Introducing G.O.D. Int’l Summer Internship Facilitation Team
G.O.D. International offers a Summer Internship Mission Experience to El Salvador and East Africa carried out by a highly skilled team
1 Corinthians 12:4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone, it is the same God at work. Now to each one, the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
G.O.D. International has operated Summer Internship since 2002! The program takes young people around the world to learn about God’s mission through intensive Bible study and practical service. Facilitating this experience for young people requires the cooperation Paul speaks about in 1 Corinthians 12: a variety of people with diverse gifts, in service to the same Lord, carrying out work for the common good.
Global Outreach Developments International has been facilitating its Summer Internship program since 2002. Gregg Garner, Tara Garner, Rob Munoz, Jason Roufs lead this initial trip to Mexico and Kenya.
This summer, 30 interns led by highly skilled G.O.D. team
In an article recounting G.O.D.'s 20th anniversary in 2016, Founder and C.E.O. Gregg Garner recounted a scene from La Bamba. Richie Valens had to decide between staying with his band or becoming famous through a solo record deal. In the movie, Valens ditches his friends and gets fame. Gregg recounts that he made the opposite choice, "it's always been about doing it with my band."
Facilitating a summer internship takes a "full band." We have put together a dynamic team with specialized roles and years of experience. They work together in every part of the planning process. This year marks 20 years from our first Summer Internship, our first large-scale mission trip since the COVID-19 pandemic. We are thrilled to have 30 interns ready to dedicate their summer to serving Jesus in Latin America and East Africa! Our experienced team knows how to execute the plays of a successful mission. Here's a look at our core facilitation team!
Note: Carrying out Summer Internship is an "all hands on deck" scenario. We estimate that over 150 people will play some part in this year's internship, offering meals, homes, translation services, video skills, and more. The individuals highlighted here are part of the core facilitation team who will have responsibilities that span the entire summer.
Hannah Duffy, Summer Internship Coordinator
Hannah Duffy, far right, has been a source of prayer and encouragement for dozens of interns since she began coordinating the program in 2014.
Hannah (SI '06) has faithfully carried out this role for the past eight years. Hannah has a bachelor's in missiology from the Institute for G.O.D. You'll most often find her on the phone, praying with interns, encouraging them to raise their funds, and testifying how Summer Internship 2006 changed her life. Hannah is our "on the ground" coordinator who connects all of the pieces of the hour-by-hour schedule, making sure all of the bases are covered and connecting the moving parts.
Sara Davis, Communications Manager
Sara has been serving with G.O.D. Latin America since 2012, and has been ministering in El Salvador regularly with our mission teams.
Sara (SI '12) has a degree in Mass Communications from Biola University and a bachelor's in Biblical Studies from the Institute for G.O.D. She works alongside Hannah to update our website and fundraising portals, edit documents, and help carry out events and meetings with our teams and, soon, our interns! She has been a part of the G.O.D. Latin America team for a decade, and is an asset for the team while they serve in El Salvador.
Laurie Kagay, Public Relations
Laurie Kagay (front) has been committed to serving people in East Africa since her internship in 2005. She has helped raise funds and support to provide lunches for a primary school that was too poor to serve meals. (Pictured, serving lunch at the school, 2019).
That's me (SI '05)! I'll be serving by writing pieces like this, giving you a window into our ministry, how we carry out service and doing reports on what is accomplished in service to the least of these. Because G.O.D.'s Summer Internship program is a part of our college curriculum at the Institute for G.O.D., I will be doing features on Institute students during their mission experience. I've overseen G.O.D.'s publications, websites, reports, and media for ten years. I will be ensuring Summer Internship will be appropriately shared and celebrated! I have an undergraduate degree in Biblical Studies from The Institute for G.O.D. and a master's in Theology and Ministry from Welch College.
Jordan Miller, RN, Health Care Coordinator
Jordan Miller, RN, (left) introduces her family to the children of a primary school where G.O.D. serves.
Jordan Miller, RN (SI' 11), a graduate of the Institute for G.O.D. with a double major in Biblical Studies and Community Development, and Union University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Jordan will serve as our health care coordinator throughout the summer. Jordan coordinated the updates to our health policies that cover COVID-19 restrictions and precautions in the different regions where we serve. Jordan is in regular contact with public health officials and the Ugandan embassy in anticipation of our travel.
Michael Johnson, Finance Lead
Michael Johnson (SI '06) has served in finance with G.O.D. International since soon after he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Bethel College. He then attended the Institute for G.O.D., where he earned a second bachelor’s degree in Community Development. His heart has always been for missions, and he's facilitated building teams in Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador since his Bethel days. He'll be traveling with the group to El Salvador and overseeing all expenditures, plane tickets, and more.
Jason Roufs, HR Manager
Jason, a former professional soccer player, understands teams. He has a degree in education from Azusa Pacific University and one in Community Development from the Institute for G.O.D. Jason helped facilitate some of the earliest Summer Internships G.O.D. International offered, and his years of experience in Latin America and East Africa are a gift to our team. Because this internship includes dozens of different training facilitators, videographers, meal crews, and more, Jason's role as human resource manager is vital! He will ensure employees can experience the flexibility to handle their all-the-time responsibilities with this seasonal program, as well as oversee our logistics for the El Salvador portion.
Matthew Parker, G.O.D. Latin America Lead Manager
Mathew Parker (SI '08) has bachelor's degrees in Biblical Studies from Moody Bible Institute and The Institute for G.O.D. Matthew has been leading G.O.D. International's work in Latin America since 2012, managing programs and projects alongside a team of administrators, educators, and development workers and establishing our ministry campus in El Salvador. He is a gifted public speaker and serves on our pastoral team for the community church of G.O.D.
Cameron Kagay, G.O.D. East Africa Lead Manager
Cameron (SI '05) has studied community development at the Institute for G.O.D. at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He has been leading G.O.D.'s efforts in East Africa since 2012 and has more than two decades of building experience. He has been a primary project manager for building our ministry campus in East Africa, including the installation of two wells. Cameron will handle logistics in East Africa, and help expose interns to the great need that exists there.
Gregg Garner, G.O.D. Summer Internship Leader
In 2002, Gregg launched G.O.D.'s Summer Internship program. His giftedness in Bible teaching, leading worship, team dynamic, logistics, media, and mission facilitation have been crucial to the SI experience. Gregg began and led the program in the early 2000s and empowered others to do the same. This year, he's back as SI leader, something our team recognizes as very special and necessary as we gear up for the growth of this program in the next decade.
In Gregg's experience teaching young people the Bible, he noted several issues that needed to be addressed:
There was a disconnect from the situation of the poor. Westerners' lack of experience with poverty can make it difficult to understand Jesus' teachings about the poor.
Many people are trying to shortcut learning the Bible. It's dangerous territory to try to carry out missions without understanding what God intended that to look like.
There's a need for young people to have a concentrated time to focus on learning God's Word and doing it.
Summer Internship offers a venue where these three above issues intersect. Young people learn the Bible in a new way as they're put in a situation closer to the context in which it was written. Interns practice carrying out the Bible's teachings with skilled personnel giving them feedback. Gregg's pioneering work with Summer Internship has now been tested for 20 years, and we're so thrilled with its success. Many G.O.D. summer interns have become development workers, doulas, midwives, farmers, administrators, and teachers who serve the poor in both the U.S. and the third world.
The only biblical way to do ministry is as a team. Through our love for one another, the world will know we are his disciples (John 13:34). Just as every instrument in a musical ensemble contributes to the beauty of a song, the body of Christ needs every part to carry out its work effectively.
Join us in prayer for this special summer internship!
