About a year before graduating college, I knew I wanted to experience what it would be like to do full-time, cross-cultural mission work, and right after graduation was the only time I’d be able to carve out a few months to do that.

After learning about Serge through the recommendation of a friend, I chatted with a Serge recruiter and it was clear to me that the Ireland internship was exactly what I’d been hoping for.

I spent the first few weeks of the summer doing a lot of personal reflection, both on my own time and through the Sonship program. Reflecting on what God had done in my life up to that point–and why He still mattered to me–was crucial in preparing myself to go out boldly during the four weeks of church/community service that followed.

For the first round of “outreach teams,” myself and four other interns were paired with a small church plant in the rural town of Gorey, Ireland. While there, we ran a softball camp for the local youth, engaged the town in door-to-door and street evangelism, and took care of most of the church’s events (like Sunday service and Bible studies).

For the second round, myself and three other interns worked with Solas Project, a non-profit that focuses on rejuvenating communities by working with youth in inner-city Dublin.

I didn’t have any expectations going into my internship, but by the end of the first two weeks, I knew that it had already surpassed anything I could have ever expected beforehand.

There were plenty of things that surprised me, but ultimately, I think what surprised me the most is how God showed me that He and His Church are alive in Ireland. It’s not that I didn’t think the Irish church was active and growing, but seeing it firsthand was so unexpectedly invigorating and joyful.

Now, more than ever, I realize that Jesus came to show love to everyone, especially those who haven’t experienced much love in their lives.

Just like grace is freely given to us, my internship showed me that we’re called to compassionately and relentlessly love others. God’s love transcends culture, gender, race, class, and any other demographic factor, so why shouldn’t ours?

The work I did with the various outreach teams taught me that the Church needs all of the same things in Ireland that it needs in America: community, encouragement, and people willing to serve. Being able to be part of that in Ireland undoubtedly showed me how I can engage my home community in ways I’d never thought of before.

————-

This post is by a previous Serge intern, Jacob Webb. Are you interested in becoming a Serge intern? If so, learn more here.