Past interns have said they have never worked so hard in their lives, but that they have also never laughed so hard or prayed so hard or loved so much as they did while being a summer intern. It is an experience that will definitely change your heart!
To read about first-hand experiences of interns, go to our blog at: blog.itsyourmission.com
My Father Will Never Fail Me
By Mandi Wheat
My internship in Kenya through Buckner was the most incredible experience. The girls that I served alongside every day taught me so much through their personal walks with our Savior and it was amazing to be a part of such a wonderful team. The Lord hand picked each one of us to work together and it was neat to see that, because of our differences, we were able to reach out to different children in different ways.
God is at work in beautiful, powerful ways all over the world. He is in the process of calling all nations to Himself, and has been since the beginning of time. He whispers a call to each of us to be a part of His plan to bring all the nations to Him and it is such a joy to experience the ways that he is working in Kenya.
I had no idea how much my life would be changed as a result of my trip or how much the Lord would speak to me during my time there. It is hard to find words powerful enough to describe my internship. As we laughed, played, sang, learned scripture and talked about our precious friend, Jesus, with the orphans, we fell in love with them.
I have pictures of their faces covering my wall and covering my heart. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about them and I can’t close my eyes to pray without their faces coming to mind. As a young child, before I knew about other occupations like firemen and the president of the United States, I knew about missionaries and I have been passionate about missions since I was young.
This summer, as a result of my time with the orphans, I felt the Lord confirm a call on my life to serve Him in Africa. I am counting the days until the Lord allows me to return!
One day, as we played and worshiped with the orphans in Kitale, Kenya, I heard them singing a song that went like this: “I have a father that will never ever fail me, I have a father that will never ever fail me, Jesus is my father that will never ever fail me.”
I was overwhelmed with emotion at hearing these children who have never known their earthly fathers sing a song of praise to their Heavenly father. In the middle of such poverty, despair, hunger and darkness, God is at work in ways glorious, holy and eternal. I had hoped to teach the orphans so much, but I was the one who learned, and I learned about what true love really means. Just as Jesus called the little children to Himself in the New Testament, He is still calling them to Himself today from every tribe, nation and tongue. How precious of Him to allow me to be His hands, His feet and His words of love to the orphans in Kenya!
Little Ones to Him Belong
By Amy Duncan
It was May 30, 2008 and our plane was about to take off for Guatemala City. I had been out of the country before, but never for that long and by myself. I didn’t have a clue as to what to expect. I was familiar with, but not an expert on the culture or the language of Guatemala, so I was in for an adventure! Regardless of expectation, I definitely did not expect God to rock my world and give me the experience that I had while I was there. This was a spiritual journey that I will never forget and here is a small glimpse of what the Lord taught me:
As Americans, we live in what I would like to call the “American Bubble.” We tend to focus on ourselves, our busy schedules and how we can climb up the ladder in society. Being away from American culture was so refreshing. I loved being completely immersed in Guatemalan culture, experiencing their food, the people and their heritage.
I remember one morning when we were having our devotional. Something stuck out in my mind that day as I sat across from Amed, our missions coordinator. Amed had such a passion for the orphan ministry and ministering to the people in his country. He would talk about it and pray for them fervently. As I sat there listening to him that morning, I realized that here I was halfway across the world, ministering to people I had never met.
Yet here was Amed, in his own city and country, ministering to the people that he interacts with ach and every day. This for me was a moment that I will always remember. It is not only a memory, but a conviction that I had that moment. Here I was ministering to the people I had never met, yet I don’t minister to the people that I see each and every day in my own community. This challenged me to return home and plunge full force into the ministry in my own community through loving God, loving people and serving them.
Another spiritual realization and moment of growth that I had, was about service. It is in the moments that we don’t realize that we are touching someone’s life that in fact, we may be doing so. This was true for me in several occasions during this trip. You don’t ever realize how meaningful cleaning out a closet, painting a door, or merely playing jump rope with kids in a park are. Honestly, I may never know how I touched the lives of some of the people whom I came into contact with, but I am certain that the Lord will bless those acts of service and those people that I ministered to.
Lastly, and most importantly, was the spiritual insight I gained from our trip to the dump. This is a place thousands of families live. They don’t live beside the dump or next to the dump. They basically live inside the dump. This was the most humbling experience to see these one-bedroom shacks and dirty children running around everywhere. Where most children go to the parks to play, the Guatemalan dump is these children’s playground.
What I gained from this day in particular I was able to carry through with me throughout the remainder of the trip and a lesson that I have also carried home with me. As I walked through the alleys of the dump, I realized that these are the people that Jesus walked with, talked with, dined with and hung out with. He loved the least of these unconditionally and didn’t turn away the hand of a child because it was dirty and smelled of trash. As I realized this, tears came to my eyes. From the experience of this trip, I want to be a person who loves the whores, widows, poor, lonely, weak and all those who are not cared for by most people in society. I not only want to give them money and serve them that way, but I want to walk with them, talk with them, dine with them and love them unconditionally just as Jesus did. I know that my life will only be enriched more fully as a result and so will the people that I love this way.
