My internship experience

This semester, my internship was at a therapy facility for people with disabilities. To be quite honest, I was pretty nervous about going into it. It wasn't what I pictured of me doing when I thought about going into social work, but I am so grateful and truly blessed to have had this opportunity the past few months. I have been so lifted by the Lord. I have such a strong testimony of doing the hard things in life or what may be perceived as something "hard". Always, it teaches me and has made me grown in ways I didn't know I needed to grow.

I learned some important lessons: 

There were days when things were hard. There were days when I was so frustrated. There were days where I felt like my client and I improved in their goals and there where days it felt like nothing was changing. There will be those days. It made me remember how this life is all about progress. I was talking to my friend and she said to me, "Wow Nusly, I just don't know how you do your internship. I couldn't do it," and I actually feel like my friend could because she is caring and compassionate. I never thought I could do it either. My response to her was concerning the Savior. He absolutely loves all of us and He died for all of us. Could you imagine a Savior being like, "I love you and you and you... oh but I can't do it for that person cause it makes me feel uncomfortable. It's not in my comfort zone. I think they are great, but someone else can take care of them." ....NO WAY!!!! Christ loved the healthy, the sick, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, the old, the young, the believers, the non-believers, the sinner, the righteous... it doesn't matter what your background is or what your circumstances, Christ loves you, He loves all. I am trying to be more like my Savior and this experience had definitely helped me to understand the love of Christ more.

This whole semester I have been touched by a particular client. This client is one of my examples... he is a hero of mine. He truly has the pure love of Christ ingrained into his bones and flowing throughout his blood. He has down syndrome. Perhaps not according to the world's standard's, but in my eyes, I feel like he is perfect. He is absolutely kind to everyone around him. He is also very helpful, patient, understanding, happy (and I mean HAPPY - I never seen him having a bad day!), optimistic, giving, charitable, humble... incredible person. According to the world's standards, it could be said that my body is very capable and I am mentally "all there" but yet... why is it that I sometimes get impatient? Why am I sometimes so stubborn? Why am I so prideful? ....It made me think a lot lately how I want to be more like this client because he truly lives his life the way God would want us to. He is truly a disciple of Jesus Christ so naturally. 

There is another client who is confined into a wheel-chair. She can't walk or talk, or really use the muscles in her body...but she has shown me that she had every reason to smile. She has the BIGGEST smile of anyone I have ever met, the most genuine too. Whenever I was having a hard time, I would look at her and there she was, smiling at me. I couldn't help but smile back and forget my troubles and worries. I need to smile more...just like her. We have everything to smile about folks!

I often wondered if some of my clients chose to come into this life with a disability to help other people to have compassion and love and to humble people such as myself. I also have wondered how my clients will be in the next life.. when they are resurrected with perfect minds and bodies.... I am blown away - absolutely blown away. It makes me shrink a bit because I want to be able to stand in their presence. They will be so glorious and I only hope that I will be there up with their standards and innocence. I want to be one of those that they embrace and thank for being someone to have helped and loved them in mortal's journey.

Thank you God and thank you to my clients and co-workers at Royal Journeys.

Reach out to the people in this world and let God teach you.