Hi again! I can’t believe the ASP summer has come to an end. This summer has brought many amazing experiences, many home repairs, and many friendships. I miss the Appalachian region already, but I am grateful for the time there this summer. Â
ASP has always had a special place in my heart, and my passion for it grew even more this summer. Although I didn’t help repair a home this summer, as I had in the past, my role this summer still had an important impact. I took thousands of photos, saw hundreds of home repairs, and helped capture lots of stories. I feel so blessed to have gotten the opportunity to play a small part in spreading the mission of ASP. Â
I truly enjoyed every minute of this internship, from having a camera in my hand every day to talking with homeowners and volunteers to spending endless hours in the car. I saw God everywhere I went and had many God moments. The Appalachian region is so beautiful, from the mountains to the people to the culture, and I got to experience a large part of it this summer. I got to see lives truly change this summer from the repairs ASP was doing, and I helped to share those stories. Every day of the summer, I felt like I was doing what God has called me to do, to help others through photography and creative ways. Â
Our Saturday morning devotion from Clara has helped me during this transition home. This was our last devotion together on the porch. Lots of emotions filled the air as staffers were both happy and sad, anxious and excited to head back home. We had just spent a whole summer in a beautiful region with amazing people, doing meaningful work. Clara talked about how ASP does meaningful work in which you can see through home repairs. As staffers, we got to see lives being changed right before our eyes and felt like we made an impact on others’ lives. So the transition home or back to school and work would be hard because we may not always see how what we do makes an impact. But Clara reassured us that the work we do no matter where or what it is, is meaningful. Even if it feels pointless it will help you in the future from the skills you will gain. She explained even though whatever you go back to after this summer may not feel the same as ASP it is still meaningful and that we will do meaningful work just in a different way than this summer. This devotion has helped ground me through my transition home, to help me think of how my impact at school is meaningful, how my photo sessions are meaningful work, and how meaningful the relationships I have at home are. Â
So spread your wings to find meaningful work in your lives. Â
Thank you to everyone who has followed along on my summer journey. I hope you have enjoyed reading these blogs as much as I have enjoyed writing them. Â
See you later!Â
Haley Holcomb
Story Gathering Intern
