The eight weeks that will change my life forever

As I prepared for my summer internship with MTW, one of the most frequent things people told me was, “You will remember this experience for the rest of your life.”

In hindsight, I would say this doesn’t quite capture the picture fully. Remembering won’t be an issue. I would reword this and say, “These eight weeks will change your life forever”.

I spent the summer in Setagaya, one of the 23 wards in Tokyo, Japan. There are two overarching takeaways from my experience.

First, ministry is in all the moments.

Prior to this internship, I served on two weeklong mission trips to Tijuana, Mexico, with my home church. We built homes with families. I loved the physical labor that put so much sweat and dirt on my body. At the end of each day, there was no question if any work got done. In the morning we showed up to a dirt and rock ground, and we left in the evening to a concrete foundation that we made, mixed, and spread with our own hands.

From my prior experience, all ministry work had tangible proof of a good day’s work.

Not long into my internship, I began to feel discouraged because I wasn’t seeing any proof of my effort. There was no concrete slab to admire. I shared this discouragement with the team, and with conversations and prayer, I began to learn that ministry is in all the moments.

I lived in a shared house with 14 international roommates, only one of whom was a fellow intern and believer. I spent a lot of time on the rooftop and had some great conversations up there. Every time I was asked what I was doing in Tokyo, I was given a chance to share I was working with a church. I was their friendly roommate who spoke highly of a local Christian church. God can use these conversations to plant seeds.

I ate lunch multiple days a week at the same café. I became a regular there, the same waitress served me every time I went, and she knew my order. I read the Bible there. I was a kind customer who engaged with Scripture. God can use these interactions to spark curiosity.

I developed relationships with the missionary kids. They sacrifice a lot of relationships living abroad, and I was able to pour into them. I was the young adult that loved Jesus like their parents. God can use these relationships to inspire their faith.

I spent time on a college campus. I shared lunch with peers in their dining hall. I learned about their lives in Tokyo and shared about my life in Maryland. In Japanese culture, people keep their walls up for months or even years until a real friendship is built. This is very different than I am used to, especially having just lived on a college campus in the U.S. where I made new close friends within weeks. God can use these lunches to open hearts to a relational way of life, like Jesus modeled for us.

Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” God uses everything. Ministry can happen everywhere, all the time.

Second, I want to be all in.

Jesus tells us that the greatest commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).

I want to love God with all my heart. I want to love God with all my soul. I want to love God with all my mind.

I learned that somewhere along my lifetime as a Christian, the gospel became normal to me. I am so thankful that I was raised in a strong Christian home and I am so grateful that I don’t remember a time when I didn’t know the name Jesus. With this however, I think that I got used to the gospel. Being across the globe, stripped of my comforts, and surrounded by a culture that strives for perfection and independence, I was reminded just how powerful the gospel is, and I stopped allowing it to merely be something I knew. I wanted to live out the greatest commandment fully.

The fact that the Creator of the universe loves me personally and died to save me is not normal. That is profound love, justice, grace, and mercy that I will only ever find in Jesus. And because of the beautiful, redemptive love story and rescue mission Jesus went on for me, I am compelled to live all in for Him.

A new life-changing trajectory

Within the first few weeks of my internship, I began to feel the Holy Spirit nudging my heart about potentially being in Japan for longer than I planned. I prayed about this when I was on the field and for a month after I returned home. God gave me peace to go back to Japan and serve with the team longer.

I have been very encouraged by Proverbs 16:9, which says, “the heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” Even though this is so unexpected and different than I planned, I have so much peace—because this is where God is leading me.

For me, being all in for the Lord is leading me back to the field for an 11-month internship. I don’t think being all in is limited to a career on the field, but I do believe it is intentionally loving and seeking God in all things. I believe being all in for Him is sitting at the foot of the cross, in awe of how much He loves me, and surrendering my life for His will.

So, I really mean it when I say those eight weeks will change my life forever.

Not only is my vocation on a different trajectory, so is my heart. I am centered and on fire for God and His kingdom. And for that, I am so grateful.

Serve in an MTW global internship! Browse summer opportunities now at mtw.org/internships.

Subscribe for News and Articles.

Get good news every week! Subscribe to Stories & More for stories of God's work, videos from the missions field, and a wide range of missions topics.