Interning for Impacto Ministries is without a doubt the best decision I’ve ever made. My first time serving with Impacto was during a week-long trip with my team in December 2016. My heart was immediately drawn to Impacto and the ministries that they serve. I returned as an intern in July 2017 and July 2018.
Interning gave me a completely different perspective on Impacto Ministries and everything they do. I got to be a part of all of the behind the scenes work that Impacto is constantly doing that teams don’t see. I’ve always loved serving within my church and interning was an opportunity to serve teams, Impacto staff, and the people of Guatemala. I got to meet amazing teams and amazing individuals while I interned.
I got to learn from so many people from teams all over the United States, people I will never forget. These people taught me so much about loving God and loving others. I met role models I’ll always look up to, and new brothers and sisters in Christ. The connections I got to make with the kids and abuelitos after being there for a month were also so heartwarming.
I’m convinced that there is no better feeling than seeing faces light up when they see you return after another week. The simple gestures of sitting with them and being able to love on them for a longer period of time was something I’ll always be thankful for. Despite a language barrier, I’ve never felt so loved by people I’ve known for such a short time. I’m so thankful that I was able to learn and grow from so many teams, staff members, as well as fellow interns. I feel like I grew so much as a leader as well as learning what it meant to be a part of a bigger team.
Like any job, things weren’t always perfect. Sometimes I’d get stressed, overwhelmed and sometimes just outright tired. I’m so thankful that during these times I always had someone on staff that I could go to when I had questions or concerns and they would help me find an answer. Several times a day Tony would come up to me and say, “Kennedy, are you doing alright?” and it would give me a little bit more drive and motivation for the day knowing that the staff I was working for genuinely cared about my well being. I don’t feel like there was ever a situation I was in that I didn’t have anyone to turn to.
The Impacto team does so much more than you see and to be honest, I’m still not completely sure how they do it. Waking up every morning on the lake and hearing Pastor Luis and Tony’s devotionals every morning is something I miss every day. I love Impacto and their team. They taught me so much as a leader, a team member, and a follower of Christ.