Summary of Internship
My internship was everything I expected and nothing that I expected all at the same time. The Lord was faithful to provide in how I made it there and it was solely by His grace that I was able to have the experience I did. I spent most of my time in a culture inside a culture. Meaning that the people group I was working with were North African immigrants in France. This caused me to have to stay on my toes as I was already far outside of my comfort zone just being in another country let alone trying to navigate the difficulties of figuring out what was expected and appropriate in which context. This challenged me to press into the uncomfortable and allowed for me to invest in a people group that I otherwise would not have come to know and love as I do now.
However, the biggest challenge I faced in my time there was that of language learning. Being thrown into a context that is unfamiliar is one thing but adding to stress of understanding next to nothing about what is being said around you brings another set of challenges. The Lord taught me the beauty of perseverance, even though I was there for such a short time and gave me a greater appreciation of what it means to be understood and ultimately to understand. I desired greatly to share my heart with everyone I came into relationship with, however, many times this was not possible because of the language barrier. This forced me to depend on others more than I had been used to and showed me the beauty, once again, of doing life with people rather than alone. Speaking of which, I had the privilege of working with a long-term team who invested in me in a way that I never expected. They took it upon themselves to love and nurture me through this process. Without them my time would not have been able to be enjoyed nearly as much as it was. They challenged me to look at the labels society was putting on me and reflected on what Jesus says about this. They reminded me of who I was and ultimately Who’s I was.
All in all, I have learned that community can be cultivated in the strangest places and with the most random people. I have learned that the daily grind, the monotonous is where the most fruit comes from. Without the commitment to do the things that need to get done on a regular basis there is not space for the miraculous. I have learned that the world is broken and in need of a loving Savior. No matter where I am or what I am doing there are people in desperate need of the gospel. I have learned that people want to be loved, first by a person and ultimately by Jesus even if they do not know who He is yet. I have learned that being present with people is one of the grandest gestures that I can give. To just sit, drink tea, and talk about nothing for hours is the relief that many people need.
Nonetheless, this is just a snippet of my time and would love to share more with you if you would like to sit over coffee one day.
Katelyn Neil
Author
