1

Serving Alongside One Another 7.15.18- Payton Calvert

Good Shepherd’s Fold is composed of many different facets of service that extend well beyond its campus. Most programs have an individual who leads them and is responsible for their growth. They are not, however, independent from one another. All of the department leaders rely on other sectors to assist in the success of their programs. For instance, I was able to accompany one of the social workers on a resettlement check-in for two girls who are still in the sponsorship program. I was able to observe how the social worker interacted and checked up on the girls while assisting them in writing letters to their sponsors while we were there. This was a valuable opportunity for me because I was able to make progress in my responsibility of letter writing for sponsorship while shadowing the social worker to learn more about a field I am interested in pursuing. While departments are delegated appropriately, they all work together ultimately for the best interest of the child. Another picture of this team work can be seen in the structure of the Child Care Meetings which I attend on Mondays. This meeting is composed of house supervisors, nurses, doctors, social workers, sponsorship coordinators, and the head of child care. They all update each other on progress in their departments and identify ways they need to collaborate. Team work truly makes the dream work here at GSF.

The highlight of my week, by far, was the sleepover the other interns and I had at the house of the girls in residence. We ate dinner, painted nails, played games, and then piled on our mattresses to watch movies. Most of them outlasted us when it came to staying up! It was sweet to spend quality time with those girls, growing in our relationships with them. Other ladies like Social Worker Jeanner and Nurse Grace who live and work on campus joined the excitement as well, making it a full on party! We hope to have at least one more sleepover before we have to leave for the summer because we all had such a blast. I will have more precious memories from this summer than I ever expected and I praise God for blessings like girls’ night sleepovers!