Month: August 2026

Watering Seeds: A Summer of Serving in Cambodia

Posted on by Emily Belvery

Brynn is a senior at Concordia University Nebraska. She spent about nine weeks this summer serving as a short-term mission partner at Stronghold Cambodia in Kampot, Cambodia. Stronghold is a non-profit educational ministry where children hear about Jesus’s love in their own heart language of Khmer for the first time, and students (grades 3-12) who have never spoken English learn to communicate at a basic level.

You’ve served in Cambodia for two summers in a row now. What made you decide to go in summer 2025, and what made you decide to go back in 2026?

I had spent a summer teaching in Cambodia in 2023 with a different organization and grown a heart for Cambodia through that experience. I decided to serve with Stronghold specifically in 2025 because I had learned how Stronghold intentionally shares the Gospel in students’ native language on a daily basis. I was excited to serve alongside an established ministry that serves a people group who have a special place in my heart. I decided to go back in 2026 because of the students and staff at Stronghold. I truly believe that God used the relationships built in summer 2025 to call me back in 2026.

Describe the students at Stronghold Cambodia. How were you able to build relationships with them across language and cultural barriers?

The students at Stronghold have the biggest hearts and are eager to learn! Building relationships often looked like eating with the older students and bonding over activities with all of the students, such as UNO, volleyball, soccer, and dance. It is amazing how the language and cultural barriers come down when connecting with students through these activities.

What did an average day look like for you while you were in Cambodia?

An average day in Cambodia meant going into the office in the morning and preparing the lessons before students arrived at 11:15 for lunch. Classes were at 11:45, 12:50, and 5:15. The rest of the day was spent preparing lessons, running errands, and spending time with students. Sometimes after the evening class, I would go eat and sit by the riverside with the students as an opportunity to connect with them.

What was most challenging about your summer and how did God bring you through these challenges?

This summer was not without its challenges. The most challenging part was probably learning to balance the ministry and rest. Engaging in the ministry well requires proper rest and being poured into. I was challenged this summer to be intentional with the times that I chose rest or spending time with the students outside the classroom. God gave me opportunities for rest and unforgettable experiences with the students.  

Where did you most clearly see God at work while you were in Cambodia?

It was amazing to see God at work within the students! The older students make up the praise team, teaching the younger students, and teaching their peers. They have become leaders in their community, and it is evident that God is working within and through them.

How did God grow you through this experience?

Through this experience, God grew my dependence on him and to trust him with all of the details. I knew what my role and responsibilities would be this summer, but I didn’t know what the summer would look like emotionally and mentally with being the only short-term volunteer. God provided me with community and fellowship at Stronghold in ways that I could never have imagined. It’s easy to know that we are to depend on and trust in God, but God grew me to lean on him more than I ever had.

What are you bringing back to the US with you?

I am bringing back the memories of this summer and the students’ faces. I am excited to share the stories of how God is working in and through the students. He is the one who is growing them in their relationships with him and in their leadership. I am also bringing back the full dependence on God and continuing to trust God in the details of this next chapter of my life.

What would you say to someone considering serving in Cambodia for the summer and wondering if they’re the right fit for this opportunity?

Go! The summer in Cambodia is a great opportunity to teach (even if you’ve never taught before), live in a new cultural context with support, and build relationships within an already established ministry. Serving with Stronghold is an opportunity to water the seeds that have already been planted. If you’re wondering if you’re a right fit, I would encourage you that having a heart for missions and an interest in serving cross-culturally are two of the most important things needed. Trust that God would continue to lead you towards this opportunity if you are the right fit!

How Slovakia Prepared Me for Chicago

Posted on by Emily Belvery

Are you a church work student, gearing up for your internship? Have you ever considered doing your internship overseas? Hear from Jennifer Edwards about her experience as a DCE Intern in Slovakia and how that experience prepared her for ministry in the States. 

Introduce Yourself:

I went to Concordia University Texas in Austin. I studied Religious Education in the Director of Christian Education (DCE) program. I am currently serving as a full-time DCE in northern Illinois overseeing the children’s and youth ministries at my church.

Why did you decide to do an international DCE internship?

While I was in high school, I had the opportunity to do a home-to-home exchange program through my German class. I spent six weeks in Germany one summer and fell in love with Europe. After that trip, I kept saying I wanted to go back. After a couple of international mission trips in college, I started talking about doing my internship overseas. I always thought I would end up back in Germany, but God had different plans, and I ended up in Slovakia.

Going into internship I wasn’t sure if I would come back to the States at the end of my internship, so I never really had many concerns about an international internship and then seeking a call in America. At that time all I wanted to do was live abroad. Now that I am back serving in America, I think my time in Slovakia has been a huge blessing on my ministry here, definitely not a hindrance.

How did your overseas experience shape your view of your role as a DCE?

Serving overseas had a huge impact on how I viewed the world and my faith. Recognizing there is a lot that is simply different about people, rather than believing some do it “right” while others have it “wrong,” has been a valuable viewpoint to have when talking to people and building relationships. It feels like America has become more polarized and being able to hear different perspectives and understand both is really important now. I don’t know if I would have developed that skill had I not served overseas.

What’s something you encountered on internship that you didn’t feel prepared for? How did God grow you through this? 

There were a lot of things I encountered on internship that I didn’t feel prepared for. The transition from college (where you have your best friends and trusted professors all around you) to living on your own is tough. I also was living alone in a country I had never been to before moving there. I also am not the best person at asking for help, which probably didn’t help things . . . however, God definitely showed up!

He showed up in the people from the church I was serving at. He brought me friends and incredible support through those people. Even though I wasn’t great at asking for help, they knew I had never been to or lived in Slovakia, so they regularly were asking what I needed and what questions I had, and when I was brave enough to ask for help they were ready and eager to help me. One of the most beautiful parts of Slovak culture is how hospitable they are, and it goes beyond sharing a meal! I definitely shared a lot of meals with people there, but they also shared their time, their friendship, their prayers. Being someone who likes to do things on my own, God definitely challenged me to learn to lean on others and especially lean on him. He showed me what Christian community means!

How did your international internship prepare you for church ministry in the states?

From the outside it can be a challenge to see the similarities of international ministry and church ministry in America. They really are different in a lot of ways, but what is the same in ministry no matter where you are serving is relationships. Relationships are the foundation to a strong ministry and serving overseas only emphasized the value of getting to know people. Serving in a different culture also opened my eyes to the beauty of living life with people from all different walks of life. I currently serve in the Chicagoland area, which is a pretty diverse population culturally, economically, and religiously. Serving internationally challenges you to be more curious about people, and that has been an incredible gift that has supported my current ministry in America.

What advice would you give to a current church work student considering an international internship?

There are few experiences that will stretch you like serving internationally. While international ministry may look different than what you do or will do in America, I believe it has shaped me to be a better DCE than I could have been. My time in Slovakia broadened my worldview, challenged and strengthened my faith, and brought richness to my life. It is scary to leave the country you know, but if you have even a slight inkling toward this type of ministry, now is the time to explore it. I have never once regretted my choice to go to Slovakia, and it has continued to bless me and my ministry in ways I never could have imagined! So I say, go for it!