A Team of Many

Well it has been a busy first couple of weeks here in Ft. Myers. I have been working with missionaries to create videos for various purposes. I am working with Human Resources to create orientation videos for new affiliates, the Elkins’ (some of our affiliates) to create a video for support raising, and Media to create videos for the website of New International. I am about to start a project with Child Sponsorship to create a video for them, too! 

I am super psyched to be back this summer and working with people I love like Abigail and Rachel. It is also really encouraging to realize how far I have come as a filmmaker in the last year. I am excited to continue to learn and grow in film, editing, but most importantly in God. After all, none of this would be possible without God helping me and pushing me to be better. - Sarah 

Hi, my name is Donny, and the past few weeks I have been working with New International’s Child Sponsorship Department. So far, I have worked on a few different projects to be helpful where needed; however, personally, I have been trying to learn as much as I can about how to effectively eliminate poverty. Jayson Simonson, (the director) is an excellent resource in this.

One of the most impactful things I have learned this summer is the importance of empowering the people you are seeking to serve. New International’s Child Sponsorship program stands out from similar programs in how it seeks to empower individuals and families, who, in turn, will create change within their community. At Child Sponsorship, we value the families we are working with. Families in Kenya have skills, knowledge, and experience not available to those serving in the United States. By empowering local people to make their own decisions for their families with the resources and services we share with them, we walk with them and provide them tools with which they themselves can use to benefit their community.

As I seek to do my own work in the future with refugees, I will also seek to value the experiences of those I am working with. Empowering others in this way and not assuming we know everything about extreme poverty, I believe, is how we may best seek to end poverty. - Donny

This week I had the chance to serve as support staff in the Bicycle Ride Across Georgia (BRAG), a 400-mile tour completed in seven days. BRAG provided an opportunity for cyclists and support staff to minister to hundreds of people across Georgia. In addition to raising money for youth ministry in the Philippines, Ends of the Earth Cycling hosted worship every night. Although this was an Ends Cycling tour, its focus was more on outreach and service to the tour organizers. I served alongside the Ends Cycling tour director, which gave insight as to what that responsibility would be, as well as what it would be like to host a 1,000-person cycling tour. I am excited to see what the next seven weeks bring! - Leah

This internship has been very informative and eye-opening so far. I have conducted many interviews with both missionaries and departments within New International. It has been an honor to tell every single story of these wonderful people. While I have been here, I have learned so much about missions and what all goes into them. Going into this, I knew very little about missions, and it wasn’t until I got here that I discovered just how little I knew. The most impactful thing about this internship so far has been the community. The people at New International have been so loving and welcoming, they truly are unique. - Sydney