"Where I Am Now" feat. Camilla Richardson
This year, we have been celebrating 10 years Girl Talk Ministries and we just wrapped up our 11th summer!
One whole decade + a summer. 13 grades. 21 cities. 4 missionary countries.
Thousands of girls. Thousands of moms. Thousands of families.
Our 7th and 8th grade Girl Talk girls who began Bible study with us in 2013 have now graduated from college, began jobs, moved across the country, gotten engaged, started graduate school and so much more taking Jesus with them in every place. Celebrating our tenth year and 11th summer, we have brought you the lives and stories of some of our "original gang" of "Girl Talk Girls." Here you will find testimonies of what God has done in their lives through Girl Talk and beyond and the ways they are living and serving Jesus with their lives where they are now!
Today's "Where I Am Now" series features Camilla Richardson, dearly known as Cam. Cam graduated from Auburn University this past May (2023) in Graphic Design. This summer, she interned for Kendra Scott in Austin, Texas and she has started her own graphic design firm, Lunch Break. She is from Montgomery, Alabama and the daughter of Chuck (Melissa) Richardson and Lisa (Alan) Jolly. She graduated from Saint James School in Montgomery, Alabama in 2019. She is a triplet, Bea and Sue. Camilla and her sisters attended the first ever Girl Talk going into 7th grade and has been such a sweet part of our ministry ever since.
We cannot wait for you to hear all the Lord has done and is doing through Camilla.
First ever Girl Talk, May 2013 (Camilla, fifth from the right, with her sisters, Sue and Bea on the left).
Girl Talk (GT)• Cam, you have been a part of Girl Talk since our very beginning in 2013! You were going into 7th grade when Girl Talk started and you have been have been such a sweet part of the life of Girl Talk ever since. We have loved watching you grow and see the ways the Lord has used you and worked in and through you. How Girl Talk has impacted your life?
Cam (CR): Girl Talk was the first experience I had with Christian community growing up. It was a place where I could come and knew I would feel closer to Christ when I left. I was always guaranteed to make a new friend each time I went to GT. These girls are people that I’ve kept up with ever since & I have loved seeing how the Lord has worked in their lives, setting us each on a unique path that He planned for us.
GT• We love the community God has continued to grow through Girl Talk. You were such a sweet middle schooler. Your contagious laugh and silly personality was always a draw to anyone who was around you. We have known you along time, what are some struggles you have faced as a girl today?
CR: The first bit of my college experience was a hard time. Freshman year was such a big transition— I was leaving behind my amazing friends from home & family to take on a 4 year journey in a new city. It was hard to be apart from my people & watch friends change and relationships grow apart. At the end of freshman year, Covid hit, which added on even more weight to my struggles. During this time where we were all at home, I got pulled under a wave of doubt & anxiety. This is where I truly grew closer to Jesus and had to put my trust in Him & know that things would get better.
GT• Jesus is truly the place we come to and find peace when we fully surrender our lives to Him. 2020 was a hard year for all of us. We always want girls to know that coming to Jesus with our struggles doesn't mean it magically goes away. We still live in a fallen world surrounded by sin, sinners and really hard circumstances. But when we bring our struggles to Jesus, we find His Peace that surpasses all human understanding. His Peace that no matter what is going on around us and how we are treated or what we see happening, He is there to comfort us, sustain us and provide for us through His Love, His Strength and His Power. How long did it take from that year to see breaktrhough in those struggles?
CR: It took a little while after getting back to school in 2021 & things going back to normal before there was a breakthrough. I still had a lot of uncertainty & distrust, but I was still pursing Jesus and eventually things turned around. I got back into a routine in school, made some really great friends in my design program, & started working with some nonprofits in Auburn. It just goes to show that things will work out if you trust in the Lord’s timing & know that His plan is greater.
GT• So good! When we give ourselves to the Lord and don't try to do it on our own, He will show up and He will not let us down! We love that! And such a great testament to pursuing Jesus even when it might not make sense, or even when it is hard and you don't see it immediately, we can trust Him that when we give it to Him, He has our best. He loves us that much and we can trust Him to know our heart and our desires as we give it all to Him.
As you pursed Christ daily and sought Him in those struggles of college and giving him your doubt and uncertainty, what are some of the specific ways you have see that things will work out when you trust in the Lord's timing and know His Plan is greater?
CR: God has been so evident in the career path I chose to take with Graphic Design. In college, my classes were very small so I was able to become very close with my design classmates. Many of these were girls of strong faith who no doubt made me closer to Christ every day. I also have been able to work alongside multiple non-profits in Montgomery and Auburn doing design for them & helping them to grow their reach. I’ve been so lucky to be set on this path where I can do something I love & also know that God placed me here and I am able to help others because of it.
GT• So so good that we can trust the Lord and see Him provide all we need! We are so proud of you in how you have stayed connected to the True Vine and have allowed Him to fill your life with good and perfect things. You are an incredible Graphic Designer and we are so thankful for the ways you are allowing the Lord to use you both professionally and use you personally in the relationships the Lord has given you as you have trusted in Him. We love the truth of who you surround yourself with is who you will become and we are so thankful for the classmates God surrounded you with you were able to strengthened your faith on those days when doubt was much louder. The Lord has definitely had His Hand on you throughout your classes and how He has placed you in the workplace. How is God using you now and how are you serving Him?
CR: Currently, I am working as a Graphic Design Intern at Kendra Scott in Austin, TX. Kendra Scott is such a philanthropic company that it allows me to serve through my work here. KS has many partnerships with organizations & I’ve been lucky to design things for them during my time here. I also have been working with the 12 Verse Challenge/Illuminations team to create monthly Instagram reels on their page. It’s been such a great opportunity and I love seeing them succeed! I’m blessed to serve the Lord through these outlets using the gifts He has given me & I cannot wait to see where the Lord will place me next.
GT• You are so talented and we love to see all the Lord is doing in and through you. We are so thankful and blessed to be a part of it. We cannot wait to see where He continues to place you and use you in the years ahead. We love you, Cam, and we praying for you!
Thank you to those who love and support Girl Talk Ministries. It is because of you that we are able to pour into the lives of girls all over the country as they grow up, move out and use the gifts the Lord has given them to serve Him in all capacities. We love to see where He takes them as they follow Him. Camilla is one of many who could have drifted away from the Lord and used her gifts for her own gain and glory. But like many of us, the Lord used 2020 to draw Camilla to Himself in ways that the busyness and unknown of college could have never done. So much sovereignty in Who our Lord and Father is. He does not cause the chaos and struggle, but He absolutely never leaves us in what the enemy and the sin of man brings. Because of your support of Girl Talk, we get to see lives like Camilla's continue in His Plan. Thank you for your prayers, your support and your time in reading these stories.
To support Girl Talk Ministries or find out more, you can visit our support page at www.girltalkministries.info
Visit our original post on our previous website https://glensmithministries.wixsite.com/girltalkministries/post/where-i-am-now-feat-camilla-richardson
