Summer Internship from a High-School Perspective.

When I first heard I would be receiving training with a Children’s ministry, I wasn’t sure whether I would be doing long tedious Bible studies, or learning to change diapers. Neither prospect was the most exciting, and I couldn’t have been more pleasantly surprised at the reality.

CBM training isn’t just training to be a kids teacher, it is training for how to live your life. It focuses on your attitude, spiritual warfare, and much more. Yes, we learn the solid facts of how to hold pictures so all children can see, how to express Biblical truths, and how to summarize material for preschoolers, but there is also so much more. If you are willing to go into it with a “I know nothing, so God teach me everything you can,” approach, you will get way more out of training than you bargained for. It turned my spiritual life and personality around!

As an intern I had the cool opportunity to teach Bible Clubs all over Maryland. At first I thought these clubs were boring and ineffective, then I realized it was because I was being boring and ineffective. Then I brought in jumbo marshmallows, a few more games, a gandalf-style beard, and a ton of enthusiasm and excitement and by the end of the week children were begging for us to return the following year. I was even invited to a few birthday parties, which I graciously declined. Pool parties with 4-year-olds I’ve only known for a week just isn’t something I do with my free time. No offense.

The thing about the SMI program is; this is real missionary work. Like any missionary overseas, you need to be flexible and able to run the clubs how Christ would, and often it’s different for each club. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach, in order to save lives I’ve found you need to have a humble heart, an open mind, and an obedient spirit. You need to be willing to invest all that you are, that’s when souls are won and lives changed.

Even though I wasn’t a child camper participating in the crafts and games, my first year of camp was probably one of the most enjoyable experiences in my life, surpassed only by my second year at camp. The first year I got to be a Junior Counselor in the youngest boys cabin. There were only four children in that cabin, but I swear they were the most work. WHAT CHILD QUITS EATING MAC N’ CHEESE TO RUN NEARLY A HALF-MILE ACROSS THE CAMP JUST TO GRAB A BIG STICK HE SAW FROM THE CAFETERIA??? I do not understand. When I was seven, I liked macaroni. It wasn’t even that cool of a stick! Oh well, sometimes you just need to allow for a little controlled chaos.

I feel bad for the counselors of the 6-8 year old boys the following year, because there were thirteen kids in that cabin (shudder). That year I had the extremely unique opportunity of serving the camp as mission’s teacher. Since I’m an actor, this was a highlight of my life an a memory I will never forget. Each night all the children assembled for evening chapel, and I would tell a segmented part of the “Pilgrim’s Progress” story using props, costumes, pictures, and acting technique. I’m glad evening chapel occurred during sunset since one of my costumes happened to be a black long-sleeve button-up shirt with dress pants. Dress pants in an outdoor chapel mid-summer is not a good idea. In the future I plan to portray only characters who wore shorts.

One of the things I love about CBM is the fair ministry. I mean….the ministry isn’t just fair…..the ministry is great! I’m talking about the ministry we perform to families at the Howard and Carroll County fairs. First we draw children to our chapel via clowns and candy (trust me, it’s not as creepy as it sounds. Unless you force me to be a clown with a fully-painted face, then we have a problem.) In an open environment like the fair, I was able to share the gospel with children, grandparents, atheists, and Indian immigrants. The gospel presentation occurred inside of our beloved chapel where we either performed a puppet show or a live skit that provided entertainment centered around Jesus’ mission. After the skit, one of the SMIs would share the gospel clearly and invite people to receive God’s gift of salvation right then and there. It was breathtaking to watch viewers of all ages make a life-changing decision then and there.

CBM is cool because it provides opportunity for you to work in ways you feel called. I noticed that SMIs had no place to set their lunches, so they were left piled on the rear pews of the chapel. Therefore, some of the SMIs and myself designed, painted, and constructed a closet to replace this rear pew, complete with coat hangers, room for our puppet bins and costumes, and a hinging door held fast with a magnetic latch. We don’t mean to brag, but it was awesome seeing how God used our talents in construction work as a part of this flexible ministry.