pictures taken this past weekend too...here is one of my favorites! :)

Week 8 Already?!

Hello everyone,

Well, I CANNOT believe it's the end of my 8th week here as an intern at Calvary. Time is flying by and I feel like I just started interning yesterday! It has been a pretty good, yet fast week...that's for sure!

My worship pastor came back from vacation this week and things are going at a fast speed for me now till the end of my internship. We had a service planning meeting Tuesday morning...then a meeting with my pastor. At this time, we were able to catch up with the past 2 weeks and "get back on track" with everything. We talked about creating a new vocal ensemble, Christmas plans, orchestra stuff, etc. On Tuesday, I also finished my 2nd orchestral arrangement - this was a better piece than the last just because now I know what I should do. This piece will be performed on Sunday, August  5th - my last Sunday here as an intern for the summer. The first piece will be performed next Sunday, July 15th so we all need to be ready by then! Ahh!

I didn't intern on Wednesday because the office was closed on July 4th - it was such a productive day personally. I spent 7.5 hours practicing on my piano for my upcoming performances - and I was very encouraged by the productivity and progress I made. Unfortunately, my back and arms are completely sore from it...but recovering fairly quickly now!

Thursday was filled with very few events but very long ones. I had another meeting with Pastor Dan, my mentor (continuation of Tuesday's meeting) and it was a very productive meeting. We talked about what I need to do for the last 4-5 weeks of my internship, leading worship on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday nights, learning more about how to work the sound board, learning how to lead, etc. etc. It is going to be a good, yet very challenging last weeks and I'm super excited! I know I'm going to learn a lot more the next few weeks and I'm especially excited to see what God will do through me through these experiences.

Thursday night was filled with rehearsals - I had to run orchestra rehearsals and had to be a part of the worship team rehearsal for Sunday. Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the worship team rehearsal, but Pastor Dan filled me in on Friday and went through the worship set with me. As of the orchestra rehearsal, it was a very frustrating one - my expectations were not met and my patience was tested. Although it turned out okay, I think I had very high expectations especially with us performing next Sunday - it scares me a bit! But I'm just hoping for the best - these people still have a passion for music and they are still playing their instruments for God's glory. I'm challenged to really discover a way to minister without getting frustrated or annoyed - what a great conviction!

I finished off the week with just wrapping things up on Friday - Fridays are the days when only the worship arts department is in the office and some others on some days. So, I basically just do whatever needs to be done for the week and for Sunday, if needed. It has been a good week and looking forward to more in the next 4-5 weeks! Obstacles and challenges, here I come! :)

Thanks for your support and prayers!

With love,
Andrea

Anddd on to Week 7!

Hello everyone!

Sorry for the late post today - my computer has been at the Mac/Apple store this week for some renovations and I JUST got it back today! But because I haven't had my computer, I haven't been able to work on arranging and recording music this week - especially since my computer is the only one that has the programs and software for that. And plus, my mentor/worship pastor was still on vacation this week. So, it definitely has been a pretty relaxing week!

I actually only went into the office on Wednesday and Thursday, and worked from home on Friday - still managed to work about 15-20 hours this week though! Since I got my computer back at noon today, I didn't feel the need to go to the office - a good 20-minute drive - and decided to just catch up on work that I had missed at home. I mostly finished the orchestra music that I have been trying to arrange...I just need to add a few touches to it for expressions and dynamics - my project for next week.

When I went into the office this week though, I still did my weekly tasks of stuffing bulletins and taking care of the order of services for the pastors for Sunday. I also cleaned the communion trays from this past Sunday - which actually took a little longer than I thought, but they did get cleaned! Then, I decided to help out my worship pastor by getting all the music ready for Sunday since I think he just got back tonight and I don't want him to be too stressed out at the early morning sound check/rehearsal on Sunday morning.

This week, I also led Thursday's orchestra rehearsal and it went very well! Unfortunately, only half of the members were able to attend because the youth were at a church camp this week, but we still managed to polish different spots in the music in preparation for our performance on Sunday, July 15th. I'm excited that everything is coming along so well!

All in all, even though it has been a pretty relaxing week, it has also been a productive week. I got some work done and I can't wait to do more things and even face more challenges in the rest of my internship when my pastor comes back from vacation next week!

Oh, and one last thing...practicing has been much better these past 2 weeks since I wasn't at the office as much. I'm finally able to feel a bit more at ease with my own responsibilities as a music student. Although my repertoire is not up to a point where I want it to be, it is definitely coming along and I am very encouraged by the progress I am making right now! Hopefully it continues to be this way! :)

Thanks again for your constant support and prayers. I say this in every post, but I truly appreciate it!

In Christ,
Andrea