He Has Set His Affection On Us

The Story of Me Part IV

In the midst of my scheming about the future, I visited a few colleges. The college that seemed to be a perfect fit was called Toccoa Falls in Georgia. I visited the campus the fall of my senior year and met with the head professor of the Communications department. I told him about the plan - how I wanted to do radio broadcasting in a Spanish speaking country. He encouraged me to do some type of internship before starting at the college. 

In the back of my mind, I was thinking of WJTL, a Christian radio station located near my home. At the time there was a guy who used to attend my church and was a family friend that worked there. Just the “in” I needed.

I came home and told my youth pastor what I was hoping to do and he got me connected with the right people. 

One morning in January, I sat before Fred McNaughton and Chris Strayer and interviewed for becoming an intern at WJTL. I guess I passed the test because they offered me an internship where I was on the morning show twice a week and helped out in the office afterwards. 

From January to June of 2005, I was an intern at WJTL and loved it. The staff was great and I loved hanging out with Fred and Lisa on Monday and Wednesday mornings. 

In the meantime I was still falling in love with Ethiopia. Not only did I write my senior research paper about the church in Ethiopia, but I also centered lots of other projects around East Africa. So much so, that by the end of the class I was known as the Africa girl. 

The only problem was that it was less than a week till I graduated high school and I still had yet to hear back from the YWAM school I applied to. There was this little thing in the back of my mind that would wonder what if this didn’t work out? I had put all of my eggs in the proverbial basket. And by this time, the thought of college repulsed me. I did well in school, but the idea of four more years of it felt like death. I literally had no plan B. No other ideas. 

Then it happened. One email. It simply said, 

We are sorry, but unfortunately we will not be accepting international students. 

I read that email over and over again. 

My fear came true. The last six months - all of this preparing and anticipation came to nothing.

I was so sure I had heard the Lord. 

The only thought I could think was,

Now what?

31 December 2010 ·

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