MENU

College Internship or Summer Missions? I did both!

By Matthew*, May 5, 2016

I arrived in Berlin, Germany, the second week of June, where I would complete my internship for the summer working as a public relations intern at a cultural center in the city. Public relations and German were my two majors in college and I am a photographer and artist in my free time, so I was enthusiastic about the chance to spend my summer in Berlin, gain experience in my respective fields, and build my portfolio further. One more thing—this was an internship with MTW. My internship was not just limited to my job fields, but I also got to learn how to interact with, thrive in, and love the city of Berlin. In short, I was learning how to live a holistic Christian life.

As an MTW intern in Berlin I worked with artists, performers, small business owners, and others from all walks of life. I had the opportunity to learn about and live in the neighborhood where I worked and grow in my understanding and appreciation of community. Living in Berlin showed me the importance of community for both Berliners and for the Church.

Germany has had an extremely tumultuous history and is very distrustful of the Church in general. By speaking German I was able to build a common connection with the people I was interacting with and start a relationship with them. It still sticks with me today how many Berliners told me they appreciated me speaking to them in German.

One of the verses I meditated on much throughout my internship was Romans 12:1, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

What we’re being exhorted to in this verse is offering our lives, and every aspect of them, up to God as a “living sacrifice.” While I was in Berlin my mentor and I focused a lot on the all-inclusive nature of this verse and our calling as Christians not only to love the Church but to be in the world for God’s glory. God is calling us here to continue our spiritual worship for those still in darkness to see and be drawn to because of God’s glory, goodness, and sovereignty over our whole lives, not just what we do on Sundays.

My experience in Berlin was invaluable and helped me grow both spiritually and professionally as I learned more about what it meant to live as a “living sacrifice” and as I got to see God’s sovereignty and design in all aspects of life, not just in planting churches and vacation bible school.

Matthew graduated from Virginia Tech in 2015 and is engaged to be married. 

*Last name withheld by request. 

Please login to continue
Forgot your password?
Recover it here.
Don't have an account?
Create an Account
Sign Up for Free
Name
Email
Choose Password
Confirm Password

GET INVOLVED

Munich Prayer Journey
Mission Trips
Die Werkstatt: Discipleship and Ministry in the Heart of Europe
Summer Internships
Apprenticeship for German-speaking Europe
Longer

"Go Where the Battle Is Raging:" MTW Missionaries Share Stories of Spiritual Warfare

The enemy relentlessly assaulted missionaries in Berlin. But God equipped them to help push back the forces of darkness through prayer.

SEE MORE

A Pandemic Ignites a Surge of Life and Death Conversations in Burdened Berlin

The pandemic shook people in Berlin in a way they hadn’t been shaken before. And when people had life and death questions, they came to Jay.

SEE MORE

Inside MTW's Prayer Ministry (Video)

COVID-19 serves as a reminder that even more than evangelism, more than teaching, more than discipleship, prayer is the primary work.

SEE MORE

Pray that we would be able to accomodate and recruit interns desiring to work in their field of study and participate in global missions.

Pray for those who have entered into life and death questions of faith with missionaries in Berlin as a result of the pandemic. 

Pray for missionaries seeking to minister to those who are critical and hard to love. Pray that missionaries would love their neighbor as Christ loved us.

Pray specifically for the refugees in Berlin with whom our missionaries are building relationships. Pray that these refugees would come to faith if they do not know Christ.

Pray for MTW's ministry to refugees in Greece, Germany, Ukraine, Uganda, Panama, and the U.S.

Give thanks to God for a movement of the Spirit spreading across Europe opening doors that have been long-shut.

Praise God for opening doors in Germany for us to minister to refugees in a local refugee home. Pray for refugees to grasp the love of Christ. 

Pray for the declining Church in Europe. Many see Europe as post-Christian and without hope. But we know that Christ will build His church.

Praise God for breaking through barriers in Germany and producing long-sought-after fruit! Pray for new believers to grow in their faith and lead others to Christ. 

Pray for Muslims coming to faith in Christ across Europe. Pray that they would be discipled and find a church home. 

SUBSCRIBE TO STORIES & MORE

Good news in your inbox, once per week.