Meet Joni and Friends Intern, Lauren – Part 2
Read Part 1
(Today’s post was written by Danielle Ledoux, Joni and Friends Vocational Intern.)
Despite her cerebral palsy and wheelchair, Lauren Compere enrolled in Mississippi College to study psychology and follow her desire to minister to others. But she wanted to do something big during the summer—an internship. “I don’t know if that was a God thing or a Lauren thing,” she commented.
At first, it may have appeared to be a “Lauren thing” because when she tried to go to Haiti with a church, the door slammed shut in her face. Disappointed, she settled for studying Spanish in Spain, not knowing that God had other plans. In the middle of a hectic spring semester, Lauren decided to skip a conference which she had planned on attending. But her best friend and caregiver insisted that she go to hear speaker Joni Eareckson Tada.
That night as she hung on Joni’s every word, Lauren realized, “This lady completely gets it. I knew that conference—that talk—would change my life. I knew this would change the trajectory of my occupation, my thoughts.” Fueled by her excitement, Lauren went on Twitter the next morning for the latest from Joni and Friends. Imagine her shock when she read that Joni and Friends had a few openings for an internship that included a mission trip to Haiti. Staring at the screen, Lauren cried tears of joy.
Then a few months later, as part of her internship, Lauren found herself at Friendship Club again, but this time sitting around a table with her fellow interns. Those three hours brought such joy as she hugged, sang, and prayed with twenty precious folks affected by disability—people who reminded her that “the Lord opens doors that no man can shut.”
“I want to be like those people. Have their childlike faith. They get it more right than we. And by we, I include myself,” Lauren added.
Truly, Lauren amazes people wherever she goes. But she’ll tell you that sometimes all it takes to encourage someone is to hold their hands as they confide about being bullied and judged. And as Lauren leads the way, isn’t that something we all can do?
