Written by Dani Hammond, Bhutanese Kids Club Coordinator
On the last day of May, we kicked off our summer internship with four new interns. We spent the first week getting to know them and scratching the surface of what the summer will hold. This past weekend, four staff members took the new interns on a retreat to really get to know each other better and to get a jump start on the internship. This is the first summer that I have been involved in the summer internship and up until this weekend, I didn’t quite know what to expect; but whatever my expectations were, they were exceeded by far.
All four interns blew my mind. I was so proud to see them open up to us and to each other in sharing their stories, and processing through what we were learning in our devotional times. They participated one hundred percent in everything we did and didn’t hesitate to take the lead; in the fun stuff, the deep stuff, the awkward stuff, all of it. I loved getting to know each of them in their uniqueness, what God has done has done in their lives so far, and their excitement to continue listening to his voice and seeing him work in their lives even more.
Throughout our devotional times, we discussed the parable of the house built on the rock foundation, the tree planted by the water in Psalm 1, and the vine in the branches from John 15. Each intern learned something that was personal to them, and they explained their thoughts and feelings with elegant, descriptive images and wisdom and clarity that is rare in such young people. As we talked about different kinds of plants, water being the source of life, and bearing fruit, a tomato plant was brought up as an example. We described how tomatoes grow by soaking up water from the plant, fall from the vine, and their fallen seeds grow a whole new plant. We all laughed together when one of the interns had a profound thought and said, “We are all tomatoes!” While it is a rather comedic phrase, it also has a deep, significant meaning. Our coined phrase for 2016 summer internship will help us remember the great things we have already learned, and what we’ll continue to study throughout the summer.
By the end of the retreat, the interns laughed together even more and said they felt as if they’ve known each other for a long time and that they are family. I feel the same way about each of them and I’m excited to spend the summer with such delightful, inspirational youth who are so thirsty for the Lord. Pray with us for our (amazing!) interns that the Lord would continue to open their hearts, and bless them with wisdom, understanding of who Jesus is as their Lord, and deeper roots in their identity as children of a Good, Loving Father.
