The three-year multiethnic Mission Intern program offers Christian young adults aged 22 to 30 opportunities to develop leadership skills as they participate with Christian communities around the world in the search for justice and empowerment. The program includes 15 months of work-study in an assignment outside the United States and 16 months of action-education in a United States placement. Applicants must be committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ and willing to live at the level of the local community in which they serve.
Amy Peed of Orlando, Florida, is a United Methodist Mission Intern whose overseas assignment was in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her primary work was with a preschool program called FLOC (For Love of Children). Founded in 1989 in response to the growing needs of poor families in Johannesburg, FLOC is committed to providing quality education to needy children. It is funded in part by the Women's Division of the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries.
When she was less than one year into her assignment, Amy shared her enthusiasm in a letter to the Board of Global Ministries:
The children are the delight of my days and a symbol of hope of that this country will be able to start again. My major responsibilities include chapel time for the children, weekly Bible stories, staff devotions and individual work with children and staff.
. . . I am also helping to integrate an antibias/peace education curriculum into the classroom. This has been incredibly exciting and inspiring! The teachers are a close-knit community of women, with whom I do a lot of interacting. . . . I feel truly blessed to be welcomed into their lives and know that I already have many memories I will take home with me.
As of this writing, Amy was starting to serve the second part of her term at a related assignment in the United States. United Methodists can take pride in young people like Amy who serve on behalf of the church. Her experience of mutual ministry, that of receiving as well as giving, is not uncommon for mission interns in their places of assignment. Also frequent is the positive response that comes from communities in which these young Christians serve. The local director of FLOC wrote to Amy: "We greatly appreciate the contributions to our project and want you to know how invaluable they are. It is also heartwarming to be connected to the United Methodist Church. We are truly a worldwide family."
Anyone interested in learning more about this program may write to:
Mission Intern Program
Mission Personnel, Room 320
475 Riverside Drive
New York, NY 10115
Mission Resources | GBGM | Mission Interns | Mission Stories