Our first day of Fellows was September 2nd, but it has already felt like I have been in Raleigh for much longer than I have. I was super nervous leading up to Fellows. I trusted that the Lord led me to Raleigh for a reason, but I still felt apprehensive and did not know what to expect. It was a really odd thing to meet 10 strangers and immediately go on a welcome retreat to a lake house for a week. But, it really was our time at the lake that ignited a great friendship between myself and my fellow Fellows.
We got back from a fun orientation retreat and kicked off our internships! I am working at Raleigh Rescue Mission as the Volunteer Engagement Intern. Raleigh Rescue Mission is a non-profit temporary living facility for situationally homeless people. They go through what is called the New Life Plan, where they do job training, trauma care, and get to live full-time in order to get back on their feet. The goal is to get them a job and help them save money so they can get housing outside of the Mission. I help with the volunteers, donors, and events side of things, but I am still able to meet clients and interact with them during my work days. I feel so lucky to have this job, as I wanted to be in a care setting type job in my Fellows year, and I also love who I work with. The Mission has already shaped me in so many ways, and I am excited to see how the rest of the year goes.
Not only do I love my job, but I am so glad that I have such a great class of Fellows. There are seven girls and four guys, and we get along so well. I feared the worst, that none of us would get along, but thankfully we laugh together and have lots of fun. Besides our required Fellows things, we have been to breweries, thrift shops, coffee shops, a concert, and the North Carolina State Fair. It has just been sweet. Ashley, our Fellows director, is also so amazing. She is wise, fun, extremely hospitable, and loves the Fellows so much.
Classes have also been wonderful. We are taking “Old Testament” and “Why Religion Went Obsolete” on Fridays and then “Just Leadership” and “Family Systems" on Mondays. Why Religion Went Obsolete is based on a book of the same name and taught by the lead Pastor of Apostles, Nick. Just Leadership is taught by a man named David Spickard, who runs a non-profit in Raleigh called 11 Ten Leadership that helps to facilitate justice-oriented leadership in the workplace. Family Systems is taught by a therapist and is about the psychology of family systems. We also have Spiritual Formation classes once a month. I really love class and have been having a great time reading and taking in all of the information.
Apostles itself is a great church. On the Anglican spectrum, it lies on the reformed Anglican side, as opposed to the Anglo-Catholic side, and feels kind of like my college Evangelical Free Church (City Church), but Anglican. They love the Fellows, and so many past Fellows still live in Raleigh and attend Apostles, which makes the community sweeter. I serve as a youth group leader for the 6th-grade girls and co-lead that every Sunday night.
My host family is amazing as well. I live with Hayes, Emily, and Hazel (1.5 yrs old) Thielman. Emily is actually the older sister of one of my good friends, Isabel, and was also a Gator! Her husband. It has been so fun living with them and getting to be part of their family for this short amount of time. They are so kind to let me live in their home for a year and care for me so well.
Overall, I am having a great time so far and am extremely grateful for that. It still kind of feels like I am a visitor in Raleigh, and I do sometimes find myself missing Florida. But I am confident in the Lord's sovereignty and trust that I am here for a reason. I am in the process of applying to various Master's in Mental Health Counseling programs to begin in the fall of 2026. Who knows where I’ll end up next year! But for now, I am trying to be where my feet are, and I am glad that is in the Raleigh Fellows program.
With love,
Jackie