Mid-Summer Intern Check-In

A Summer of Fun

This is not a stuffy internship that takes place in an office building. A big part of the fun for them is building relationships with the students while playing games, engaging in conversation, and just hanging out together. Being a presence and providing the students with an opportunity to open up and talk to someone makes a huge difference in the lives of these high school students. And it’s just fun.

Emily loves getting to know the girls in her huddle. They have opened up to her quickly and are so excited to learn more about God. Cole also thoroughly enjoys the spiritual conversations he has with the guys as well as just hanging out with them. All of the interns talked about their time at junior sports camp in White Bear Lake. It is possible they had even more fun than the campers (who had a lot of fun!). They got really into some of the active games, and competition was fierce as they laughed their way to the end of the games.

A Summer of Impact

The interns recognize that they are poised to make a big impact in the lives of those they serve. Gina captured the sentiments of the whole group when she said, “We are getting to learn a lot and see scripture and leadership strategies we can use. It makes us want to go home and dig in deeper and share what we learn with our groups. Having a group that I have to lead makes me more driven to know it well.” 

As often happens, the interns are learning as much from the students as the students are learning from them. Cole said, “I hope I’m making a difference, but they are making a huge difference in my own life. We build off of each other and can learn from each other.” Emily has been impacted by the depth of the students she works with: “I’m impressed by the quality of conversation. I feel like I was not as wise as when I was in high school - the questions they are asking – they really want to know the Lord more. It’s been cool to see that I’m having an impact.”

Seemingly Small Moments that are Big Moments

Emily, who plays volleyball at Bethel, recently had a conversation with a high school student from St. Paul. The student is a basketball player and wanted to know what Emily did for workouts. The conversation started on the surface level but went deeper as they talked. It was a cool testimony to how God can use small points of connection, like sports, to draw people to Himself.

Cole has been playing a lot of spike ball with the huddles he is working with. Because they have been having so much fun together, they are able to get deeper more quickly. It’s been fun to have that connection of playing a competitive game with someone and then being able to sit down and talk about Jesus.

Gina loves the organic ministry that comes out of just doing life together. Recently, her discipleship group planned a surprise birthday party for one of the high school girls after their huddle. It turned into an evening of hanging out together and growing deeper in relationship. Gina has grown to love this group of girls and sees how God is using opportunities to draw the girls to Himself.

Rachel was excited about a recent event at her huddle. They were playing Capture the Flag, and while Rachel was stuck in jail she noticed that one of the girls wasn’t really participating. Rachel got her attention and asked her to free her from jail. The rest is history as she then spent the remainder of the game freeing people from jail, largely undetected from the opposing team. It was cool for Rachel to have made a connection and then see her get involved in the game.

Telma helps with the FCA softball ministry in Lakeville. Recently, she experienced a cool God-moment with a girl on the team. “It was a girl that I never thought would open up. She got injured and has been sitting on the sideline with the coaches. One day she said to me, ‘I love having you around. You’re so happy – how do you get that? You just have something different.’ Telma was able to tell her, ‘Yeah, it’s Jesus.’ Being able to plant a seed and have them ask what makes me who I am – that was cool.”