Mission Report: Internship August of 2022 (Bonus half-month)

     Greetings, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus our Lord! This is Jonah Flynn, a follower, and worshiper of the one true King. This year, I was taken by the Holy Spirit to the Child Evangelism Fellowship International Headquarters in order to intern at said headquarters. I was blessed with being in the production department, which will be explained later in this report. I am here to give you a report on how and what I've been doing this past month for you who have supported and prayed for me.

   Department/Position

PHOTO CREDIT — @CEFUnplugged on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/CigTpPvtWJC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    I am a Bindery Generalist — Production Intern. This means I assist in the production of visuals, booklets, and other physical, paper/disc/flashdrive-related, CEF materials being sent around the world and/or sold. I often take out the paper-recycling and assist with machinery such as the saddle-binder and folder. I also often work in the press room: cleaning the press/plates, emptying/refilling sponge-buckets, and dealing with strong chemicals. I also assist with other Support Services departments if needed, such as the Shipping department which I have been sent to in the past. This position and department are important because the materials being produced are often eye-catching and effective for teaching children and even adults.

    I enjoy this department and position very much! It's a ton of fun getting to assist with, learn about, and use the machinery back there. Some jobs are calm and simple: opening bags, manually binding flashcards/booklets, etc. Others are of higher intensity: putting the product of the folder/saddle-binder/cutter on a skid/cart, cleaning the press, etc. Regardless of calm or intense, it's always a fun and enjoyable experience!

[DEPARTMENT-RELATED PRAISE REQUEST] I've been able to learn a lot and enjoy my experience!

[DEPARTMENT-RELATED PRAYER REQUEST] That I'll be able to improve quickly and easily!

Church

    While I searched around for my first few weeks, I eventually landed on a Church I'll be going to for the remainder of my time here in Missouri. This Church is Chapel of The Lake, and they have many great sermons and an abundance of wonderful people! I get there for their second hour of service which starts at 11, so that gives me some nice time to rest beforehand. For my first month of being here, they were going through a series on family called, "Home Work: Renovating Our Relationships," using Ephesians 4-5. While I have to admit that I still prefer my home Church by a lot, Chapel of The Lake is still a good Church and one I intend to stick with as long as I'm in Missouri!

[CHURCH-RELATED PRAISE REQUEST] The Lord has blessed me with a Church I enjoy!

[CHURCH-RELATED PRAYER REQUEST] That I can learn a lot and grow from being at this Church!

Fellow Interns

    All of my fellow interns are absolutely wonderful! Even though I've only known them for a month, I really do feel like I've grown a friendship with each of them and a deep friendship with quite a few of them! They all have many things interesting about them that make them stand out (only one of which I shall detail in this report)! I did accidentally get one of them addicted to Dairy Queen Blizzards, though... But it's alright! Overall, I love all my fellow interns and am truly blessed to have them!

    We frequently go out to do fun things. Sometimes we go to restaurants, like the aforementioned Dairy Queen. Other times we go all the way across town to buy specific things like a comforter for winter. There, too, are times when we go out to help other people, like when a non-intern employee had bought a new table and chairs and needed help moving them in. Our main spot to go out to, however, is Walmart.

    Us interns also have begun going to a Bible Study at the home of the people in charge of interns. It's very enjoyable! Our first week we gave our testimonies, our second we had a meeting with the new CEF President, Jeremiah Cho. We are currently reading Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges, a book about how we Saints (Christians) tend to minimize our sins and consider them to be, "respectable." This Bible Study is required for employment, but that's part of the fun of being in the intern program! In conclusion, this Bible Study is one of the best parts of being an Intern at the CEF International Headquarters!

Bonus Half-Month! (Oops!)

Okay, so, I accidentally waited over half-a-month to write this report, so y'all get a bonus half! (yay!) 

    So, I've begun going to the gym! I've been going with other interns, and it's very enjoyable! The gym I've been going to gives me a discount for being a CEF employee, which is nice! Because of this and money, my fellow intern whom I accidentally got addicted to Blizzards and I have made a deal to only eat ice cream once a week (no weekends). It's a lot of fun and I'm praying I can lose fat-weight, gain muscle-wait, and grow in my relationship with my fellow interns and, most importantly, God!

    There are also a few great updates on my department and how I'm doing in my department. We got a new supervisor, and she's great! I've also got to learn how to use the manual booklet stitcher, which is fun but also slow. I've also (slightly) learned how to use the cutter, which is fun but kinda stressful. Overall, my department is doing great!

    I've also gotten an intern mentor. This mentor is someone who comes to me every week to talk and help me grow in Christ. My mentor is awesome and we have many great conversations every time we meet! We almost always wind up, accidentally, discussing escatology, but I'm fine with that! Like the Bible Study, having a mentor is one of the best parts of the intern program!

I am starting an official newsletter through CEF for my supporters, but if you're not a supporter financially and would like to be sent that newsletter, please send me all the necessary information (name, address, etc) at Jonah@MarketPlacePlus.com and you can have it sent to you for free!