“Are you still interested in serving with Samaritan’s Purse? And are you willing to go to our office in Canada?”
I had no idea Samaritan’s Purse even had an office in Canada and no clue what my position would be if I accepted the internship offer.
“Of course, I would love to, and I will go to Canada!” I got off the phone and quickly googled Samaritan’s Purse Canada…and then searched for Calgary, Alberta, since I didn’t know where that was either.
What started as a moment of confusion became one of the most learning-rich and impactful summers of my life.
If you read all of my college applications, you would see that the one thing I knew I wanted to do with my life was combine writing and missions. I didn’t know how that would happen, but they were both things I was passionate about.
After learning about Samaritan’s Purse’s summer internship program, I knew it was something I wanted to do. They place each intern in a department that fits their major, and they have offices in countries all over the world. This was the perfect opportunity to use writing in the context of missions!
The biggest project I worked on throughout the summer was rewriting the manual for the Operation Christmas Child Processing Centers in Canada. I enjoyed being able to take large pieces of information, sort through them, find the important pieces, and then organize and present the finished product that our audience could understand. Writing an entire manual was a new and challenging project, but I loved being both creative and organized and knowing that my work played a part in spreading the love of Christ.
Other than the Processing Center Manual, I was able to write and collaborate on many other processes and training materials. I wrote content for Operation Christmas Child’s social media accounts and monitored the audience engagement on their Facebook page. I even had the opportunity to pack shoeboxes with volunteers in the warehouse. Every project I was part of had a purpose and was vital in accomplishing the organization’s goals.
The Professional Writing and Information Design classes prepared me for this internship more than I ever thought. From “The Professional Writer in a Corporate Culture,” I knew what to look for as I evaluated office life at Samaritan’s Purse. I used “Marketing Communication” when I worked with social media and discussed various marketing campaigns. My experience in “Professional Editing” helped me break down massive documents into manageable editing tasks. And I used the skills I learned in “Production Tools and Document Design” to lay out and design multiple manuals, brochures, and forms.
Because of my internship, I am even more thankful for the PWID major, and I can see the importance it holds in the workplace. I was able to take a lot of ideas and concepts from class and put them into practice with real-life projects. When I chose to dive into the unknown territory of Samaritan’s Purse in Calgary, Alberta, I learned how to combine my passions by applying the PWID major to furthering the Gospel around the world.
