Several years ago, I began dreaming of attending IHOP’s One Thing internship in Kansas City, Missouri. IHOP (International House of Prayer) is structured around a 24/7 model of prayer and worship, and this internship is all about spending a focused six month period of one’s life intensely dedicated to intimacy with Jesus. God had clearly marked me as a worshiper and a Mary of Bethany, and there was nothing I wanted more than to waste my life in his presence.

I originally hoped to take this leap in late 2012 sometime, but God had other plans. Earlier this year I met the lovely Erica on Facebook, and we were drawn together by our mutual love of Jesus, Ted Dekker, writing, Jump5… and IHOP. We both wanted to do the internship and began planning to come together in summer 2013. Well, circumstances in her life began pushing her towards an earlier internship, and so together we decided to up our goal by an entire year, and do the summer 2012 session instead. It will be a financial crunch for both of us and a huge faith booster. We can’t wait to see what God has in store. 🙂

If all goes to plan, we will be moving to Kansas City on July 5, 2012, and staying through December 18. Tuition is $4,900, and though we both have decent jobs, we will definitely be praying for a financial miracle to pull us through to the finish line. God is good, though, and he always finishes what he starts. I am so much looking forward to discovering where this journey will take me. It will be an adventure of faith and of grace, and ultimately, of love.

“One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.”
Psalm 27:4