It was year ago today that I stepped off a third plane and onto the concrete of the Kamloops Airport to begin a five week internship with The Bridge Community Church in British Columbia, Canada. My teammates, Meghan and Kaitlin, and I waited for our luggage on the conveyor belt when I turned around to find Donnie, then Lead Pastor and our host for the summer, waiting behind us. As we loaded up his truck with our bags (minus Kaitlin’s, which the airline managed to hang on to for an extra day), we were then oriented with our dorm rooms at the in-town Thompson Rivers Univeristy where we would meet some great people over the next several weeks. Our first trip to buy things was a short walk to the nearby Real Canadian Superstore. Later that evening, Donnie picked us up and brought us to his house where we met his wife, Sheri, their two children and some of the members/elders of the church over an outdoor steak dinner. This was the beginning of the meshing together of a dynamic that made for an unforgettable summer.
While in Canada that first week, we got oriented on exploration and prayer walking, ate Greek food and got to work right away, volunteering at Thrift City on Seymour. All the while, our bonds tightened, and by the end of the first week, such gems as this one were being produced.
We spent our Sunday mornings helping out at The Bridge with a pogram for grades one through five called Kidmo, which gave the regular leaders, Clay and Carolyn at the time, a much needed and deserved break. We also helped with the set-up of the welcome table in the lobby of the Cineplex Odeon, where the church then met.
Activites over the course of the trip included volunteering with the Kamloops Art Council during Canada Day, as well as passing out bottles of water to thirsty patrons in Riverside Park; going on a camping trip, where we visited over 10 communities for prayer walking and exploration; placing flyers in mailboxes about the upcoming Kid’s Club; volunteering at the New Life Mission (Daryl ROCKS!); helping out with the Backyard Bible Club and Kid’s Club, serving in various capacities for both; passing out snacks to the businesses of downtown Kamloops, as well as popsicles to people at parks; and building relationships with those we met (if you’re in Kamloops and reading this, say hey to Dawn for me). I know my Facebook friend list would be incomplete without the awesome people who took us in and made us feel welcome.
The daily devotion book we were given based on Romans and written by the Canadian Baptist college ministry was very insightful to our internship. The gifts and food bought for us to start us off was a blessing that made us feel welcome. Everyone we met had something to contribute to our trip, including the countless people who helped us out in town; whether they attended The Bridge or didn’t even know us. Oh, and the food was amazing. A&W, Earl’s, White Spot, Kelly O’s, Boston Pizza, Mountain High Pizza, Tim Horton’s, Cowboy Coffee… and how could I forget the FRESH IS BEST SALSA??? Too good. (As for groceries, Save-On-Foods is where we found the best deals when we used their discount card.)
Blog posts like this have a way of traveling, as the recap I wrote of my first week in Kamloops was discovered by a reporter named Melissa at Kamloops This Week and landed us at the front of the newspaper! With that said, I have no idea if this blog will travel to the interns who recently arrived to Kamloops from Tennessee this year. If it does, let me tell you that you will have an amazing and unforgettable summer! I don’t know how many of the above items you will be doing, but I know that God will bless you and rock your world if you let Him. I personally came out of this trip with a deeper passion and application of prayer in my life. My teammates and I prayed regularly, and we watched God do great things in us and through us every day. You will love it in Kamloops, and be glad you got the chance to meet Donnie and Sheri before they head back to Florida. They are the best!
Although I am one year removed from my time in Kamloops, I can tell you it has been a year unremoved. I frequently think and talk about the trip. My teammates and I became a family, and we still keep in contact with each other and get together when possible. I hope the team that is there this year will be able to say that. This internship will always be a part of my life, my walk with Christ and my ministry to others.
May anyone answering His call be able to say these things.
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