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| Shannon Turner, KCB summer intern |
I would consider myself an opportunist, not in a negative
sense, but in the “kid who went on every school field trip” sense. I thoroughly enjoy new experiences
because they involve new people, new places, and new opportunities from which I
can learn and grow.
When I was 16, I was given the opportunity to travel to El
Recreo, Ecuador on a mission trip with four others from my church. While there,
we stayed at a local church whose congregation was doing amazing things in the
city. One of these things include outreach to a local community known as “The
Invasion”, a section of the city
that is made up of people who are refugees through many different
circumstances, but all live in similarly styled homes, made up of scrap
materials and built on stilts to protect from constant flooding. While there, I
helped lay a few bricks for a new church building being put in place, but I got
to see so much more! Among many other incredible things, I saw puppet shows
that teenagers held for the children living in The Invasion; I saw true joy
come from such a sparse area, and as I was 16 and had never been out of the
country, nor my comfort zone, before, this setting was engrained into my mind
as the image of poverty.
However, as I traveled to Magdalena, Guatemala the next
summer, I learned that poverty is not constrained to an image of meagerness. My
experiences in Guatemala showed me that although poverty is an issue that is
not necessarily easily seen, for the closeness of the family unit, the
importance of spirituality, and the hope in God’s promise promotes strength and
unity within the towns. In Guatemala, I was able to work with child
sponsorship; this allowed me to visit schools as well as the homes of sponsored
children. Being able to spend time with these children, whether it was
celebrating a month’s worth of birthdays or entertaining them as they awaited
dental extractions, I was able to see that the children in Guatemala were no
different than the children I babysit at church.
After I returned home from Guatemala last summer, the lack
of polar differences between the issues addressed in places such as Ecuador and
Guatemala to those in my own city and those surrounding—homelessness, poverty,
broken relationships, grief, etc.—made me question, if we are sending teams to
different countries, who is working locally to build God’s Kingdom?
Meanwhile, I had been volunteering at Food Help Ministries
in Downey for three years, and the neighbors I met and shared stories with
drove my passion for not only being able to understand the underlying causes of
homelessness in such a culture of excess,
but to know how to reach out to those who are not necessarily embraced
with welcoming arms by Christians.
I stumbled upon Kingdom Causes Bellflower serendipitously. A
few months ago, someone asked what my plans were for this summer. When I
replied, I’m not sure, he encouraged me to apply for an internship position.
After a little research, my opportunist nature kicked in, and, while I was
unsure if I would even be chosen,
I figured, “Why not?”. Yet, one week into my summer as a volunteer KCB Intern,
I have already learned more than I could have ever imagined. I am so grateful for
this opportunity, for I know that being surrounded by genuine followers of
Christ who have passions for what they do has already encouraged and inspired
me to grow in my walk with God as well as to remember that my internship is not
focused on all of the great tasks that I can accomplish. Rather, I know that
God will be molding my heart this summer, and I am truly excited about learning
as much and listening as much as I possibly can in the coming weeks.
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