by Jay Mitchum
The first two months of Capital Fellows have been far beyond anything that I had expected. When I arrived at the Kickoff Retreat in early September, I thought that I knew exactly what I was getting myself into. After all, I am the third child in my family to do a fellows program. I knew that fellows would be an impactful experience; nevertheless, I failed to realize how impactful the different experiences of Capital Fellows would be.
Whether I am feverishly taking notes on covenant theology in Bill Fullilove’s class, teaching complex fractions to a 7th grader at Cornerstone School in Washington DC, or eating a meal with fellows after a long day of children’s ministry, I can see the Lord doing amazing things in my heart and in the world around me. The most surprising aspect of Ffellows for me, thus far, has been my internship with the Christian nonprofit Project Belong. Project Belong is an orphan advocacy organization that seeks to inspire, recruit, and resource churches and families in Virginia to foster and adopt, in order to spread the love of Christ to children in crisis. What has made my time with Project Belong so special is that I have graciously been given the opportunity to leave a lasting impact on the organization. The staff is made up of the founder (Chris Seaton) and me. Furthermore, I have been able to help make big organizational decisions and have been able to participate in very big meetings.
A few weeks ago, Chris Seaton and I had the unique opportunity to travel to the White House to meet with advisors from the President’s Domestic Policy Council. We were invited to meet with the advisors in order to educate them about the barriers faced by children, families, and organizations within the foster care system. At this meeting, I was able to speak my mind concerning the issues that plague the foster care system at the regional, state, and national level. This was a surreal experience for me considering the fact that I am in no way qualified to be speaking to White House officials about foster care reform: I was a biochemistry major in college, and I have been working in orphan ministry for a little over two months. Nevertheless, I was able to see the Lord working through me in that meeting to make a difference in the lives of others. And even more than that, I had a front row seat to see my boss and former foster parent Chris Seaton tell the WHITE HOUSE about the power of the Gospel to transform the foster care system! My boss is a rock star!
Each day as a Capital Fellow has had its own unique set of circumstances in which to grow in reliance on Christ’s love. Furthermore, with each challenge and experience, I am becoming more and more aware of the fact that God is at work in me and through me.
PICTURES FROM THE WEEK
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