Internship Reflection from Alyssa Abbott: God's Faithfulness Evidenced

Within the Christian life, I believe there are many seasons that God fills with joy and uses to bless and prepare one’s heart for what He will lead them into. My time as an intern with the Holston Baptist Association was certainly one of those beautiful times, for God used that Summer in my life to further solidify and encourage me in the pursuit of a life spent glorifying God through international missions. It has been said that our lives as Christians can often be divided into three categories: community with other believers, commission into the world, and communion with our Savior. As I reflect upon this internship, it becomes evident that God has grown me in each of these ways because of the ministries and people I was blessed to work with this past Summer.

Community with like-minded believers remains an essential part of life for every Christian, and within the HBA internship, this element is emphasized even more. For instance, every week of this program I had the amazing opportunity to walk alongside and learn from fellow Christians, as they each worked in their own ministry contexts. Some of these weeks, I spent at local churches, working in their Vacation Bible School programs or outreach ministries. Then, at other times, I had the blessing of working with organizations like the Johnson City Baptist Center and those that serve there. Through these experiences, God allowed me to not merely learn how to do ministry in these settings, but He also showed me what it was like to build friendships with other Christ-followers, such as the interns I worked with every week and those who mentored and taught us at the HBA and at local churches. No intern was ever working alone, and instead, we built friendships within our group and the ministries we worked with, encouraging and praying for each other as we grew in our faith within Christian community.

Perhaps the most obvious area of impact from this internship has been in terms of being commissioned, or sent out, within the world with the command and gift to make Christ’s name known for His honor and glory. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus tells His disciples to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,” while this verse remains a command, it is also a Divinely orchestrated blessing that God decides to work through His people to reach others with the good news of eternal life because of Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross and resurrection from the dead (ESV). As born-again believers, we are given this gift and must put it to use, never for our own glory but for His. Though I plan to work overseas as a missionary, and this goal has been on my heart since I was a child, the work of evangelism is for every Christian. As the people of God, we are to be constantly sharing the hope of the gospel to this hopeless world, and within the HBA internship, I was able to participate in local ministries and also learn more about ministry and mission through weekly meetings and book discussions. Within the internship, the other interns and I also had the opportunity to visit and work with a church in Colorado for a week-long mission trip. Our goal was to encourage the missionaries there and work with them as they sought to reach local Hispanic communities and their local town with the gospel, eventually hoping to plant churches in those areas. At one point, I had the joy of live-translating a gospel presentation so that both English and Spanish speakers could understand, along with translating gospel tracts and flyers for the church events. In the end, the Great Commission and the gift of missions, both local and foreign, was a major focus of the HBA internship program, and it was an immense encouragement to my heart to be working beside other believers who also prioritize sharing the gospel, beginning with where we stand and spreading to the ends of the earth.

One last element of the Christian life and area of growth because of this internship that I want to highlight is communion with God, which simply refers to one’s relationship with the Lord. It would seem that both community with others and being commissioned into this world as witnesses of the hope of Christ both play a crucial role in developing our relationship with Him. Within the internship, my walk with Christ was strengthened by both of these, for as we minister to others, we must first draw near to the heart of God and be filled with His Spirit and His Word. Because if we do not know Him, how are we to tell others about Him? If we do not first walk in the newness of life that is ours through Christ, how are we to encourage others in their walk? If we do not know Jesus personally and continually grow closer in fellowship with Him, then every other aspect of our lives will be lacking because, as Christians, Christ is our life. Thus, one of our responsibilities as interns this past Summer was to walk in faith, and in my life, this most often looked like daily Bible readings, time spent in prayer and petition for others, Scripture memorization, and reading books about life in ministry and missions to be further prepared for the life God is leading me into. I also grew closer to Christ as I told others about Him, such as by teaching Bible lessons at Fun in the Son Kids’ Camp and sharing the gospel at multiple VBS programs. By the end of the Summer, I could certainly say that God has used the HBA and their internship to make me more like Christ and that much more willing to follow my Savior wherever He leads.

Overall, this past Summer, spent in ministry, has been a tremendous time of joy and growth in my life that I pray God will continue to use for His glory. At the beginning of this year, I did not know what my Summer would look like. I am a current seminary student at

Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and it was my hope to return home to Tennessee to work over the Summer in some sort of ministry capacity. However, I could not find a place that would allow me to serve and save up for tuition expenses, until my pastor called me, telling me about this internship opportunity. It was such a blessing and an answer to many prayers, for I was able to work with churches and ministries in my community, while also getting to attend New Salem Baptist, my home church, and spend time with friends and family between school semesters. None of this would have been possible if God did not choose to use this association of churches and the faithful workers at the HBA to make this internship happen. In the end, I am forever grateful for the friendships I made last Summer and all the ways God has so graciously worked in my life because of this program, and I look forward to where He leads next, trusting in His faithfulness and clinging to His Word.