2. You know exactly where your office is located. Getting lost at New Beginnings is impossible, especially since there’s only one office to choose from. The writer of this blog did petition for an intern-only office space, but that idea was quickly shut down. 

4. ​Someone getting hired is BIG news. I’ve heard some people complain about being “just another intern” at other internships, but at New Beginnings, everything you do has an impact, even if you’re not a paid member of the staff. If you’re a staff member, the impact is even larger, which means that having someone new join the New Beginnings team is headline-worthy. Let’s have a round of applause for our new Media Design Intern Greta Sievert and our newly-hired case manager Clara Drinkwine!

5.​ You absolutely love your job! Just like motherhood, there are hard parts, but overall the work is worth it and rewarding in a way that nothing else can possibly be! ​

​Do your impressions change as you get to know someone?  Most often, it is the second or third interaction that help us form an opinion of who some one is.  I had asked Letisha if her impression of the program at New Beginnings was any different once she started in the program.  She honestly said that nothing had changed and that if anything, it had just gotten better and Nayari said that she started to feel more comfortable with the residents and staff.  Nayari also said that the program got easier as she started getting into it and that New Beginnings isn't just a program, but a family that eats together and talks together also.

​So, when does a good relationship actually start?  It slowly develops over time through trust and commitment.  We all have friends, and even friends that we consider family.  These are the people who will take us through our good days, bad days, and accept and love us as if they were family.  That is our goal with the mothers who come into the New Beginnings' program.  There is a reason why we call it the New Beginnings Family.  Letisha has been here over a year and she has developed a great relationship with New Beginnings.  She has a good relationship with staff and has proved herself as a positive mentor with the other residents.  When I asked her what she thinks of New Beginnings now that she has been here that long and become a Phase 2 resident, she said that it is everything that she wanted and needed and that she "will have something to say if anybody talks bad about New Beginnings."  Nayari, who has been here over two months said that she now thinks "that the staff is very supportive and they push us (in a loving way) to do better in life and get goals completed so we can be set for life, our future, and our kids."

So what drives us?  How do we build that relationship and trust?  Is it our doing?  No!  It is to God's Glory that we help these mothers and their children.  It was He who commanded us in His Word.  "We love because He first loved us." - 1 John 4:19  "Share with the Lord's people who are in need.  Practice hospitality." - Romans 12:13  God also tells us "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." - Galatians 6:2  This is what drives us and through His Grace, we can help these young women grow closer to Him. First impressions sometimes are not always how they initially seem, but overtime can develop into something beyond what we can imagine!

​Have you shown kindness to others recently? A few weeks ago, I went through the Starbucks drive-thru for my daily dose of caffeine. When I reached the window to pay, I was told that the woman ahead of me already covered the cost of my coffee! I was so astonished by her kindness that I passed that joy along to the next person in line. I was hoping that the acts of kindness continued in the same way all day.