You may have seen a couple new faces on stage over the past few weeks, jamming out with our awesome worship team. Russell Vista and Jeremy Hairston are two of our WACky (Worship, Arts and Communications) interns serving this summer, along with Jenna Minor and Tyla Hairston.

Russell and Jeremy, our worship interns, are both recent college graduates. Russell graduated as a Music and Worship major at Azusa Pacific University with an emphasis in Music Production. Jeremy graduated from Howard University in Washington, D.C. with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. As they head into these new chapters of their lives, they are both looking forward to growing in their faith and developing further as artists.

 

This summer, Russell is excited to travel, write songs and go to the beach. As an intern, he hopes to strengthen his leadership abilities with the help of the leaders here at Hillside. During his free time, he loves driving, cooking and woodworking. His favorite bible verse is Romans 5:3-4, “But we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” In this season, Russell feels that God is teaching him about vulnerability and how it involves more than just being honest but also being seen, heard and held accountable.

Diving into vulnerability requires a pool of great relationships, which Russell and Jeremy are both excited to cultivate this summer. Jeremy is also excited to spend some time playing his guitar, listening to music, and honing in on his photography. As an intern, he is looking forward to getting a behind the scenes look at the technical aspects of leading worship and writing music. At this time, Jeremy feels that God is teaching him to relinquish control and live by faith rather than fear. He firmly believes in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and hope.”

This is also Jenna’s favorite bible verse. Like Jeremy, Jenna is learning what it means to follow Christ wholeheartedly. She is learning to hear His voice and step outside of her comfort zone. As a Drama major at the University of California, Irvine, her comfort zone is far beyond average already. She loves being in musicals, stage managing and teaching for a children’s theater class. Her favorite part of that job is watching children grow in their confidence, which is why it is so fitting that she is joining us this summer as our arts intern. She is hoping to learn more about efficiently running an arts program and growing as a leader through this internship, and she is looking forward to helping students flourish here at Arts Camp this summer.

Tyla, our communications intern, is also passionate about cultivating creativity. She loves writing poetry, dancing, singing and doing yoga. This fall, she is heading into her senior year of college at Howard University as a Strategic Communications major and Dance minor, but while she’s here, she hopes to gain a better understanding of crafting messages and implementing strategic plans.

As she closes out this season of academia, Tyla believes that God is revealing to her His perfect image of grace and is teaching her to be relentless in her faith. She loves the verse Psalm 34:18, “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Her prayer for this experience is that God will use her and the rest of the interns to draw someone closer to Him, and we are excited to see how God will move through each of them!

By Tyla Hairston
Communications Intern