CMF Reach Internships – July 2015 – Anchored

REACH is CMF’s eight-week summer internship for young people who are considering missionary service. This newsletter highlights program news and the interns’ stories as they join experienced CMF missionaries in hands-on field ministry.

New Face of REACH

Hello! I’m Kirsten Lynch, the new Associate Mobilizer for the REACH program. I live on the west side of Indianapolis with my husband Adam, who serves as the College and Young Adult Director at Connection Pointe Christian Church. We both LOVE working with college students!

My experience in missions includes several short term trips to Guatemala, Uganda and Kenya. I completed a five-week internship in Uganda as part of my degree, and then went back for two months to student teach in the same area. This past October I went on a short-term trip to Kenya with Connection Pointe, where we worked with Missions of Hope (MOHI) at the Madoya School in Nairobi’s slums.

For the past few years I have worked as an elementary teacher, most recently in first grade. However, my heart has always been with missions and overseas ministry, so when the opportunity to work with the REACH program became available, I felt as if God made the transition out of teaching very clear.

I am beyond excited to join the CMF staff, and look forward to working with all the REACH interns.

REACH 2016Plans are already underway for next summer’s interns. The REACH theme for 2016 is Infuse. More details coming soon!

Change of Heart

Jana Witulski is currently serving as a REACH intern in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She went to the field with a lot of certainties but soon learned that God’s plans take precedence over our own! Here’s a post from her blog shortly after her arrival:

I was certain that God wanted me in Kenya. That clearly changed. Then I was certain that I would be content wherever God placed me. Nope. I was certain that I would be comfortable in any situation that I would experience in Ethiopia. Wrong. I was positive that I would never fall in love with another country like I did with Kenya.
Negative.

Are you getting the point?

Nothing could have prepared me for this summer, not even my previous trips. I came into this internship thinking that I knew how to handle culture shock, changed plans, and moments of silence. I was so sure that I knew everything about international travel. Man was I stupid. Little did I know that this summer would be filled with laughs, tears, heartache, and joy. The only way to fully embrace those emotions and allow them to transform my heart was to allow God’s plans to take precedence over my own. His plans were and are to tear down my walls of assurance, pride, and comfort.

Summer has just begun and I have been struck with the hand of humility and have been knocked to my knees in praise. I did not know that this was possible this early in the internship but God is has a funny habit of making things go His way.

My team and I were able to visit the many ministries that Strong Hearts [CMF’s Ethiopian ministry partner] has developed. First we went to see the schools. As soon as we walked in, we became the human monkey bars. Children left and right, one pulling on my leg, the other hanging on my arm. In this moment of chaos, there was a sense of life and joy that came over me. Who knew that someone could mean so much to me within the first 5 minutes of meeting them? The kids were stoked to have us join them in their games. We played airplane, ring-around-the-rosy, and thumb wars. So much enjoyment out of something so simple. These kids showed me an untamed, unconditional love that, in my eyes, was unnecessary but it was so natural for them. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not opposed to adorable children loving on me, but they had no reason to. I had only known them for less than 10 minutes. I am just amazed at how deep they can love someone, especially a stranger.

We also visited the daycare and the salon school. It was amazing to immerse ourselves into the ministries that Strong Hearts is involved in. The impact that God is having in these ministries is incredible; the children are being taught English, women are opening their own salons, and many have been brought to Christ. All this through the Holy Spirit working in these people’s hearts. How could I not be in love with this culture, this ministry? God has definitely been softening my heart for these people.

I am certain that God wants me here.
I am learning to be comfortable being outside of my comfort zone.
I am willing to be changed and transformed by God’s hand
I am ready to fall more in love with this city.