Interning with Reach

In Twenty-Four Seven each student gets to serve in an area of ministry in which they possess high passion. Although I love missions and outreach, last year I got to explore other fields of interest. For the first semester I learned about graphic design under Bayside’s creative department. Then during the second half of the year, I served in the office of the church’s middle school ministry. Both gave me great opportunities to learn, serve, and have fun!

During the summer I finally got to start working in Reach with a few other young adult interns from Bayside. Under our leadership and his guidance, we began restructuring the procedures, mission manuals, roles, etc. of Bayside missions to improve what was already in place. Because Bayside has so much growth, especially with the building expansion, and so many people want to spread the gospel through domestic and international missions, we wanted to create a more organized, enjoyable, and effective experience for everyone who participates in any kind of trip through Bayside.

Now that I’m in my second semester of my second year and still with Reach I get to learn more about the role and work of my “boss.” This means I get to help plan trips by reaching out to contacts to coordinate details, proofreading inter-ministry Reach materials, learning how to handle financial reimbursement requests, sitting in on creative meetings, going on domestic trips, serving in local outreaches, and more! I love what I get to do and I learn so much.

Just a couple of weeks ago, God opened an incredible door for me and the other Reach interns to go on a one-night mission trip to Ybor City in Tampa. After attending church service that Saturday night, all of the Reach Administrative team (the interns and “boss man”) loaded into a van, picked up water bottles from Wal-Mart, and drove about an hour north. At first I was shocked because I’ve never seen such conditions in reality, but then my heart broke. We walked up and down a street with a lot of clubs on it praying for the area. Then we picked a corner to stay at until we left. There we handed out water bottles and told people that Jesus loves them; some were really excited to get free water, others questioned what we were doing, and many ignored us. However, in the end the night was a great success! We were able to encourage some locals with God’s love, and provide non-alcoholic drinks. Even though we only stayed for a couple of hours, people began to recognize, and I think with a more consistent visiting basis, we could have a huge impact on that area. Next time this trip will be even better.