Our Outreach Workers are able to build relationships with children and families impacted by poverty not because they have more to give, but because both sides have opened up to each other and allowed the other to breathe into each other’s lives.
A Buzz of Excitement
By: Shelby Lam, summer intern at Kingston-Galloway
On the first day of training, I was greeted by an Outreach Worker who welcomed me back for my second year with TCM. When I asked how she was feeling, she replied with something along the lines of, “There’s always a buzz of excitement on the first day. Everyone meets each other for the first time and TCM really takes off.”
The first week of training is comparable to a first week of school. Most of the interns are strangers to one another and getting to know everyone is difficult since we all come from various cultures and backgrounds. The personalities also varied, where some interns were very outgoing, while others kept to themselves. In a typical setting, it would be very unlikely for us to get along. But TCM is different.
After the first few days, I started to feel the energy rise. I noticed how quickly a group of strangers became a supportive community. Conversations transitioned from awkward get-to-know-you interactions to ones filled with bellowing laughter. Every intern and Outreach Worker showed a desire to get to know everyone else. Although I wouldn’t say we are all “best friends,” I can say that we all show a genuine sense of care for one another, despite being together for only one week.
I started to wonder how this sense of belonging and community developed so quickly, as a connection like this would normally take months to develop. I’ve realized that this was only possible through Christ. Our friendships are driven by the same passion to serve our city that Christ instilled in our hearts. Among our various walks of life, God built this opportunity to come together and serve Him with TCM. Christ orchestrated this combination of His children because He knows that our characters and spiritual gifts complement each other.
With the busyness of camp, it might be easy to forget that we are a community that our Father hand-picked. Although our focus will be directed at serving the campers and families, we still need to show love, care and support to our team members. We need one another because it is only together, with Christ as our foundation, that we will be able to honour this community that Christ made, and wholeheartedly serve Him.
*Side note: If you were wondering about training, the Outreach Workers have been working tirelessly to lead phenomenal workshops (such as Spiritual Inventory, Personality Profiles, Creative Storytelling, Behaviour Management, Spiritual Formation, Anti-bullying and Fundraising/Advocacy) full of reflection and self-discovery. I’ve learned more about myself this past week than I have in the last 21 years of my life. Thank you TCM and the Outreach Workers for putting so much work into my learning experience and making me feel valued as an intern!
This is Shelby’s second year serving at Kingston-Galloway as a Summer Mission Intern. Although Shelby will be returning to school for post-graduate studies unrelated to ministry, children and outreach, she is beyond excited for the ridiculous moments and lasting memories that God has in store for her and the KG team this season.