Our annual summer internship is planned for the beginning of July through the end of August. Read the accounts of past internships to get a flavor for what happens during internship. For more information contact George Bryson at georgebryson@cccpm.org
This summer the Lord blessed us with 5 interns. There were 4 Russians and
1 American. They came to experience being a part of a mission/staff team.
I really enjoyed working with them and getting to know each one of them.
I'm remembering them as I write this letter and cannot keep from smiling.
The rest of the ministry team really misses them and wishes they could be
here now.
One of our goals during the internship is to encourage them to grow in
their relationship with Jesus Christ. Lord uses all of the "hands on"
experience to both use and stretch them. My prayer is that each intern
went away more mature in the faith, as well as knowing more about the day
to day life of a ministry team/staff member at CCCPM.
It was obvious that they had a good time while with us, but there was also
a lot of hard work involved as well. This summer the interns:
1. Visited orphanages in Tver,
2. Accompanied the Ladies Ministry Team to Kaluga.
3. Took part in an outreach to the city of Tambov.
4. They also spent time helping with a church plant in Krasnogorsk.
5. On top of all this they had daily chores at the dorm, including a lot of
cooking, cleaning and laundry just like everyone else.
Practical ministry is a big part of our life at the dorm and they got a
good taste of it! Watching 5 precious young people, who showed up at
different times from different places, become good (and perhaps even
life-time) friends was one of the highlights for me. A large part of our
Christian life is built around relationships and I know that these interns
went away with many blessings in this area of their lives. So did I.
In Christ Jesus,
Drew Morehouse
CCCPM
The 2007 summer internship began with interns plunging right into the first
concert outreach of the summer. Interns from Russia arrived early July 4th,
while those from America arrived roughly the same time at the Moscow airport.
After being picked up by staff and brought to their summer home at the Bible
College in Snigeri (west of Moscow), they were joined by staff and the Russian
interns for a time of orientation and getting acquainted.
As the interns' role
in helping with the first concert outreach in Krasnogorsk began the next day,
team leader Alex filled everyone in on the plan to pass out fliers and speak to
youth they met while walking though the town.
Interns headed out early the next morning for a day of getting the word out
about Sorrow Underfoot, the pop rock band from San Diego, that would be
performing four nightly concerts at a local night club. The outreach team, which
included staff, interns and outreach team members, walked to the train depot,
then rode the train about ten minutes to the Krasnogorsk stop. Once there, the
team split up and covered different sections of the town. As many living in
Krasnogorsk were out on errands or simply hanging out in a park, the teams were
able to pass out many of the index card-sized concert fliers to Russian kids
(target ages about 15-18). On occasion, a teen would ask more specific questions
about the Amercians or what would be happening at the concerts. The teams spend
a good part of the day in town before heading back to the Bible college for the night.
The first concert began the next day! The interns' day started out like the day
before: train ride to Krasnogorsk, then passing out fliers and in some cases,
replacing concert posters (hung the week before) that had either been torn down
or already pasted over by other event posters.
The concert featured music by
Sorrow Underfoot, Alex, and a message by Chris Wheatley pastor of a Moscow
Calvary Chapel. As the concert concluded, band, interns, and team members
talked to the Russian kids that had attended and encouraged them to bring
friends the next night. Though the first concert's audience was small, the word
definitely got out, and each night more seats were filled. Interns talked to
concert goers each night, getting various responses: some were caught up in
drug addictions, but were fearful of giving Jesus their lives, some voiced
their objections to the notion of God, while others were curious, wanting to hear more. The last
concert wrapped up with band posters and CDs for all and plans for the outreach
team to meet with the kids the next day and invite them to church over the weekend.
Between get togethers with the kids from Krasnogorsk and those who accepted the
invitation to go to church, interns were given lots of opportunities to reach
out and develop relationships with the Russian kids, something all interns are
looking forward to throughout the summer.
With the first outreach behind them, interns could begin to settle into a more
routine schedule at the Bible college. Days are now filled with morning
devotions, morning and afternoon Russian or English lessons, as well as a
morning Bible study in the gospel of John and an afternoon study by George
Bryson titled, "The Essentials of Salvation and Spiritual Growth," led by Alex.
Interns pray for eachother daily and have free time to spend time with the
Lord, studying their lessons, and just hanging out, which could mean jamming on
guitars, playing soccer or volleyball, getting a haircut, going for a bike ride,
or just sitting around the large tables in the dinning room and fellowshipping.
The interns do covet prayer: that they have "ears to hear" what the Lord wants
to reveal to them as they spend the summer waiting on Him and serving at the
Bible college and in the concert outreaches. Beyond the daily routine, they
also would love prayer for the kids they have met in Krasnogorsk and for the
opportunities they will have to share the Lord this summer in Moscow (July 24th)
and in Tambov (August 13-23rd).
Thanks to all of you who have been faithfully praying this summer for the
interns, staff and others that were helping out at the CCCPM dorm! What a
blessing it has been!
As the internship moved into the final weeks of July, plans firmed up for a
mini-concert at the Moscow nightclub, "Tochka," or "The Point." Band members
from "Sorrow Underfoot" (who had performed at the Krasnigorsk outreach earlier
in the month) were part of the summer internship and very excited about the
opportunity. So with intern leader Alex Enfiedjian and other interns, the band
prayerfully made its way to the well-known underground nightclub. On this night,
most concert-goers were between about 15 - 22 yrs. old. Sorrow Underfoot was
the fifth band to perform, and was definitely a change from the normal fare: it
was American, girl-driven and Christian.
The band played five songs and had an opportunity for lead singer Shannon to
share (through staff translator Veronica) about the Lord. While this drew some
groans from some in the audience, the good news of salvation through believing
in Jesus was clearly shared. (It was mentioned later that this was exciting, as
the gospel is never shared in Moscow nightclubs!) The band left shortly after
their performance (had to catch the last train home for Snigeri!) and was
surprised by the number of concert-goers who followed them out of the club.
Free band CDs (with lyrics translated into Russian) and posters were given out
along the way with contact information for those wanting to know more about
Jesus. We are praying the Lord will use this unique opportunity to reach kids
that would never attend an outreach and probably not hear the good news any
other way.
While the interns continued to have opportunities to build relationships and
share about Jesus with kids from the Krasnigorsk outreach (one evening included
a Mexican food-fest and Bible study on the gospel of John), Bob and Darlene
Eason arrived from New Jersey to begin the dorm restoration and repair "phase"
of the summer. As Alex had put it just prior to leaving for a 2 week trip to
the States, "This is a good opportunity [for the interns] to put into practice
what had been learned in Bible studies during the summer," - primarily how to
be a servant.
