What a sweet summer we had at Mercy Street! We are so thankful for the way Jesus moved in the hearts of the junior interns, senior interns, and Mercy Street staff alike. You can read a bit more about what the summer looked like here:
Here are a few things we are celebrating from the summer…
Each micro-businesses was profitable. Street Signs, Mercy Street Cafe, Shiver Shaved Ice and Spiffy T's all had a successful summer. Junior interns learned about entrepreneurship, budgeting, bookkeeping, advertising, and customer service. They got to put these skills into action each day in their marketplace teams and then see the fruit in a bonus paycheck at the end of the summer!
- Six fantastic speakers joined us throughout the summer to teach about different marketplace and life skills. Topics included advertising and smart consumerism, personal finance and budgeting, how to avoid credit slavery, college readiness, and conflict resolution. We are blessed by the willingness of so many people to share their knowledge and resources with us.
- COLORADO! Our week long backpacking trip on the Ute Trail in CO is always a highlight of the summer. We were reminded again this year of our thankfulness for the Sky Ranch Wilderness Program, and the way their staff loves us well.
- Junior and senior interns read a book together called Kairo. It’s an urban retelling of Pilgrim's Progress and sparked lots of good conversation on what it means to follow God and let him take away our burdens. The author, Judah Ben, was able to join us for a book discussion one week!
- Jerry Wagner and Garrett Smith led students in a study of the Sermon on the Mount. We spent the summer discussing what a Christian Leader looks like and cares about based on the things Jesus taught his followers.
- Our six senior interns went above and beyond their job descriptions and formed really beautiful, mutually-transforming relationships with the junior interns. Almost every single junior intern said that the best part of the summer was getting to know the senior interns.
I’ll leave you with a fun story. Toward the end of the summer, the manager of our local Chick-fil-a taught a marketplace skills class about customer service. One junior intern, Tyrin, was especially engaged and asked great questions throughout the session. By the end, the manager was so impressed with Tyrin that he offered him an interview for a job at Chick-fil-a! Tyrin is now employed there and getting to use his leadership skills on the job.
This is just a small glimpse into the summer internship. At the core of the Leadership Institute is a desire to see students marveling at Jesus, allowing Him to lead them to repentance, and ultimately resulting in lives ripe with Kingdom fruit. During the summer, we have front row seats to watch this happen … what a joy and privilege! We are so proud of these emerging leaders, and feel incredibly thankful to have spent the summer with them.
