In the article below Erin had the chance to correspond with Katie Harlander, who finished an internship with a Social Work site in the D.R. in the summer of 2015.

Did your work this summer help clarify your future steps in your vocation?

In the light of missions, this summer definitely showed me what a love I have for other countries and cultures and the desire I have to share the gospel with people around the world. I love how SI does this through occupational ministry, and by working with them this summer I have decided it is a very effective way to reach people. I came home from the summer feeling confident in my major, psychology, that I am pursuing. I am excited to see how God will use this vocation in a missions setting in the future. I worked at the Social Work Site with Johana and loved seeing how a psychology major could be a helpful tool when ministering to others in this setting. Although I did not leave this summer knowing exactly what area of psychology I want to pursue, it definitely opened my eyes to a direction I could go and overall left me feeling encouraged and excited about psychology.

What was the value of the summer internship program to you personally?

I grew a lot spiritually this summer. Before coming I was praying and asking God to show me his greatness. God chose to show me his goodness instead. I was challenged by one of the staff at SI to recognize God’s goodness in my life and in each day. As I began to pay attention, I was able to see God’s goodness in the simple things as well as his goodness toward me throughout my life. Looking for God’s goodness led me to a life filled with more praise, peace, and satisfaction. I also truly experienced God as my strength. This summer was both physically and emotionally exhausting as I was constantly fulfilling my role and duties as an intern as well as constantly pouring into others. I often found myself drained and exhausted. I truly found renewal and strength by taking some time to be alone with God and be in Scripture. Only by depending on God as my strength was I able to continue loving and pouring into others. Another value of the internship was getting a taste of living as a missionary in another country. I definitely got a better idea of what life would be like than I did when I came for just two weeks. I’ve been interested in missions and am definitely considering it after college, and the summer internship was a perfect next step as I pursue that path and look for God’s direction.