On your mark, get set, GO! With music playing in the background and people cheering along the start line, runners and walkers take off for the 2nd annual Be the Light 5k.

This summer, I have had the incredible privilege of serving (and being served) at Beacon of Hope. Observing the way this beautiful ministry ebbs and flows from day-to-day, and being a part of that, has been an honor that is quite hard to quantify.

Asking for any type of mental health help is hard at times.

When I was seeking a place to do my internship in counseling, I wanted to make sure it would be a place where I knew I could give back to the community that I grew up in. Beacon of Hope was an answer to that prayer.

We can turn to Jesus in times of anxiety and despair, knowing he not only understands, but overturns death. And just as Jesus called Mary Magdalene by name, he calls you by name, too.

See how God has been at work, growing Beacon of Hope’s group counseling.

We did it! We completed 2020! Congratulations, you persevered and have moved on to a new year—a year of great opportunity. Every year has great opportunities. Yes, even 2020, among all its hang-ups and headaches, had opportunities.

Before Beacon of Hope, I was really struggling with Imposter Syndrome. Am I doing enough? Am I doing this right? Do I have what it takes to a counselor? What kind of counselor is God calling me to be? Honestly, there are still days where I end a session and think I’m not cut out for this.

The amount of adaptation, training and, creative problem solving our team accomplished in such a short period of time, on a very tight budget, while also juggling the stress of an unfolding global pandemic, astounds me.