Internship Paper (personal use)

David Hutton

Mr. Creamer

Internship

23 May 2009

Internship Paper

So in reflection of the adventures of this internship I think it is safe to say I’m a better person. It has been a crazy ride of being in the heart of all that goes into running a church. Something I’ve learned is that the church runs off three things; God, people, and action. I never took into account all of the effort it takes for a church to function (especially on a large scale). Job shadowing Matt has been a great experience for me. The guy is crazy, but in a good way. I have gained an indescribable amount from just watching the whole process, not to mention being a part of it. Learning to discipline myself in both knowledge and deed has brought about a sharpened character in my life. Being involved with community outreach has put a new perspective on what action calls for in the ministry. I have gained a new respect for Matt through this experience. I am very satisfied with my choice internship and would most definitely recommend it to a student interested in finding more in life. I have tons of stories and would probably use my hands a lot while describing them. This has gotten me excited.

You know that I have a lot of energy in me. You know I don’t stay in one spot very often, Matt saw this too. One of the things Matt had me do was sit still and not fiddle with something. This was horrendous to me. I am glad he did it though. Through this and other disciplines I am training my body to quit thinking it needs to always fiddle or snack. I have devoured many books during my internship as well. I have read on such theologies as “Ex Nihilo” and about social outreach and many others. It has been a great feeling to fill my mind with these thoughts. The church workers do a lot of tedious things. I was annoyed very much at first (and still am sometimes) at some of the monotonous tasks that I was asked to do all of the time. “David go take down the walls, David go put up the walls, David go clean this, David go move this, David make copies, David make coffee, and David you are kind of cool.” I would hear these things a lot (sadly not the last one as much but I know I am cared about). I have had to makes thousands of copies and pasted so many things. I have cut paper upon paper. I have moved so many chairs. I have put up and put the walls time after time. I have stocked a food pantry. I have ran errands I have moved tables and cleaned messes. I have worked on mailing lists. I have shoveled mulch. I have striped paint off a wall. I’ve made CD cases. I have done a lot more than I ever thought I would. It felt good. It feels good to work for something you care about, even when it’s annoying.

My favorite part of this internship was the opportunity to be involved with outreach to the community. Something has been growing inside me longing to put my hands into the outreach. It was an incredible thing working the food pantry to set up food for people in need. When Rich Fork did the Hope Lives event, I never felt more alive. We did combat with the moral that the economy has brought and gave the message that there is hope. We put together a “Day of Hope” event at which we gave away an entire gymnasium full of clothing, a trailer full of food boxes, free hair cuts, free health check ups, free dental screenings, free car check ups, free massages, and so much more. We had colleges there to help with continuing education, and we had many support services such as Job Links and Cooperative Community Ministries. It was like nothing I had ever seen. It was enlivening to see the community come together like it did. With this and the outreach through service in missions I have entered a world I have never dreamed of.

This internship was a key part of my senior year. I am glad it happened when it did and how it did. I would surely recommend this to anyone seeking to do something with his or her life. Overall, as I trudged through the tedious things over and over, something began to grow in me. I’ll never be the same again. Am I glad I took this internship? Indubitably.