Summer Internship & Missions Intersect
Emilie Vinson puts her major into action in a unique way.
Emilie Vinson, right, interns as a writer at Campus Crusade for Christ's world headquarters while Emily Xiao, left, interns in payroll. These young women are 2 of 20 college students in the Orlando office this summer. Photo courtesy of Dawn Little
“I work with AIA.”
“I work in ITG.”
“I work with FamilyLife.”
My head still spins when I hear Campus Crusade for Christ lingo flying around me in conversations.
Having come from a small Christian school without Campus Crusade’s presence, I’m still learning the acronyms that everyone around me already seems to be familiar with.
I began searching for internships with a missions/ministry focus about a year and a half ago. During that time, a friend who was getting ready to join the staff of Campus Crusade pointed me towards a writer’s team at the world headquarters.
I arrived at the world headquarters in Orlando 10 days ago with a few bags of clothes, 19 other summer interns, and high expectations. This is not your typical internship. Though we’ll spend time serving in an office setting, the internship includes elements of a mission trip as well.
This is the Orlando Summer Project.
As a group, we’ve spent the first week getting to know each other, becoming familiar with the area we live in, and going through training in evangelism. After our initial training, we spent an afternoon on Cocoa Beach in groups of two, praying and initiating conversations with people around us on the beach.
Some groups were able to initiate spiritual conversations with those they talked with, some were able to present the gospel, and one group had the opportunity to help lead someone to Christ.
One of the aspects that excites me most about this internship is the opportunity to use what I’ve been learning in school in order to serve God. I’m a Mass Communications major specializing in Public Relations. Essentially, that means I’m a writer. I love to write, and this summer I have the opportunity to use that passion in a way that will both serve God and hone my skills.
Four days ago, I stepped foot in the office I’ll be working in for the next two months. I arranged my little cubicle, and began to settle in and find my way around.
I love it here. I couldn’t have asked for a better environment in which to grow in my capability as a writer, or in my faith. The team I work with bleeds creativity as they find new, fresh ways to write the stories of how God is moving in different areas of the world.
I want this summer to be a catalyst for growth in many areas of my life. I want to become bold in sharing my faith. I want to develop strong friendships and community with the other interns I’ll be living and working with. I want to develop as a writer. I want to grow closer to God and learn to hear His voice more distinctively. And, along the way, I’d like to pick up the rest of the Campus Crusade acronyms everyone uses around here.
P.S. For the record, AIA stands for Athletes in Action, ITG stands for Information Technology Group, and FamilyLife is a ministry that assists and encourages families. See, I’m already learning….
Following Jesus in the Congo