Week one complete!! And what a week it’s been. Typically, TIME Missions interns have a few days to settle in and go through orientation before any groups arrive. This year was different. We welcomed Cedarcrest church from Georgia the day after our arrival, which means we were thrown straight into ministry and trained on the go. I absolutely love the other interns! It already feels like we’re a little family. Being an intern comes with many responsibilities, so I spent this past week learning to fulfill those roles. Luckily, with only four teens and around a dozen adults, Cedarcrest was a small and easy group. Abby (intern) actually goes to Cedarcrest, so this group was an absolute joy for her.

Throughout the week we did various ministry work including VBS, sports ministry, construction, and the Jesus film for kids. One day, we hosted a women’s event, so Hazelin (intern) and I ran childcare for the 22 kids while the moms got to have Bible study, worship, and food. One of the kids in particular stood out to me. Carlos is only 8 but I could already see God’s hand on his life! He is such a strong leader and volunteered to pray multiple times in front of the group. I know the Lord has big plans for Him!

One evening, we went out into the community to evangelize and invite people to come to a special church service and dinner afterwards. We had enough food for 100 people and quickly ran out (which sounds like a bad thing but is actually the opposite!) This was definitely my favorite night of ministry, and I was able to use my Spanish to invite people, hold small conversations, and nearly fully understand the sermon! (Albeit, it was a Pentecostal church so there were a lot of pauses and repetition… but still!) I’m hoping to improve a lot by the end of the summer, especially in my speaking skills.

As for construction, groups will usually build sections of a chapel and assemble it at the end of the week. However, this week Cedarcrest only built benches, which may not sound like a lot of work… but let me tell you! The amount of sanding we did was insane! But it was so worth it. We were all deeply touched when it came time to deliver the benches to the chapel. For Cedarcrest it was a continuation of their relationship with that church and pastor because a few years ago they assembled their chapel! These people live in a very impoverished area, which is hard to take in, but it’s amazing to see how God is working there and to see the faith of the locals. It was a privilege to have the opportunity to bless them and further empower their church to reach their community.

Cedarcrest was such an amazing group; they were so gospel focused and very intentional with ministry and their conversations with one another. A handful of them even spoke fluent Spanish, making ministry all the more impactful! Because they were a small group I was able to get to know each and every one of them, and I grew especially close to the 2 teen girls. I loved hearing everyone’s testimonies and stories of how God had moved in amazing ways leading up to their trip. Though they were only here for a week it wasn’t an easy goodbye!

This week we’ve been doing ministry with ICS and City Awakening, which is a completely different experience! Tomorrow is our last day with them, so I’m definitely a bit behind in updates, but I’ll share more about them in my next blog post!

To God be the glory,

Betsy-Cate Dumas