The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Nathan K. during the 2008-2009 League.
Mission: Tactics - Final Report
I feel as though I've lived and breathed this program for a very long time and it's been a good journey. I've always loved to work with my hands, but this was a new challenge - I had to work with my mind. While I worked at my school before graduating, I never really put my heart into it. The Ambassador League was different. I wanted every assignment, every paper to be the best that it could be. I could not do anything less.
My mentor (Kendall Wingrove) was not only a great support through the hard times but a great encouragement during the good times. I could not have completed this program without his help. When I asked him to be my mentor, his only requirement was a promise that I would finish the program. I heartily agreed, and it has been an incredible experience.
During the program I certainly had some favorite assignments. They included: Helping Promote SSI, the book reports, many of the Bible studies, shadowing a local leader, interviews of local leaders and my volunteer hours for a nonprofit organization. I'd like to talk a little bit about each one.
Helping Promote SSI: When I began the Ambassador League program it was hard for me to go out and automatically connect with people I did not know. Working at the INCH conference and promoting SSI helped me to get more of a taste for what that’s like.
Book Reports: These reports were particularly difficult for me because I struggle with writing and that has always been a source of frustration. Howeve,r I really enjoy reading, so that made the reports a lot of fun. I worked hard to find different writing angles that not many other people see.
The Bible studies: The studies were difficult because each one is such a broad subject and sometimes it was hard to choose what exactly to write about. Other times it was hard to find enough verses for my liking. One topic that was especially hard for me was "The Sanctity of Marriage." This is not necessarily a broad subject but I was unable to find verses that validated my preconceived theories about the sanctity of marriage. This made me look at the subject from a different angle, and I was able to find some things that really amazed me.
Shadowing a Local Leader: This was a task that I greatly enjoyed. Here is a quote from my report: "I recently had the honor of job shadowing the Chief of Police for Meridian Township, David Hall. I had met him through a luncheon in Lansing with a group of interns. I was struck with the chief’s heart for God and how he applied that heart to the people around him and to his work." This experience had to have been the most informative of the assignments that I completed. I was able to learn things that I never thought I knew. It was awesome!
The interviews: While the interviews I conducted were simple, completing and submitting them seemed to take the longest of any assignments. The first interview I conducted was with Brad Snavely, director of Michigan Family Forum. Due to some technical difficulties with my recorder, it was a struggle to get this one compiled. The second interview was with Paul Burns, a legislative assistant in Sen. Cropsey’s office. Paul is a very interesting man and I believe he has a very incredible future.
The third person I interviewed was former Rep. Fulton Sheen. He is a very difficult person to describe with words, but he is an incredible, Godly man. I met him several years before Ambassador League and feel like I've known him my entire life. Outside of my family there are not many that I know better.
The fourth interview was with Jenifer Esch, a departmental analyst for the Attorney General. This was by far the longest of my interviews, but I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of our conversation although typing it out afterward was not so fun!
My fifth and final interview was with Jenell Hierholzer, an old friend that I had met through Fulton Sheen. She is the chief of Staff for Rep. Kevin Green. Jenell has a very lively personality which made for a very entertaining interview.
Volunteering: The volunteer work I did was fun but I enjoyed some more than others. There were three different projects where I participated. The first was volunteering for a political campaign. This was easy enough to arrange because my brother works in Lansing as a legislative aide and is expected to volunteer many hours for races around the state. I campaigned for three different candidates for the Michigan House including Tom McMillin, Paul Scott, and Brian Brandenburg. McMillin and Scott won their elections.
The next assignment was the one I enjoyed the most -- the 10 hours working for a non- profit and or faith-based organization. Before I started the Ambassador League I had been working down in the Gulf area (mostly Mississippi) with a disaster relief organization by the name of Isaiah 58:12. We assisted with the rebuilding process down there. After Hurricane Ike hit the Texas coast I returned to the Deep South. We went to Galveston TX, and what a memorable trip it was. Unfortunately, our journey back home was one of the hardest ever and took 37 hours!
Through all these things God has significantly opened my eyes to the way He wishes things to be done; in our lives, in our homes, in our church, and in our nation. God has called each of us to take the gifts He has given us and to use them; not to take them and use them for our advancement in any way. We are to use them in His service as He sees fit, for His glory. These gifts are powerful tools, not to be taken lightly. Many of them can cause huge amounts of damage, or blessing; it is all dependent on how we use them.
