An Open Mind, A Servant's Heart, Dedication & Passion
When one begins a business its only
right that they have a business plan. The same could be said if someone is a
contractor and that they have blueprints before they begin construction. My year as Mrs. North Dakota International
2015 has neither a business plan nor a set of blue prints. Rather, I have an
open mind, a servant’s heart, dedication to North Dakota and passion for The
Joy of Sox and faith in the Lord.
· An
Open Mind. Having an open mind is important to be
flexible. When God presents you with an opportunity it is always with great
purpose, so it best to not question it, and open your mind and be flexible and
“roll with it.” You can be amazed at where an open mind can lead you.
· A
servant’s heart. Before my home was bought out by Fargo Flood Protection, I was often eager to jump into the bigger or more
social volunteering opportunities and not the tedious, or less celebrated
positions. It was during my time when my family and I moved from house to house and even a campsite without a permanent home that I
found value in the small everyday opportunities. Such as simply chopping
vegetables in the back room of The Salvation Army or the less than glamorous
job of sorting donated socks in my garage. The simple tasks fuel my soul like
gasoline to an engine. I became humbled at these opportunities as God fueled me
to change my perspective.
· Dedication. This is fundamental, it says a lot about a person’s
values and integrity. These days we live
in an instant society, if you want a meal, your house cleaned, or most anything
all of these things are clicks or calls away. If you do use phones they must
operate immediately and if it takes more than a few seconds I have seen some
get frustrated. It can be easy to walk away but dedication is real commitment. Sticking
with something when you do not see instant results, it’s in trouble, boring or difficult
that is what is hard, that’s dedication.
· Passion.
When you have an unquenchable thirst and
you are driven by an unrestrained urge to search high or low to find something,
anything to drink-that is passion. For some passion can be found if you can
satisfy a particular craving by only pouring your time and attention. For some
its music, and that elated feeling of happiness someone can get from simply
listening to music. For some its running, and they can tap into superhuman
qualities and run astounding amounts of miles, that is passion. For me is
simply providing socks to the homeless.
So, I start of my year ahead not with
business plans, blue prints or list of to-dos. I begin as all things with God, with
a spirit of adventure with an open mind, a servant’s heart, dedication and
passion that I am going to whole heartedly give to the State of North Dakota,
The Joy of Sox and the homeless population I serve. I only know that I my year
ahead will provide comfort, warmth, dignity and hope for the homeless, and so
far it has been amazing.
Blessings,
Erin Bertel
Mrs. North Dakota International 2015
